Speak Out 8/10/05

Little roads too

OFFICIALS IN Jackson are smiling because of the extra money they got for road work. Remember the little things please, especially dusty Old Cape Road East where so many people travel to save a little gas by avoiding going all the way through Jackson to get home. Please remember us.

It's the time law

DAYLIGHT-SAVING time: You have to have a law to inform the sun when to come up. You have a law for everything else.

Public health policy

WOW. WHAT a surprise. I opened the paper to read that Missouri ranks at the very bottom of the country in terms of smoking prevalence and also ranks toward the bottom in terms of number of cancer deaths and deaths due to cardiovascular disease, obesity and the lack of exercise. When are our public policymakers going to realize we need to increase taxes on cigarettes and all tobacco to discourage this deadly habit among our citizens and bring our health-care costs down for all citizens of Missouri?

Democrat bashing

IN FRIDAY'S column, David Limbaugh states that President Bush is spending his political capital as if it springs from an unlimited reservoir. I have to disagree. Bush is spending our revenue like it springs from an unlimited reservoir. Isn't it time Limbaugh said something besides Democrat-bashing all the time?

Orientation helps

A HUGE thank you to the staff and student volunteers who worked at Central High School's freshmen orientation day. My incoming freshman and I spent the day touring the building and getting acquainted with the beautiful high school. The teachers and mentors were helpful, and I'm sure it made all the students who attended feel much more at ease starting school this year. It was especially nice that many teachers and mentors were smiling and saying hello in the halls throughout the day. I'm sure this was no easy task to pull off. It was a well-organized day and was much appreciated.

Pork perspective

LIKE SO many other issues, it is interesting how pork-barrel dollars are interpreted. If it comes from the Democrats, it is governmental waste. If the Republicans dole it out, it is the very finest of fodders.

The dark side?

I WAS stunned to read David Limbaugh's assertion that intelligent design of the universe by God is a theory. Has Limbaugh gone over to the dark side of liberalism?

Funding fountain

SOMEONE ASKED where Cape Girardeau's "endless supply of money is coming from?" Haven't you been reading the paper? It's coming from the federal government.

Great billboards

WOW. THE billboards promoting Cape Girardeau are fantastic. What a creative way to spend the hotel-motel tax money. I understand tens of thousands of people pass through the city limits every day on the interstate, and most of them do not stop. If we could get them to stop, they will spend money, and that's good for our local economy. They are going to stop somewhere for gas and lodging and food. Why not Cape? We have a lot more to offer than anyplace else within a hundred miles. I just got back from Columbia, Mo., and I'm sure glad I filled up my car with gasoline here before I left. I saved at least $5. I saw other towns, like Herman and Hannibal, promoting themselves with billboards, and they don't even have an interstate. While in Columbia I talked to two college students who didn't know where Cape is. I thought the billboards were very entertaining and educational. Good work, Cape.

If it oinks ...

REGARDLESS how many executive directors of this or that write letters to the editor trying to convince us otherwise, pork by any other name is still pork.

Super-size, please

U.S. SEN. Kit Bond says the plethora of transportation funds from the feds isn't pork -barrel legislation. In a way he's correct. It goes far beyond the common definition of pork -barrel legislation. Maybe such huge federal expenditures for local projects should be called something like super-sized pork.

This year's asphalt

IF YOU think Route W is bad, just come out to Route U. We just received our yearly allotment of asphalt: one five-gallon bucket.

Proper documents

MY HUSBAND, who would be 90 had he lived, was born on the river. He had to have a birth certificate to draw Social Security and had no problem getting one. My daughter and I were born at home, but we were registered as U.S. citizens and were able to get a driver's license.

Stopping bombers

IN LONDON, the subway bombers had been a part of England. They had lived there, were educated there and held respectable jobs there. They admitted to having no loyalty for England. I will endure the added paperwork required to get my driver's license again in order to prevent my community from being attacked by the terrorists. Stop whining about it and be thankful that the likes of them can't just walk up and get a license here so easily.

Burden is on us

BECAUSE the times we live in, the burden must be on us to prove we aren't sympathetic to or are outright terrorists.

No coddling

THE BRITISH are sure putting us to shame. They are dealing with the terrorism problem head on and not taking any lip from anyone. In our country, we coddle those who incite ruthless killing of innocent persons. Some think that by pacifying the terrorists that they won't attack. Let's get one thing straight: The only thing they want is to kill, and they will kill no matter what you do.

Almost unbearable

THE LOVE-IN between local and federal officials over receiving an embarrassingly large amount of pork from the feds is hard to take. When you add to it the fact that most of these folks claim to be conservatives, it becomes almost unbearable.

Traveling grass

I SAW something interesting the other day. I watched as a man took great care to mow his lawn, blow the grass clippings into a pile and blow them into the street. Yet he went one step further. He blew them across the street.