Speak Out 7/24/08

Watch out, candidates

I LIKE to sleep in during the summertime. If I receive another robo-call from an aspiring politician before 2 p.m., I'm calling Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Hannibal Lecter, The Transformers, The Joker and Leatherface.

Downtown news

I'M SURE the new downtown parking lot is going to be pretty, but come on. A parking lot, even with handicapped bathrooms -- is this really "fantastic news" as Mayor Jay Knudtson quips? Is this the best Cape Girardeau's civic and business leadership can do? Do downtown business owners think the reason revenue is down is because there's no parking? There is plenty of parking, and more and more of it is becoming unused. What about the mural? Or making Main Street one way? Weren't those supposed to fix downtown's woes? The new parking lot is more meaningless pablum to placate the citizens as the city turns its short attention span from downtown to the north side's new exit off I-55 that doesn't take you anywhere but Jackson. What about an integrated plan that makes downtown more attractive? How about closing Main Street on weekend evenings and turning it into a pedestrian-only entertainment district? Nah. That only works 100 percent of the time in every other city where it's implemented. With that in place, I'd have to agree that additional parking would be needed. What about getting the police out of their cars and into the streets? Silly me, that idea was deemed too expensive.

Driving sane

GO, GRANNY, go: I'm 55 years old and drive 55 mph. To all the drivers who whiz by and flip me off, pooh-pooh on you.

Over the line

TALK-SHOW host Michael Savage can be entertaining at times, but his remarks about autism went way over the line. His program should be removed from the air.

Golf carts and sewers

NOW THAT the Jaycee Municipal Golf Course has new golf carts, I would like to know where the money from selling the old golf carts is going. It sure would be nice if it went back to the fund for sewer repairs.

Trees along highways

I WAS so pleased to see trees planted in the median on Jackson Boulevard near Center Junction. How much nicer and beautiful it makes the entrance to the towns. If only there were more trees planted in such areas. With pollution on the rise and more trees being destroyed for construction, we could benefit by having more trees planted. It would be nice to see them in the median of the highways, between outer roads and the highway, and at on/off ramps. They could be planted in a manner so that view is not obstructed and help with the prevention of being blinded by oncoming traffic. Sure, there would be a cost to plant the trees, but the benefits of cleaner air and a more attractive presence would be worth it.

Caring for pets

SHAME ON people who think you want pets, get tired of them and take them to an animal shelter. Even worse are the people who have senior pets and get tired of them and drop them off. Why on earth would you take care of an animal for 10 years then get rid of it? Don't you realize they get used to you? How would you like your family to get tired of you and drop you off like trash? When someone adopts an animal at the Humane Society shelter, it takes an act of God. You think they would be a little easier on people who want to adopt, since they are putting those poor animals to sleep if they don't get adopted.