Speak Out A 02/27/02

Fans' best interests

AS A result of representing the best interests of St. Louis Cardinals' baseball fans, state Sen. Peter Kinder represents the best interests of all the people in his district better than any state senator in Missouri history.

Self-righteousness

I READ with amazement as a conservative so accurately boxed up all the liberals and then as easily tied them up with a pretty ribbon titled immoral, unpopular, unknowing, whining, indecent and lacking in God's values. I wish I could be just like this person who claims to possess all of the opposing qualities and the ability to sell his or her soul in the marketplace, but perhaps without the overwhelming burden of all that self-righteousness.

High-risk policing

I HAVE to disagree with Steve Strong, the police chief, when he tells us that he is keeping officers in high-accident areas around town. A good example would be the hours officers spend at Minnesota Avenue on the new Highway 74. There has never been an accident there since the highway was finished several years ago. It's another revenue maker for the city. Most of the more serious accidents in Cape occur on Kingshighway and William Street not on Highway 74. I have been keeping a close eye on the officers' time being spent on Highway 74 as I live close enough to see them from my home. I would go one step further and wonder why the speed limit on Highway 74 is 45 mph when on Kingshighway on the north side is 50 mph and 55 mph. There are many businesses and homes in that area, and there are none on Highway 74. Let's spend less time pulling folks over for equipment violations and going 6 or 7 mph over the limit and spend more time being visible at high-risk areas.

Easy approval ratings

GEORGE BUSH'S approval rating has dipped below 80 percent. It is no longer 92 percent. I did not vote for him, and I still don't think he's a great president. I think that under the circumstances since last fall, we could have elected a monkey to office, and he would have the same approval ratings. Bill Clinton remains one of the most popular presidents in history.

Thanks for the help

THANK YOU so much to the gentleman who helped the three ladies by pulling them out of the median. It was pouring rain. Their car was forced off the highway by a truck coming on to the interstate south of Cape. This Good Samaritan stopped his pickup, got a chain and hooked it to the car and pulled it back on to the highway. He got soaked but refused to take any money for his good deed. The ladies just want to express their deep appreciation to this gentleman.

Workout while working

I HAVE been a taxpaying resident of Cape Girardeau all my life. It appears to me the police chief and some of his higher ranking officers don't have enough to do. You can always see several unmarked police cars at one of the health clubs during the middle of the day. The chief is there two or three hours each day. He arrives in uniform and leaves in uniform. I work nights, so when I work out, I do it on my own time, not city time. I think our police should stay in shape, but they should not be doing it during their shift.

Don't fall for scam

I HAVE fallen victim to the easiest of all scams. A man approached me and claimed the alternator in his car had stopped working. He said a local mechanic was bringing him one, but he lacked $16 having enough to pay for it. He said he and his wife were trying to get home to Olive Branch, Ill. I gave him $20. He took my address and promised he would repay me as soon as he got his paycheck. He then ran to his car and sped away. I followed him to the mall where he turned around and headed the other way. Don't fall for hard-luck stories like I did.

Pay and move on

IF THE college and city hadn't tried to be despotic over the citizens, there would not be any legal fees for taxpayers to pay. The city and the college should get over it.

Soft foundation

POP THE champagne cork and open the caviar. The university has done it again. Has anyone inspected the sandstone foundation under the old seminary building? About 10 or 12 years ago, I helped remove a boiler out of the basement. You could drill a hole in the sandstone with a pocketknife. Common sense tells you that you cannot jack up a soft brick building and put a new foundation under it. Before 15 years pass, you will see that this is a bad decision.

Stop the spending

SO JIM Drury is responsible for the taxpayers money being spent? We taxpayers aren't as stupid as the city and college administrators would like people to believe. From the very beginning of this scenario, we taxpayers were willing to accept the outcome of a vote by the people with Drury footing the election bill. The city could stop the taxpayers' money being used. The ball is in their court.

THE FACT remains that Mayor Al Spradling has been a great mayor for our city. I don't think he is in bed with the university over the River Campus project. This is something the people of Cape have voted in. Jim Drury did not want it to happen. The River Campus is something the university and the city need. Without the college students, there are no economic benefits. The more students attend the university, the better Cape's economy is. Mayor Spradling, thank you for all your hard work throughout your tenure.

Pray for the victims

IN REGARD to the recent article about people praying for Cardinal Bernard Law. Maybe their prayers would be better if they prayed for the children who were molested.

Going too far

THE FOUNDATION of what some believe are David Limbaugh's extremist right-wing writings is what has correctly been called the fallacy of American exceptionalism. The phrase refers to the belief we all have to some extent that America is inherently superior to all other nations, ethically, morally and so forth. There is nothing particularly wrong with this unless taken too far. We all need our myths. However, Limbaugh and his ilk seem so carried away with adherence to and propagation of this mythology I fear at times they may lead us in directions that will ultimately be our undoing.

Avoiding potholes

SURELY YOU people know why we drive in the left lane: because in the right lane the potholes are so bad you can' stand it.

Mean-spirited vouchers

OH, PLEASE, Southeast Missourian editorial staff. The not-too-well-hidden agenda of most school voucher proponents is the total destruction of the public school system. This mean-spirited movement is reminiscent of earlier times when the first public school proponents were unmercifully bashed by aristocrats, theocrats and fat cats.