Speak Out 8/7/05

New bath water

AMERICANS AGREE that due to the events of 9-11, more stringent measures need to be in place to obtain a driver's license. However, new requirements need to be tempered with common sense, which seems to be severely lacking. At age 57, I have had a driver's license in this state for 41 years. My license has been renewed on time and never suspended. After 41 years, why must I now prove that I am not a terrorist? If the bath water is dirty, throw it out, but not the baby with it. It has been proven that 9-11 happened because the people who were supposed to be on the ball -- the CIA, the FBI and others -- failed us miserably. That's where we need some new bath water.

Better education

I AM a 2001 graduate of Jackson High School. It is such a relief to know that my little sister and my children won't have to deal with the crowded hallways and classrooms I had to endure. I truly believe this change will better the education of the students, and I am so happy that the majority saw it the same way.

Costly assault rifles

THERE IS nothing more dangerous about an assault rifle than a deer rifle. Most deer rifles are more powerful than an assault rifle. Have you ever seen anybody hunt with an AK-47? I own one, and I can tell you it is one of the most inaccurate rifles I've shot. Why not outlaw guns and projectile weapons completely and use knives to hunt deer? There are few people with automatic weapons, mainly because of the few thousand dollars you have to spend for the permit.

Classy billboards

I'VE MADE several trips back and forth to St. Louis in the last few weeks and noticed the new historical "Visit Cape Girardeau" billboards. They are eye-catching and classy. The campaign theme is a credit to the city, and the designers and Convention and Visitors Bureau should be commended. However, it took me two or three trips to notice the Mark Twain billboard near Perryville, since it's on the north-bound lane side, and I couldn't read the smaller print. That billboard is not as effective. I hope it can be relocated in the future.

Politically viable

LET'S BE intellectually honest. The real reason state legislators don't want to be called about the way new Medicaid legislation works is because they haven't a clue. They don't write the bills and don't read them. The only thing that is of concern to them is a general sense that the bill is politically viable and popular.

Trooper commendation

IN REFERENCE to the highway patrol trooper's suspension: Should he have let the subject kill himself? Would this have satisfied his superior? It would have saved the taxpayers of Missouri quite a sum of money due to court costs, medical bills and prisoner housing, but I believe he did the moral thing in saving the person's life. He should be commended, not punished. The best compliment any police officer can receive is this: "He's one good cop."

Junior high needs work

I JUST returned from my child's orientation at Cape Girardeau Junior High school. Before we spend any more money at the high school, someone at the board needs to walk through the junior high school. The school has had no new paint to cover the years of neglect. Stained ceiling tiles haven't been replaced, and there are many other maintenance needs that I saw. One teacher has had to tape a filter to her air vent to stop dirt from coming into her classroom. This is unbelievable conditions our kids and teachers must learn and teach under. High school students can wait a few more years while the district improves conditions for junior high students. I encourage everyone with or without kids in the junior high to walk through and take a look. Let's spend money where money is needed. My hat is off to all the teachers who do such a hard job in that school.