Speak Out 5/22/16

New gun law

This new gun law that Missouri passed is just plain stupid. There is no other way to describe it. The only people that will benefit are the gun manufacturers and their cronies the NRA. It allows people who are too stupid to pass even the extremely simple gun-safety course that was required to carry a gun. It allows lethal force to be used in almost any situation. The bill is just plain and completely stupid. I haven't voted for a Democrat in 30 years, however, with stupid laws like this being passed, it is time for more balance in the Missouri House.

Cape's renaissance

The great works of the Renaissance were subsidized by patrons, popes and various government entities. If it was left up to the citizens of Cape Girardeau, we'd have no statue of the biblical David or painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michaelangelo, no painting of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, no works by Donatello or Raphael and so forth. Cape Girardeau is in the middle of a 21st-century renaissance in the arts, and the taxpayers are too miserly to support it and too uneducated to recognize the value of great works of art. I'm thankful the city has to date found ways to circumvent petty taxpayer concerns and allow us all to be uplifted by, say, the soon-to-be-displayed sculpture at the roundabout on Fountain Street.

Common factor

We have a deal with Southeast Missouri State University without public discussion. We are buying statuary for roundabouts without outside submissions. And now the ball is dropped on the Independence Street roundabout. The common factor in all this is the city manager's office. These are the folks who are supposed to be overseeing and advising in city operations.