Speak Out 8/29/05

Partial notification

THE DEPARTMENT of Revenue mailed a card notifying me that my driver's license was about to expire and I should bring my birth certificate and current driver's license to renew. The card said nothing about bringing my Social Security card, but it was also necessary to renew the license. Several people ahead of me had to return home to get their Social Security cards; so did I. The Department of Revenue could have saved us a lot of time by telling us a Social Security card would also be required.

Business ties

I FEEL for the businesses on Broadway, but the university students and faculty support those businesses. So the better the university, the better their business.

Long-hair worries

WHAT IS it with young men today? Is there some unspoken rule that they can't cut their hair? I was in a fast-food restaurant the other day, and a young man had hair down to his back. What if a hair fell into my food? I could contract some disease that could make me die. Not to mention I would sue the restaurant for every cent it has. Won't someone please think of the children?

Fun and exercise

DO WE or do we not need a water park? It really doesn't matter, because we won't be getting one. My family went about 12 times last year to the one in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and we would have gone more this year if gasoline prices had not been so high. My kids always brought along two or three other children. It is a fun way to spend the day together, and they get exercise. There are good and bad sides to everything. It just depends on where you are standing.

Open to other ideas

OF ALL the opinions I have read about the teaching of intelligent design, I see one problem: fear. If you know you are right, why do you fear the teaching of other theories? I once had a speaker come to my science class who talked about the alien theory. I wonder, out of all of those who heard it, how many accepted it as truth. I didn't. I have been willing to listen to arguments that are contrary to what I believe. Some are so outlandish I wonder how anyone could believe it. It makes more sense to expose ourselves to hear it all than to close our doors and only listen to one. What if your theory is wrong?

Thanks, Heidi

HEIDI HALL, thanks for your entertaining columns. Good luck in your future endeavors.

Heidi deserves the best

I AM so sorry to see Heidi Hall's column come to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and looked forward to it each week. I loved her down-to-earth style and felt like she was somebody I could relate to. Heidi, I wish you the best and all the success you deserve.

Crabgrass path

WHO SEEDED crabgrass alongside the new Lexington Trace sidewalks? Why not plant real grass? Maybe we should rename it Knudtson's Weedy Way.

Church isn't fun

MANY NEW churches have sprung up that brag about having all the bells and whistles with multimedia theaters and the like. Church shouldn't be regarded as fun. Whatever the religion, it should be about solemn thought, reflection and the discipline needed for worship.

Adoption subsidies

I DO not understand all this fuss about adoption subsidies. Why should anyone who adopts a child get a subsidy from the state for doing so? The state didn't give me anything for having my children in the usual way. As far as I can tell, adopted children are treated no differently than birth children. They may have legal fees, but we paid hospital bills. I don't see any continuing expense which would justify a continuing subsidy from the state.

Is it feasible?

I THOUGHT the reason we don't have a water park is because voters did not pass the tax to pay for one. It is entirely feasible for a business that is open only three months a year to pay for itself for the whole year. Surely the city had a business plan in place for the water park. This would show us whether it would pay for itself or not. I think we should take a look at the business plan, make an educated decision and put it back to a vote. If it is economically feasible, I would like to see a water park in Cape Girardeau that would bring more money into our community.

Re-evaluating needs

I USED to drive an SUV but traded it for a car that gets 40-plus mpg. When gasoline prices started to hurt us, we re-evaluated our needs. Does someone with two or fewer kids really need a seven-passenger vehicle? When people living in poverty complain about the price of gas, I feel sympathetic. But doesn't it seem a bit frivolous to complain about the price of gas for your SUV that gets 11 mpg?

Heidi will be missed

I LOGGED on to the Southeast Missourian's Web site and found, much to my surprise, that I was going to miss an old friend. Heidi Hall's swan song left me somewhat sad. I have read each column she has written over the years and copied some of them down. She will be missed. I feel as if she has become a part of the family. So, Heidi, know that you shall be missed and our little corner of the world shall be a bit dimmer without your wonderful words of wisdom. Godspeed. I am a reader from Denver.

Fleeting fame

A PARASITE causing diarrhea, vomiting and slight fever has swept Fredericktown, Mo. Various television news programs have featured the town's outbreak of what locals refer to as "the Worm." So, thank you, Worm. Thank you for putting our little town on the map. Our 15 minutes of fame will most likely be spent in the bathroom.

Too much rudeness

WHY ARE people everywhere just plain rude? The TV show "Everybody Loves Raymond" is a example of the way I have seen people treat each other. It destroys people's ability to believe in others.

Musical preparation

I TOO go to a church that has a super musical ministry. The music sure does open my heart and prepare it to receive the message.

Column will be missed

I WANT to tell Heidi Hall that I am sure going to miss her column. I have enjoyed her wit for the past 11 years. Good luck, Heidi.

No parenting test

WHY ARE we required by law to take tests that prove our abilities for driving, hunting and doing the most menial jobs, but there isn't a test for parenthood? Before I could drive a car I had to prove that I could safely handle the moving vehicle at relatively fast speeds. Before my husband could hunt with our daughter, they both had to take a class and a test. But anybody can have sex and have a child. No classes, no training and no experience required. This is frightening.

Students don't care

HOW ABOUT schools worrying about what they teach their students instead of what money they can get out of high test scores. As a student who attended school in a district concerned with high MAP scores, I can tell you that students don't give a rip. I would have rather been taught the curriculum that prepared me for life after high school instead of the curriculum that prepared me for a test.

Goodbye and good luck

I'M GOING to miss Heidi's column. I think she has been entertaining and funny, someone a person can relate to at times and laugh at too. I hate to see her leave. Goodbye, Heidi, and good luck.

Heidi's quirky ideas

FOR THE last few years, I've been a regular reader of the Missourian's Web site, and Heidi Hall's columns have been the ones I've most looked forward to each week. Heidi knows how to do things with words, and she has a great ear for language to go along with her quirky ideas -- a great combination, in my book. I've also been secretly pleased to see someone from Sikeston producing such enjoyable stuff. I'm sorry Heidi won't be continuing the column. Thanks for the good work.