Speak Out 8/30/05

Capacity crowds

WHOEVER MADE the comment that the Cape Girardeau area does not need a water park obviously does not have children. The closest place for my family to go is the Farmington Water Park. It is a beautiful park that draws crowds from a 60-mile radius. It also stays full (most of the time to capacity) all summer. Think of the jobs and revenue it could provide.

Wrong news priorities

HOW SAD that the death of one area soldier gets such a little spot on the front page because of the excitement over a movie being made in Cape Girardeau. I think the movie news could have taken a back seat to the soldier or at least waited one more day. Especially after the huge picture of the first area soldier who died serving our country. We don't lose that many soldiers in our area. Please give them the respect and coverage they deserve.

Consistent on civil rights

NAT HENTOFF is a civil libertarian who calls it like it is. He's not a right-winger like Limbaugh and company. He's consistent, as is the ACLU, which supports Rush Limbaugh's argument that his civil liberties are being violated in the ongoing probe into whether he was criminally guilty of doctor shopping.

Wit, charm, sarcasm

I AM sad that this will be the last time I am able to read Heidi Hall's column. I have so enjoyed reading everything she has written -- the wit, the charm, the sarcasm, it was all wonderful. Best wishes to Heidi with whatever she chooses to do next. She will be missed.

Cheaper than water

I AM tired of people who consume bottled water complaining about the price of gasoline. Water is about $1 per 16 ounces or $8 per gallon. Gas is only $2.43 a gallon. What a bargain.

Pushing inflation

IT'S TIME for a simple lesson in economics. If pay rates go up, prices of everything we use go up due to the increase in costs for doing business. That's why pay rates in New York City are higher than Cape Girardeau, but that's also why it's so expensive to live in New York City.

Misguided lawsuit

I REREAD the story about Debbie Shank. I didn't find Scott Moyers' comments about Debbie going from job to job offensive. I think he was making a point that Debbie spent years looking for a job that met her needs and found it at Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, the employer she was happy with is going after the wrong person to recoup the medical expenses. The company should be going after the insurance company of the trucking company.

Show some class

OK, PART of a movie is going to be shot in Cape Girardeau, and that's great. But do we really have to act like we've never had any attention paid to us before? A front-page above-the-fold news story that refers to "shades and sunscreen" sounds like Cape is an ugly girl who just got asked to the prom. Did Paducah act like that when it hosted several movie shoots back in the 1980s? Come on, folks, show some class. You can do better that that.

No howls then

ONCE AGAIN the national media shows its bias. During the Clinton administration George Stephanopolous told Newsweek magazine that Saddam Hussein should be assassinated. Where were the howls of indignation then? Of course, there were none. He's a liberal.

Mind-boggling profits

ROLLING BACK gasoline taxes may mean cheaper gas for awhile, but then you would have no road maintenance, repair or construction. More people should be questioning the mind-boggling billion-dollar profits being raked in each quarter by the likes of Shell, Exxon and BP rather than blaming government. Taxes are our cost for using roads. Everything else is going towards some CEO's next vacation home.

Golf landscaping

THIS IS to the gals that take care of the flowers at Bent Creek Golf Course: You do an outstanding job of keeping everything looking good in spite of the hot weather. We enjoy playing the course and appreciate the beautiful landscaping.

Not-so-healthy lunches

REGARDING SCHOOL lunches: I have been employed as a lunch lady for about 10 years. Over the past five years I have seen a drastic drop in food quality. Being slightly overweight myself and seeing the amount of larger young people increasing rapidly, I am afraid there is not enough emphasis on healthier foods in our schools cafeteria.

Working for success

I DON'T find it sad that someone has to work four jobs to make ends meet. I think it's great that someone out there is doing what it takes to make things happen for herself. It's called being self-reliant. I cringe when I hear comments complaining about not being able to get a fair wage or blaming the government for their failures in life. Few truly successful people only work 40 hours a week. You need to work for it.

Bus safety

I LIVE on East Jackson Boulevard going into Jackson, and I am upset at the number of motorists flying by the school bus as it is stopped to pick up my children. On Monday a truck zoomed by as the bus was stopped. Do you know what would have happened to all those children if the truck driver had lost control? Please stop if the bus is stopped. How would you feel if your children were on this bus?

Home cooking

I WORK in a school cafeteria. The kids are not getting obese just from our lunches. Most of the kids at home are not getting balanced meals. Instead, they get fast food and soda. So instead of just saying childhood obesity is the fault of school food, let's have the whole story.

Lunch concerns

WHAT IS it with the schools now? Lunch period is 20 minutes, barely enough time to get to the cafeteria, wait in line to get your food, find a seat and eat. My child is being rushed to eat, which is not good. And what's with this collaborative Monday or Wednesday thing at Jackson High School? That's cutting time out of my child's learning. Do your planning after school. Quit cutting my child's learning time.

Clinking chimes

PLEASE LISTEN, Southeast Missouri State University. Your chimes on the quarter-hour are lovely. But playing tunes that are not appropriate for such times -- "You're a Grand Old Flag," "Yankee Doodle Dandy" -- without taking notice of other people's schedules is disgusting. Please stop. It's terrible music. Please stop this clinking atrocity.

Student attire

ATTENTION STUDENTS: If there's no dress code at Southeast Missouri State University, perhaps you should evaluate whether there's a dress code for self-esteem. I drove by SEMO this morning and saw a girl in boy's silky shorts rolled low on her pelvis and a man's muscle T-shirt pulled up to expose as much as possible of her abdomen. Is this appropriate dress for a learning atmosphere where you're trying to achieve an education to go into the professional work environment? I believe our standards of education are dictated by many things, not just the education provided, but by the environment in which it's provided. There should be a stricter dress code for our students, teaching them not only what's in the book and in the classroom, but about proper morals and environment. It's the responsibility of everyone.

Time for rationing

LET'S RATION gasoline, because the only ones high-price gas is hurting are the people who have minimum-wage jobs. The people who make big salaries couldn't care less whether the price of gas got up to $10 a gallon. Let the kids ride the bus to school.

Street cleanup

I LIVE on a two-block street close to Perry Avenue and Perryville Road. The street sweeper came up and down the first block but didn't pick up anything because there wasn't anything to pick up. What a waste of the taxpayers' money. How about an ordinance to make people clean up the street after they've blown grass out in the street?

In tall grass

GO OUT to Highway 34 around Route U and look at the weeds. Apparently nobody wants to mow grass anymore. It's higher than the mailboxes. If it wasn't for the residential people and the farmers mowing the right-of-way, the weeds would fall over in the road.

Great billboards

I CAME back from St. Louis and made a special effort to see all of the Cape Girardeau billboards. I didn't miss a one. Kudos to Cape Girardeau for those great billboards.

What drought?

We keep hearing about the drought in Missouri and how government officials are asking for assistance. But if it's so dry, why I am I having to mow my lawn every week? God bless the farmers. They need rain too. But I'm getting plenty right now.