Speak Out 7/31/11

Bragging vandals

I'LL bet you the vandals that vandalized the turf at the new high school stadium will be exceedingly sorry because the fun of vandalizing is the bragging about it.

Overblown coverage

THE front-page article and picture of 10-inch spray-painted letters "Seniors 2011" on the new turf at Central High School can be remedied quickly. I am disappointed our newspaper believes this is the worst thing that happened in a 24-hour period and deserved front-page exposure. I'm sure that the space could have been used for newsworthy stories. The media attention was absolutely ridiculous and overblown.

U.S. debt

OUR government is spending so much more money than it takes in that it has to borrow $188 million per hour, every hour of the entire year. It's incredible. Rep. Ron Paul says the U.S. government is going to default. It's the only way anything's ever going to work out because we've borrowed so much money there's not a chance that we can pay it back.

Send the checks

I don't understand how we can send billions of dollars overseas to other countries but we can't afford to send out our Social Security checks to the people who worked and paid into Social Security. If the checks are not sent out, there will be all kinds of problems. As for us, we'll no longer be able to pay for medicine, and we both have major medical problems, along with food, utilities and other bills.

Chaffee parking

HEY, you ought to get somebody to do like Chaffee's doing. Southeast Missouri could do it. Just park all your cars on one side of the street because they say the fire engines can't get down through, but the trash truck does. I don't understand. We've got people who can't even walk in this town.

Crosswalks needed

I think it's fine that they're working to improve Broadway and downtown and that really needs to be done. But one thing they need to do, and they have not looked at doing, is there needs to be a crosswalk at each light on Kingshighway, both at Broadway, at William Street and especially at Independence Street next to Walgreens. I have seen people there with baby carriages trying to cross that incredibly busy intersection. It's going to take somebody to get killed before they do something about it. There needs to be sidewalks, and there even needs to be an overpass like they have in Carbondale, Ill.

Cut salaries

IN reply to the Speak Out contributor who said we should cut the salary and pensions of federal employees, I assume he was referring to our lawmakers. These people do not need a salary. More than 50 percent of the senators and many of the representatives are already millionaires but not because of their salaries.

National coverage

I'D just like to say thank God that the Jacque Waller case finally got national coverage. People like Nancy Grace, ABC News, Fox News and all that. It's just wonderful that everyone picked it up. I really hope it does some good. Hopefully it will generate some new leads.

Fitness corral camp

A big shout out to Miss Millie and her gang. Thanks so much for the fitness corral camp recently at HealthPoint Fitness in Jackson. Our special campers all had a great time. Thanks again.

Wearing red

I would like to express my dislike at everybody wearing red so much during the summer. Don't you know that's an aggressive color? That's why bullfighters use it to fight the bulls. Let's go to beautiful, soft blue, green, white and stay away from the aggressive yellows, oranges and reds.

Where are the flags

WHY were the American flags not flown in Cape County Park this Fourth of July? They were missed.

China cargo hub

IT'S heartbreaking to see what our elected officials are doing to the low-income and elderly people. Everyone that's all for the China cargo hub at Lambert St. Louis Airport, they put all these cuts in a bundle to try to get them approved. Shame on all.

Blame game

OBAMA is still talking about the Republicans. If he is as smart as he presents himself to be, he should know that the last two years that Bush, who he blames for everything, was president, he had a Democratic-controlled Congress. The first two years Obama was president he had a Democratic-controlled Congress, and yet he always wants to blame it on the Republicans. I guess the Democrats don't count unless they're able to blame it on somebody else. That appears to be the only thing they know how to do consistently.