Speak Out 7/27/08

Conditional support

DELTA SCHOOL District has had achievements in education. MAP scores have been increasing. But the grade school is falling apart. Teachers have some of the highest salaries in the area. The student-teacher ratio is on the decline. And the average ACT scores for graduating seniors are some of the lowest in the area. Getting a new desk and a new room to sit in will not make a child any smarter. Give us better qualified teachers and administration, and then I will vote yes for a new school.

Iraq's future

I AM a Gulf War veteran who recently returned from Iraq. I can say without a doubt that we have accomplished the job we were asked to do. Now it's time for the Iraqi people to stand up for themselves.

Need a generator

WHEN WE had the power outage due to the ice storm last winter, many people went to the Salvation Army facility only to find that they didn't have power either. This brings up another concern. Let's say we have an earthquake that knocks out power for an extended period of time. How will the city charge the batteries on all those golf carts that were just purchased? Maybe the city should buy a generator.

Using the money

MAYOR KNUDTSON, don't you think half a million dollars would be spent better on repairing the streets of Cape Girardeau? If anybody goes downtown to use this new parking lot and restrooms, it's going to be because their tires are flat from driving through town while trying to get there.

A good hand

The U.S. had almost $400 billion surplus and we were not in a war when President Bush took office. This sounds like a pretty good hand to me.

Oil and gas prices

WE'VE HAD three big drops in crude oil prices in the last week to 10 days. I don't see any prices going down at the pump. Every time oil prices went up before, the price went up at the pump. Someone explain this.

Gas mileage

SOMEONE SAID he slowed down to 60 mph on the interstate and got 21.4 miles per gallon gas mileage. I drive about 75 mph on the highway and get about 35 mpg.

Gordonville fireworks

I AM calling to thank whoever put on the fireworks display at Gordonville on the Fourth of July. It was a wonderful, beautiful display and lasted for about an hour. We were able to sit in our front yards and watch the fireworks. Thank you, and we hope to see many more of these displays in years to come.

Fixing problems

I FIND it amazing how some people have the answers to everyone else's problems but their own.

Oil petition

IF YOU favor drilling for oil in America, please go to americansolutions.com and sign the petition to drill for oil.

Wonderful fellow

I WANT to comment about Floyd Penny giving buggy rides. This was wonderful, a real hit at the 1950s Central High School reunion. He also was voted as the most successful among all of these classmates, and I think the reason is because he came from nowhere and has made quite a financial success. He also has a bunch of fine children. A man like this needs all the accolades and praise he can get. we need more of them. The world doesn't have enough people in it like Floyd Penny. He's a wonderful fellow.