OpinionFebruary 17, 2000
SPEAKOUT
I'D LIKE to voice my opinion on a Speak Out item "Waiting for the Democrats." It's just too bad that we can't be here on this earth like we will be when we get to heaven. There will be no Democrats or Republicans. There won't be any poor or rich. It's so sad that we can't live in harmony on this earth. ...
Let's live in harmony
I'D LIKE to voice my opinion on a Speak Out item "Waiting for the Democrats." It's just too bad that we can't be here on this earth like we will be when we get to heaven. There will be no Democrats or Republicans. There won't be any poor or rich. It's so sad that we can't live in harmony on this earth. Then the poor wouldn't get poorer and the middle class wouldn't have to pay all the taxes and the rich wouldn't get richer. It's been that way ever since I can remember. But when we all get to Glory, none of these differences will exist. Stop and ask yourself: Will I get to Glory from my deeds or from my wealth?
Wish Clinton could run again
TO THE caller who said Clinton shouldn't get credit for the good economy. Here's the way it works. When the economy is good, the president usually gets the credit. When the economy is bad, he's the first to get the blame. In all fairness, what do you want? You'd scorn him if the economy was bad and praise your Republican Congress. If Reagan's economy was good, you'd probably blame the Democratic Congress. The man who gets the blame if things go wrong should be the first to get the credit when things go right. Clinton has done a remarkable job. Family leave, raising the minimum wage, child-care, Medicare was raised, and he made great efforts to get a national health-care plan. He's been a great president. I only wish the Constitution said he could run for another term like Franklin Delano Roosevelt did.
What good does it do?
THIS IS a reply to Melvin Gateley. Why should a person vote when it doesn't count? The voters turned down the Osage Building, and in two to three months the City Council approved it and built it. The voters turned down the River Campus, and if it wasn't for a lawsuit that Mr. Drury's got going, we'd be in the middle of it right now, too. So what good does it really do to vote?
Pray what's in your heart
SOMEONE HAD an opinion on the prayer on the Opinion page. The caller didn't like it because none of the words or verses from the Bible were used. You don't need to do that. God doesn't need to hear the words in the Bible. You pray what's in your heart, not with certain words in the Bible. God knows what's in your heart.
Let's get it straight
DAVID LIMBAUGH said Ronald Reagan cut taxes. I wish the Republicans would stop lying about Reagan. He did not cut taxes. He raised taxes. He made old people have to pay taxes on half of their Social Security. Then he taxed union pensions. He only cut the taxes for the rich. He cut Social Security benefits and only gave a 2 percent raise when inflation was 7 percent. I wish people would stop saying Clinton did not raise the taxes. He raised the taxes on the rich. He did not raise taxes on the middle class and the poor. Reagan cut the taxes on the rich. Clinton cut the taxes on the poor and raised it on the rich. I wish people in this area would get their facts straight. I know, because I've got the proof.
Put cameras near alarms
I HAVE the solution to the problem of all the fire alarms being pulled as pranks. With video cameras being so small, why don't you put a video camera on or near the fire alarm? Then, if anyone pulls it as a prank, they would have to pay the cost of the fire call. I guarantee you the police department and the fire department would then be saying, "Go ahead, pull that alarm. We welcome the money without the danger." That would put an end to those kinds of pranks. Thank you for letting me speak out.
Make voting more accessible
MR. GATELEY, you're retired, so it's easy for you to get out and vote. You made the comment "There's a failure to see the value of being a good citizen." Well, you know, I had to leave my house at 6:15 the morning of the election to get to work on time. I get off at 7:30. By the time I got home, the polls were closed. If you guys want us to vote, you're going to have to make the voting more accessible. Some of us work 12-hour shifts. Some of us commute and work out of town. Believe it or not, we don't all work 8 to 5 within the city limits. I do the best I can.
