OpinionApril 5, 2005
Speak Out 4/5/05
Wrong focus; Alive and well; Smokeless dining; Complete ban; Getting the facts; Great pop concert; No pity for smokers; Handling waste; Sick humor; Driving ideas; Patching highways; Post office connection; Ban public smoking; Paying for smokers; Buying votes; Blast at parties; Proper rewards; School differences; Complete the change; Increase the fines
Wrong focus
LET'S KEEP our eyes on the people who are committing hate crimes. Leave the listed sex offenders alone. I will bet 90 percent of them are law-abiding citizens. If we try to lock them up, it will be society that has to pay for them.
Alive and well
BLACK PEOPLE might forgive slavery, but discrimination is still alive and well. I'm afraid that comparisons between whites and African Americans are a bit naive.
Smokeless dining
A CALLER said he would not go to a restaurant that was non-smoking and that it would be bad for the owners. If you want to smoke, that is your right. But many people cannot be around smoke because of allergies, pregnancy or having young children. In New York City we were pleased to see that every restaurant was nonsmoking, yet they were completely full. People went outside to smoke. If New York City can learn to adapt, I think we can as well. I doubt that restaurants will have to be too concerned that they will not have business.
Complete ban
THERE SHOULD be a statewide ban on smoking in all public places with no exceptions.
Getting the facts
I HAVE seen people's lives ruined by charges being brought against them. The fact they have been charged is plastered all over the papers and TV, but never is there anything telling that they were also found not guilty. In David Butler's case there a lot more lives at stake that could be ruined due to false accusations. If proven guilty, he deserves to pay the price. But if there is no validity to the charges, people need to know that too.
Great pop concert
WAY TO go to everyone who participated in the Oak Ridge pops concert. It was great. Congratulations to Ford, J-Rod and Brad on their upcoming competition in St. Louis. You have to want it bad enough.
No pity for smokers
TO THE smokers who don't like the taxes on cigarettes: I don't feel sorry for you. To the smokers who don't like the government intrusion: I don't feel sorry for you. When I walk into a restaurant, I shouldn't have to smell disgusting smoke.
Handling waste
REGARDING INDUSTRIAL waste released into the environment as a result of manufacturing processes: Certainly this discharge can be converted into some neutral or even reclaimable material. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Environmental engineers could concentrate their efforts to providing industry with solutions to byproduct reclamation by diverse design parameters and different ideas to attack the problems. We all lose if this is not a priority.
Sick humor
I LIVE on Greensferry Road, and I just saw something very disgusting on the way home. There was a dead cat in the road. Someone put a sign over it, "Free cat." I don't know if they think that is funny, but I think it's sick.
Driving ideas
PERTAINING TO the senior citizens who drive too slow: I lived in California for 17 years, and there were old people who moved out there and never had a ticket in their life but got tickets for going too slow. That's what they ought to start doing here. I also notice that the young people here like to tailgate you. I think driving in Cape Girardeau has a lot to be desired.
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Patching highways
I'D LIKE to express my appreciation for the Missouri Department of Transportation workers I've seen out until dark and the first thing in the morning patching up the highways. They look like they're working very efficiently. I do have a concern about the way the highways are being patched. It reminds me of a used car. I hope it will last 10 or 15 years as they're saying.
Post office connection
MAYBE THE Cape Girardeau City Council members and mayor could contact U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and see if she could do the same thing for the Cape Girardeau post office that she did for the Millersville post office.
Ban public smoking
IF SMOKERS want to kill themselves, I guess that's their decision, but they have no right to inflict harm on others. The government has determined that second-hand smoke causes cancer. Not only should smoking in public places be banned, it should be illegal, because you're spreading that poison around to the detriment and harm of all nonsmokers. You have no right to do that. If you want to smoke, confine it to the privacy of your own home.
Paying for smokers
SMOKERS SHOULD be taxed even more than they are now. I do not like my money going to health care for smokers because of something they chose to do to their bodies. Smokers have caused insurance companies to increase premiums. If smokers are on a government-supported health plan, my tax money is going directly to take care of the damage smokers choose to do. All health plans, private or public, should carve out any benefits for smoking-related claims. Smoking causes a lot more illnesses than just cancer.
Buying votes
I WAS reading about Rod Jetton taking the trip to Hot Springs, Ark., that was paid for by lobbyists. Does he think we are so stupid that we don't know these lobbyists are buying votes?
Blast at parties
MY SON goes to those parties at Central Middle School and has a blast. If you think your kids are missing out on learning, don't let them go to the parties. It's very simple.
Proper rewards
THE PEOPLE who keep complaining about the school rewards ought to be glad their children are being recognized for their academic and good behavior. Why would you not want your children be happy that they are doing well in academics? Adults look for rewards in the form of raises and bonuses.
School differences
WHEN READERS draw comparisons between parochial and public schools and say that public schools spend more money with less results, they usually forget an important fact. Private schools do not have to accept every student who enrolls. They can refuse students with physical and learning disabilities and behavior problems.
Complete the change
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI State University changed its mascot, and I was not happy at all. But it needs to complete the change all the way around. The basketball court needs a redhawk on the floor. Everything around campus should all say redhawks, and nothing should have the logo with the arrow through it.
Increase the fines
I WOULD like to see larger fines for littering. The large fines are to keep people from littering. If children would have been taught not to litter by their parents, they wouldn't have to pay the fines. I don't make much money at my job, but I don't litter either.
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