Speak Out 8/26/08

Casino not good

I want to comment on the "big casino" some in Cape are wanting to put in downtown Cape. I live on Main Street and this is the last thing that I want by my home. I do not want to raise my child by a casino. It won't bring in more money, but it will bring in more drunk drivers and thieves. There are families that have lived here for years that probably have the same opinion on this sore subject. You want to put in something that will attract tourists and visitors, then put in something for the kids.

Another Kubrick needed

With the return of the Cold War, we need Hollywood to make an updated version of "Dr. Strangelove," particularly since so many pols in many countries (including our own) seem so determined to take us not only to but over the brink of nuclear annihilation. Bombs away!

McCain's houses

Senator McCain is unsure of how many houses he owns. Big deal. If he has that many, maybe he could give at least one or two to the homeless.

Autocracy survives

Just a decade or so ago I believed that autocracy and free markets were incompatible. I believed the latter would destroy the former, and autocracy would give way to free market capitalism. China and Russia alone have led me to one firm conclusion: Boy, was I wrong.

Caught in the cookie jar

WE HAVE a certain county commissioner who spends a lot of time charging other people with corrupt behavior. That's funny considering the source, but I guess that's what he feels he needs to do to win an election. It's political mudslinging 101: When you have few positives about yourself and in fact got your hand caught in the cookie jar (with secret tape recordings), attack everyone else.

Dog Days of August

After watching McCain and Obama at the Saddleback forum, it appears we have two choices for president. One is an old dog set in his ways and the other is a young pup learning new things. Take your pick.

Deteriorating pool

Has anyone else noticed the rapid deterioration of Central's pool? The bath house is filthy, the floors are nasty and the lifeguards congregate in social circles discussing hangovers and parties instead of monitoring the safety of pool patrons. What is going on?

Who is guide for?

I am a student at Southeast Missouri State University. Earlier today, I picked up the latest issue of our school newspaper, "The Arrow," and was disappointed with what I came across. There was an article entitled "A Beginner's Guide to Cape" in which the author listed the convenient spots for groceries, movie rentals, coffee shops, etc. It was easy to tell that this article was geared toward all of the new incoming students, in which most are freshman directly out of high school. Sounds innocent enough, right? I thought so too until I stumbled across the author's advice that Schnucks is close to campus and consistently has the best deals on liquor. As if promoting underage drinking was not enough (on a dry campus, nonetheless), the author continues to also advise that SEMO Video is the place to go for those students wishing to rent more adult choices. So, it's obviously not only a beginner's guide to Cape, but also a beginner's guide to purchasing alcohol and porn. Now, I am not a fool and I totally realize that such shenanigans are typically part of the college experience, but should our school newspaper be encouraging such behavior?

Problems start here

At first I was deeply troubled by the failing schools in Jackson and Cape. But then I remembered that any organization fails or succeeds from the top down. Let's look at our county. Nathan Cooper is now in federal prison. Jason Crowell and Rod Jetton are playing pass the hat with each other's money. Scott Lipke's own law firm does lobbying work in Jeff City. One county official looks at porn in the office. The old boy network in the County Commission engages in questionable acts and then use their power to cover for one another. And don't even get me started on Morley Swingle. Actually, it makes perfect sense that the rest of the county has problems.

Ambulance petition

I find it very interesting that there is a petition going around for an ambulance district in Cape County. It's about time! It's time for Cape County to receive Emergency Medical Services that it deserves.

Politics and religion

Bad news for David Limbaugh. A majority of Americans (including those who are Republicans and call themselves conservatives) want politics and religion kept apart.

Housing fun

The way I see it, if Rush Limbaugh can poke fun at Obama's brother living in a shack in Africa and saying if Obama is elected that's the kind of housing we'll all have, it's perfectly OK for Obama to chide McCain for having no clue as to how many houses he and Cindy McCain own.

The economic issues

Well, here we go again. We call for tighter immigration policies and closing the border to aliens (legal and undocumented) who are "stealing" our jobs. And yet employers cannot find red-blooded Americans willing to take those jobs at minimum wage. We decry the loss of manufacturing jobs to those horrible communist countries like China, and yet red-blooded Americans are not willing to pay the higher price for the locally-produced merchandise made by our friends and neighbors. We complain loudly about those scoundrels in Washington who pander to big oil companies and special-interest groups, and yet we re-elect them over and over. We ignorantly believe that homosexuality and the gay agenda is an attack on Christian marriage, and yet red-blooded, heterosexual Americans continue to have adulterous affairs and file for divorce as if it was no big deal. We rant and rave how we need prayer in school, and yet very few of these people even pray at home, let alone attend church. We complain how there is no good candidate running for president, and yet very few of these people voted in past elections. Pogo was right. We have met the enemy and it is us.

Parent link problems

I would just like to say how disappointed I am with the Jackson school system. I can't understand why the parent link system is not up and running now that school has started. They had all summer to make updates and it should be ready to go. There is no excuse for this. I would also like to say that the article about the new lunch schedule at the high school forgot to mention that in order to have time for four lunch shifts some of the students have to go to lunch at 10:30. That's not lunch, it's brunch.