Speak Out A 11/20/01

Push for growth

I READ with great interest about the city's push for metropolitan status. I understand the frustration with a census count that is clearly too low. The problem with this region is an unusually great number of residents who live in the rural-urban fringe areas who cannot be included in city figures. My suggestion to Cape Girardeau city officials is to make a push to help get at least some of these in-betweeners, as well as some of the many people who commute from small, rural towns into Cape every day, to move into Cape permanently with more affordable, more dense housing. I would love to see our town have a population boom, but we need more pressure to gain residents.

A good role model

HARRY POTTER is a role model I would want my children to emulate. He is an open-minded and curious learner, which is more than I can say for some of the members of the religious community in this town. He is a good friend to his schoolmates, a well-behaved student who is liked by his teachers and a resourceful, ethical, talented, independent child who has overcome a tremendous amount of hardship in his young life. Don't trash Harry until you've read the stories.

No good taxes

I DON'T know if another tax cut will stimulate the economy as the Southeast Missourian editorial staff assured us it would. We've tried that. We've also cut the fed rate a record number of times. To me, the key is consumer confidence. It may or may not be bolstered by Southeast Missourian-suggested nostrums. Of course, I am sure that the Southeast Missourian editorial staff would advocate tax cuts not only to supposedly stimulate the economy, but also to guarantee everlasting world peace and another St. Louis Rams Super Bowl victory. Indeed, if the Southeast Missourian had its way, we would have to modify to death only the maxim that the only guarantees in life are death and taxes.

In a word: Hogwart!

SOME SEEM to be saying one cannot be wild about Harry Potter and Jesus at the same time. I say hogwart!

Our civil liberties

THAT JOHN Ashcroft is one clever rascal. He has been able to legally and successfully circumvent the U.S. Constitution by suspending civil liberties not for the purpose of prosecuting people, but for the purpose of protecting us against terrorism. As Ashcroft tiptoes around the Bill of Rights via the euphemistically named and never publicly debated Patriot Act, some nervous civil libertarians are said to be thinking of fleeing to Canada.

A good laugh

I CANNOT express in words the humor I found in Barb Dirnberger's letter. This is just too much. Can't we just please let kids be kids? Stop scrutinizing every little thing in the world. The Potter books are getting kids with reading problems or an unwillingness to read reading. Harry Potter is a great role model, wizardry or not. Could we please stop relating everything we talk about to Jesus and the Bible?

Driving lesson

DOES NO one in this town know how to drive anymore? Honestly, people, the left lane is for passing only. Please remember that and quit going 35 mph in 50-mph zones. This gets real irritating when driving around in Jackson and Cape both. If you must drive slowly, drive in the right lane.

Stoplight on Siemers

ANOTHER EXAMPLE of how our city leaders do not have any foresight is plain and simple at Siemers and Lambert between Sam's and Target. I would like to know who felt that a four-way stop sign for 16 directions and lanes of traffic was a good idea? I have never seen such a display of incompetence. In this area, right of way is a simple myth. It seems that the right of way tends to be dictated by the size of your vehicle or your age, not what I read in the driver's manual. Get rid of this thing and put in a stop light where it is actually needed.

Waiting for flu shot

WHAT DO you suggest I do? I'm over 65 and still waiting for a flu shot. The county is really letting me down.

Attack on our rights

U.S. ATTORNEY General John Ashcroft's usurpation of constitutional rights makes Waco and Ruby Ridge seem like very significant civil rights advances.

Jobless for holiday

I TOO have just returned from the grocery store where I purchased all the items needed for Thanksgiving Day. These were bought with money saved during the Clinton years. You see, I am now unemployed.

Intelligent choices

I HAVE a question about the intelligent choices a caller stated that Democrats make. Does this include the intelligent choice of not hitting the right hole on the punch card in the last presidential election? Is this also the intelligent choice that gave us Ted Kennedy?

A push for reading

HARRY POTTER is a fictional story. People who can't see that need to wake up. The Harry Potter books have gotten more children reading in the past couple of years than any book has in a long time. The books encourage children to use their imaginations, which is something that often goes unused in today's video-game world. What educated person hasn't read the story of the Hobbit? It included sorcery, and no one complained. Maybe that's because educated people can tell the difference between real life and fiction.

Planted comment?

MY EYES must be deceiving me. I never thought a Speak Out caller would take total leave of his senses and tell us that we need to construct another roundabout. Did you call this in just to agitate us, Mr. Mayor?

Proud of Jackson

I LISTENED to the Jackson-Hazelwood East game, and I couldn't be prouder of a school from our area going so far. All this garbage about Cape people wanting Jackson to get beat is pathetic. We should be proud that a team from our area has done such a great job and brings attention to our part of the state. They've done a great job.