Speak Out A 06/11/02

Trash and health

I DO not live in Jackson, but it seems to me if trash cans are forbidden, it should happen after all animals are removed from freedom. Who wants other people's garbage or personal items scattered in the streets or in the neighbors' yards? This could be a health problem with children picking items up.

Growing better

IF DAVID Limbaugh has backed off and is no longer bucking bipartisanship or offering up bombastic broadsides, then this is a good thing. It illustrates that Limbaugh has grown. His efforts in that direction should be encouraged, as should the seeming turn of the Southeast Missourian editorial staff toward triangulation.

Beginning of the end

WHEN FUTURE historians analyze America's descent into a fascist state, they may choose as a metaphor for the beginning of the end syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker's sickeningly servile and patronizing public statement personally offering her fingerprints to John Ashcroft.

Missing the newspaper

AS A teacher, I'm confident I speak for over 120 students in saying that, although school has been out for only several weeks, we all dearly miss the one day a week we religiously devote to the use of a classroom set of Southeast Missourian newspapers.

Natural occurrence

I AGREE with the caller that global warming is real. This is something that has been occurring naturally for thousands of years.

Need dose of reality

THESE drug-control commercials are really pointless. What the people running these commercials fail to realize is that most kids who do drugs have parents who wouldn't ground them anyway, let alone care. It would be nice if these drug-control commercials were founded in reality.

Control with vote

TO THE people on Highway 72 in Jackson: Remember to vote no on MoDOT's tax increase in August. MoDOT has had no concern for our well-being with the plans to build a four-lane limited-access highway. Don't forget what it is trying to do to us. Its power comes from our tax dollars. Our only control is how we vote.

Where did it go?

I'M CALLING in reference to the proposed four-cent fuel-tax increase for MoDOT. I think we're all asking the wrong questions. I think instead of asking what they're going to do with the money for transportation for the four cents, we need to know what they did with the six-cent increase 10 years ago. Where did that money go?

Building trust

I WAS reading how MoDOT is trying to build a trust so it can get more taxes for highways. It's kind of peculiar. In the St. Louis paper it was reported that MoDOT has agreed to take on maintenance of more St. Louis streets if the tax passes. Now that's really a trust builder.

Positive message

SEVERAL CALLERS argue that there is a conspiracy among the wealthy to preserve the status quo: keep rich folks rich and poor folks poor. With many students graduating from area schools, the timing and content of this message is horrible. Undoubtedly, the rich have some advantages, but America is still the land of opportunity. According to a recent book entitled "The Millionaire Next Door," about 80 percent of America's millionaires are first-generation wealthy. Many of America's millionaires are not movie stars, professional athletes or lottery winners. Many are simply very hard-working people in non-glamorous professions with a clear set of goals and strong personal discipline. Bill Clinton rose from humble beginnings in Hope, Ark., to become president. Our graduates deserve a positive message, not this defeatist nonsense.

Wacky columnist

SYNDICATED columnist Walter E. Williams' stated belief that property is as sacred as Scripture confirms my view that the wily Williams is wacky.

Hopper needs upkeep

FOR MONTHS crews worked to build the new section of Hopper Road out to Twin Lakes. I'm sure it cost thousands of dollars, and the residents of Ashland Hills and Twin Lakes are very happy it is there. But the city needs to take better care of it. The grass is allowed to grow so tall before it is mowed that it has grown over the sidewalk. Even when it is mowed, the dead weeds are all over the sidewalk decomposing. I thought the purpose of a sidewalk was to be able to walk on it. With the condition those sidewalks are in, no one walks on them. Our new road looks very tacky. The city should be ashamed.

Honesty about liberty

DAVID LIMBAUGH, please be honest about this. We're grown-ups. We can accept and support the fact that we're losing some liberty in the interest of national security. Instead of writing that what is happening is loss of non-existent, phantom liberty, simply say we are losing what was an amount of freedom excessive and counterproductive to carrying on a war against international terrorism. Regardless of what the ACLU says or The New York Times write, there is a strong national consensus that too much freedom from government intervention is inappropriate whether we're talking about the extraordinary patience exhibited by our government at Waco, the hand ringing hesitancy to intervene in the case of Elian Gonzales or the ridiculous restrictions placed on the FBI and CIA in their attempt to combat terror.

But that's different

THOUGH I oppose with every bone in my body the local attempt to exploit the TIF program, I see no analogy at all between this outrage and the sincere attempt to save the St. Louis Cardinals and provide us with a competitive major-league baseball team. After all, a cross-section of all area residents benefit from the Cards, but the only ones who would benefit from the TIF travesty would be the developers and a cross-section of the haute bourgeoisie.

A better floodwall

I JUST can't win. I knew someone would come along with a temporary floodwall system and co-opt my earlier expressed Speak Out opinion that we needed a transparent one.