Speak Out A 10/02/02

Clean uniforms

AS A proud band mom, let me see if I can explain this. The football team played in the rain at the last home game. If they had not played, they could not win. The marching band also plays in all kinds of weather at their competitions. We are judged on appearance as well as execution of skills. Therefore, if we had marched at the game on Thursday, the band boosters would have had 140 pairs of wet, dirty white pants to clean, dry and press between 10:30 p.m. on Thursday and 8 a.m. on Saturday. When we march in the rain and the mud at one of our Saturday competitions, we have at the very least from midnight on Saturday until 5 p.m. on Thursday, if there's a home game, to accomplish the same laundry miracle. Football games are fun. The band and band boosters attend as support for our team and our school. Please don't criticize us for wanting to represent our school with our very best at our competitions. We got second place at the Farmington marching competition on Sept. 21.

Government benefits

WALTER WILLIAMS' Friday column tried to convince us that any time a government takes our money in the form of taxes that it is nothing but legalized theft. Williams fails to acknowledge that the reason taxpayers have any money to steal in the first place is that businesses benefit from an organized society: roads, fire protection, police protection, defense of our country -- the list can go on and on. While we may disagree over what percentage of a taxpayer's income is owed and returned for the benefits this country provides, when conservatives try to argue that every penny they earn belongs to them, what they're really doing is arguing that they should be allowed to be freeloaders and not support our country.

Support for war

I HAVE to agree with President Bush. If the United States needs to go to war with Iraq, then we should. If he feels the world or our country is in jeopardy, then believe in him for our answer. I think we should have gotten rid of Saddam Hussein a long time ago when we went after him the first time.

It's a gamble

THE REASON SEMO is experiencing growth rests on the tentative proposition that the time is fast approaching for the green light to be given to the construction of the River Campus. The River Campus seems to be destined to go the way of the defunct proposition to save downtown Cape by providing for riverboat gambling.

Disaster aid for all

THAT SPEAK Out caller who said jewelry stores and the like never get subsidies following a disaster is wrong. When the flood hit Ste. Genevieve, there was emergency assistance for everyone, including businesses. Farmers aren't the only ones getting disaster aid. What about the millions going to the WTC victims?

Try California's answer

I HAVE empathy for the person who did not enjoy her meal at a restaurant due to smokers. It's about time this state followed California's lead and made it illegal to smoke indoors at a public place. Even in many nonsmoking areas in restaurants, that foul stuff floats across into the non-smoking section. There's a reason I don't smoke. I want to live. If we could keep new people from getting addicted, then all the old addicts would eventually die and we wouldn't have to worry about it.

Reasons for war

WHY A war with Iraq? The Cheney national energy policy report of May 2001, four months before the World Trade Center attack, tells it all. Because Iraq possesses the world's largest reserves of untapped petroleum after Saudi Arabia, it predicts that most of America's future oil supplies will have to come from the Persian Gulf countries. Rather than promoting energy conservation or alternate energy sources, this president wants to go to war. The second Bush oil war within 15 years will also take the minds of voters off the disastrous impact of the Bush White House and the domestic, economic, health and environmental ugliness.

PARENTS AND taxpayers have high standards for the school districts their children attend. We expect principals and teachers to follow a respectable code of ethics. We expect staff members to be role models our children can follow and look up to. A principal enjoying happy hour in a local restaurant with teachers does not portray a respectable image to many parents and community members. The school district should be concerned about its public image.

Put lives first

I CAN'T believe a comment earlier about how the caller would rather have one major accident than a lot of little fender benders near Notre Dame Regional High School. Since when are bumpers more important than children?

Work with the U.N.

HAVE WE lost our marbles by considering a unilateral, pre-emptive strike against Iraq? In bypassing the United Nations (in case they don't do our bidding), we will further weaken that world organization. We should do everything we can to strengthen the United Nations and work with others. Our own economic survival is at stake. There is just too much war propaganda, and we haven't officially been designated policeman of the world yet.

Welfare for everyone

FOR A businessman to say in Speak Out that as long as TIF is available it should be used -- apparently for any purpose -- sadly illustrates quite well that the welfare mentality knows no socio-economic class boundaries.

Tax coffee instead

INSTEAD OF raising the tax on cigarettes, why not raise tax on coffee? Caffeine's very hard on you. It causes high blood pressure and causes you to have a heart attack. Raise the tax on coffee about $1 a cup. See if that doesn't help.