Speak Out 7/17/06

More cleanup

I'M PROUD of the city council for getting rid of the garage-sale signs and other eyesore signs in our city. Every corner has been cluttered with signs, and many of the signs were left out for weeks. The majority of the citizens want a neat, clean area. Next, let's go after homeowners, renters and landowners to clean up trashy areas.

Asking for more

I CAN already hear it now. If Cape Girardeau County passes its new sales-tax increase, which is not needed, what happens in two years when we have a downturn in the economy? Sales-tax revenue will fall, and the county will come back to us and say, "We need more money." Then the county will reassess all the property and restore the property taxes. See the writing on the wall. That's how government operates. It never stop asking. Vote no on this tax increase.

Yard-sale maps

LET ME say the Southeast Missourian did a great job on the garage-sale map. It is magnificent. Now some of the signs will stay down, and we won't be punishing people.

Buy U.S. products

I AM reading about factories closing and going overseas instead of continuing to hire U.S. citizens in the United States. A lot of this is brought on by consumers, and this starts with employees who buy overseas-made stuff. We should try to buy U.S.-made only.

Kids in church

I ALSO see and hear many disruptive children in church. Parents allow them to talk, laugh and move around during the worship service. This is disruptive to the worship atmosphere. No matter how wonderful and precious your children are, no one wants to hear them talk out loud during the service. Some parents will carry on a conversation with their children to try to get them to be quiet. My church has a children's sermon and a children's church program to help children feel included in the service. We also provide a nursery. Parents, we're glad you come to church, but please be respectful of others and teach your children to be quiet when it's not time to talk.

Fabulous map

THE MAP in the Saturday paper with all of the yard sales posted on it was absolutely fabulous. It proves again that the Missourian is a paper for its readers. Thank you.

Roundabout worries

WOULD SOMEONE please tell me what they're doing to the roundabout now? The concrete has been scraped up in places. It almost tears up your car driving around it. Are they going to leave it like that? I use that route to go west all the time.

Spending Republicans

REPUBLICANS AT the federal, state, county and city level are intent on throwing money around and raising taxes to fund their folly. They've forgotten about respect for the individual and the conservative values they campaigned on but evidently had no intention of following. Liberals will vote for Democrats come election time, but who can conservatives vote for? We obviously can't trust Republicans with the power of governing.

Immigration stand

I HAVE regularly checked out U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's taxpayer-subsidized Web site and still haven't seen any support for securing our borders or punishing employers who ignore our laws and hire illegal aliens. How much time does she need?

No on new taxes

PLEASE VOTE no on any new taxes. Vote yes to remove elected officials who would raise taxes. It is time that our local, state and federal governments start operating within their means as all of us have to do. I have never seen so much waste in my 50 years as I see now. The problems won't be solved by more taxes, but they would be solved if we had better management of our tax dollars.

Driving experience

AS A parent, I feel the only reason 17-year-olds are not having as many accidents is because they have had a year of driving experience. Practice should make better drivers. I had my first accident when I was 16 on wet pavement. I learned from my mistake. Not all experienced drivers follow the rules of the road. I have never had another accident that was my fault. I became a defensive driver. Not all accidents can be avoided, but many could if all drivers would be more aware of their surroundings. I have seen many 16-year-old drivers who do pay attention to what they are doing. Are we too quick to put the blame on the 16-year-olds for the accidents caused by an experienced driver? I am not saying all 16-year-olds are responsible, but all experienced drivers aren't responsible drivers either.

Counting decibels

THE CAPE Girardeau City Council just amended its noise ordinance to include annoying noise levels from recreational vehicles. This is a good thing for the most part, even though it seemed that only one property owner spawned the amendment. But the really appalling thing was when a citizen suggested that the city use a decibel meter to find a good representation of the noise levels that a complainant was encountering. Mayor Jay Knudtson replied that use of a decibel meter would be too complicated. It's a microphone. There has been one in the Show Me Center for years. The Domino's Pizza sign flashes its blue strobes when the sound level surpasses 100 decibels. I'm surprised the police department does not have at least one decibel meter on hand for noise complaints. I have no idea why the city has to do everything by the seat of the pants when there are simple scientific and engineering procedures for everything it takes to run a city.

Good system

ALTHOUGH OPINIONS about the new transit system have been divided, I applaud the transit authority's efforts. I know some people are upset over the loss of the $1 door-to-door service that was provided through the taxi-coupon program, which was an incredible bargain. But with transportation costs so high, it isn't realistic to think that could have continued indefinitely. The buses and vans look great. I hope everyone will give the new system a chance. You may just find that, compared to maintaining a vehicle, buying gasoline at nearly $3 a gallon and finding a parking place, or waiting an hour or more for a cab, the new system is better than you thought.

Easily fooled

I READ the comment about the calf-lick hairstyle with a smile. I see kids with the crazy hairstyles going every which way, and it reminds me of the children's story "The Emperor's New Clothes." He goes around naked believing the lies that he is wearing beautiful clothes. These kids are believing the lie that their hairstyle looks good, when in fact it looks terrible. Same thing goes for these worn-out looking jeans slashed full of holes. People are easily fooled.

Told you so

SEVERAL MONTHS ago I commented about Mayor Jay Knudtson's appearance on radio. I said that while he was smooth and glib, what he was proposing was unrestricted fee increases and disbanding the ethics commission. I was attacked by other Speak Out comments and told I didn't know what I was talking about. Speak Out has recently had several irate comments from citizens complaining about large fee increases in several city services. Who was it that didn't know what he was talking about?

Skewed statistics

NOT MUCH is being said about the enormous amount of money the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department will get if the proposed sales-tax increase is approved. Sheriff John Jordan attempted to justify his need for more funding at the recent Cape Girardeau City Council meeting. He mentioned that the officer-to-resident ratio is 1-to-1,600. I feel his numbers are skewed to curry favor with voters. The more accurate ratio would be officer to households. The sheriff's department need only be concerned with those residents in the outlying county, not those in an incorporated city. Jordan also mentioned that in the past 10 years the employee turnover was 173 or so. I also believe this is a skewed number as well. Many of us have worked at jobs with the size of the employees as the sheriff's department that have had turnover of that nature. I don't see the need for the enormous new funding for the sheriff's department nor for the county to pave roads, therefore. I will be voting no.