Speak Out 7/12/06

Losing our rights

I THINK it's a shame and disgrace that the city won't let people have signs in their yards. Slowly, our federal government and mayor in Cape Girardeau and the people in Jefferson City are taking our rights away from us.

Wedding gift

I WOULD like to thank Bob and Carol Blackwell for hosting and paying for my son's wedding. He is going to the military academy in California, and they paid for the license and the preacher and all the amenities with the barbecue. They did it out of the kindness of their hearts.

Eternity for gougers

I HOPE when gas gougers stand before God Almighty that he says "Burn in hell." On weekends the prices go up, and during the week they come back down for the same gasoline that was in the ground.

In God's hands

I WAS reading Dr. Michael Wulfers' comments on stem-cell research. I believe he, as a physician, would have to say that there are least some possibilities of helping those with Alzheimer's and other diseases, and without stem-cell research there's no help whatsoever. I'm a Christian. I believe that if God wants this to work, it will work. If he doesn't want it to work, it won't work. I don't think cloning would ever take place in this country, not with the watchdog system we have. I think that it's worth the chance.

Yard sales

IF CITY council members really want to accomplish something, let them find the ones who leave yard-sale signs up past Sunday. The police have enough to do without this outlandish law. It is readily apparent that the council members must be lacking for something important to take care of instead of pulling yard-sale signs down. How many freedoms are we supposed to lose?

Excellent article

I WOULD like to thank Dr. Michael Wulfers for his excellent article explaining the truth of the stem-cell research initiative.

Business failure

IN REGARD to Matt Sanders' article about the Oran bar closing: Maybe he should come back and ask former patrons about the service. And when you ordered the food, they were out. They brought a lot of this on themselves with their wet T-shirt and bikini contest. You have to earn respect before you can receive it, so don't blame the chief and mayor for the closing.

Drowning in fees

WHEN I went to the swimming pool at Capaha Park on July 3 for my daily swim, I was asked to pay $2.75. I've been paying $1.85 since I can remember. Needless to say, I and eight other swimmers departed quickly. We all know how the oil companies do their gouging, especially on holidays, but for the citizens of Cape Girardeau to put up with this nonsense is a slap in the face. The mayor and his merry band of officials have done it again. They have been sticking it to the citizens with this kind of behavior for too long. Let's let them know they cannot keep doing this sort of governing.

Trading taxes

I WAS appalled at the story where the Cape Girardeau mayor was condemning the county for asking for a half-cent increase in the sales tax. Let's look at the whole picture. In 1982, the county passed a half-cent sales tax and used at least half of the revenue to forgive the general property tax of 35 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation. Twenty-four years later, the county is asking for another half-cent of sales tax, and again the county is going to forgive the road and bridge property taxes. About half of the revenue from this additional sales tax would be used to supplement the road districts and funding for the sheriff's office. When has Cape Girardeau forgiven any taxes with the passing of the city's 2 1/2 cents of sales taxes? We live outside the city, but I'm here to tell you we sure spend a lot of money in Cape and leave a lot of tax revenue for the city's use. If I were a betting person, I would bet that Cape will ask for a tax increase of some kind in 2007. I believe the mayor owes the county an apology.

Guard takes the brunt

SOME UNINFORMED callers have had their comments posted in Speak Out concerning the National Guard. The National Guard has shouldered the brunt of the current war on terror and has done so with honor and dignity. Do not let Leftists' comments influence your view of the Guard, for it is the Guard that has always stood up for America.

Thanks for freedom

I JUST finished cleaning up the remains of fireworks from my yard and paused for a moment to reflect on the holiday that just passed. Thank you to all of the military men and women who work so hard to protect our freedoms. A special thanks go out to my friends and neighbors who serve in the National Guard.

Waste of money

SO THE Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority paid a ridiculous price for Kelley Transportation Co. but didn't get any of the equipment or employees. That's a big price tag to pay for the right to use a phone number. It seems Commissioner Jay Purcell likes spending other people's money. Would he have endorsed this deal if this had been coming out of his personal funds? What a waste of taxpayers' money.

Thanks for a great day

THANKS SO much to all of the sponsors of the Parks and Rec Day events at the Osage Community Centre. Although I wasn't able to attend, my daughter was fortunate enough to go with her child-care provider, and it sounds like everyone had a great time. I know events like this take enormous work and planning, and I wanted everyone involved to know we appreciate all that hard work.

Involuntary service

I NEVER thought it would come to this. Would Clint Lacy have us assume that the blacks who fought for the Confederacy did so voluntarily and were pro-slavery enthusiasts? Please.

Perfume section

MY GRANDMOTHER smoked for 73 years of her 87 years on earth. My mom smoked for 70 years out of here 88 years on earth. Neither had smoking-related health problems. I've smoked for 51 years and don't have problems either, but I do have allergies. When I go out to eat or grocery shopping, I have a hard time breathing when I pass a woman who stinks up the place with perfumes and colognes. Why can't the restaurants and stores provide a space for them like they do for smokers?

A suitable monument

HURRAY FOR the new monument dedicated to the deserving men and women of the Vietnam era. May God bless you, and may your hearts find the peace and respect withheld from you all these years. You never deserved the disrespect you received. This honor is but a small token of the respect you deserved.

Bigger problems

THIS IS rather interesting: Despite the unhappiness of many of Cape Girardeau's residents over the yard sale-sign ban, today's Marble Hill newspaper informed us that there is such a ban in Marble Hill, also, and now it will be enforced. In a town full of unrepaired streets plus old furniture and junk cars in many yards and abandoned buildings in disrepair, it seems to some that yard sale-sign clutter is the least of our problems.

Great chief

ONCE AGAIN, after reading the article about the Oran bar closing, many here in Marble Hill are envious that Oran has a great police chief.

