Speak Out 4/19/06

Military thanks

I WANT to commend the fine people who support our military servicemembers. I am a member of the U.S. Navy stationed in Cape Girardeau. The other night my wife met me after work for supper at a restaurant. I was still in uniform. As our meals arrived, the young lady handed me a gift card envelope and said, "This gentleman would like to buy your meal." I turned to the man who simply shook my hand and said, "Thank you," and walked away. I thanked him in return and shook his hand. But only after I paid for the meal did I realize the card was for $50. Inside the envelope were the words: "Thank you for protecting us." I can speak for myself as well as many other of my fellow servicemembers when I say, it's my pleasure to serve our nation and its people. It is nice to see the outward appreciation and respect for our country at times when much of the vocal sentiment is negative. Thank you.

Payback time

IT IS payback time. For eight years President Clinton was blamed for everything bad that happened. Those holier-than-thou, know-it-all Republicans tried to destroy him from his first day in office. Remember? Probably not, because your selective memory has beset you once more.

Hiring illegals

I AM against illegal immigration, but I can't help feeling hypocritical. Many immigrants work hard. While some get free services, most are overworked and underpaid and live in awful conditions just to make a little money. When asked why they do hard labor day after day, they usually say, "I'm working for a better life, not for me but for my kids." I honestly think any of us would cross the border if we lived in poverty in Mexico. It's hard for me to pass judgment since I haven't been in their situation. We may demand their deportation, but we need to remember that the inhabitants of Southeast Missouri today are not the same inhabitants of Southeast Missouri 500 years ago. We took this land as immigrants once too. We decimated the large native population and took it as our own. There was nothing civilized or legal about it. The reality is that American businesses hire illegals to turn a profit. Why aren't we attacking business owners? As long as they offer under-the-table jobs, illegals will keep coming to fill them. And why shouldn't they? We need to start fixing this problem on our own end by cleaning up our own business practices.

No belts on school buses

I AGREE that bus drivers should state their opinions about seat belts on school buses. Think about the smaller children in kindergarten. They may not know how to buckle themselves. That would be a hassle for the bus drivers. Think about the buckle itself. What if a child gets mad at a smaller child? A whack in the head would knock a child out. In cases of a bus on fire, the driver might have to help all kids unbuckle before they could leave the bus. I would think bus drivers would agree with all of these points. Buses do not need seat belts.

Making history

I FEEL sorry for the remaining 30 percent or so of Americans who still support President Bush. You are either so blind to truth that you will follow your fearless leader into whatever catastrophe comes next, or you agree with him. This administration is more concerned with getting space in the history books, and the best way to do that is make war.

Not a good idea

RAISING THE minimum wage to $20 an hour is the craziest solution to stop illegal immigration I have ever heard. I see two problems. 1. They will come twice as fast if they can make $20 an hour working in fields. 2. If the minimum wage is $20, then our $10-an-hour jobs will need to be raised to $40. The result will be inflation.

High cost of hepatitis

YOUR STORY, which was sympathetic to the people who've had to deal with hepatitis C, should also have mentioned the burden on taxpayers caused by people with this disease. Many who made bad decisions in their life now expect Medicaid to pay for their treatment, which costs thousands of dollars a month for a year or more. There are two sides to every story, and this side should have been told.

Watching Iran

REGARDING THE apparent nuclear stalemate with Iran: I believe we should pursue diplomatic solutions, but if those measures fail, force must be taken. The security of Israel and the greater Middle East is at stake. To those who say we don't have the military strength to deal with a military option in Iran, you are mistaken. If you know anything about the geography of the region, you will realize that Iran is surrounded by American air bases. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan and carriers in the gulf could bomb Iran back to the Stone Age within 72 hours with very little fuel and not a single boot on the ground.

Wrong person

TO THE old-timer who knows more than a little about the East Cape Girardeau, Ill., nightclub: I find it incredulous that Clyde "Bud" Pearce could make the statement that he had no idea that the gentlemen's club at the Purple Crackle was going to be a strip joint. He passed away in September 1995.