Speak Out 6/16/08

Big picture

I CAN'T believe somebody complained about the police department buying a double-wide trailer so the officers wouldn't be in cramped quarters. Would you have rather have them in a trailer that costs a few thousand dollars or a new $2 million or $3 million building at taxpayers' expense? Look at the big picture.

Space walk folly

CAN SOMEBODY tell me why we need an astronaut to space walk? We've spent millions and millions and millions of dollars. Why? We've got starving people. We need our money down here.

Costly changes

IN THE fall of 2006, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats had a plan to lower the gasoline prices. All we Americans had to do was to vote to put the Democrats in charge of Congress. On Jan. 3, 2007, Pelosi proudly proclaimed that there was a new Congress in town and that the Democrats were going to change the way things were being done in Washington. At the time, gas was $1.99 a gallon. It is now $3.79 a gallon, an increase of more than 90 percent. The changes Democrats have brought to Washington are starting to cost me an awful lot of money.

Use both names

WHY NOT rename the National Guard armory in Jackson for both Skelton and Shank?

Signs over smoking

THE CITY council is concerned about Cape Girardeau looking like a flea-market community. Yet it won't bite the bullet and ban smoking in the city's restaurants for the overall health and well-being of our residents. Where are the priorities?

Respect for farmers

FARMERS DO not cut their hay for wildlife. They cut their hay for their livestock, which in turn feeds you. They don't base it off how the rabbits and quail are doing. They base it on when it needs to be cut and when it's going to rain. If you're going to complain about the farmers, learn what they do. Respect them. They're feeding us.

Thanks to police

I AGREE with the police officer who gets irritated with someone who gripes about supposed quotas and police abuse of their transportation. Sour grapes from those who break laws is nothing new. You couldn't pay me enough to be a policeman. Thank God for those who have the guts and inclination to serve others, many times with a dangerous and unpopular job to perform.

Campaign grammar

I WAS visited by a political candidate yesterday. He left some literature behind, and it was full of grammatical errors. There's no reason for bad grammar. That's another candidate that won't get my vote.

Murderer not found

WHAT HAPPENS to the justice system when you really need it? My niece, Fabricia Eggerson, has been dead more than five months, and her killer hasn't been found. They need to get John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" on the case. I bet he'll find her. Look in the St. Louis area. That's where she's got relatives. It seems like this is being swept under the rug.

School lunches

I JUST read that Jackson School District is considering raising lunch prices again. We are a double-income family, and I'm considering the reduced lunches. The meals are high-priced for the amount of food students get. They're forced to eat so fast they don't have enough time to finish their lunches, and the rest gets thrown away. The high school campus is closed, so students don't have the opportunity to walk over to Dairy Queen and get a burger or something, which would be cheaper than a school lunch.