Speak Out A 06/06/03

Preferred seating

I WANT to commend Central Junior High School for an excellent performance of "Little Mermaid." I've seen this many times in productions here in Cape Girardeau. We go to a lot of events at the junior high and the high school. Once again, all of the seats up the middle were reserved. I thought they must be reserved for parents of kids in the play. But we saw parents of lead actors and actresses sitting further back. Some of the people we saw sitting in those seats in the middle didn't have any children in the play. I'm concerned by that. It's happening too often that we go to events and are relegated to backs rows or the edges because of some select group. I would hope school officials would look at this.

It's about time

KUDOS FOR Mayor Jay Knudtson and the city council. It's about time.

Make it optional

OPEN STUDY hall at Central High School would be for students who choose to go and who have their parents' approval to take study hall. All 1,200 kids would not get an hour off. No one is asking for that. Some students don't want a study hall. To make a blanket policy that says only those kids in honors classes need a study hall is ridiculous. I can't believe that only 30 percent of the kids at Central's study halls use their time wisely. The kids in my study hall who use their time the most wisely are the average kids. We need to open study hall up for everyone and let parents and students make the decision, not the administration.

He was a good manager

I AM very dismayed that the city manager got the sack from the city council. He was a good city manager. We've had a lot higher level of performance. We had our street fixed, especially in the winter time. I think he was a good man. He was a good community supporter. He was just an all-around fine fellow and a good manager. I'm sorry to see him go.

Paying for calcium

WHEN I first saw the headline, I thought it was a joke: "Inmates, students may get more calcium under new law." Inmates are people who break the law. Are they going to pay the high prices we pay over the counter to get our calcium?

Some kids need to study

SINCE WHEN is study hall for honors students only? It would make sense to me that the kids who most need to study are the ones who aren't the honor students. When I was in school, everyone went to study hall for one period.

Why the hard hats?

WHEN A groundbreaking ceremony is taking place, why do all the dignitaries in their suits and ties feel it necessary to wear a hard hat? Most of these ceremonies usually take place in an open field, so it can't be that they're afraid something will fall on their heads. I'm just curious.

A bad example

AS A parent of a Scott City student, I'm embarrassed by the decision the three board members made to keep the teacher who held the party to remain as the athletic director. Board members took an oath to perform their duties in the best interest of our children. Their decision has not only re-enforced to the teacher who held the party that it is OK to act in such a manner. It also re-enforced to the students that it is OK to drink as long as you can get by with it.

Need a new system

I'D LIKE to offer my congratulations to Jo Ann Emerson for her attack on high drug prices. Now that the action is started, I'd like to recommend that a congressional commission be established to study the medical industry in Canada and to move to a single payer for medical expenses like they have in Canada. They pay 45 percent less of their GDP for medical care. It covers all of their citizens. They live several years longer than we do. The only question we should have is how we can go from the system we have to a system that covers all people like all other major industrialized countries have.

Tax what we don't want

IF THE Missouri Legislature has to raise taxes, consider raising taxes on things that we do not want in our state. Don't raise taxes on things we do want. We don't want to raise taxes on income or businesses. Raise taxes on things we don't want: cigarettes, alcohol, gambling.