SPEAKOUT

Warning about GOP control

IN RESPONSE to one of your readers who says it looks like we're going to have a Republican president, if Bush should win and if he takes the Republican Congress with him, then we better buy some buildings for soup kitchens and extend the state employment office, because people will be seeking jobs. History will repeat itself. The rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer, and we'll have a big job recession.

Innocent people on death row

ANTHONY PORTER is one of the best examples that I know of for the abolishment of the death penalty. This man has an IQ of 51 and really didn't know what was going on. He was on death row almost 17 years and came within two days of being executed. Thanks to a college professor in Illinois and his students who researched the case and found evidence that another man admitted killing the two people, Porter was released. Ten other people have recently been released from prison after having been found innocent. Something is terribly wrong with our justice system for this to happen. I recently heard state Sen. Peter Kinder say on TV that occasionally an innocent person slips through the cracks and is executed. Is this to say this is acceptable? No, not even one is acceptable. Just how often does this happen? Much too often, I fear. Our system is too political and needs to be change. Judges, prosecutors and police are corrupt and will convict anyone for political purposes. Capital punishment does not deter crime and, in my opinion, is morally wrong.

Ratings, not missiles

I WOULD like to make a comment about Bill Clinton. I don't care if the Chinese have got missiles pointed at us. Just as long as Bill Clinton's job approval rating is 79 percent.

What's missing here?

I'VE TRIED and tried to justify in my mind the opening of a satellite police station on Good Hope Street, but I can find no logical reason for a second police station located right around the corner from the main police station. Also, most crime in that area occurs at night, but the new station is open only during the day. Maybe I'm missing something, but on the surface this seems like a waste of taxpayers' money.

Focus on other deadly causes

OUR DWI laws are working. Traffic deaths involving alcohol are down dramatically. In fact, 1997 statistics show that 82 percent of traffic deaths did not involve drunk drivers. My point is this: Our DWI laws were strengthened some time ago and have been very successful. So why don't our legislators, prosecutors, sheriffs and judges turn their attention to the other forms of irresponsible driving that are responsible for four out of five traffic deaths? I recently witnessed a young woman with children run through a red light between Cape and Jackson. She was traveling at least 60 mph. Had there been cross traffic, the results could have been tragic. Isn't endangering the lives of yourself, your children and others by running a red light just as irresponsible as drinking and driving? What about the driver who passes over hills or around curves? What about the very small percentage of elderly drivers who are no longer capable of safely operating a vehicle? Do you think our lawmakers will address this problem? No way. This would be unpopular with seniors, and everyone knows that seniors vote. The bottom line is that proposals to lower the blood-alcohol percentage, mandatory jail time and impounding and selling the vehicles of first-time offenders are all designed to get votes. Our politicians need to focus on the driving habits that account for four out of five traffic deaths and leave our tough, effective DWI law alone. It might not get them as many votes, but it will save lives.

Dipping for socialistic programs

IF SOCIAL Security were privatized, at least the politicians would be unable to dip into it for more their socialistic programs. That's the reason Social Security is in trouble today. And on top of that, Bill Clinton wants to take $52 billion more out of Social Security again for general use.

Part of the bureaucracy

THE CALLER who congratulated Jo Ann Emerson for finally figuring out there is no budget surplus needs to get out more. Last summer during the congressional campaign, I listened to Emerson's opponent, Judge Heckemeyer, tell us that there was no surplus. I found it hard to believe him, because Emerson kept on talking about what she proposed for this surplus. Now we find out he was right and she was wrong. I watched and heard Jo Ann say on television that she had never voted on any Social Security issue since she had been in Congress. I knew that was wrong, because I had just been reviewing congressional votes on the government Internet site. She had indeed voted on Social Security issues not once, not twice, but three times. Don't get me wrong. I don't think Jo Ann was lying to us. I just think she's in over her and head and doesn't always understand what's going on or exactly what it is she is voting on. She has flip-flopped on way too many issues. Something is wrong. The system needs to be changed. Any politician who has to raise that much money is part of the bureaucracy, not fighting it.