Speak Out 8/21/06

Street flooding

I HAVE noticed that a large number of Cape Girardeau city streets flood. Cape Rock Road north of Perryville Road floods, Mount Auburn Road's right lane becomes useless. And Independence Street floods in numerous locations. City fathers have once again failed to plan ahead. The city has grown, and existing drainage systems can't handle the additional runoff caused by development. I'm also concerned that the part of Mount Auburn being expanded is still going to be too narrow. It would be nice to see that section of road with a two-way left turn lane for its entire length.

Making an effort

CAN A convicted felon not be trusted? Are they not a part of society? Can someone who made a mistake at a young age which led to a conviction not be judged by what they have done, but be judged by their heart? I was convicted of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute less than 5 grams. Since the conviction I went through rehabilitation, earned a bachelor's degree and am raising a wonderful child while remaining clean. I have never stolen anything. Why label me thief? I have never been in a fight, so why label me violent? I have never raped anyone or even thought about it, so why label me a sexual predator. I have felt loved and respected by many, but I am frightened of not being financially stable to own a home to raise my child outside of poverty.

A clone is a clone

I AM getting tired of the holy attitude coming out of the embryonic experimentation crowd. Since when has big business been moved by noble motivations? I don't buy it. Also, when you look at the definitions of the words the proposed stem-cell amendment, the meaning of the word "cloning" has been changed. Now cloning is not the creation of a clone but the implantation of a clone. So the amendment only prevents placing a clone in a womb, but it protects the actual cloning. It's a scary day when the Democrats deny the humanity of an unborn child so long as it doesn't make it out of the womb, and the Republicans deny the humanity of an unborn child so long as it doesn't make it into the womb. Vote no.

Killing labels

YOU HEAR a lot about how Islamic terrorists should be called murderers. What about all the civilians, children and old alike, in Lebanon and Iraq who are killed by the bombing and other military actions? Should we not be referred to as "Christian killers" and "Jewish killers" as well? Killers are killers. It doesn't matter who does the killing.

A long wait

THAT'S COMFORTING. Gary Rust wrote that U.S. Sen. Jim Talent wrote that the only deadline we should set for withdrawal from Iraq is when we win. If winning means the establishment of a stable Iraqi democracy with individual liberties protected and an end to warring between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, the withdrawal should occur somewhere around the 26th century A.D.

That's too much

I LIKE Joe Sullivan a lot, but I don't support the Speak Out call for 200 million like-minded Joe Sullivans. I don't think that in my travels around the world I could stand the appearance of 200 million downtown golf courses.

Code enforcement

THERE'S NOTHING wrong with the establishment of public school dress codes -- if the schools have decided that the entire school day should be devoted to enforcing it.

Not to live on

THE SPEAK Out contributor who thinks the governor ought to try getting by on minimum wage is right. He could not support his family on minimum wage. I imagine he knows that. He also knows that you shouldn't be supporting a family on minimum wage. In fact, if you cannot rise above the skill level of minimum wage, you shouldn't have a family. Leave minimum-skill jobs to those they benefit: kids and students finding their way in life or elderly workers trying to keep active and augment their Social Security income. Better yourself.

Clogged ditch

I'D LIKE to comment on the drainage ditches along Interstate 55 and the Bloomfield Road overpass. The reason the last rainstorm flooded almost all of Interstate 55 was because that drainage ditch is full of vegetation, and the water cannot drain. Someone needs to clean it out before it floods again.

Quake houses

WE HAVE one more story about earthquake studies and earthquake preparedness in the Cape Girardeau area. Most of the houses built here have poured concrete basements and probably a brick house with a wood frame inside the brick. Is that the best type of house to be built in an earthquake zone? How would you build a really good house for an earthquake zone? This is something you can investigate. Teach us how to build better houses for earthquakes.

Horrible intersection

WITH ALL the construction going on or starting on Kingshighway, I hope our city officials and highway officials are going to do something about the area at Lexington Avenue and Kingshighway. That's a horrible intersection, stacked next to Route W. Let's work together and get this done.

