Speak Out A 11/18/04

Wonderful tribute

THE CENTRAL High School and Central Junior High School orchestra directed by Steve Schaffner did a wonderful job in the Veterans Day program at CHS. So did the Tiger Dancers and the chamber choir. Also outstanding were the fiddle group with vocalist Sarah Goeke and the violin solo by Mel Gilhaus. The principal, Dr. Mike Cowan, said this was the students of Central High School at their best. The program was followed by a lovely reception in the library.

Let politicians do it

WHY DO church leaders continue to look to political leaders to do what they have been charged by God to do. As someone who has attended church all my life and who practices living a Christian life daily, I know that I have a work to do. Jesus' great commission to the church to go into all the world, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Blessed Trinity is what these religious leaders should be doing themselves. The spread of sin and the moral breakdown both in our society and our families are a result of the churches not going into the highways and hedges as the Scriptures tells us to do. While we build bigger and bigger churches, we fail to use the ministries of the church to deal with the problems in our communities. It appears that churches have abdicated their primary responsibility and placed it in the hands of politicians who will always shift with the wind.

College shortfalls

MY OLDEST child will be graduating from Southeast Missouri State University in the spring after taking classes where many of the teachers barely speak enough English to make themselves understood. Can you imagine someone graduating with a degree in accounting who can't even do his own income tax? When academics are so poor, the finger is usually pointed at athletics for taking an unfair share of money. But with football and basketball teams that finish in the bottom half of the OVC, what's the excuse? It can't be that expensive to be mediocre, can it?

Shift the schedule

WHY DOESN'T the city rotate the leaf pickup schedule? Every year the southeast side is done first before all the leaves have fallen.

Helping the needy

TO THE low-income, working single mother: I commend you for what you are doing. You are the type of person I want my taxes to help. I also feel as if those who are incapable of working because of disabilities should be helped. I'm tired of those who have made a mockery of the welfare system. It's time that those who truly need help get help without feeling belittled.

They need praise

DID I actually read that someone said "I would like for these people to have real jobs where you actually work and earn your pay" concerning the police and firefighters? Having lost a home to fire, I can say you are wrong. You don't risk your life when you go to work like they do. What if a member of your family were trapped and they went in to rescue them? Appreciate that they still don't make enough to risk their life every time they answer a call. Thank a police officer or firefighter instead of resenting them. They deserve praise, not degradation.

Don't forget teachers

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published the administrative salaries for the St. Louis School District. The number of officials who get over $100,000 has tripled in the past year. Now we are going to be paying a superintendent the salary of St. Louis superintendents. I guess the teachers need to start being paid what teachers get paid in St. Louis. It is about time that Cape Girardeau realizes that the people who work at the board office don't care about us teachers. This is a disgrace that Cape Girardeau residents are going to allow this continue. Something needs to be done or we won't attract any teachers.