Speak Out A 05/16/03

We need River Campus

THIS IS directed to the SEMO student who wasn't sure how the River Campus would benefit the school. It is pretty obvious. The River Campus would allow the expansion of all the performing arts programs and attract students who plan on majoring in these fields since state of the art facilities will be available to them. It will also benefit Cape Girardeau by bringing in more SEMO students who contribute tremendously to the economy of this region. As a business owner, I can tell SEMO is letting out for the summer because 10,000 people who are consumers are missing. It's clear to me the university is right. We need the River Campus.

Love the noise

I HAVE a loud exhaust on my car. It's perfectly legal. I know some of you like to go to bed at 8 p.m., but I have as much right to be up as you have to be asleep. When people call in and say the street name where this is a problem, I make it a point to be as loud as possible traveling down that street when I'm in the area.

Good-looking photos

THANKS FOR sharing the photos from the proms. I love looking at them. There are so many good-looking young men and women having lots of good fun. The future is bright for this area.

Don't cut education

IN REGARD to the education cuts being made by the new state budget: We should consider reducing some of the salaries of our elected officials to make up the funding the individual schools will be losing. Instead of looking out for the citizens of the future, they are too busy filling their pockets. Do not cut education. Instead of renovating buildings, we should be investing in the knowledge of our children.

Important! Please read!

THE CONCERNED citizen who chewed out Southeast Missourian editor Joe Sullivan for advocating a downtown golf course should be ashamed. It has seemingly destroyed Sullivan's self-esteem. We need dreamers like Sullivan who are gifted with the vision thing. His idea may or may not be viable (I happen to think it is), but we should not stifle the Sullivans of the community lest creative thinking be totally killed off.

Advice to gawkers

TO THE understandably curious who are visiting Jackson neighbors to tour our tornado damage: Thank you for coming. We are a friendly group here in Jackson and are proud of our southern hospitality. We would ask one tiny favor. Please keep in mind we need to use our modest infrastructure to get to work and school and go about our normal routines. Those who are working to clean up storm damage need to maneuver very large vehicles around the residential neighborhoods streets. If you would just be so kind as to not stop without warning to look at an unbelievable sight, or at least pick up the pace, we would appreciate it. We welcome your visit, but please use common sense. Feel free to stop and help with the cleanup.

Value of human life

WE CAN have an arts center, but we can't afford warning sirens. Why is it always about dollars and cents? You can't put a price tag on human lives. Our tornadoes can destroy in a few moments what you've worked for all your life.

Questions about cuts

AS A taxpayer in Jackson, I'm a little concerned about some of the things we're being told. School administrators are telling us that, because of the budget cuts, they're going to have to cut staff through not rehiring up to 15 people to fill vacant positions. Yet I was at one of the buildings where I substitute teach and heard we're hiring a physical education teacher. I was told we needed a girls basketball coach or assistant basketball coach, but the woman who currently teaches physical education in that building isn't retiring. I don't understand this. I don't like the lies and the smoke screens. I think the Jackson School Board owes us some answers.

Sirens were big help

I WOULD like to applaud SEMO for its storm sirens. When the storm hit the other night, I was at a Bible study. We did not have the TV on, nor did we have the radio on. The first hint we had the storm was bad was the sirens. When we heard the sirens, we turned the TV on and discovered we were in a tornado warning. I immediately called home to my children to discover they did not have the TV on. I'm just really grateful that SEMO had those sirens. I think Cape Girardeau and Jackson both should have sirens.

Who's for more taxes?

THE DEMOCRATS are for increasing taxes. The Republicans are for tax refunds. So which party would the hard-working men and women, already heavily tax burdened, prefer?