Speak Out 5/25/07

Plea-bargain harm

PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS need to have the backbone to prosecute criminals or resign. Society is not served by prosecutors who think plea bargains bring closure to cases. Criminals benefit from plea bargains. Crime victims do not benefit, and neither do the American people. Prosecutors should think about the harm society suffers when plea bargains are the norm.

Sharing the highway

HERE WE go again with another 100-mile yard sale. I hope everyone can remember to pull their cars all the way off of the road or, better yet, find a parking lot or side road. Every year this added traffic and hazard coincides with when we need to move farm equipment to the fields. These yard salers are determined and do not often yield to oncoming traffic. Please try to help and be cooperative.

Psychic senators

THE SENATE is being asked to vote on an immigration bill that hasn't even been printed. That's not speed reading, but psychic reading.

Voters' memories

SINCE THE school board wants to ignore the parents, we can play the same game. Remember this at election time and the next time the district wants a bond issue passed.

School repairs

IN CAPE Girardeau school board action, the metal buildings south of the field house parking lot are the buildings being renovated at district cost for the Boys and Girls Club. We can't get the district to repair and renovate rooms and hallways at the junior high school. This money should be spent on the classrooms and not for a not-for-profit group. We in the main building simply seek equal treatment. Surely those students deserve hallways free of mold and falling ceiling tiles.

Zero tolerance?

AFTER READING your article on hazing, I am sick. Why doesn't the school expel the students who are involved in hazing? I certainly don't understand why some students get punished and others don't. So much for the university's zero-tolerance for hazing.

Good scheduling

BY HAVING Central High School football games on Thursday nights, the district is saving lots of kids and parents grief and loss. The football kids and fans have to go to school the next day and can't party and get in to trouble. It seems like they wouldn't want to mess that up.

Party tradition

I HAVE been reading about the prom gifts. It is crazy how parents are outraged. I'm sure your kids have been drunk plenty of times before the prom. Many of you chose to be blind to the partying. When I moved to Cape Girardeau in my freshman year of high school, I went to a major party where close to 75 percent of students attended, and everyone was drinking and smoking pot. Being from a small town, I couldn't believe the scene. Even students who spoke out against pot and alcohol in debate class were involved. It is a joke to think that your child has never been drunk or high.

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Illegal concern

THE DEMOCRATS took control several months ago, and gasoline prices have risen to new highs. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her cronies are so busy trying to beat Bush and protect illegal aliens that they have failed to do anything about the gas prices that significantly affect every American. Pelosi and her liberal group are more concerned about illegals and trees than they are about American citizens.

Some gratitude

JUST IN time for Memorial Day, the Senate tosses our national sovereignty on the trash heap. Just another way to say "Thanks, sucker" to present and past military men for their sacrifices.

Searching for a cure

AS A parent of a young child with autism, I was outraged when I initially read the negative comments regarding autism and increasing awareness in our community. Then I started thinking. I'm sure those commenting have been effected by some sort of disorder and have not received the services they so desperately needed. It is a difficult thing to have a family member with a life-altering disorder. Those of us fighting for funding and awareness are not in any way trying to discredit any other disorder or the needs associated with them. I would also like you to remember that autism is not covered by medical insurance and most all of the cost is out-of-pocket to the family, which is typically not the case for most conditions. Autism is huge, and there needs to be a cure, so research is necessary. I know I would love to see the day that we did not need so much money to facilitate this disorder.

Utility rates

I SEE the Missouri Public Service Commission is allowing Ameren to raise our electric rates. So I will send Ameren everything I have left over after I fill my gas tank, but it will not be enough to cover the entire bill. They will turn off my service, charge me $30 to turn it back on then add $300 to my bill for a deposit which I will get back if I am not late paying my bill for the next year. What do they do with all the money they make off the poor and those living on fixed incomes? I think we need to look into alternatives such as wind power.

Less demand, less cost

THE QUICKEST way to lower gasoline prices is to quit using so much gas. Don't drive unless you have to. Do 55 mph instead of 70. Make upgrades to get better gas mileage. Don't drive vehicles that get 10 miles per gallon.

Quick response

I WANT to thank Scott County Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger. I had a problem arise with my county road on a weekend, and I was leery about calling him at home. He was friendly and didn't act like I bothered him at all. The road crew was there the next day to fix the problem. It's nice to know there are officials who take their jobs seriously. Keep up the good work, Jamie.

Explaining gifts

TO THE person who scoffed at the idea that children are a gift of God: Think of it this way. Everyone receives gifts at Christmas, and we all know that some of those gifts are not welcomed by the recipient. Other times, the recipient welcomes the gift but, due to circumstances either within or beyond their control, nothing good comes from it. I received an exercise bike one year. It sat in our bedroom, I'd trip over it, and it ended up being sold for a few dollars at a garage sale. That doesn't mean the gift wasn't good. It just means that for some reason things didn't turn out as intended, because I have free will. This is a simplistic example, but you get the idea.

Easy decision

I DON'T see what is so difficult about Jackson making the decision regarding the subdivision road issue. If other contractors have to obey the law set up for subdivisions, so should this developer. You don't need to change the rules for one person. All that will do is cause problems in the future when others want things changed.

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