Speak Out A 08/08/02

Providing health care

SOME OF the people I've seen on TV are parents talking about the lack of insurance for their children's health care. I'm sure there are many more like them. And there are many who aren't like them. But if they'd reduce the calories they eat, they could probably afford to buy health insurance for their kids. They're getting obese instead of providing for their family like they should.

Thanks for city raises

I ADMIRE the new mayor for standing his ground and giving the city workers the raise due them. They work harder than any of us. Thank you, city workers. And thank you, mayor.

Stripping our muscles

IN THE last 20 years, Fortune 500 companies have fired nearly 5 million of their American employees. They are butchering our industrial base by sending our industry overseas. Did the American people ever put this to a vote? We've got Tweedledum and Tweedledee running our country and stripping the United States of its muscles. What can we do? All of this is happening with the government aiding and abetting it.

Taxes too high

SCHOOL TAXES went up last year. I can't stand another increase in the taxes on my home. I'm a disabled senior citizen, and I'm in fear of losing my home because I'm unable to pay my taxes. I'm not against schools, but it's time someone responsible for these schools finds a different way to finance the system instead of putting it on the property owner. Just because a person has worked all his life and bought a modest home, he shouldn't be forced to leave that home because of high taxes. The schools could save money if they'd just try.

U.S. reputation

THE PERCEPTION shared by the Bush administration and many Americans is that the poor reputation of the United States around the world is a function of bad PR. If they only understood what wonderful people we are, the myth seems to go, they'd love us. Unfortunately, contrary to this myth, it's more than PR. Where the news media are free to report the news and are not suppressed or biased, as they are here, folks understand that for decades U.S. foreign policy has been driven by the interests of corporate America, not the interests of human rights and social justice. For years when the United States has intervened around the world, it has been on the wrong side. So long as this country continues unbridled support for state terrorism, as it is doing with Israel, and continues to thumb its nose at international law, as it's threatening to do with invading Iraq, the reputation of the United States will not improve.

A job well done

IT LOOKS like the law enforcement officers did a real good job on this Lape case. I congratulate them and thank them for their service.

Drinking water first

SCOTT CITY has its priorities mixed up. Before we work on our swimming pool or get new carpeting, air conditioning and roof repairs in City Hall, we need to worry about the people who don't have clean drinking water. So many times we have a boil-water order. Let's worry about the people of Scott City and get them some clean drinking water before we do anything else.

THE CAPE Girardeau School District doesn't need more funding. It got everything it needed. Now it's listing its wants. I run out of funding too when I buy all my wants as well as my needs. It isn't practical when the district is spending taxpayers' dollars. My proposal to the district: You made all these promises that with the new high school and all this technology that students' scores would come up and they would become better achievers. Before you ask for another tax increase or bond issue, give us five years to see if this new building and all this new technology has done what you said it would. If scores and achievement come up on a national test, then ask for more money. If the scores don't come up, keep your mouths shut.

Finding time to vote

I HAD to laugh when I read the comment "Make it like jury duty." The caller said she only got 10 sick days a year. It must be hard to take those days before school gets out for two and a half months. The teacher also stated she is married. Surely her husband could watch their kids some if they were sick and she wanted to be a poll worker. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Surely a teacher who gets out of school at 3:30 or 4 p.m. could find 30 minutes to vote.

THE PICTURE of that baby is one of the best pictures I've ever seen. I want to compliment the paper on that. It's absolutely perfect.

Weeds in field

WILL THE owner of the field behind Timothy Circle in Cape please mow the weeds? They are now 6 feet high, and we're tired of putting up with it. We go through this every year.