Speak Out A 03/06/02

Peace and closure

GOD BE with the Walter Gibbs family. May you have the peace and closure you need at this time.

Proper scheduling

THE NEXT time you make a doctor's appointment, please tell the doctor's office what you need to be seen for, and the person scheduling you will tell how much time will be allotted to you. If you are allotted 15 minutes and you take 35 or 45, which is very normal, you will understand why doctors run so late. Think about that the next time you want to complain about your physician.

Too many people

I'D LIKE to know why in the world it takes a 21-member panel to investigate the death of a young girl. That was a tragic accident, but 21 people is excessive and a waste of a lot of people's time and money.

Community involvement

I DON'T know what is gained by building Central High School near the highway except to have more pollution. To lose the swimming pool and the auditorium seems so tragic. On the other hand, there are Internet hookups in every classroom. Some things seem more waste of money than others, and the auditorium is something the community can benefit from when there are plays. The swimming pool is also something the community can use. I think the best schools help benefit the community rather than being unused a lot of the time.

No new center

I AM concerned about all of these senior centers that want new buildings. I don't think Jackson needs a new senior center. It's in the center of town. I've never been there when it was so crowded you had to eat in shifts. That is completely a mistake. I've been there several different times when there were only two or three people at a table. Why not take that money and give it to the schools where it's really needed?

Scheduling doctors

IN RESPONSE to "Waiting blues," please put the blame where the blame is due. I am a receptionist in a busy doctor's office, and I know how it works. The receptionist doesn't overbook. The doctors come in late, which in turn causes your appointment to be late. Receptionists have no control over how long the doctor takes in a room nor how long it takes him even to get to the office. Next time tell your doctor to be on time and give your receptionist a break.

Required viewing

I WATCHED Larry King's interview with Monica Lewinsky. I think her interview should be required viewing for liberal Democrats. It shows that lies, deceit, morals and oath of office mean nothing to some. Winning is the most important objective. The only thing lower than Bill Clinton's actions are the people who continue to admire and praise him and see nothing wrong with his character.

Another scam victim

I READ in Speak Out where someone was scammed by a man needing money for an alternator for his car. He must have needed a lot of alternators. My husband was also asked for money to buy one. I wonder how many more Good Samaritans were taken by this man.

Financial priorities

DOESN'T IT make you sick that our senior citizens might have their meals cut and the police are begging for $9,000 for a dog?

Getting it right

I ALWAYS make it a point to read the editorials and the Speak Out section. They provide a wealth of comedy for those of us who actually have a brain and know how to use it. When I read David Limbaugh's recent column, I laughed my butt off. He fears those who promote a gay lifestyle but he seems to embrace ignorance and hatred of others under the guise of moral values. Doesn't the concept of moral values include teaching children right from wrong? Limbaugh might want to get his facts straight. The heterosexual AIDS contraction rate is actually much higher than that of homosexuals.

Check the facts

DAVID LIMBAUGH'S statistics about HIV being more prevalent in the gay community than the heterosexual community is completely wrong. He needs to check his facts.

Taxpayer rip-off

IT'S PRETTY clear what Kinder Morgan is trying to do, even if the Southeast Missourian and the county commissioners are being sucked in. By paying a few milliion dollars here and a few million there, Kinder Morgan is trying to avoid paying many millions in taxes to Cape County. Kinder Morgan is trying to rip off Cape County and its taxpayers. We don't need this style of business management in this county.

Remember little people

WITH ALL the money Kinder Morgan is throwing around to buy its way into the Crump area, I think they should pay each property owner at least $10,000 for the inconvenience of having to install new wells in order for us to have water. The water pressure has already decreased significantly since Kinder Morgan came in and pumped millions of gallons of water out onto the ground. I'm not begrudging the money that the school district and fire district will be getting, even though it is a bribe. But they are forgetting the little people in this area who will be suffering the most with all the noise and water problems.

Hating sin

SOME IN the media have set about to discredit Jerry Falwell with prejudicial jibes in an effort to silence him about his biblical views against sin. If you're gullible enough to fall for the media spin, you're gullible enough to fall for anything. Christians should be wise enough to discern good from evil and truth from error. If you profess to be a Christian, you should get your spiritual direction from the Word of God, not from the media. Hatred of sin is a virtue, not an evil or a crime.

Campaign guarantee

I JUST want Peter Kinder to know he can use smoke and mirrors to cover the tax giveaway for stadiums for millionaires and call it economic development, but I guarantee that I'll not only vote against him, I'll campaign for his opponent.

I SAW on the news about the cats that were found in the trailer. I hope they're going to go after those people and put them in jail for what they've done. I hope all those cats live and get good homes. I hope the city is diligent about going after these people. They have no right to treat animals that way.

WELL, THE veterans have just been smacked in the face again. They just raised our prescription co-pay from $2 to $7. I had read where it was supposed to go up $1, but I suppose we veterans have to pay for the congressmen and senators' $5,000-a-year raise they just voted in for themselves. Something needs to be done about these politicians raising their own salaries and cutting other people's income. The co-pay increase might not sound like very much, but for those of us living on Social Security, it's quite a jump up. And the VA turns around and bills our insurance company. So what benefit are we getting from the VA? We're paying for our own medicine and medical care.

A STORY about stadium funding stated "the bill also calls for up to $7 million a year for 30 years to improve the cultural facilities in Kansas City." Most urban dwellers look upon us rural residents as hicks but want our tax dollars to improve their culture. Folks, someone has turned the world upside down.