Speak Out A 06/15/02

Death, taxes, attacks

SIGH. SINCE government officials keep harping on it, I suppose we should add to the short list of life's inevitabilities (death and taxes) another terrorist attack on America.

I am what I read

THE DISRESPECT Gary Rust showed by reprinting a piece critical of French existentialist philosophers like Jean Paul Sartre was reprehensible. But, it made me face up to the fact that I have been condemned by my own free will to choose to read the Southeast Missourian, and from that there is no exit.

Handling detainees

ACCORDING TO conservative pundit Robert Novak, the White House was livid with publicity-hogging John Ashcroft's announcement of the arrest of someone said to be connected to the process of making a dirty bomb. Evidently, the announcement was supposed to be a coordinated one, made by several muckety-mucks. What an irony it would be if, instead of taking Ashcroft to the woodshed over this, they created a new category, indefinitely holding those presidential appointees who upstage other appointees and made Ashcroft the first detainee.

It finally happened

I NEVER thought I'd live to see the establishment co-opt the ultimate bad boy, but it's going to happen: Sir Mick Jagger.

Low gas prices

IN YOUR story about dropping gas prices, someone from Illinois complains that the prices will eventually go up, because "it's like everything else, always costing more." Hello, there! Even in a story about dropping prices, people complain about price hikes? That's the problem with people? They live off of preconceptions. The fact of the matter is that the prices are going down. And, here in Cape Girardeau, we have some of the lowest gas prices in the country. If you studied the real cost of gasoline over the past several decades, prices have actually gone down compared to the Consumer Price Index. Will prices go up again? Sure. But in general we have the cheapest gas prices in the world, which is something we should be thankful about.

Religious extremes

TAMARA BALDWIN was taken to task for saying Cape's downtown Christmas decorations shouldn't be "too religious." The Speak Out caller said that illustrates what's wrong with the world and that "there's not enough religion." Yeah, right. Like militant Islam?

It's all relative

I ASK the community served by the Southeast Missourian to join with me and help raise donations for the complaining and allegedly overburdened taxpayer who said he lives in "a very average $100,000 home."

In other words ...

TO SAY one has "gone missing" is a colloquialism common to these parts and evidently an irritant to a self-described, well-educated Speak Out caller. If the caller continues to be so upset by this, I would urge him to get gone.

Pandering to voters

JAY PURCELL panders to voters. The other city council members give serious thought to what is in the best interest of the city and act accordingly.

Smoking taxpayer

APPARENTLY they need to tax alcohol. Whoever suggested taxing cigarettes again must have been drunk. Don't you think we have been taxed enough? We already get the worst seats in restaurants. At least I can drive while smoking without the fear of killing someone. Give it a rest.

Don't spare the rod

I THINK if children today were punished the way children were a few years ago, we wouldn't have the problems we have today. I think the lawmakers need to redo the child-abuse laws and make it a crime for children to call the authorities when they are being punished for something they did wrong. It's no wonder parents are afraid to punish their kids when they may be sent to jail. Children today want respect but don't know how to give it.