OpinionApril 6, 2005
Speak Out 4/6/05
Proud of SIU; Thanks for sidewalks; Dining discrimination; Statewide ban; School funding; Dawdling drivers; Expensive knowledge; Danforth's assessment; Public works questions; Better than Cairo; Food-stamp abuse; Lexington traffic; Someone has to work; MAP test schedule
Proud of SIU
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Univeristy-Carbondale is a good school. Its party image goes way back. Obviously there are kids that go there who aren't in it for the education, but the same goes for any school. I am proud to say I am an alumnus of SIU, and I took my education there seriously. The SIU alumni association has over 200,000 proud members worldwide.
Thanks for sidewalks
WHAT A great way to improve city neighborhoods. Thank you. Cape Girardeau, for taking the time and spending the money on sidewalks along Lexington Avenue. They look great and are wheelchair and stroller friendly with the ramps. Thanks.
Dining discrimination
THERE ARE a lot of us who only support restaurants that don't discriminate against smokers. Discrimination comes in different forms.
Statewide ban
SMOKING SHOULD be banned in all public places, period. State Rep. Nathan Cooper and state Sen. Jason Crowell should take the lead in passing legislation implementing a statewide ban.
School funding
ENCOURAGING PRIVATE donations to public schools is a tacit way of circumventing the truism that it is the citizens' responsibility to pay for public schools via taxes. Implicitly advocating passing the buck for public school finance from the general public to private donors is an irresponsible act on the part of the Southeast Missourian editorial board.
Dawdling drivers
MANY YEARS ago we learned, when frustrated while driving behind a senior citizen who was dawdling along the highways, to remind ourselves: That's someone's grandmother or grandfather, and someday we may be dawdling too.
Expensive knowledge
WHAT GOOD do we expect to get from space programs? For the billions spent, we get all this interesting information of what a planet may or may not have been eons ago. Perhaps that money would be better spent for things to better the lives of the taxpayers, to pay back the loans made from Social Security and to provide health care. Knowledge is great to have, but at what cost?
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Danforth's assessment
HERE IS a big thank you to former U.S. senator John Danforth for telling it like it is. Today's Republican Party is not the same one he joined. I'm proud that it was a Missourian who had the guts to call out the ongoing shift in the party to the values of the religious right, which have taken precedence over actual conservatism. Thanks again, Mr. Danforth.
Public works questions
I AM a city employee. I wanted to express some of my concerns with the planned move of the public works department to Southern Expressway. I don't think city officials have taken into account all the modifications that have to be made to the building. They want to park the trash trucks right next to the water department trucks. Why have the trash trucks inside? The whole building will stink. The director of public works located his office at the farthest end of the building away from the trash trucks. Another thing is the extra wear and tear on the backhoes. We take these out every day, and that is a long way to drive in a backhoe. It seems that the city jumps on things that look good up front without fully looking into the details. This is going to cost the taxpayers a lot more money than the city announced.
Better than Cairo
ANYONE WHO complains about Cape Girardeau's trash problem should take a trip to Cairo, Ill., and look at what Cape could be like. Cairo has a central street of amazing houses and a downtown that may be larger than Cape's. The town is dying, and the beautiful houses are next door to burnt-out churches. So be happy for what you have, because Cape could be on a decline.
Food-stamp abuse
I USED to be a cashier at a grocery store. The misuse of food stamps is pathetic. A welfare family comes through with things like ribeye steak, expensive frozen pizzas and top-of-the-line cereals and snacks -- all the while not bothering to care how much it cost. A working family comes though the same line with ground beef, rice, beans and bag cereal. They will have a calculator counting every penny. There is absolutely no justice in our welfare system. Those of us who work every day and struggle to pay our bills and feed our families are the ones falling through the cracks. If the bigwig politicians would bother to bring themselves down to our level, they would see this for themselves.
Lexington traffic
THERE IS a major traffic problem on Lexington Avenue. If you are on Route W and trying to pull out onto Lexington, you might as well put your car in park and take a nap. This is especially bad on Sundays when you have churches dismissing all at the same time. I don't know that a four-way stop would help much, but it is something that should be considered.
Someone has to work
I AM a part of the poor working class. I make too much money to get any help, which I do not want, and too poor to be able to afford insurance at work. I can't afford to be sick. All my dependents on Mediciad are depending upon me to work so they don't have to.
MAP test schedule
AS A teacher at Central High School, please allow me to clarify the MAP testing schedule. Eleven total class periods over a two-week period are set aside for the testing. That breaks down to two hours a day for four days and three hours on the remaining day. Students not taking the test (ninth and 12th graders) are supervised by school staff in other settings during this time.
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