Speak Out 5/1/06

Focus on marriages

AFTER MURDER, I think divorce (when children are involved) is the second most terrible sin there is in terms of the devastating consequences. Children are seeing their families torn apart. Meanwhile, all the focus is on gasoline, roundabouts, river campuses and Democratic puppies. Please see the need to educate people and keep all marriages intact.

Luxury use of fuel

GASOLINE PRICES today are near their peak level in 1981. This is only a problem because real wages in this country are stagnant, at least for the ordinary citizen. The federal minimum wage hasn't budged in almost a decade. That's why the fuel crunch only affects the middle and lower classes. Instead of tax holidays and relaxing environmental standards, we should be punishing those who drive vehicles with outlandish fuel economy as a luxury. The ones who can most easily afford gas are the ones responsible for increasing the price. Tax big trucks and SUVs until it hurts. Only then will we see better pump prices.

False shortage

QATAR'S MINISTER of energy, who oversees the production of 850,000 barrels of oil a day, has said politicians should end their expressions of concern over a false shortage of oil. This would decrease the cost of a barrel of oil by $15. The high prices are a result of fear and speculation within the market caused by politicians. Which party is expressing false concerns? So if the Democrats would stop false accusations about the oil industry, gas prices would drop significantly. The falsely inflated prices brought on by fear and speculation caused by Democrats are the reason gas is so high and companies like Exxon are making record profits. The price is there, but the shortage isn't. Way to go, Democrats.

Fuel-saving idea

I AGREE with the person who said that speed eats gasoline, but please travel the speed limit. Mount Auburn Road has a posted driving speed for good reasons. Another good way to conserve fuel is to limit the wait at stops. If only the city could update its sensor-equipped traffic lights. I'm tired of stopping at Mount Auburn Road and Independence Street when there is no other traffic.

It's not enough

BILL O'REILLY had a good suggestion: Stop driving and buying so much gasoline, which would pinch the oil companies. The problem is people in O'Reilly's walk of life, politicians in their constant trip mode and teenagers are not going to cut back on their consumption. Neither are the airlines. The rest of us might be able to cut back, but unfortunately not enough to make any difference to oil barons.

Avoid the vulgarity

I LOVE to read Shakespeare and have enjoyed teaching a class on Shakespeare, but he was not perfect. He was just a man. He was bawdy sometimes, and that part of his plays doesn't have to be included for all audiences. I agree that there should have been a version of "Romeo and Juliet" for high school classes and even junior high classes to attend. My mind is not broadened by being mooned by an actor. I can enjoy and learn from a Shakespearean offering without that sort of crude humor, and I believe others could too. As with many things, we can choose the good and avoid the vulgarity and still have an enlightening experience without offending our basic sensibilities.

You voted for it

CITIZENS OF Cape Girardeau, you got your wish. You voted to allow city officials to raise your park fees, and look what's happening already. I was one of the few who voted against it.

Land of opportunity

SOME THINGS found in the average American household should still be considered a luxury, such as appliances like a washer and dryer, DVD player, air conditioning and cable-TV. These things shouldn't be thought of as necessities. People are too caught up in the desire for material objects. They think if they don't have them they are poor. No one deserves anything in this country except for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Everything else you need to work for. There will always be poor people. Someone has to be on the bottom of the totem pole. It's just the way things are in this world. So stop trying to have what you can't afford or haven't earned. We still live in the land of opportunity. Go make something happen.

They're lawbreakers

IF I come home and someone has broken in, is eating my food and is enjoying the benefits of my hard work, I am not going to entertain them by supporting them for life. They are lawbreakers. They need to be arrested and removed from the premises. I will want them to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and required to make restitution. I would be appalled if the courts demanded that I build a room and supply it for their benefit because they are poor or homeless. It would be unthinkable for the city to demand I pay a penalty or to have riots in front of my home telling me that what is mine does not belong to me. Yet every day someone is standing up for lawbreakers demanding that America open her arms and the pocketbooks of every middle-class worker to do just that.

Roundabout reality

I'M IN my 40s, born and raised in Cape Girardeau. My driving experience outside of this area is limited. But even I know how Cape's only roundabout works: If you are a senior citizen, you have the right-of-way. It doesn't matter if someone else is already going through the roundabout. You just tap your brakes and plow on through like nobody's around. That's how a roundabout works in Cape. Can't wait for the city to build even more of them.