No missiles being fired
HAS ANYBODY noticed that the U.S. hasn't shot any cruise missiles at any country for over a year now? Fact is, we haven't shot any cruise missiles since the impeachment was over. You know, the only reason we killed those people in Africa and Bosnia was because there was an impeachment going on, and the president wanted to distract the newspapers. It worked.
Protect your pets
I JUST wanted to tell everyone that Feb. 14 was Pet Theft Awareness Day. Please spread the word that bunchers are operating in our area. Bunchers are people who obtain dogs by stealing them or answering free-for-the-taking ads, then they sell them to the Class B dealers who are licensed by the FDA to sell to research. The bunchers get paid around $25 to $50 per dog and $25 for cats. So please be careful. If you place an ad saying free for the taking, ask for vet references and identification, call back and check up on the animal you gave away. Go to visit their place before you let them have the pet. If they're not willing to do this, don't give them the pet. People who let their pets outside, please have them microchipped and tattooed. Put locks on your gates. Just beware. Most of the animals that are used in research are actually coming out of Missouri. In fact, 85,000 dogs in one year were sold through Missouri Trade Days like the one that goes on in Poplar Bluff. Please be careful and protect your pets.
Better baseball coverage
I CAN'T understand the sports coverage in the Southeast Missourian. When SEMO's football or basketball seasons roll around, we have articles in the paper talking about their prospects for a week before their first game. On the day of the game you have a big article about the match-ups and both team rosters. Well, SEMO's baseball team played its first game. You finally had an article about them in the paper. Why don't you treat the baseball program the same way you treat the football program, which is a pathetically losing program compared to the baseball program. Do your job right, and let's be fair to all the programs.
Call it a mini-tax revolt
I'M A blue-collar worker who has been on the same job for over 20 years. My wife has been teaching for over 20 years. We have never received one thin dime from the government. We put our kids through college the old-fashioned way: cash. No student loans. No government grants. The amount of taxes we pay is obscene, if not immoral. That's why I was shocked to read that the top 50 percent of wage earners pay 95 percent of all taxes, and the bottom 50 percent pay only 5 percent. To add insult to injury, the pervert in the White House and his Democratic hacks are fighting tooth and nail against any kind of tax relief for working people. My wife and I got our education, our home and our little nest egg by hard work and sacrifice. You might call it a mini-tax revolt, but I'll be darned if I'm going to continue to give my hard-earned money to a bunch of corrupt Democratic politicians who in turn give it to a bunch of underachievers in exchange for their votes.
Premiums are too high
THIS IS to all the people complaining about insurance. We're not asking for free insurance, only the right to be able to buy insurance. Diabetes, asthma, back problems, weight, past surgeries, accidents, cancer, bronchitis are just a few of the reasons we are turned down. We're asked for information from the past two years and to sign a release. Using the release, the insurance company goes back for 20 years or more. Then if you're fortunate enough to get an offer, there's no prescription coverage and no pre-existing conditions. Monthly payments can be $900 a month. Could any of you pay that?
Prayers come from us
I'D LIKE to inform the person who called in the comment "That's not in the Bible," about the daily prayer on the Opinion page of the Missourian. The prayer isn't titled "Today's Bible Verse." It's "Today's Prayer," which comes from us, not the Bible.
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Legal ads are misleading
THESE ATTORNEYS who advertise on television are, in my opinion, trying to fool you into being a participant in a class-action suit. In my opinion, they are simply trying to get the money for themselves. And when they say in the ads on television that your legal rights will be affected if you don't participate, they are absolutely right. Your legal rights will be affected. It means you will be able to sue on your own if you need to. Or if you want to.
Honorable and respectful
I RECENTLY attended a funeral for a relative in Cape. The burial was out of town. I would like to compliment the Cape Girardeau Police Department for the funeral escort. They escorted us to Highway 72-34 west of Cape Girardeau. The police officer stopped traffic on Highway 72 so we could turn on Highway 34. He stood by the patrol car with his head bowed and holding his cap in front of him. I thought it was very honorable and respectful.
