Speak Out 4/2/07

Paying for buildings

SOMEONE STATED that it was illegal for SEMO to raise tuition to pay for the River Campus. They're mistaken. When the University Center was proposed sometime between 1962 and 1966, student tuition was raised $5 a semester. But that was when to attend and carry a full load of 15 hours (there was no carrying only 12 hours for a full load), tuition for the semester was $80. So students have been paying for buildings since at least the 1960s.

Enlistees

IT SHOULD be no sin to be an "underdog," as you seem to think people are who enlist in the military. True, there are men and women who have a need to get themselves out of unsavory home/life situations and choose the military where they can be away from drugs, crime and an impoverished life. They are trying to better themselves by protecting you and yours. In addition, there are others who join the military and are honor students in high school, go all the way through college and graduate with multiple honors. And they still enlist in the military. What is wrong with them? I have many family members who have fought for their family and yours. Let's give them all thanks, not challenge the whys of their service.

Hecklers were rude

MY WIFE and I take our children to see as many SEMO baseball games as we can, and our son likes to chase down the home runs, just like children have been doing there for years. Last year, when he was 8 years old, he chased a home run and it landed by the Hecklers. I noticed it was taking him awhile to bring the ball back and I could see that they were talking to him, so I jogged out there. It seems they were trying to get my son to take a beer or even take a drink out of a can of beer. They were also cursing and making all sorts of sexual comments, not about my son but about girls sitting on the hill. Sorry, but I don't see that type of behavior to be commendable or something to defend. Yes, I said something to them, politely but firmly, and they were rude in return.

The longest days

THE TITLE of a story in the New York Times Magazine (3/26), if shown to students, might be sufficient to motivate them to do better on the MAP tests. The title is "Failing Schools See a Solution is a Longer Day."

Highways' purpose

THE RECENT caller complaining about trucks not merging does not understand the purpose of the interstate highway system. There are some of us who travel in high traffic metropolitan areas, and we understand that sometimes it is not possible to change lanes to the left to allow an easy egress for merging vehicles. Therefore, merging over for someone using an on-ramp will never be illegal in any state. Furthermore, if you want to get on the interstate without a hassle, use the acceleration lane for what it's for and ensure that you are at the speed limit (or a couple of miles per hour over) by the time you need to merge onto the interstate.

Kitty litter

ALTHOUGH MISS Missouri seems to be a lovely young lady, I wish she would use her fame to ask people to spay and neuter their pets rather than you show her with her cat and a litter of kittens. Too many dogs and cats are euthanized every year. Please remind people to spay and neuter their pets.

Helping teachers

I JUST received an e-mail from the Missouri Retired Teachers Association. Th e-mail encouraged members to thank Missouri legislators who did a lot for Missouri retired teachers. None of the legislators mentioned were from this area.

Revising history

HISTORICAL REVISIONISM -- otherwise known as "the Big Lie" -- is back and Gary Rust is pushing it. The idea that the Iraq invasion was to bring democracy to the Middle East was the fourth or fifth try at a justification for all the death and destruction that Bush-Cheney have wrought. They resorted to this only after all the other justifications had been revealed as complete lies. There is nothing noble in the Iraq war.

Steering the Titanic

IF YOU are steering the Titanic, you can worry about how big the iceberg is or how much damage it might do, or you can steer a different course and miss the iceberg. We can fret over whether the sea levels will rise 2 or 20 feet and when, or we can control our greenhouse gas releases. Which makes the most sense?

Hail the Hecklers

I AM a Southeast Missouri State student who recently attended my first ball game of the season. People are complaining about the High Hill Hecklers? We should be far more embarrassed about the lack of attendance. Thanks to the Hecklers, the crowd is actually a factor in the game. "Welcome to Division I," as one Heckler said.

Questions about prices

I live from day to day making do with what I have. It's getting hard to even afford to go anywhere, like the doctor or grocery store, because of such high gas prices. Can anyone tell me why gas is still so high? It keeps going up and up. Even when it goes down a few cents, it then goes back up, even higher. What is a poor person supposed to do?

Lake nonsense

I SEE this lake nonsense has been stirred up again. This idea floats around about every six or seven years. The lake would be a good idea if the people behind it would not be interested in forcibly taking away someone's property to build it. The people who are for this lake in Cape County need to either give it up or win the lottery so they can build the lake with their own money and property.

Pudding as proof

SIXTY-FIVE TORNADOES across several states in just a few days. Eighty-two-degree temperatures in March. Al Gore doesn't need a timeline folks, the proof is in the pudding.

Feeling unsafe

I LIVE in the Towers Complex on the Southeast Missouri Campus. I ordered a pizza one night and felt uncomfortable going to get it. There was a group of 17 guys just standing outside. This is ridiculous. I thought there was no loitering outside unless waiting on something. The campus cops need to do something before someone get jumped by this group.

Is nowhere safe?

I AM shocked. I just read the article about the manager of the Tilt being arrested for selling drugs out of the store. That makes me cringe. The thought that my grandchildren have been there to play the games and how many people were there buying or under the influence of drugs while they were there. What is this world coming to? There seems to be no place safe for children to go. If found guilty of the crime I hope he gets the maximum sentence. I have no sympathy for drug dealers.