Liberal import

THE MEXICAN Conservative party wins a close victory in the presidential election. Instead of doing the classy thing by congratulating the winner and beginning plans for the next election, the opposition calls for endless and unneeded recounts and makes accusations of foul play where there was none. It looks like Mexico imports at least one thing from the U.S.: Liberal campaign strategy.

Noise compromise

I BELIEVE a solution to the motorcycle/ATV ordinance would be to require some sort of muffler if the motorcycle or ATV is closer than 200 feet to a building. This way it would be less disturbing, and the riders could still enjoy the ride.

Military thanks

AS MY husband and I were watching the Jackson fireworks display on the Fourth of July, I became sharply aware of the gratitude I have for our military for defending our freedoms that we often take for granted. We are truly blessed and spoiled. Thank you to all of our servicemen and women for all you do.

No comparison

THE WAR in Iraq cannot be compared to World War II or any war in our nation's history. If anyone can remember, World War I and WWII were wars we got involved in when we absolutely had to. We did not have a glory-chasing government that felt that a war would boost our popularity polls or get us in a history book. Those wars were meaningful due to the necessity of the time to fight for freedom and democracy along with the other countries with views like our own. I find it funny that we are the only country fighting now without support from the U.N. The government needs to realize that we are not the police of the world. It is time to bring the troops home to the families that miss them dearly before they get killed for a lost cause.

TV alternative

THERE IS a choice other than cable TV. That is satellite TV. I get a lot more channels on satellite than I did with cable for a lot less cost. When I have problems with my satellite I get fast, friendly service, not the run-around or busy signal like I always got from the cable company.

Speak Out boost

CONGRATULATIONS TO the Southeast Missourian for winning the national newspaper of the year award. It was certainly well-deserved. The dedication to ever improving the paper is more than obvious. I would like to believe that the feature that pushed the paper over the top and made the difference that led to winning the award was the ever-growing-in-prestige Speak Out forum.

No bus service

I WAS in full support of the new bus schedule and routes, but they leave those of us who live north of Broadway completely out. I guess we are not important.

New problems

CONTROLLING DUST on county roads can be done very simply and by every driver: Slow down. There are so many crazy drivers from town who use our roads as shortcuts. They have no regard for how fast they are driving. Do not think that paved roads will solve all the problems. It just creates new ones. The county will need to add more deputies to control the additional speeding on paved roads.

Fireworks concerns

I AM disturbed by this season's fireworks usage. I live in a family-based neighborhood. This Fourth of July season the parents were missing. On July 5, a young boy ran down my street aiming a Roman candle at homes and cars as he passed by. I called the police, but by the time the officer arrived, the boy was long gone. Where were the boy's parents? It seems fireworks have turned into a baby-sitter of sorts. How are they getting the fireworks if parents are not buying them?

WWII history

OUR MILITARY men and women should be commended on the job they are doing. I hope we come out of this at some point on the winning side. But some recent Speak Out statements are historically incorrect. World War II was fought with a country -- three, in fact: Germany, Italy and Japan. Hitler was a lunatic, but we didn't go to war with Germany because of his ideology. We went to war with Germany because it was allied with Japan. The president during WWII wanted to avoid getting America involved in a war. The European war was already in its fifth or sixth year by the time we entered. We were attacked by Japan on Dec. 7, 1941 and we went to war with Japan. The 9-11 attackers were 95 percent Saudi nationals. We did not declare war on Saudi Arabia, but on Iraq and Afghanistan. The president in WWII listened to his military advisers. This president does not.

Creeping control

WATCH OUT, Cape Girardeau. City officials are telling us what we can and can't put in our yards. Next they will be telling us what we can and can't do in our houses.

Donating to save lives

GREAT JOB to Sonja and Bruce Westrich. They donated their son's insurance money to purchase life-saving equipment, boats and scuba equipment. Way to go. I am so proud of you all, from Pamela Sue.

Exhaustive research

TO THE person who doesn't believe that secondhand smoke is harmful: Thank you for blowing the lid off this story. It's amazing how many people will believe exhaustive research and well-reasoned arguments. Why should we have to accept the idea that cigarette smoke is bad for you just because hundreds of reports from accredited physicians say it is? It's disgusting the lengths some people will go to shove their legitimate complaints and proven facts down people's throats.

Doing a job

IN DEFENSE of the police department, remember the officers work for the city. The police department has to do what the city council and mayor wants it to do. Patrolman and traffic-enforcement officers are not touching yard signs, so don't worry so much.

Teacher conferences

I FEEL compelled to respond to the previous comment regarding Jackson teachers "skipping out on conferences all the time." I am a Jackson teacher and proud of the hard work and dedication my colleagues consistently devote to our profession and the students. I am angry that this person, a colleague no less, would take it upon himself to portray all teachers as lacking moral fiber. I have not and do not know any of my colleagues who have ever skipped out on conferences. It is professionally and morally unethical. Ninety-five percent of Jackson teachers want to be the best they can be for the students. They do that by seeking more training and expertise.

Protected speech

I SEE nothing in the Constitution specifically protecting political speech over any other kind of speech. It simply says we have the freedom to speech. I want to know where it says non-political signs can be torn down, whereas political signs cannot. The city council and police are violating our rights. The Declaration of Independence states that when government does that, it should be overthrown.

Thanks to Westriches

AS A member of one of the communities who benefited from the donations from the Westrich family, I want to say thank you from all citizens who may benefit in a time of need. Your thoughtfulness is an awesome gesture. Your son would be extremely proud of you.

Mexican percentages

ROUGHLY 10 percent of Mexico's population of about 107 million is living in the United States. Roughly 80 percent of these are illegal immigrants. Roughly 90 percent of Americans are tired of this.