Whistles here first
PEOPLE IN Scott City who complain about train whistles are like the people who buy a house near an airport and then complain about the noise. The railroad has been in Scott City since 1904. Those who are complaining knew about the trains beforehand and moved here anyway.
Wrong country
THE OFFICIAL 9-11 investigation report has been released. Guess what? There is no credible evidence linking Iraq to al-Qaida to 9-11. Meanwhile the 28 pages detailing Saudi involvement have been censored. Oops! Looks like we invaded the wrong country.
Inspirational story
IN RESPONSE to the article "Finding true love across the hall at the Chateau": This was a beautiful story showing that true love goes beyond what's on the outside to what is deep down inside. The story was definitely an inspiration. Thanks.
Pay the assistants
IT'S INTERESTING to see all the comments concerning school administrators' salaries, but one thing is not mentioned that needs to be. For every administrator, there are one or two assistants. These underpaid, hard-working individuals take all the guff and receive very little appreciation or respect. Pay the administrative assistants their fair wage or lose them. What happened to that $1.5 million shortfall? Seems like that has all but been forgotten. Or has it. See you at the polls.
Questionable data
IT WAS interesting to become aware of school administrative salaries. While educators must be supported as they help raise our future, it is irritating to see such an increase in salaries compared to the much smaller increase in student enrollment. After researching the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Web site, I was startled when viewing data for neighboring districts, including my hometown of Altenburg where the administrative salary has increased 81 percent between the 1997-98 and 2001-02 school years. According to DESE, the student enrollment has grown by 61 percent, having 221 students per administrator. Anyone familiar with Altenburg knows the district only serves grades K-8 and has around 100 students.
A positive image
I READ the article about SEMO changing its mascot. I graduated from SEMO some years ago and was always proud of the Indian. It was my feeling that we always made a serious attempt to present a positive image of American Indians. It may have been cartoonish, but was never intended to denigrate or insult. Even when I was a student there were the politically correct whiners who professed to be acting toward the greater good by suggesting such harmless irreverence was somehow contemptible. I am sorry to learn that my old school now appears to be run by people of this mindset.
Bunch of good actors
I AGREE wholeheartedly with David Limbaugh that it is morally outrageous to liken Ronald Reagan and Rush Limbaugh to Adolf Hitler. The only thing they remotely have in common is that they would all be considered pretty good actors.
Corporate comparison
BASED ON recent news reports, your editorial view that there is a parallel in the job descriptions of public school administrators and corporate CEOs seems accurate. Their salaries skyrocket, and neither of them seem subject to much accountability.
Drug reimportation
KUDOS TO U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson. Once again, she has proven herself to be a person of the people. Her sponsorship and support for reimportation of prescription drugs from foreign countries has passed the House. Senators, many of whom are hiding behind the red herring of safety, seems less supportive. The real reason some senators oppose the legislation is that they have been bought and paid for by the big pharmaceutical companies. Sen. Jim Talent seems quasi-committed to supporting the legislation but is engaging in a lot of political-speak. Sen. Christopher Bond may not be on board at all. Perhaps Talent needs to be reminded who played a major role in getting him elected. Bond would be well-served to note that if he opposes the bill, announced opponent Nancy Farmer may come out of nowhere and take his seat.
Some real issues
YOU'VE GOT to be joking. Our poor, financially strapped university is spending time (and, therefore, money) worrying about whether the team name is offensive to Indians. As your article pointed out, it's hard to find someone of American Indian heritage who really cares one way or the other. If Indians were offended by low staff morale, rising tuition and some real questions about the quality of education the students are receiving, would it help get something done about that?
Coming alive
CAPE'S DOWNTOWN is really coming alive. I love this town, and it's only going to get better in the future.
Wishing for Clinton or Gore
WHY IS George Bush's popularity in freefall? It's because the American people are finally catching on that he is a fraud and no better than anyone else. I bet people are wishing they could have Bill Clinton back, or at least Al Gore. I sure am. At least those two had some class.
Awesome descriptions
STEVE ROBERTSON'S auto column in your Friday paper has definitely got it going on. I bow down to his descriptions and offer full homage. They are awesome.
It's just not fair
SO JOE Sullivan's column is moving to Sunday. I'm going to miss his dose of humor on Fridays. Plus now I have to dish out a buck fifty to read his strange musings. Life ain't fair sometimes.
They had to die
I'M GLAD Saddam Hussein's sons are dead. After reading about the heinous atrocities they committed while alive, they deserved to die. The Bush administration and the American military deserve praise for saving the Iraqi people from such madmen.
Looking for an expert
SO SEMO'S looking for a new mascot. I'm assuming they'll follow the city's lead and pay someone in another state tens of thousands of dollars to come up with a symbol that best suits the region.
It isn't, but it is
SEMO OPERATIVE George Zacharias was quoted as saying the university was not changing the name of the mascot for purposes of political correctness and then proceeded to explain it was changing the name for purposes of political correctness.
Big-spending Republicans
THE REPUBLICAN smaller-government figures are in. In the first three years of the Bush administration, government spending increased by, adjusted for inflation, 15.6 percent, compared to 3.3 percent in Bill Clinton's first three years. The Republicans just want to spend and spend more, creating the largest deficit spending ever.
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