Speak Out 3/7/07

No pellet guns

PEOPLE HAVE been injured by pellet guns. A pellet to the eye can blind a person. What is the point of taking a pellet gun to school? The purpose of attending school is to get an education, and the presence of a pellet gun does not contribute to that goal.

Natural phenomenon

CLIMATE CHANGE is a natural phenomenon that cannot be controlled by the actions of humans. The so-called evidence that has been used to say that humans are responsible is circumstantial and political.

Veto was proper

THE MAYOR of Jackson was right to veto the abandonment of Shawn Drive because of what is outlined in the city ordinances. To claim that there is a vendetta against any person who may find fault with this is ridiculous and obviously a case of sour grapes. Ordinances are in place for a reason. To grant one developer the right to go against an ordinance is wrong and not fair to other developers. I know people who live on Francis Drive, which would intersect with Shawn Drive if the street is ever built. Residents complain about speeding traffic on that street. A stop sign at an intersection with Shawn Drive would be the best thing for that neighborhood to slow down the traffic. I think a few people who didn't get their way in the matter are raising a big stink.

Special-interest votes

THE DEMOCRATS' wins in the last election has rapidly gone to their heads. The main reason Republicans got beat was anger at Bush's war. Even this far ahead, most of us have been predicting the next president will be a Democrat. Now we are watching the Democrats promote bills such as the one on unions and gay rights. While seeing them pandering, we may be seeing them shoot themselves in the foot. Even staunch Democrats are tiring of these obvious vote-getting attempts. Union membership has been dropping for years as workers realize unions are more for themselves than their members. The majority of Americans are against the gay lifestyle and are against racial profiling and preferences. This may be a tougher fight for the presidency than the Democrats expected if they don't start considering all Americans and what they really want or do not want rather than trying to pull in all those special-interest votes.

Paying for waste

GOOD QUESTION in Speak Out: "Why should the government take away what I earn to pay for health care for you?" Let's see. Our government takes away what we earn to pay for bridges and golf courses we don't need, beautification we could live without, politicians traveling the world, great health care and retirement for politicians that most of us don't have access to, payments to farmers to not grow crops, myriads of grant programs. Get real. Our government takes our money, and from there we have no say in how it is spent or wasted. Health care is one of the few things we need in order to exist.

High electricity costs

WHY ARE the energy bills in Jackson are so high? My bill this month was more than double any energy bill I have ever received. My wife and I both work, and it is still a blow, I worry about senior citizens on a fixed income. The city should revisit other electricity alternatives to lower the rates. Our elderly should not have to decide whether they want electricity or food.

Gala was fun

MY HUSBAND and I attended the American Cancer Society gala Saturday night and wanted to commend the committee that put on such a lavish event. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work went into the evening.

War support

WANT TO stop the war in Iraq? Bring back the draft with no exemptions and no deferments. The powers that be would stop it before their kids are sent there. If you advocate this war, join the military no matter what age.

Expensive Congress

CONGRESS SPENDS more on itself than any other legislature in the world, with annual costs rising from $343 million in 1970 to an estimated $4.4 billion in 2006. Are they more ethical, honest and efficient today than in 1970?

Hiring is questioned

EVEN A supporter of the Cape Girardeau County Commission is skeptical of the hiring of an assistant who does consulting work on the side. This story has legs, but only a few people are interested in getting to the bottom of it.

Short-staffing nurses

NURSING SHORTAGE? Two years ago, I contacted state boards, federal regulators, representatives, senators and local hospital officials after being a victim of the nursing shortage firsthand. While the medical errors were acknowledged, no disciplinary action was taken because no laws were violated. As long as our laws continue to protect hospitals and physicians, no changes will take place. There's a vast difference being a nursing shortage and short-staffing of nurses. It should be of concern to everyone in our area for these not-for-profit health-care facilities to risk patient lives by reducing staff. It's all about the bottom line. Hospital administrators may tout there is no nursing shortage, but spend a few minutes on a surgical floor and you'll see what short-staffing is all about.