Speak Out 7/16/06

Not good for a child

THE ONLY real benefit of spanking children goes to the spanker by relieving his or her frustrations and anger. The danger of spanking lies within the personality of the spanker. In all my 60-plus years, I have never seen any good results come from hitting a child.

Protecting children

WHATEVER HAPPENED to a good concern: making sure sex offenders are far away from our schools? Parents, school is starting soon, so let's get on the ball and make sure our children are protected. Cape Girardeau isn't getting any smaller, you know.

Narrow turn lane

I'M IN the turn lane on North Kingshighway, and traffic is going by both ways. I'm scared to death I'm going to get hit because the turn lane is too narrow. I wish the Missourian would find out why the Missouri Department of Transportation and the city are allowing a turn lane to be this narrow. I would venture to say this turn lane out toward Center Junction is the narrowest turn lane of any road in the state. It is dangerous. City officials and MoDOT are going to have this on their conscience when somebody gets killed or hurt. All it would take is about an extra foot or foot and half to solve this problem.

Adult stem cells

THANKS TO Dr. Michael Wulfers for a good explanation about stem-cell research. Adult stem cells have been used to treat 65 disorders. In contrast, embryonic stem cells have yet to be used to treat any disease. Life begins at conception. Proponents of embryonic stem-cell research want to create life, then destroy it. That is wrong. I support adult stem-cell research when researchers use bone marrow, umbilical cords and placental tissues.

Bigger problems

I HOPE the city council reverses its ordinance regulating garage-sale signs. This is something the people should have voted on. Now we can vote all those people out. Let us have our garage-sale signs back and the city can do important things like getting the red-light runners, the loud music, the drugs and the remarking of the lanes on Broadway.

Cleared things up

I WANT to thank Dr. Michael Wulfers so much for his article related to stem-cell research. I had received in the mail something from the Coalition for Lifesaving Cures to support the amendment, and he really cleared things up in my mind. The article was fabulous, and I hope a lot of people read it. If they didn't, they need to find a copy.

Take down signs

I LIVE in Jackson. When I have a garage sale, I take my sign down when the sale is over. But I see a lot of garage-sale signs still up a week or a month after the sale is over. If people would have taken the signs down when the sale was over, we wouldn't have a problem.

Safety issue

I HAVE never heard so much trash about garage-sale signs. I have another view. Instead of restricting signs, maybe we ought to eliminate garage sales. They are very dangerous. People abandon their cars on streets, which means that if a firetruck needed to get down the street, I'm not sure it would be able to.

Great map

CONGRATULATIONS on your wonderful garage-sale map in Saturday's paper. I don't know who came up with the idea, but it's great. It shows you exactly where all the garage sales are. So now the people complaining about garage sale signs have nothing to complain about. Somebody deserves a raise.

Pet safety

I WAS truly sorry to hear about the dog that was killed on Highway 177. We need to remember that dogs are not allowed to roam free in the city or county. If your pet is killed by a vehicle because it is allowed to run free, then the owner bears the most responsibility. Keep your dogs and cats at home or on a leash, and these terrible things won't happen to your pets.

Making a case

SPINMEISTER AND president of Three Rivers Community College Dr. John Cooper did a spectacular job of convincing readers that decline is progress.