Speak Out A 03/12/02

No bonus for veterans

DIPLOMAS FOR veterans was undoubtedly a very special night in Jackson, but you were about 56 years late. In fact, many who would have been eligible from World War II have passed on. I believe that it has taken Missouri longer than any other state to give recognition to its veterans. If memory serves me correctly, Missouri, unlike many other states, never did provide a bonus for its World War II veterans.

Anything over zero

WHEN AN astute Southeast Missourian editorial writer alludes to what he believes are "too many government" programs, he generally means any government programs in excess of zero.

Stadium cheerleader

PETER KINDER keeps going to bat to get a new stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals. Lots of fans are cheering for you. Remember that it ain't over until the fat lady sings.

Moving onto a payroll

REGARDING YOUR editorial "Tougher welfare reform the right thing to do": You state that we need to "move welfare recipients out of a cycle of handouts and into an environment of jobs and family responsibility." In our current economic climate where skilled, experienced and loyal employees are being laid off left and right so corporations can save their own profits, how do you expect those too young, too old or unable to work or those without higher education to get into that "job environment"?

Bite the bullet

I DO not believe it is the state's responsibility to fund a baseball stadium when other more beneficial projects relating to children's programs and schools are being cut under Gov. Bob Holden's budget. If the Cardinals or St. Louis want a new stadium, they need to bite the bullet and pay for it themselves.

Good spat is healthy

THE SOUTHEAST Missourian's editorial board needs to lighten up. I think the spat over the juvenile center is not only amusing, but needful. A spat every now and then lets us taxpayers know someone in government is awake. This is better than being asleep at the wheel while the lawyers and judges wreck the ship of state and pillage the treasury for their own feel-good projects.

Good benefit for veterans

METHINKS THE veteran who is complaining about the prescription co-pay doth protest too much. For $7 he gets medicine that costs hundreds of dollars. Who pays this difference? It is the taxpayer. If the vet is also a taxpayer, he is helping to pay for his own medicine. So, what is new? As a veteran who retired from the military, I am privileged to pay a $9 co-pay. I pay this gladly when I receive hundreds of dollars worth of medicine in return. The complaining vet needs to reassess his good fortune and be thankful. There are many people of all ages who have no prescription plan whatsoever.

Costly steel move

ANOTHER GREAT move by President Bush. To win himself and his Republican friends some votes in the steel belt, Bush has managed to upset Russia, South Korea and the entire European Union. Not only will the average consumer now pay more for products made with steel, but we'll be paying more on everything from these countries after they raise or create new tariffs in retaliation to this stupid move. His 80 percent approval rating only reflects the 80 percent stupidity rate of our country's population.

Trade enthusiasm

PRESIDENT BUSH has again differentiated himself from President Clinton by appearing to be a much less enthusiastic supporter of free trade than his predecessor. Good for him.

Changing spots

IT IS a sad state of affairs when Cape Girardeau County commissioners start making electrical power deals with Richard Kinder of Kinder-Morgan Power Co., a former Enron president and good friend of Kenneth Lay. Do leopards change their spots?

Stadium welfare

PERSUASIVE? NOT really. State Sen. Peter Kinder's column Sunday about the proposed Cardinals stadium did not convince me that the taxpayers of Missouri need to dole out millions to millionaires. I am a Republican. I voted for him. I still think he is committing political suicide for the wrong reason. Any way you slice the Cardinal deal and the Kansas City projects, it is still corporate welfare. One thing he did right was combining all the stadium welfare projects into one huge omnibus bill. The taxpayer can see just how much he and Gov. Bob Holden are giving away in the name of economic development. State employees can fantasize about lost pay raises. And MoDOT can whine about what might have been.

No. 1 epidemic

THE COMMENT about AIDS spending really made me mad. More money is spent on AIDS because it's the No. 1 epidemic in the world right now and is viewed as the greatest threat to our existence. It's not the derogatory gay disease it was once made out to be. The majority of AIDS sufferers are heterosexuals. And you can't catch cancer.

Blatant hypocrisy

WE DEMOCRATS need to recognize and accept the Republican thinking and mentality of "whatever we do is OK and should go without criticism." Of course, Republicans can break promises, lie have illicit affairs while spouting their wonderful virtues and values. What about this blatant hypocrisy do we not understand?

Alienating Republicans

STATE SEN. Peter Kinder's defense of the Cardinals stadium project was persuasive if you view it as economic development and believe the benefit analysis. However, if you view it as another corporate giveaway, it is just one more feel-good, pork-barrel program. I see it as the latter -- always have and always will. Sorry, this is one Republican who is not persuaded. Kinder already has the Democrats hating his political views. Is he trying to alienate his Republican base as well?