Speak Out A 06/13/02

Tracking immigrants

THE FBI seems to be taking all the blame for the terrorist mess, but I blame the INS. For so many years, they just let in so many immigrants from everywhere and I always wondered about it. They took jobs away from our citizens. Some lived on welfare. The INS failed to keep track of them. Their visas would expire and the INS didn't know where they were. This mess makes me think of the cartoon I saw where the teacher was telling this little boy his work was so sloppy and asked him what he would do when he grew up. He said maybe he could get a job with the INS. When I hear our beautiful patriotic songs, my eyes fear with tears because America is in much danger from the terrorists. I pray that God will protect us.

Don't cut salaries

THIS IS in response to the June 7 editorial. As one who has been in organizations that have gone through fiscal crises such as this, I know firsthand that cutting salaries is not the way to solve a problem such as this. A budget crisis such as this can be an opportunity for an organization, whether a university or a city, to cut fat and eliminate inefficiencies in unneeded positions. Cutting salaries, whether it be top administrators or across the board, is a disincentive to all workers and generally results in flight by the most talented within the organization. Those who should have been eliminated tend to stay on in spite of lower salaries.

Dutchtown protection

I'M NOT against protecting the people of Dutchtown, but I don't like where the levee is proposed. Instead of the planned levee which is way too far south, they need to raise Highway 25 as was suggested by local people when they built the bridge over the channel. They could also raise Highway 74 which would act as a levee around four or five houses. The older house that sits off to itself in the field in the floodplain could be bought out. By doing this, it would not cause those of us who live farther west and who are affected by the flooding to be subjected to higher water than we already experience.

They're not criminals

IT DISTRESSES me that a youth would be in trouble for ordering a helicopter and a jet over the Internet. In real life, if you order something and don't have the money to pay, you don't get in big trouble. You just don't get the merchandise. I don't think having the Internet in schools is a good thing because it's not being monitored properly. Where were the teachers when this was going on? Stop making criminals of today's children when they're not really criminals but just having a little fun.

I'M READING in the paper about the road tax, and I would like to make it known, plain and clear, that there's no way I will support a road tax until someone has the guts to show how all the tax money from the 6 cent fuel-tax we had before would have affected the 15-year plan if it has all gone for roads instead of every other thing in the state. In fact, I will be against and I will talk against it. We are not being leveled with.

Bikes and walkers

LOW-SPEED bicycles are fine on the Cape LaCroix walking trail. The high-speed bicycles are dangerous there. Our walking trail is only about 5 feet wide. Entire families like to walk on it, especially in the afternoon. If a bicycle is coming by at 20 mph and a little kid suddenly moves two feet to the left, he's going to be in the path of the bicycle. Somebody's going to have to go to the emergency room.

Make a smaller version

THE PAINTING of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge is beautiful. As a follow-up to the $200 prints, please offer a smaller size for less cost. We Girardeans have family and friends in other states who would love to have one. That would add to the fund for lights. I'm all for it. I would buy several.

Tax cigarettes

Put a tax on cigarettes, say 50 cents a pack. This would help Cape Girardeau, and it would probably help make a lot of people quit smoking, which would eventually save their lives. This would be a good tax to vote on. I would vote for it in a heartbeat.