Speak Out 9/17/10

Event for children

I attended the skateboard competition Sunday at Jackson. It was sad to see the judges and band members drinking. This is supposed to be for children. What is the Cape Skateboard Association saying to them?

Fuzzy grades

ALL these Jackson folks who are so upset about the change in the names of grades are concerned about the wrong thing. Here's what you need to be worried about. Read the lists in the paper of all the students at Jackson schools on one of the honor rolls. As a Jackson teacher, I can guarantee you that a fraction of those students making A's and B's can perform beyond a "3" (middle score) on the MAP tests. Those letter grades mean nothing and are ridiculously inflated. Your children are not outperforming their peers in Missouri, with the exception of those in the really troubled districts in St. Louis and Kansas City. You love the high grades, and so do your children. But in Jackson, B's have become the new C, and A's are basically a true B in many classes. The teachers know it and discuss it among themselves, but those high grades keep parents off their backs. Teachers like me who require A work for an A grade are in the minority and are pressured by administrators and parents to get grades up. I have a better idea: Let's make sure that the grade on the transcript accurately reflects each child's performance.

Thank you

I would love to give a big shout out to all the organizations that helped make this first annual Vets and Fallen Heroes Poker Run a huge success. I would like to thank all the volunteers who helped out setting up and tearing down this event, all the taverns that participated and everyone who brought items for the auction. The riders and all the families had a great time, and we raised a lot of money for the Missouri Veterans Home and for our fallen heroes. It was a wonderful day, and it was great to see everyone come together for such a great cause. We are looking forward to next year. This was a Sept. 11 to remember. God bless you all who were there that day.

Taxes and debt

ON the one hand, Gary Rust rails against allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for the idle rich. On the other hand, in the same column mind you, he carries on about the growing deficit and debt. One wonders if Mr. Rust realizes that allowing tax cuts to expire for millionaires and billionaires would go a very long way in reducing the budget problems he claims to care so much about.

Home repairs

IF there ends up being a casino and the money comes rolling in, Cape Girardeau should set up a grant system for home repairs and painting in the lower-income areas of town. It might clean up more of the area, create jobs and help downtown areas more than sidewalks and expensive plantings ever would. Just make sure that slumlords don't qualify.

Casino scrutiny

THERE have been several comments about religious people being the ones questioning the casino. You don't have to be religious to ask questions and wonder if the negatives outweigh the positives. So many of the groups promoting the casino have vested interests in a new source of income. We want the media outlets and politicians to ask hard questions about the good and the bad.

Never read it

THE most frightening thing about the recent controversial plan to burn Qurans was that most, if not all, of the willing participants had probably never read the book. Having a society of people ready to burn books they haven't read is a totalitarian leader's dream.

Moral issue

SOMEONE said shame on those of us who have jobs and are against the casino. Do not judge us. My reasons for being against the casino are based on research I have done on the effects of introducing a casino into a community. This country's leaders, and many voters, have been voting their pocketbooks instead of their morals for quite a few years, and it's gotten us to the point where we are now. Obviously, that strategy isn't working. I will vote my morals at every opportunity. There are jobs available. I know people who are getting them. Don't blame the fact that there is no casino for not having a job.

Playing loud

THERE are bands that play good, and there are bands that play loud. If music is played too loud, it saturates your ear drums so you can't hear the quality of the music.