Speak Out 8/25/05

Plenty of support

I WOULD like to thank all of the family, friends, city officials and fellow dodgeballers who stand beside us. We appreciate your support and continue to stand strong.

Traffic planning

I WAS wondering if there are plans to improve the intersection of Cape Rock Road and Lombardo Drive. Condos are being built there, which will mean more traffic and possibly an even more difficult time getting out onto Cape Rock from Lombardo. Sometimes it is next to impossible to turn onto Cape Rock. Many times the traffic on Lombardo is backed all the way down to Landgraf Drive. It is a hazard. I hope improvements such as a three-way stop sign may be in the planning.

Knowledge is good

I'VE BEEN thinking about the person who said her child would be sick when intelligent design is being taught in school. Is this person afraid her child has a mind of their own? During his college years, my son took a course that exposed him to the basics of all religions. In this day, it is better to know than to be ignorant of other religions. If you want your child kept in the dark, so be it. It is the child I pity.

Unsung heroes

THE REAL unsung heroes are the city workers who are out in the heat all day picking up trash, fixing streets or mowing the parks.

Impact of fuel prices

AS A professional truck driver, I think one of your readers has hit the nail on the head. Everything you have gets to you by way of the trucking industry. Even the largest companies are feeling great pains over rising fuel costs. Keep in mind that there are thousands of owner-operators who have to pay full price at the pumps. Large companies get discounts based on the thousands of gallons purchased. In some areas diesel fuel is more than $3 a gallon. Many drivers are talking strike. A strike would send the American worker home, because if inventory is not moving, it will bring the U.S. to its knees. Call your legislators and demand a temporary rollback on all fuel and road taxes until we can get control of the problem, or the strike will come.

Thanks for help

I WANT to thank the gentleman who helped my mom with a flat on Highway 72 Friday. She's not one to ask for help, and you went out of your way to assist. Thanks again.

Unjust cause

CINDY SHEEHAN'S anti-war protest should neither succeed nor fail based on her own personal credibility. It should be judged on the merits of the case. If looked at from that view, it becomes obvious that her cause is unjust.

Give them thanks

LET ME start by saying I am not a police officer or firefighter, nor is anyone in my family. People need to give them more respect. They didn't choose their career for the money but for the love of helping people and their communities. When they go to work it is very dangerous. Let's give them a big thank you for their career choices.

Deserve a reward

THE KIDS who created the dodgeball league in Jackson are bright, respectful, clean-living kids who invented a way to have fun on a Friday night. Their games cross social and economic boundaries in a way that absolutely no organized sport does in Jackson. Denying them the right to play is ridiculous. These kids should be rewarded for something that has formed friendships that never would have existed otherwise.

Choose your lane

I AM tired of callers telling us which lane of a highway we must drive in. If you are within a city limits on a state -maintained four-lane highway like the one between Jackson and Cape Girardeau, it doesn't matter if you are out by the veterans home or in front of Schnucks. You can drive in any lane you like.

What answers?

WHEN A Democrat is sitting in the White House, the Republicans have answers and solutions to all problems and concerns. It has been almost six years, and look at our state of affairs. Need I say more?

Silly controversy

THE CONTROVERSY about the tennis courts in Jackson seems a little silly. This area is for playing tennis. It's not a multi-use fenced recreational area. And threatening to do drugs if you don't get your way is even sillier. What a mature way to negotiate.

More jobs

THE STORY regarding the woman who has four jobs was exactly what some people need to read and understand. Not everyone is willing to settle for a 40-hour-a-week job. If you don't get the wage you want from your job, get a better job or get a second, third or fourth job. There are 24 hours in a day, and sleeping is often overrated anyway.

Science and fiction

I AGREE that science is science and religion is religion. Evolution, however, is not science, whereas creation science is scientific. Evolution, in fact, should more appropriately be labeled science fiction.

Slower isn't better

IF MOTORISTS start slowing down to under 70 mph on the expressway, we're going to have traffic jams and people will get mad and frustrated. I drive the speed limit. I don't see how anyone will save any money by driving 65 mph. The slower you drive and create traffic jams, the more gasoline you burn up.

Low pay scale

I THINK it's sad anyone has to work four jobs in order to make ends meet. This says something of the low pay scale in Cape Girardeau. How do you ever expect to keep worthwhile people here if you aren't going to pay them?

Comparing scores

WHY COMPARE test scores at Cape Girardeau schools to Jackson and Scott City? Why not compare Cape's scores to a school with a comparable minority student population such as Sikeston or Charleston?

Not so superior

WE HUMANS feel so superior to other species that inhabit this earth with us. We kill them for comfort, pleasure and entertainment. Of course, we do the same thing to each other. It amazes me how anyone can study the history of the human race and still feel superior to the other species of this world.

Postal bargain

I DISAGREE with a recent comment in Speak Out about the U.S. Postal Service. Considering the price of gasoline, having a letter picked up at your front door and taken across the state or nation for only 37 cents is quite a bargain.