Show us what's affordable
I CHALLENGE you, Kit Bond, John Ashcroft, Jo Ann Emerson. You're for people getting affordable insurance. I'll challenge you to print in the Missourian a list of what you call affordable insurance. Make a list. Start off with the minimum-wage earners and work on up how much they should pay for affordable insurance. Print it. Let us see what you call affordable insurance. Who knows? We might say you're right.
Sign is in the wrong place
THIS IS to the city of Cape Girardeau. The west side of County Road 206 is not in the city limits. So please put the city limits sign where it belongs.
No need for bleeding heart
THIS IS In response to the bleeding heart for inmates who win the lottery, the one who thinks they should be allowed to keep their winnings. I was a guard in a penitentiary for over 12 years. Let me tell you, don't have a bleeding heart for these monsters. They've raped your women, killed and molested children, robbed and beat up and killed senior citizens. They go to prison and get three full meals a day. They get free medical care, clothing, entertainment, bed and shelter. These inmates think they have the world coming to them. So you bleeding hearts, you go scorning welfare recipients then turn around and feel sorry for these monsters.
See, competition works
I WAS Just reading the front-page article about the new Southeast Missouri Hospital obstetric unit. Isn't that interesting how it's suddenly going to be renovated after St. Francis announced it might get into obstetrics. I guess the competition issue really is working! This is definitely a reason for the hospitals not to have merged. We'll only see better care throughout the region based on competition. I think this is just demonstrating this fact.
Try better promotion
A QUICK response to your article concerning the SEMO athletic department's new ticket policy for basketball season tickets. I really feel like this is an unnecessary charge that they're making for just a few season ticket holders. If the athletic department could do a little better job of promoting the games with the kind of teams we've had the last couple seasons, they could probably make their additional $55,000 to $60,000 by getting more people into the gymnasium and through concessions and other means, and we wouldn't have a lot of empty seats in the upper level. I think they should look into their own situation instead of taxing just a few people for their additional revenue.
You've gone too far
AT HOUCK Field House, the boosters sat in the top level. The seats cost more. At Show Me Center, boosters sit on the lower levels. The seats cost more. We paid a lifetime $100 per seat to ensure those seats would always be available for purchase each year by us. Now you're raising the cost of basketball. No matter how you word your new proposal, sorry, SEMO, I'm out.
Signs of greed
I AM a SEMO alumni and have always been proud of it. After reading about the new rules to buy season tickets to the basketball game, I'm not quite as proud. Sounds like the athletic department is getting greedy. Get real, folks. I've been a fan since 1959 and a booster member for many years. But I have a strong feeling that is about to change.
Congrats to Shawnee teams
I'D LIKE To congratulate the Shawnee High School basketball team on the big win over Goreville. You battled through lots of injuries to stay on top. It's been a wonderful season. Good luck in the tournament. Congratulations to the Shawnee High School girls basketball team on the regional tournament win.
Hold them accountable
I'D LIKE To say that I'm amazed at the people who are calling in support of the man who murdered two people in cold blood and now the state wants to retrieve some of the money that taxpayers spent to house him for all those years. Now that he's a good citizen, they think it's OK for him to spend that money any way he sees fit. I think people should be held accountable for what they've done in the past. I think that's what's wrong with society these days. People are never held accountable for their actions. Those who called in supporting this man obviously have never had anybody in their family murdered.
We want McCain
I'M ADDRESSING this to the Republican Party. The reason many Republicans, Independents and many Democrats are voting for John McCain is because we want John McCain as our next president. We do not want George Bush. Is that clear?
It will never change
THIS IS to the caller who wanted opinions on cleaning up south Cape. I don't live there, but I work in south Cape. Every day I go to work it's the same thing: people just walking up and down the street aimlessly with nothing to do. I watch them drop trash wherever they are. Look at the yards, look at the streets. People don't care. The trash is everywhere If you try to help voluntarily, that might help, but if you want to spend money to clean up south Cape, you'll be wasting your money. It'll never change.
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