OpinionApril 20, 2005
Speak Out 4/20/05
War on dandelions; Money for schools; Taking a shortcut; Doing your part; Too many licenses; Courageous funding; Garbage plan; Spending on sports; Close Gordonville school; Look at fee increases; Still voting no; Bare minimum; Dig deep for schools; Too much protection; Not enough room; Smaller schools; Great performances; Entertaining show
War on dandelions
CAPE GIRARDEAU residents, I'm so ashamed of so many of you. You try to keep a nice house and car, and then you let your yard go with dandelions. It only takes a small investment of time and money to rid your yard and the neighborhood of that trashy yellow weed. Let's take some pride in our lawns and spray these ugly weeds away.
Money for schools
YOU CANNOT sell cookies to build a new high school. Invest some time and go find the real facts, not the facts you would like to believe.
Taking a shortcut
I WAS at a four-way intersection. There was a police officer behind me. When I stopped at the stop sign, the police officer cut through a parking lot instead of stopping at the intersection and waiting for three other cars to proceed. I see policemen pull people over for doing the same thing. What makes them so special they can do it and not get ticketed? Shame on him and all the others who do things like this.
Doing your part
THE JACKSON School District does a fantastic job with special-needs students. Its program is considered one of the best in the state. Just because your child didn't succeed doesn't mean the district didn't do everything in its power to help. Maybe the problem lies at home. Did you do your part in checking homework, asking questions, attending meetings, working with the teachers and reinforcing skills?
Too many licenses
ONE OF the few good things Gov. Matt Blunt has done is to suggest modifying, if not ending, all those licensing requirements. Day-care centers? Beauty shops? As Jon Stossel would say, "Give me a break." Let the market determine who is or I not capable of providing good service. If it were left up to me, I would end licensing requirements for teachers, lawyers, doctors and many others. Though counterintuitive, these requirements often result in worse service for the consumer.
Courageous funding
WE SHOULD be proud of our legislators and the governor for taking funds from Medicaid and sending the money to the ballclubs. That takes courage.
Garbage plan
HOW COME Scott City, Jackson and other communities have a spring cleanup day, but Cape Girardeau did away with its cleanup week? You have to make an appointment. What a bunch of garbage.
Spending on sports
AS A former student of Jackson High School, it seems to me that maybe if we concentrated more on academics instead of athletics, some of the money for this new building would generate itself. Do we really need a soccer team or a golf team? The academic program at Jackson is probably one of the strongest in the area, if not the state. Let's look at how many dollars are thrown down the tubes in the athletic program. Jackson School Board, show us some fiscal responsibility.
Close Gordonville school
BEFORE BUILDING a new school, fix the problems with the existing schools in the Jackson School District. Close the Gordonville school and add the 60 students to the empty school rooms in the other schools. There are more than six empty classrooms in Jackson schools. The Gordonville school has been a waste of taxpayers' money for years.
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Look at fee increases
HERE IS some advice for Councilwoman Debra Tracy. The residents of Ward 3 have become accustomed to having a city councilman who would stand up to the powers that be for the good of our residents. For that he was rewarded and now represents us at the county level. Councilwoman Tracy, please look at the proposed fee increases for water, sewer and trash. Every time we turn around the city is raising our rates. Thank you from a concerned write-in voter.
Still voting no
I VOTED no against the Jackson School District bond issue, and there is no changing my mind about it. If Jackson wants to spend $27 million dollars to renovate the high school, just build a new one. Until Jackson comes up with a better plan, my vote will continue to be no.
Bare minimum
IS IT possible that a school can be too nice? Isn't it our obligation to give our children the greatest advantage we can? The proposed renovations for Jackson High School are not extravagant. They are the bare minimum. As for parochial schools spending less money, that's because those teachers make significantly less money than public school teachers. Those schools also received unparalleled parent support. They are constantly doing fund raising and receiving private donations. When was the last time you did anything for your child's public school?
Dig deep for schools
I PAY school taxes, and I pay to send my children to a private school. When their school needs more money, I give more because they get the education I want my children to have but can't get in a public school. If parents in the Jackson School District think they are getting the best education for their children and need more money, then dig deep and help out. After all, they are your children.
Too much protection
MORE PROTECTION? It's bad enough to read about big agribusinesss concerns needing more protection from anything since they are, according to "Give Me a Break" Jon Stossel, the No. 1 corporate welfare queens in America. However, it is now argued that they need some degree of protection from biotech rice. In other words, consumers are being protected against progress. I give up.
Not enough room
A PREVIOUS comment said Jackson High School should not have an open campus for lunch to cut down on students returning to school drunk or high. The problem with that solution is that only 300 or so kids fit in the outdated cafeteria at one time. We already run in lunch shifts. We could add two more shifts, but then parents would be griping about their kids eating lunch at 10 o'clock in the morning or 2 o'clock in the afternoon. However, the comment is right about the drugs and alcohol. Isn't this reality alone enough to change the vote of a truly concerned parent?
Smaller schools
IF VOTERS in Gordonville, Millersville and Burfordsville voted against the Jackson School District bond issue in order to make more certain that small schools remain open, then these voters are more up to date with the recent education research findings than those who voted yes. Rally to the cause of bringing back the one-room schoolhouse.
Great performances
IN THE past few weeks I have seen two incredible student productions. "Guys and Dolls" on the Southeast Missouri State University campus and "42nd street" at Notre Dame Regional High School. Both productions were better then anything I had expected. The dancing, singing and stage design were better than any I have seen on an amateur stage. The amount of determination exerted by both sets of students was amazing. As in SEMO's production, Notre Dame's was filled with complicated dance numbers that require much skill and were executed expertly. They were both great performances, and I hope to see more great performance art as the years progress. Congratulations.
Entertaining show
I WOULD like to thank the youths of First General Baptist Church in Jackson for a wonderful and entertaining "Hee Haw" show. It was such an enjoyment, and it brought back a lot of good memories. Good luck on your mission trip to Mexico, and God bless each and every one of you. The youths are the future, and I would say First General Baptist Church is alive and well with a tremendous future ahead of it.
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