Speak Out 6/20/06

East Cape slogan

I AGREE with several recent Speak Out callers that the city of Cape Girardeau's newest slogan, "Where the river turns a thousand tales," is rather silly and probably not fitting to the city. However, I hate to see all the money that we spent to get the slogan go to waste. Here's my proposal. Let's give the slogan to the city of East Cape Girardeau. They could change the spelling of the word "tales" to "tails" and use the slogan to promote its growing adult business.

Slap in the face

WHILE I commend Erin Herbst's support of her mother's administrative salary increase, I want her to know that yes, I know the teachers did receive a small raise as reported in the Missourian but not nearly as big of a raise as the administrators, not to mention the fact that more administrators than ever have been hired for the coming year. But as Dr. Scala was quoted as saying when referring to the administrative salary increase, "they deserve it." This is a slap in the face to teachers who spend their days in classrooms of 20 plus students, hours of work beyond school hours and spend their measly salary on furthering their education year after year.

Upside down flag

I WOULD like for someone to explain to me why the Missouri state flag flies upside down at the Missouri Department of Transportation office in Sikeston. I've come to the conclusion they changed the spelling from M-O-D-O-T to M-O-E-D-O-T. I think that probably Moe, Larry and Curly could operate the highway transportation department better than the ones running it now.

Complaint complaint

I CANNOT believe somebody actually complained about the price of going to the pool at Capaha Park. It's cheap enough and if they didn't want to pay for more than 45 minutes, they should have gone to Central, which is open until 8 p.m. Both of our pools are reasonable and cheap, and nobody should be complaining about the price.

Picking on schools

IT WASN'T too long ago when Leopold School was rated one of the highest academically, and now the government is picking on them. I have a child in the Cape schools, and it's a joke. The teachers take personal phone calls on their cell phones or they make them during class time. They're supposed to walk around during MAP testing but my child's teacher was on the computer. The typing was disruptive. During Teranova testing, she left the classroom. She missed over 20 days of school this year and makes it a point to share with the class other students' personal problems. Is the government that blind?

Two issues

I HAVE two issues. One, if they're going to take the garage-sale signs away, what about all the signs for the campaign that's coming up, the church signs they have around, the store signs they have around? What's the difference? It looks like there could be a lawsuit against the city for that. And if people are tired of the policies of the Cape Girardeau government, let's make a difference and take Cape Girardeau back from the handful of people at election time.

More about signs

WHAT IN the world is the matter with the Cape City Council? Most of us do not have an extra $14 or $20 for a garage-sale ad. That takes away from the profit. If the sale signs are left up after the sale is over, then fine the people. Don't take this away from us. We pay taxes also. Please go back to the way it was.

Bright idea

I WONDER whose great idea the four-way stop sign on Greensferry Road and Deerwood was. We don't need a four-way stop sign there. There's one subdivision on the right-hand side going out and there's one being built on the west side of Greensferry. There are no houses yet, no streets, nothing. Why should they have a four-way stop sign? I travel that road quite a bit and I see a lot of cars go by that don't even slow down. There's no use having a four-way stop sign there with no more traffic than what's going on.

Just say no

I HAVE a daughter in junior high at Jackson. I think it is important for them to have a break just so they don't get burned out. My husband and I like to spend quality time with our kids. We go to the water park several times during the summer. We go on several camping trips, and a couple of them are at least a week long. Don't take anymore quality time from us. It means a lot to us. One day we will turn around and they will be grown.

No idea

THE CAPE school district's new plan is to build a stadium and a performing arts auditorium. However, they have no idea how to fund this. What happened to at-risk concerns? I didn't notice much being mentioned in that article about at risk, except to start up a pre-school, which the schools again have no idea how to fund. I read that the school board wants to look at extending the school year in order to increase instructional time. Here are some tips for increasing instructional time: Don't have teachers constantly gone from their classrooms for some professional development activity and stop having before and after MAP parties and field trips and parties for every other reason under the sun. Finally, as to the extending of the school year, how is the school district going to fund that? I am guessing they have no idea.

Swatting at flies

THE feds are making a big noise about deporting a fraction of the convicted illegal aliens who thumb their noses at court orders, just as they do at employment, document fraud, and illegal entry laws. My old grandfather had a saying that fits: "Why swat at a fly inside the house when you're just going to leave the screen door open? " What is the point of deporting when our borders are still far too easy to broach?

Unsportsmanlike conduct

IF YOU

have ever seen David Heeb, Scott County Central's coach, at a basketball game, you will find it very easy to believe he committed the charges against him. His actions are totally unsportsmanlike, and I find it hard to believe that parents want someone like him coaching their children.

Bless you

FOR WHOMEVER is concerned about the Cape county secretaries hours: God bless you for thinking of me.

Makes you wonder

I WAS disappointed but not surprised about the reporting of the FEMA hurricane relief funds being used for vacations, excessive partying, "Girls Gone Wild" videos and even a sex change operation. It goes without saying these are the same people who cheat the government out of welfare funds, too. Thinking about these cheaters makes you wonder about the people on the highway asking for a hand out. Wouldn't it be interesting if KFVS or a reporter for the Missourian would go undercover and record where these people went after leaving the intersection with the money people give them? Where do they sleep? Do they really have a car? Are they taking the money to the liquor store? Maybe they go straight to the Drury Inn for a shower then to Outback for a nice dinner.

The willies

IT GAVE me the willies. In fact, I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. Thus, I beg David Limbaugh, when penning his interesting, though always controversial and usually poisonous columns, to never, never again mentioning the name Newt Gingrich.