Speak Out A 09/05/01

Hot-weather work

THE MAYOR is right. I read his column on the Opinion page, and I totally agree with him. He's been a good mayor. I would have to sit all winter and wait for a street to be repaired. Do it now while the weather is great.

Just like swallows

PERHAPS THE fact that work on the city streets always increases the first week of August should be looked at as a tourist attraction. Like the swallows of Capistrano, the road crews of Cape Girardeau are a harbinger that SEMO will be in session in two weeks.

Repay Native Americans

BEFORE WE start talking about reparations for the slaves, we should talk about reparations for the Native Americans. My ancestors were treated much worse than the slaves. They were run from their land by both whites and blacks. They were forced to march the Trail of Tears by a Democrat president, and many of them died. We should be paid first before anyone else by whites, blacks and the Democratic Party.

The sin of judging

INSTEAD OF speaking about adultery and marriage during the Monica Lewinsky saga, my religious leader spoke about the sin of judging people and the act of trying to destroy other persons. I knew then I was in a Christian church.

Posing as labor's friend

THOSE WHO piously pose as friends of working men and women while obstinately opposing their right to organize and bargain for well-deserved better wages, working conditions and benefits must think we ordinary folk are dumber than dirt.

A decent controversy

LET'S BE fair about this. Cape Mayor Al Spradling should be the one who scores points for saying what's on his mind. The inevitable disruption and inconvenience to drivers, whatever the plan of street improvement, is easy fodder for people in positions of public influence to fan the flames, fuel the fire and help create a virtual frenzy of already existing agitation. As a caveat, I must add that I and a sizable assembly of cynics, cranks and coffee-shop critics absolutely crave this controversy.

Term limits are good

AFTER READING Hizzonner's column on the Opinion page, all I can say is thank goodness for term limits.

No longer the worst

BOB HOLDEN is to Mel Carnahan what Bill Clinton was to Jimmy Carter. Carnahan is no longer the worst governor in Missouri history.

Making the most of it

YES, RUSH Limbaugh is somewhat of a slacker, as a Speak Out caller said. However, he should not be criticized for it. Limbaugh has been able to elevate slackerism into an art form unparalleled in history. Besides that, he has been able to parlay it into very big bucks. Bow down to and do not bash El Rushbo.

Unfair criticism

OH, COME on Southeast Missourian. You're not being fair. Give 'em a break. First you go all out to create a bunker mentality among Cape city officials, and then when they start exhibiting signs of it you jump their case.

Buy us some gas

SINCE WE all had to spend the summer paying through the nose for gas and burning up more than usual because of all the detours and closed roads, I think the least the city could do is buy everyone in town a tank or two of gas to make up for it.

Keep the credits

I READ where Gov. Bob Holden is going to repeal some state tax credits in order to raise money for the state. Why doesn't he cut spending instead? These tax credits were expected by many businesses who located here. If he cuts them off, it will damage the state's credibility in attracting new jobs. Next thing we know he'll be raising taxes on all of us, like he already tried to do with the largest transportation tax in history.