Yes to sidewalks

IF YOU have traveled anywhere in the world, you will notice that sidewalks are not a thing of the past. In U.S. metropolitan areas there are sidewalks. When meeting people who are new to Cape Girardeau, one of the first questions is, "Where are the sidewalks? The children play in the street here." If we have more sidewalks, we will have a place for our children to play, and perhaps people will walk more in their neighborhoods and not be shut-ins of the neighborhood.

Parental role

A SPEAK Out comment says, "Our public education system has done a disservice to multiple generations of students in not educating them on basic economics and planning ahead for retirement." Perhaps parents might want to play a role in that sort of education.

Praise for Mike Dumey

I WOULD like to commend Mike Dumey on his efforts on the current musical production. Dumey is a true workhorse who gets his students to realize their potential. Because of his tireless work, his students are not only learning, but are gaining self-confidence because of his efforts in ensuring their success. Any parent who has been lucky enough to have a student work with Dumey through the years knows exactly what I'm talking about. Come to the musical and see for yourselves.

Another plus

YOU HAVE to love Main Street going two ways now. It slows down traffic and gives the downtown area a more tourist town feel. It seems easier to see the different shops. This is another plus for downtown Cape Girardeau.

Proper inflation

I CAN'T believe the Southeast Missourian put a list of things you can do to save gasoline on the front page and left out the simplest one. Make sure your tires are properly inflated.

Community standards

IT IS unfortunate students will not be allowed to experience "Romeo and Juliet" because of the director's need to project the type of fraternity behavior universities and communities deplore. What happened to his comment earlier in the year: "Choices are meant to satisfy the department's two primary goals -- promoting learning and serving the needs of the local audience." The local audience of high school students needed an honest presentation of "Romeo and Juliet." Unfortunately, most of them haven't even experienced an honest reading of the play. Content has been filtered by well-meaning educators. The performance undoubtedly promoted learning for the college students involved. The production was splendid. It was Shakespeare at his lusty best, a feast for the eye and the ear. However, if Dr. Kenn Stilson wishes to meet the needs of the local audience (high school in particular) he will have to be a little more sympathetic to the moral standards of the general population.

We'll do our own spin

WE DON'T need The Wall Street Journal to tell us what the effort to get Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to resign is all about. We're fully capable of spinning the story for ourselves.

Best column

I HAVE read the "His and hers" column since it began. Sometimes I agree. Sometimes I disagree. But I always read it. The April 23 column was the best I've seen. I am saving it for my daughter so she knows what to look for and be on guard against. Great job.

Take the punishment

DO OTHERS see the irony in some litigation in which someone who has murdered in cold blood claims the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment? Are the courts really so blind that we must endure years of wrangling over a needle in the arm being cruel compared to the various cruel ways a convicted murderer had treated and killed another human being? They want fair? Fair is to settle problems. Fair is to not break into someone's home, car or business. You want fair? Do your time or lay down your life as determined. Your option for fair ended when you did the crime.

Theater changes

WELLER AND Stilson may have helped improve the quality of Southeast Missouri State University theater productions, but they work with a large staff who are part of that improvement as well. By the way, the ticket prices have doubled since they arrived, and the audience size has not increased.

Patchwork repairs

CAPE GIRARDEAU needs to put some thought into the haphazard manner of repair that is done to Lexington Avenue. The appearance of the street and the constant detours for the patchwork repair is embarrassing. Just as the fountains are the front door for Southeast Missouri State University, Lexington is one of the front doors for the city. It has been allowed to become a disgrace.

County information

COULD CAPE Girardeau County explain why its residents cannot participate in the online renewal process for license plates because the county will not submit tax information to the state? The list of counties that do is rather lengthy. Is this what it means to live in a first-class county?

Military perspective

IN RESPONSE to the comment that soldiers who have positive things to say about the war in Iraq are not near the danger: It is evident the person making this comment has not been there. There is no such thing as a safe place. I was in and around Fallujah during the time we stormed the city and saw the positives that our soldiers, Marines and sailors are doing there. Just because it is not a popular war does not mean it isn't a just war. I signed the contract with the military knowing the dangers that came with it. It's been my experience that military members who are complaining about the war are the ones who joined for the college money and are shocked by their commitment.