Speak Out 9/16/08

Temporary signs

HOW LONG is the city going to leave the temporary stop signs plus the warning stop signs near Alma Schrader Elementary School? They are in the streets and are traffic hazards. Permanent signs were put up weeks ago, so take down the temporary ones.

Audience reaction

AS A former Democrat turned Republican, I did not think Sen. Barack Obama was referring to Gov. Sarah Palin in his lipstick-and-pig statement. But the audience evidently thought so. It laughed, clapped and gave him a standing ovation. He should have corrected his statement at the time since it was evident that his audience thought he was referring to Palin.

Inverse proportion

IF SARAH Palin is so incompetent, why are Barack Obama and all of his followers in a frenzy? The hidden message they're sending is Palin is not going with the status quo of Washington and their liberal spinning is about to end. The louder the liberal crowd screams, the higher the ratings go up for John McCain and Palin.

Ride the school bus

HERE IS the solution to the congestion problem when dropping off or picking up a child at school: Make the children ride the school bus. My kids have ridden the bus since day one of their school life. No kid is too good to ride the bus. It amazes me how many people take their children to school when a bus can take them. That's what the buses are for.

Dear God:

PLEASE FORGIVE America. We know we have veered off the paths you have set for us. We have sinned greatly. Please fix the economy and let gasoline prices return to normal. We love you. America. P.S. Don't forget to put the right candidate in office. Not the one we want, but the one you want, because you know what's best for us.

A good line

REACTING TO evidence that John McCain made verifiably inaccurate statements, his spokesman, Tucker Bounds, said, "If he gave viewers a mistaken impression, it certainly wasn't intentional or without some basis in fact." I wish I could use this line every time I was caught fabricating or exaggerating the truth.

Parking-lot speeding

I WOULD like to express my appreciation for the newly paved asphalt parking at the Shawnee Sports Complex. It is good to see the benefit of my tax dollars in such a short period of time. I would, however, like to express concern and outrage over the irresponsible driving that is taking place within the parking lot. Soccer moms, dads and grandparents are going 30 to 40 miles per hour through the new lot as if it were a city street. Children swarm to this complex and are the reason we come to the park. Is it not common sense to slow down when entering and driving through such a place that is jam-packed with children as small as 5 years old? Adults are supposed to look out for the safety of their children, yet adults, in this case, are the potential cause of harm. Please use common sense and be part of protecting our children, not harming them.

Desperate act

FOR DECADES David Limbaugh has disparaged identity politics, meaning voting for someone because of their sex, ethnicity and so forth. Now, in an act of pure desperation, Limbaugh pleads with us to vote for Sarah Palin because she's a nice woman and chastises the Democrats for not putting a female on the ticket. U.S. voters are much smarter than Limbaugh gives them credit for and recognize his and other GOP-Palin ploys, as will be shown in the election results.

Scott County tax

I SEE that once again the Scott County commissioners are complaining about the sunset of the law-enforcement tax and how the county is suffering. County departments waste money, and all they want to do is complain. Take the sheriff's office, which has purchased numerous SUVs that have low mpg and cost a lot to maintain. The sheriff says he is bringing in money, and the commissioners are saying it's not enough. You can't have it both ways. I say no to a new tax until the county can prove it has cut out the unnecessary items.

Fair parking

LIVING NEXT to Arena Park during the SEMO District Fair is trying enough with the occasional drunk wondering up and down the street at all hours of the day and the random acts of violence that caused the fair to shut down early last weekend, but I have found a whole new annoyance this year. I live in a small duplex where I also run my small business. Last weekend I went outside to see a parking ticket on the windshield of my car. I figured the police must not have noticed when running the plates that the car was registered at the address where the car was parked in front of. I called the police and was informed that there are no exceptions to the temporary no-parking signs. I understand the idea behind the no-parking signs, but why does that mean I should have to put one of my vehicles in storage during the fair? Has the city ever thought of parking passes for the people who live in the area?