Speak Out 6/21/11

Amphitheater needed

HEY, Cape Girardeau, think about putting an amphitheater where the old Capaha pool was. Things like Tunes at Twilight would look better there. Plays, too. And even the Cape Girardeau band shell would be there. Cape Girardeau, think about it. We need something like that here.

Hypocrisy

I just learned right-wing talk show host Bill O'Reilly was against the resignation of Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter before he was for it. Vitter, a self- proclaimed family values candidate, was exposed for soliciting prostitutes in Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. In light of O'Reilly pushing for the resignation of Rep. Anthony Weiner but giving Vitter a pass, some say O'Reilly came to recognize the hypocrisy of his position. You think?

Clean up downtown

IF downtown businesses really want to know why people don't come downtown, all they have to do is to go down by the floodwall. There they will see trash all around the murals, and on the river side they will see the drawings of some guy who is apparently in love with the male sex organ. Go visit downtown Paducah sometime and see the difference. It really wouldn't take the businesses long to clean it up and keep it up if they just would.

GOP tax breaks

REPUBLICANS want to do away with Social Security. Give everybody money out of their paychecks to put into a savings account. However, the wages have been going down. People are making less and less every year, except the Republicans and their rich friends that they gave the tax breaks to. They will be the only ones that will have any money. Just shows you they don't care about anybody but themselves and their money schemes to make them richer.

Nixon veto

MISSOURI Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a Republican passed bill designed for voter suppression and disenfranchisement of large segments of Missouri's population was a profile in courage exemplified by no other chief executive in Missouri history.

Unemployment rate

THE unemployment rate is unlikely to fall regardless of decisions made by the president or Congress. The stock market has nearly doubled in the last few years and corporate profits are higher than ever. The crisis that began in 2008 forced businesses to achieve higher productivity from their employees. As demand for goods and services has remained relatively constant, firms would sacrifice such productivity gains by returning to pre-crisis staffing levels.

Rick Perry

I hope Texas Gov. Rick Perry runs for president. He would be like a swaggering George Bush on steroids. It would be interesting to see how far his preacherlike tea party platitudes would get him.