Speak Out A 11/29/01

Note to cat thief

TO THE lady who was shopping Saturday after Thanksgiving: Would you please return the orange-and-white cat you stole, or at least explain to my 3-year-old daughter why you stole her cat? She cries every night for her cat.

Football discipline

CONGRATULATIONS TO Ohio State University. College and high school coaches, take notice and follow their example. Ohio State would not let its starting quarterback play because he was arrested for drunken driving a week before the game. That shows character. Coach Brookins of Cape Central has shown the same determination when he disciplined his players. I congratulate him too.

Stop the fleecing

AFTER READING the Sunday paper, I'm furious about this situation with the county treasurer. What you're telling me is that every time we pay my county taxes, we're paying $42,458 in salary for a job we don't even need? What about responsible spending of our tax dollars? If the job isn't needed, it needs to be eliminated. Quit fleecing the taxpayers. Thank you, Southeast Missourian, for informing us of this situation.

Speed up the parade

WE WATCHED the Parade of Lights. It was wonderful. The kids had fun, and there were candy, lights and floats everywhere. But it took almost two hours. If we'd started those floats about 20 or 30 seconds apart, all the floats could have passed in about one hour. It would have been just as good, and it would have been much more exciting.

Traffic crosses parade

I WATCHED the Christmas parade with many others on the corner of Pacific and Broadway. Normally the spectators get to gather across Pacific. We've done this for many parades. The police did not let us do that this year, and now we can see why. They were allowing cars to cross the intersection from south to north, and sometimes four and five cars would go across pretty fast in between breaks in the parade. This appalled all of us. There were kids running around trying to get candy. It's just a miracle no one was injured. I really think this was not a good policy. It wasn't handled well.

A good reward

THE HARRY Potter movie makes a great reward. The movie is one of the most popular of all time. Kids seem to love it, and it encourages literacy. The Constitution clearly outlines a separation of church and state. Schools should not have to worry about what religion gets offended over a particular reward. I'm sure if the movie were about a Bible story such as David slaying Goliath, most of the fanatics wouldn't have a problem even though the content would be much more religiously biased than Harry Potter. I grew up reading Tolkien but turned out to be a God-loving Christian, not someone who enters the woods at night to rub rattlesnakes on themselves and worship the moon. If you're so worried about religious corruption to the point that you're against books and free thinking, maybe you should have your children home-schooled.

Prayer season

I JUST love your Opinion page. I want to call your attention to Paul Greenberg's column on the prayer season. When physical help can't come, to whom do you pray?

Stop reassessments

ALL YOU Missouri real estate owners out there, let's call our state representatives and ask them to do something about this blanket tax-assessment increase every two years. At this rate, they will tax us right out of our homes. It is so unfair. My property's value doesn't go up every two years. I'm making a lot of expensive repairs just to maintain the house. And then the taxes go up. It just doesn't make any sense. If we choose to vote in a bond issue to give some money to the schools, that's an increase on top of the blanket increase. Call your state representative today and tell him what you think, and let's get rid of that law. We don't need to be re-assessed every two years.

It's just a game

AMEN TO "Weighty issues." These people in this town get belligerent over football games. During the summer, you should see how parents act at baseball games. Grow up and get a life. It's a game.

Smoke and asthma

I NEVER thought of calling Speak Out before, but on the issue of leaf burning I had to. Please give me an explanation that I can give my 3-year-old why she can't play outside with her brother and her friends on a beautiful autumn day. You see, she has asthma, and the smoke from the fires choke her and could kill her. So even though my neighbors are aware of this, there are some who still burn leaves. Please think of your neighbors and the danger you are exposing them to. Please leave your leaves for the city to pick up.

Playing in the street

I'M CONCERNED about how the city is allowing our streets to become playgrounds. You can hardly drive up a street, especially here in south Cape, without having to wait until the kids decide to let you go by. Basketball goals are set up at the curb. Jackson does not allow kids to play in the streets. Can't Cape Girardeau adopt the same kind of rules?

A good attitude

THE SALVATION Army would like to thank the Delta High School Student Council for the canned food it donated from the yearly canned food drive. Also, students' attitude and manners made a good impression on us. Once again, thanks, students.

Lack of patriotism

I WAS at the Christmas parade and was stunned and shocked that when the colors passed, almost no one, with the exception of myself and my family, had their hands over their hearts. I was also a bit puzzled that when the military float passed by, everyone was mostly silent. No clapping, no cheering. I would have thought that we could have spontaneously burst into a chorus of "USA, USA, USA!" But I guess the people in this area don't realize yet that we are really at war.

Taxi driver responds

IN RESPONSE to "Welfare checks," this taxi driver would like to point out three things. First, the reason why cabs are hard to get on the third of the month is because Social Security checks come out on that day, not welfare checks. Second, welfare checks are scattered and issued throughout the month, not on any one particular day. And last, whoever called in this comment, shame on you. Your prejudice toward the poor and those on welfare is showing. Get a life.

Belittling preaching

I WISH everybody would quit using the local newspaper to preach at one another and pawn off what they believe on everybody else. Get real, people. All you are doing is belittling yourselves and the people around you. Thank God for all these small-town folks.

Scriptural woes

OH, NO. I'll just die if someone writes a letter to the editor citing well-documented biblical chapter and verse to the effect that it contradicts Christianity to read the Southeast Missourian.

Failure, or success

AT THE same time as "Charter schools cope with others' failures" as your editorial headline read, urban public schools are trying to cope with the Republican political successes that led to the anti-public school charter-school movement.