Speak Out A 06/22/02

Like winning a lottery

WHY ARE people so opposed to the inheritance tax? Are there that many millionaires in Southeast Missouri? The only way regular people will be affected by the repeal of the inheritance tax is the ill affects it will have on Social Security and other services. I can't imagine it would be such a hardship to live on $2 million instead of $4 million. We expect the government to take a percentage of a lottery prize. An inheritance tax is no more earned by the recipient than that of a lottery winner.

Weeds in McClure

HAVE YOU drove through McClure, Ill., lately? Have you ever seen so many tall weeds and so many junk cars on people's property? Can't people take care of their property? Can't they move the junk cars? And can't they cut those weeds? I know it wouldn't take too much work to do that. At McClure grade school, the weeds are so high you can't see if any cars are coming down Highway 3. It looks like people could keep the weeds down and improve their own property. If they own property, they need to take care of it. It sure would improve the looks of that town.

A permanent repair

FOR 42 years I have lived in the same location on what is now Old Cape Road East. Our exit is Widicon Street to U.S. 61 (Jackson Boulevard East). For most of these 42 years, our exit off Widicon and entrance to U.S. 61 has been full of large holes and small hills and valleys in the blacktop from large trucks. The entrance to U.S. 61 has to be made so slowly that it's a real hazard with oncoming traffic. Asphalt is shoveled into these large holes three or four times a year with new potholes showing up almost immediately. No permanent fix has ever been made, so we have had years of a very poor intersection. Only a fix of concrete will permanently end this situation as several large trucks per hour are using this outlet. Fix this intersection, Missouri Department of Transportation. It's been patched long enough.

All we need is love ...

I WANT to comment about Queen Elizabeth knighting all these rock stars. I always thought a knighthood meant somebody had been doing something real special. But these people have done more to destroy families and destroy lives with their rock music and teaching kids how to rebel against their parents and take drugs. All you have to do is look at the unwanted pregnancies now and diseases. It all relates back to these people. The Beatles actually started it. I'm glad we broke away from England. I'm glad we did away all those titles. I wouldn't bow to any of them.

A waste of money

SO THE city of Jackson is going to force its employees to endure sensitivity training. What a waste of taxpayers' money. Anyone with any degree of common sense knows that's wrong to discriminate or harass. They don't need to go to some politically correct class that usually leaves employees shaking their heads and laughing. Just ask anyone who's had to attend these silly courses. Don't waste my money on this.

Attila would fit in

IT'S CERTAINLY too bad that Attila the Hun is dead. After reading the Sunday Opinion section of the Southeast Missourian, he would fit in perfectly.

Need road work here

I'M FROM Millersville on Highway 72 in Cape Girardeau County. I'd like to extend a invitation to Duane Michie of Hayti, Mo., to move up to Millersville so we can get a new road. If he thinks we're going to vote for that highway tax proposal, he has another think coming. We've got to get something done about our roads up here, not roads that won't ever be used.

Suffering artists

TO ALL those concerned with the River Campus: I was always under the impression that it was good for artists of all kinds to suffer in one way or another. So just think of it as the community trying to aid in their creativity by not supporting the River Campus and stuffing them all in small classrooms.