OpinionApril 17, 2005
Speak Out 4/17/05
Small piece of pie; Guaranteed income; Fight back; Voting numbers; Good story; Time to move on; Can't afford taxes; Saints by comparison; Crime must be down; Recycling hours; Flags honor patrolman; What was elaborate?; We want more; Reasons to vote no; Debris in creek; Classrooms for basics; Fresh-air approach; Town's foundation; Recycling plastic; No support, no school
Small piece of pie
I AM not a disgruntled, greedy, selfish taxpayer. I am a senior, single homeowner who cannot afford a huge school tax increase. If the Jackson School District could lower its bond issue to an amount absolutely necessary to make improvement so that there would not be a huge increase in taxes, I believe it would pass. A small piece of pie is better than no pie at all.
Guaranteed income
NEITHER JACKSON nor Cape Girardeau would have revenue problems if they could plant unmarked police cars at all the major intersections and give tickets to motorists running red lights. I never come to Cape that somebody doesn't run a stop light.
Fight back
I AM watching the news bulletin warning us about possible tornadoes in Jackson and Fruitland. Two of my children travel to Mineral Area College. They risked their lives every day on these roads, not to mention the cost of gas. They cannot attend a community college here in Cape Girardeau, and this upsets me. Southeast Missouri State University will not allow a community college in Cape. SEMO is afraid it would hurt enrollment. I think parents here should follow the lead of Three Rivers Community College and fight back. This is not fair to our children. Their education is more important than SEMO's pocketbooks.
Voting numbers
I THINK it is regrettable that Jackson School District bond issue was not approved. We're not going to convince others to support the bond issue by condemning those that did not agree with us. Arrogance from the yes voters is not the intelligent way to sell the need to vote yes. Voter participation was 70.6 percent in November 2004. On April 5 only 33.75 percent bothered to vote. There were 4,147 more yes voters in November who did not bother to exercise their right to vote and support the school bond issue April 5. Work on the 4,147 no-shows and try to convince more no voters, not alienate them.
Good story
I THINK the writers of "Storms, hail lash area; 5 funnel clouds sighted" did a wonderful job.
Time to move on
THE BOND issue in Jackson is dead until at least next April. All of you who wanted it and didn't get it should stop complaining. The people have spoken twice, and there is nothing you can do about it. It won't miraculously get approved. Make do with what you have and get over it.
Can't afford taxes
HERE ARE my reasons for voting against the school bond issue in Jackson. I don't want any higher taxes. I live paycheck to paycheck. I don't have cable or health insurance. I don't eat fancy meals. I drive a car that is over 10 years old, I wear the same clothes I wore 10 years ago. My house is paid off. I can't afford higher taxes. Period. I will continue to vote no on any tax increase. Some people just can't afford to pay anymore.
Saints by comparison
THE ANTICS of Republicans Rod Jetton and Tom DeLay -- taking vacations with questionable money -- is terrible. They make Bill and Hillary Clinton look like saints. What do Rush Limbaugh and David Limbaugh have to say about these Republicans?
Crime must be down
CRIME IN Cape Girardeau must be at an all-time low. A person was featured in CrimeStoppers for a non-moving traffic violation.
Recycling hours
I LOVE the idea of having a recycling center and would love to use it more often. Unfortunately, the center is only open during the week, and I am not able to drop stuff off at the times it is open. Items like leaves can't be picked up by the recycling truck. It would be great if the center was open all day Saturday or even half a day. More residents could utilize the service.
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Flags honor patrolman
I MUST have missed something. I was under the impression that Gov. Matt Blunt ordered flags flown at half-staff for the murdered highway patrolman. Surely he deserves the honor.
What was elaborate?
IT'S DIFFICULT to believe the Jackson School District bond issue failed because of such ignorance. A public high school can't charge tuition. Cutting back on trips for sports teams would not fund a new building. And can someone please tell me what was so elaborate about the proposed building? Perhaps voters would prefer adding some trailers or modular buildings to the property to provide necessary space?
We want more
HANG IN there, Jackson School District. There are still some of us in Jackson who want more for our children than making closet organizers, clay pots and stuffing diapers into boxes.
Reasons to vote no
I VOTED no on the Jackson School District bond issue because the district can't seem to build wisely. The high school multipurpose building is a joke. We were told how wonderful it would be. The traffic situation at South Elementary School is a joke. Why doesn't the district build another driveway entrance to break up some of the traffic one way in and one way out instead of only one drive for an entrance and an exit. This is a dangerous situation if a crisis ever occurs. The new gym at the junior high school could have been made larger. I would like to see a new high school, and so would many other people. Most people would have preferred to build a new high school and move the junior high to the old high school buildings rather than building the junior high expansion. Get the school out of the middle of town. Close the campus. This would help keep out drugs and cut down on students coming back to school drunk or high. It would also cut down on student traffic speeding through town during lunch.
Debris in creek
JACKSON OFFICIALS have blamed outlying districts for the flooding problems. But these same officials have consistently allowed the filling and developing of the flood plains. No effort has been made to buy out residences and businesses located in the flood plains. Shane Anderson, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, was shown on the front page dumping debris into Hubble Creek. My respect for Jackson will increase if in the next few days I see the parks director cited for the littering of a public waterway.
Classrooms for basics
I WOULD gladly vote for classrooms to teach math, science and literature. I won't vote to waste millions on the football team, the band or a place to put on plays. If the Jackson School Board comes up with a plan that shows respect for school district voters and proves to me that half the money won't be wasted, I'll change my vote.
Fresh-air approach
MEDIEVAL STUDENTS learned better than ours with poor facilities and materials. Socrates often taught outside. Rousseau believed in a consorting-with-nature education. Are we ever going to learn that bricks and mortar do not a decent education make?
Town's foundation
I AM not a resident of Jackson, nor do I have any connections to the city. I feel that this gives me a unbiased view on the school bond issue that is dividing the town. I am shocked that a town that is so proud of its schools would fail to support upgrading the facilities. The foundation of any town is the public school system. Better public schools lead to a better town. Instead of looking at it as money lost, the residents of Jackson need to look at it as investment in the future.
Recycling plastic
THE ARTICLE on recycling plastic bags was great. It did not mention a use for them that is most popular in snowbird campgrounds: The women cut them into strips and crochet them into shopping bags. Although rather ironic, it's a hoot when you think about it.
No support, no school
FROM WHAT I've heard, all the outlying areas (Burfordsville, Gordonville , Millersville) overwhelmingly voted against the Jackson School District bond issue. Kids in those outlying areas won't go to their little schools their entire educational career. They will eventually have to come in town. It costs a lot of money to keep those buildings open for just a few kids. If they aren't going to support this, then I say close them down.
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