Speak Out 5/10/10

Common sense

IT astounds me about how much damage a few people such as President Obama and the Democratic Congress can cause when they take control of government. Their policies reflect a basic ignorance of Economics 101. If the government taxes people who work and pays people who don't work, it should come as no surprise to us that a lot of people are going to stop working. It's just common sense.

Speeding motorcycle

I wish our police officers could concentrate on motorcycle riders who think they can ride 100 mph regardless of where they are. I'm out on a county road by Fruitland with motorcycle on my tail, and then it zooms by me. I wouldn't wish anyone ill, but if he has a wreck, it's his own fault because of how fast he's driving.

Taxing bureaucracy

I live in Perryville, Mo., and I want to thank Dr. William Weber for his op-ed column in the Southeast Missourian. I'm happy to see that even a government employee is honest enough to take a real assessment of where our tax dollars are going in this bureaucracy.

Hiring smokers

IF a business owner decides not to hire someone because he smokes, that is a wise financial decision. Smokers miss more work, generate more insurance costs and take more breaks, reducing productivity. Many companies already have policies that prevent employees from smoking.

Federal burden

SOMEONE is fired up about Arizona's anti-immigrant bill to the point that he endorsed the idea of ignoring the Founding Fathers' inclusion in our Constitution the idea that the responsibility for immigration laws rests squarely on the shoulders of the federal government.

No sympathy

I just don't understand all the protests about Arizona's immigration law. What is it about "illegal" don't the protesters understand? I have no sympathy for parents who have children who are citizens. Illegal parents should take their children back to where they came from.

Really big banks

WE'RE probably headed for another financial disaster of mega-proportions because the U.S. Senate recently voted to allow big banks to remain behemoth-sized.

Teaching quality

CUTTING or adding staff will have no effect on MAP results either way. What matters is quality, not quantity of staff.

Rights violation

I know of an area case where a cop stopped a person who was dark-skinned. He told the guy local workers were complaining that he might be an illegal alien and asked to see his papers. The man provided them. However, under Missouri and even Arizona law, this rationale for stopping someone for this reason is a gross violation of his civil rights and more than adequate reason for a lawsuit for civil rights infringement.

Road delays

I was delayed twice for a total of almost 20 minutes, first trying to take my niece to school at Nell Holcomb about 7:20 a.m., and the second time trying to come home from running errands about 8:30 a.m., because of the repavement project on County Road 635. However, I saw no reason for the delays, considering that all I saw were parked trucks and people talking to each other and not doing anything that should have caused any delays. Both times, I ended up backing up and going a longer route to get to where I needed to go.

Minding the store

THANK you, Dr. William Weber, for supplying the hard facts that show the self-perpetuation of administrative waste at Southeast Missouri State University. Is anybody watching the store? Board of regents? Gov. Jay Nixon?

Tough love

I watched the news about the south Cape Girardeau rioting Wednesday evening and thought about how people in south Cape Girardeau complain about being mistreated by the city and needing help. Why in the world would I want to help a neighborhood that causes such trouble? To have to call in help from other towns and even the highway patrol shows that this area of the city needs some tough love.

More recycling

I have been impressed with the new trash system in Cape Girardeau. On trash day in my neighborhood, all the containers looked alike and made for a much better neighborhood appearance. Most impressive, however, was the number of containers along the curb on recycling day. Before, only two or three neighbors recycled. Now most of my neighbors are using the recycling bin. That's a huge improvement and a giant step forward for our community.