Speak Out 4/23/05

Poverty definition

YOUR RECENT article about poverty in the elementary schools in Cape Girardeau was eye-opening. It showed that over half of the elementary students in Cape Girardeau are in poverty. We've got a strange definition of poverty. There are some kids who really are in poverty, but Cape Girardeau is a prosperous town with wonderful houses all over the place. Do we really believe over half of our students are in poverty? I bet almost all of them have color TV and a refrigerator and indoor plumbing and heating and cooling and a good roof. There may be a few who really are struggling and really are in poverty, but most of them are just middle class. And we're saying they're in poverty? This is wrong. We need to change the definition.

Cruel column

MARK BLISS' column about Martha Stewart was tacky and cruel. To make fun of someone in prison for doing what most of us are guilty of is an ugly thing to do.

Blowing trash

THERE ARE four or five people out of 33 houses on Cathy Drive in Jackson who regularly blow their leaves and grass clippings into the street. Don't they realize how trashy it looks?

Paying for schools

I HAVE to laugh when senior citizens say they shouldn't have to pay taxes because their kids are out of school. Do they stop to think about the senior citizens before them who paid taxes so their kids could go to school? We have to keep paying for our kids. Someone paid for ours.

Not just the wealthy

SOME SPEAK Out callers seem to feel that if taxpayers are not doctors or lawyers or otherwise wealthy, we don't belong in Jackson. And you owe an apology to the folks of Delta and Oak Ridge. You are implying that because they are not as large a school district as Jackson, they are inferior. I have children in Jackson schools, but that doesn't mean I'm going to blindly accept a $27 million bond issue being shoved down my throat. I find the administration untrustworthy. By the way, there are some classrooms in elementary schools that aren't being used. Outlying schools such as Gordonville and Millersville would not have to remain open if these were put to use.

Licensing is needed

I WOULD think it would be very important for a day-care center to be licensed. Aren't our children our most valuable things? Beauty shops should have licenses. And I would think licensed teachers are very important. There's a reason we have licensing requirements. I don't think they should be carelessly thrown aside. It only makes sense.

No drugs at school

I DON'T think an open campus or closed campus has anything to do with drug use. I prefer the freedom of an open campus at Jackson High School. I've had two young men go through the Jackson School District, and neither is a drug user. It's up to the parents to make sure their kids aren't doing drugs. It's up to the schools and the police to make sure that kind of activity is not going on at school.

Spending at SEMO

I JUST read about the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents voting to build another building. Our governor is slashing the budget, but he fails to keep the regents in line. Who's going to pay for the new building? The parents of students going to SEMO through increased fees. When are they going to quit spending up there?

Sign of ignorance

I AM a retired police officer. I am appalled at the ignorance that citizens have in regards to what law enforcement does. A lot of radio traffic cannot be said over police radios because so many people have scanners. Citizens in this area should not say a negative word about a law enforcement officer unless they actually know something about the field.

Schools draw newcomers

MISSOURI IS a below average state in income. It has just about the worst roads in the country. Now some people want to cut back on the schools. People aren't going to come to this state if they don't have a decent school system.

Unclear thinking

I GUESS I'm just really kind of lost. The paper says we're going to be getting a new aquatic center at Southeast Missouri State University and that SEMO closed its pool in 2002 for cost -cutting reasons. Now we're building another pool at tremendous cost. I don't know that the board of regents really thinks things out too clearly.

Need better decisions

I SEE where the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents is going to be asking for money from students. SEMO is pricing itself right out of the market. We need an aquatic center about like we need the River Campus. It's spending millions of dollars on things that really have nothing to do with the education of our students. I think we need someone to make some commonsense decisions.

Emphasis on looks

I HAVE the perfect weight-loss solution. Never get a health condition that retains water -- for example, heart or lung disease. Never get pregnant. Don't take any medications that you can't function without, because it puts weight on. Never hit middle age. Always stay young forever. How tragic that in our society people are judged by how they look instead of what's in their heart or the personality.

Small-town life

PEOPLE NEED to realize this is a small, rural community. If they want a larger community to live in, they need to move to the city. Jackson and Cape Girardeau put together don't have enough population to constitute a city. People move here because it is a small area. They like small-town life.

Close the borders

EVEN THOUGH Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California apologized for saying we should secure our borders, I don't think securing the borders will keep out illegals. We should close our borders to illegals. Immigrants should be here only as legal citizens. Our government is too lax with Mexico. The Mexican government publishes brochures to tell illegals where to avoid security and slink into the United States. Something has to be done.

Birds in stores

STORES HAVE opened their garden centers, and now we have birds flying inside the stores doing their messy business. The health department needs to stop this.

SEMO's pool fee

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI State University's plan to build a pool is outrageous. Why would SEMO want to build another pool when it tore down the one it had a couple of years ago? If SEMO needs a pool, it needs to see if can rent the pool under the bubble every now and then. By raising its fees, the university will probably lose more students.

Speeding for a reason

POLICE ARE not above the law. They are the law. Police speed to examine more traffic. Unfortunately, their speeding is usually inappropriate and sets a bad example. Proof positive: I just received a speeding ticket (yes, I was speeding), but how did the policeman catch me? He sped.

Keep work zones safe

I THINK it is ridiculous the amount of time the state highway patrol spends on weekends in our small communities rather than patrolling the interstate work zones keeping our state workers and travelers safe. If they want to write tickets and keep people safe, patrol the work zones.

A good sign

RELIGION IS doing quite well in the United States and most of the free world as the events of the past few weeks has shown.

Opposite effect

THE ACLU and other anti-religious groups that want to get God out of everything are helping religion grow in the U.S. because of their actions.

Cheerful weed

I WANT to say a good word for dandelions. They are one of my favorite flowers. I think everyone should have them in their yards. What a cheerful little addition.

Too much to pay

THE RESIDENTS of Gordonville and Millersville want their young children to go to school closer to home. You can't blame them for that. They pay property taxes too. Jackson needs a new school, but $27 million is too much. Find another way.

Debris in creek

LAST YEAR I observed Cape Girardeau County Highway Department workers dumping debris into a creek. After the next rain the state highway department was pulling the same junk out of a culvert a mile down the creek. At least they had sense to haul it away. It's almost like bums throwing out their trash for someone else to clean up.