Speak Out 7/5/11

Prayers for family

I was calling in about the mother that's missing. I feel so sorry for the family and friends of the missing mother. I would like them to know others are praying for them and we are hoping they will receive closure soon. While searches are going on in wooded and weeded areas, has anyone thought to search the waters? Search the flood areas. That was my first thought.

Speak Out success

THERE are so many great things about Speak Out the list would take up too much space. However, at or near the top would be that it helps keep the establishment on its toes, whether business, labor, government, education or otherwise. I know for a fact numerous members of said establishment who I have been heard saying they go to bed at night worrying about whether or not their name or institution will be criticized in the widely read and extraordinarily influential people's forum. If you're one of those who worry about such things, you probably should because you or your concern will likely soon be popping up for a well-deserved public drubbing in the citizens advocacy section of the paper known as Speak Out.

Blaming MoDOT

THERE is no doubt that MoDOT was responsible for the ferocious flooding of Morehouse, Mo. The only question to be answered is whether or not MoDOT will be prosecuted in criminal court, sued in civil court in a class-action suit, both or neither.

Revenue solution

THE seemingly insatiable federal government appetite for revenue will stop when we end the Bush tax cuts for the rich, close corporate tax loopholes, cut down on military spending and end the ethanol, farm and other sinister subsidies.

Blago's affiliation

FOR those of you who read the article by The Associated Press concerning former governor Rod Blagojevich in last Tuesday's Missourian and were left wondering what political party he belonged to, he's a Democrat.

TSA checks

IT'S a sad day in America when a 95-year-old lady gets humiliated and molested at a government checkpoint in an airport. And we still have the nerve to call this the land of the free and the home of the brave? I don't think so.

Farmers' compensation

WHEN the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created the Birds Point flood plain in 1937 to eluviate the levees of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers for future years of severe flooding, they gave just compensation to the landowners in the flood plain for permanent easement. The landowners were instructed not to erect any permanent buildings or dwellings in the flood plain. Furthermore, their tax rates were reduced far below their neighbors outside the flood plain -- which they have enjoyed for 74 years. After the flood of 2011, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and Gov. Nixon have rushed in and assured the farmers millions to replace their dwellings, equipment and the fields and twice the value of crops destroyed. But all this compensation is not enough for the flood plain farmers. They're suing you, general taxpayer, for even more. Surely the Birds Point flood plain farmers may be the greediest welfare recipients of all time.

Broadway project

I'M calling in regards to the Broadway project. The city council is wrong. The most direct route to the casino will be down Route K to Spanish, Spanish to Broadway, Broadway to Main, Main to the casino. They need to rethink before they spend a lot of money on a project that's useless.

Downtown clock

I'VE been reading all the articles in the paper about the downtown clock turning 25 years old. If memory serves me correct, I believe it was not the first clock, or the clock that was installed in 1985. I guess what you all are not including is the first clock that was erected that was damaged by someone hitting it. It never has been a good idea having that clock in the middle of a tight intersection.

Job creation

A Speak Out comment recently referred to the great jobs that Obama has produced. The only jobs that he has produced have been government jobs and they have not been productive or produced anything and do not create any wealth or put any private individuals to work. Takes a business industry to do that, and they are being so penalized, over taxed, regulated and disgusted that they don't want to even put on any new employees.

Damaged land

BY blowing up the levees, the government has severely damaged very productive, good farmland in Mississippi County. Now there's going to be a call for the government to buy that land that it has damaged and either use it for a wildlife refuge or maybe a state park or something. Well, it's in the best interest of the local county that that land stays privately owned and the owners pay private property taxes. Governments don't pay private property taxes. So, we need a group of local investors who would be willing to go buy that damaged land, return it to full production, make some money from having it as good, productive farmland and keep the economy going. That's what the economy needs, equal and private ownership of productive land.

Child endangerment

AFTER reading about the child endangerment article about the family in Scott City, I was made to wonder how many children 13 years old or younger are locked inside their homes during summer break from school. During those eight to 10 hours locked inside the house, they have access to their parents' alcoholic beverage, cigarettes, no parental supervision of TV/cable, no parental supervision of the Internet on the computer or video games. They are also made to make their own meals, and no neighbors are present to see what's going on inside that house. Just an interesting flip-flop side of the story about Kevin Sparks and the child endangerment.

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