No outsiders

WE DON'T need outsiders in Missouri and visiting our beloved Cape Girardeau. Alan Keyes, we can do just fine and think for ourselves here in Southeast Missouri.

Let people decide

IT IS time to stop naming our public buildings after individuals or families. There are too many outstanding, hardworking people who get passed by who have done great deeds for this area. If someone donates money to a building, then it is appropriate to name the building after them. For our federal building, choose a name and put the name to a vote. Let the people decide.

Political surprise

I'M SURPRISED to the point of shock that Gary Rust had a column in the paper, and the words were arranged to make Claire McCaskill look terrible and Jim Talent look great. What next?

Bible lesson

OUR CITY council and mayor should learn a valuable Bible lesson. If someone offends you, you are to go to that person to work things out first. If the city council members didn't like a sign, they should have gone directly to that store owner. Instead they have made a huge fuss, got everyone in town talking about it, made a new law, changed the new law and still have people talking about it. Too sad.

Border manpower

PRESIDENT BUSH boastfully photo-opped his deed of sending 6000 National Guardsmen to help the Border Patrol. The Guard is not armed and can't arrest, and now it appears that Border Patrol agents are taken from their posts to act as bodyguards for the Guardsmen. That's a new role for the undermanned Border Patrol.

Highway safety

IF YOU travel Highway 177 after the second Procter & Gamble shift ends, you will see a lot of speeders. It's amazing to me that people will put themselves at risk during night as well as dawn. Humans can't see as well during changing and low-light conditions. Additionally, your headlights' high beams will not save you when you're approaching 20 mph over the posted driving speed.

Not both ways

IT'S OK with immigrant advocates when cities legislate to create sanctuary cities, but when other cities crack down on illegal immigration, advocates scream, "Immigration regulation is not your job."

Truth about life

MANY HAVE proposed that zygotes and embryos are not human beings. This flawed conclusion is reached by asserting that these are not viable on their own, therefore not living humans. I know of many people who are connected to life-support machines in hospitals, some young, some elderly. By this reasoning, they are not human either. Ludicrous. We often check someone's pulse for signs of life. Infants have a heartbeat around 18 days after conception? The truth is clear to those who are willing to see.

Hands-on mayor

ONCE UPON a time in Champaign, Ill., the mayor took it upon herself to drive around the city taking down outdated garage-sale signs. She sorted them, packaged them and mailed them to the residents whose addresses were on the signs, who then paid the postage due on them, not wanting to miss what might be an important package from the mayor. It was an effective tactic, and she was an effective and energetic mayor who took her duties and her city seriously. We don't have hands-on politicians like that anymore.

Public streets

SOMEONE NEEDS to inform Southeast Missouri Hospital that Lacey Street and the sidewalks are not hospital property. Therefore, smoking on the street or sidewalk is not the hospital's business. It's not against the law to smoke cigarettes on public property.

Veteran's woes

TAKING CARE of our veterans seems not to be a concern for the U.S. government. I recently retired from the military and am unemployable due to injuries I had received while on active duty. I have a wife and two school-age children. I have been waiting nine months for the Veterans Administration to complete the rating for my disabilities. So far I have not gotten any answers. I receive retirement pay of $1,200 a month and am expected to live off that until my disability goes through. My wife works, but we still aren't able to pay the bills. I never thought that it would come down to deciding to pay the electric bill or feed my family. On most days I only eat once a day so my family can have enough to eat. I served in the military for 20 years and never thought that after I retired it would be this hard. I also wasn't expecting to be disabled. I want everyone to know how disabled veterans are being left to these hardships.

Bus stops

MEMORY HAS a convenient way of filtering out anything you want to forget. For all the whining about getting a bus system, now many riders complain about having to walk to a bus stop. Welcome to the real world. Buses have assigned stops. That is where everyone goes to be picked up. It will drop you off at another bus stop, so you have to choose which one is closest to where you are going.