Speak Out 6/25/05

Cost analysis

ACCORDING TO U.N. data, the yearly cost of all 16 peacekeeping missions is almost $3.9 billion. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the monthly cost of the U.S. effort in Iraq is $4.1 billion.

Better skate park

CAPE GIRARDEAU needs to look at establishing a real skate park. My son rides every day, and I have seen motorists yell at him for simply riding down the street, not to mention business owners who go ballistic when he rides through their parking lots. Guess what. BMX is not a crime. These same people probably also gripe that kids watch too much TV or play video games. Please give these kids a break. They are doing something good and should be applauded, not condemned. The skate park by Lorimier Cemetery is a dismal failure due to its location and quality of the ramps. The officials who were in charge need to realize the advantage of researching and spending money wisely next time. It didn't take a lot of time to look online at skate park companies to realize that Cape only got about half of what it should have for the money spent. There are a lot of bikers and skaters who would love to use their skills at a skate park that is located at a safe park like Arena or Capaha. I hope the city will reconsider.

The real deal

GOD BLESS U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson for her work on the newest Habitat for Humanity house here in Cape Girardeau. Her hard work and her encouragement of the young construction volunteers and the new homeowner family demonstrates she cares. She's the real deal.

Spending priorities

PUBLIC RADIO and TV funding by tax dollars is just one example of government paying for programs that benefit small special-interest concerns. In times of financial crises, families learn to cut out non-essentials. Governments never do that. When highways are crumbling, it still spends money on beautification. When people are without health care, it still spends money to support artists.

Need a bus line

EVERYONE IS griping about the new sidewalks on Lexington Avenue, so I thought I'd put my 2 cents in. I think the sidewalks are great, but wouldn't it be a better idea to have a bus line? You have people who can't afford to drive because of gas prices going up, senior citizens who can't afford a car and freshmen college student who aren't allowed a parking pass to park on the campus. There is a great need for a bus line in Cape. People need to start raising a stink until this is done. The ones who keep stopping a bus line from being here are the bureaucrats who have enough money to afford anything they want.

ID required

LET ME see if I understand this. In order to obtain a driver's license or state photo ID, I have to have a birth certificate. But in order to obtain a copy of the birth certificate, I must present a photo ID. So what are people supposed to do if they find themselves trapped in this catch-22 situation? Roll over and die?

Danforth's warning

KUDOS TO one-time Missouri Republican U.S. senator John Danforth for stating publicly that the GOP is in danger of becoming an extension of the Christian right.