Speak Out 7/28/04

Inspection impasse

IT'S CLEAR to me that Jackson is part of the county. The county has the right to make improvements within the county. When the county wants to improve something, why is the Jackson city manager acting so stubborn? I'm so tired of hearing certain things can't be done because somebody might get hurt. Jackson, get out there and inspect what was built in the county as part of the city, and let's move on.

Who signed off?

I READ that the Cape Girardeau School Board is considering an increase in the tax levy and also plans to spend $240,000 to fix the air- conditioning system in the new high school. Who signed off on the high school being complete when the air-conditioning system was not functioning properly since day one? Heads should roll.

Tax promise

I THINK all taxpayers in Cape Girardeau need to be aware that the Cape Girardeau School Board may raise the tax levy by as much as 17 cents per $100 of assessed valuation without voter approval. This is a school district that has spent money right and left. The ways the board has wasted money are endless. All you have to do is walk around the new high school and look at the stuff they did not need that they bought with our tax dollars. But the bottom line and what's most important is what the school board president himself said: "We made a promise [not to raise taxes for five years] we should not have made." It doesn't matter. They made it.

Parking in the street

I WISH the city would make a law that if you have a driveway, you must park your car in it, not in front of someone else's house. The city ought to charge parking fees on the street. That way they would make the money to fix up the streets.

China getting bossy

I SEE where China is asking the United States not to help Taiwan. Who do these people think they are? They've got all of our jobs, and now they're buying more gas which is causing our gas to go up and they're using slave labor. I cannot understand the United States allowing these people to send all this stuff into our country and flooding the markets with China imports. It's time for the United States to take care of its workers like China's doing.

Pay their own way

THESE IMMATURE boys and girls who are playing house and bearing illegitimate children should not be subsidized by taxpayers who are already overburdened with taxes. If they won't marry to produce a family, then they should be liable for their own expenses.

Clean up language

TO THE Cape Girardeau Police Department, I do not appreciate your inappropriate language. I was being a good Samaritan and driving home fellow citizens who were incapable of motor-vehicle operation. I have witnessed your inappropriate language and do not appreciate the behavior and language that was displayed to me.

Blaming the police

ONCE AGAIN the issue of underage drinking and the responsibility of the police have come up. This time it's in Scott City. It's come in Cape Girardeau and Jackson as well. All these people start blaming the police. What are the parents doing? When one underage child in this area was recently caught at a party drinking and charged, his parents did absolutely nothing. The next night he was back out with his friends. You can blame the police all you want, but they can't be everywhere. We don't have enough police to cover every underage drinking spot while there are problems going on elsewhere.

Learn to speak English

I'VE BEEN reading the articles on the Hispanic population growing in this area. The statements that the city should cater to them is a whole other story. We wouldn't expect to go to Mexico and for everybody down there to cater to us in English. If they want to come to this country and work, learn English. There's no reason that everybody in this country should learn Spanish. This is an English-speaking country and always will be.

Parental blame

I'M CALLING about all the underage drinking problems in Scott City. Why doesn't somebody place some of that blame where it belongs, with the parents, instead of blaming the police for everything?

Cape's problem too

EVERYBODY IS talking about the underage drinking in Scott City. How about the underage drinking in Cape Girardeau? One of those kids is going to kill himself or kill someone.