SPEAKOUT

Put them to work

THIS IS in regard to the owner of the taxi company here in Cape stating that he couldn't hire drivers to drive his cabs. I have to agree with his statement. My husband runs a business here in Cape, and we have been in contact with Job Service regarding needing a driver while months went by and not one person showed up. This is a shame. I think they should contact the people who are standing in line at the welfare office or free food banks and put them to work. Enough is enough. I have to work my 40 hours a week. Why should some folks have it so easy? If they are healthy, they should be out and put to work.

NRA logic is unacceptable

SOME PEOPLE seem to be saying America's real gun problem is that not enough Americans are carrying guns when they go wandering in public places. If more citizens were carrying hidden iron when they were out and about, then the crazies would be afraid the rest of us would start shooting back when they pull their own guns, and they'd leave us alone. So now I wonder: If more of us would drive drunk, would the real drunks be afraid to get on the streets with the rest of us? If I understand the logic of the NRA, the best way to solve our problems is for the best guys to get badder than the bad guys. I understand that's what happened in Littleton. I don't suppose the kids in the Trench Coat Mafia saw themselves as being bad guys. To them the bad guys were the other guys. So they got badder than the bad guys. And now we're looking for easy answers.

Problems are spiritual

CONGRESS CAN really waste a lot of time on gun-control legislation when the answer is so simple. It's spiritual: repentance toward God, accepting Jesus Christ and being a Christian. As long as parents think it's OK to have a roomful of guns and bombs and pay no attention, we will always have killings. The problem is ungodly parents at home, not more gun legislation. Even our government doesn't know the problems in our country are spiritual. We need a spiritual revival nationwide, because I believe God is punishing our nation by the terrible storms we have like the ferocious wind storm. It wasn't a Mother Nature thing. This was an act of God showing his power upon us trying to get people return unto him before it is too late. The Bible says the unsaved people will cry out for the rocks to fall on them to hide them from God's fury. It's coming.

A propaganda ploy

WHAT A propaganda joke saying Milosovic could be indicted for war crimes and not be a prisoner of the world court but only a prisoner of his own country. He's not accused of genocide, which was the supposed reason for Clinton's war on Yugoslavia. So it's just all a propaganda ploy to try to make this illegal war seem legitimate.

Forced to major in English?

I READ with great interest the Speak Out comment "Covered wagons and horse whips." The caller said, "Many SEMO graduates are unable to find employment that utilizes their four to five years of college training. There are many history and English majors working as retail clerks at minimum wages." The caller also says he feels the university is not preparing the proper graduates for these things. I'm outraged by this. I'd like to get right to the bottom of all this and find out who at the university is responsible for forcing these young men and women to become history and English majors. I'd like to know exactly who held a gun to these poor children and coerced into taking these majors. I think it's an absolute travesty of justice that these poor kids want to major in other things, but somebody's forced them to major in history and English and other majors that don't allow them to get jobs as computer programmers and aeronautic engineers.

What if it was your son?

TO THE man who criticized the system for punishing Kevin McCain, the Thebes man who was busted for the meth charge: I think the guy would feel differently if Kevin McCain had got his daughter or son addicted to meth. I think you need to look further than the end of your nose.

Preachers: Get busy

OUR PREACHERS need to preach about these kids out drinking. I live and attend church in Scott City. My daughter was telling about a party she attended Friday night and all the alcohol and fights that were going on at it. And then I go to church on Sunday, and there sits in your front pew all these kids who was doing that and acting like nothing is wrong. Preachers need to get down on these kids and make them understand that drinking and fighting are wrong. We need a little more Christianity.

A lot of claims

I WANT to comment about Al Gore claiming that he lived in a little log cabin and invented the Internet system. I suppose if he gets away with this, old Slick Willie will be claiming he invented Viagra.

Way to go, Bulldogs

CONGRATULATIONS TO the Notre Dame Bulldogs on their outstanding sectionals win with a 4-3 victory over South Pemiscot. Congratulations also to the Southeast Missourian for a wonderful print-up of the game. It was very nice to see an article like this.

Not an act of kindness

I JUST wanted to make a comment on the end of kindness week. I know this 63-year-old couple who live in an apartment building. They had an older son who was having problems and spent a few days with them. The young people in the apartment building who think they're so holy got together and got the older couple evicted. I think it's a shame that this is kind of thing the young people show to the older people.

Maybe it's a trial run

REGARDING THE wedding photograph that was been put in the Missourian about a year late: Considering the state of marriage nowadays, maybe the couples want to see if their marriage will last a year. Then if they don't, they won't put them in.

Don't bash labor unions

IN REGARDS to the person who called in to Speak Out about labor laws being ignored: If she's pointing at labor unions, labor unions are very much law-abiding organizations. They want people to have power. The rule is time and a half for their employees. They feel should get paid. Also, the caller gave credit to area linemen. What about giving thanks to the ones from St. Charles County and St. Louis County? They came down here and worked over 32 hours also. This wasn't even their area. Why don't you give thanks to them? And most of them are good, solid, union men. So you want to thank the unions along with the workers of UE too. They worked very hard. Bashing labor is certainly not very becoming.

Too young to participate?

I'M CALLING in regards to the Tai Chi classes that are offered to seniors. I've tried several times to get in those classes as somebody that is not a senior citizen. It really is annoying to me, it seems like a form of discrimination not to allow people under a certain age in a class. After all, how would the seniors feel if they couldn't get in the classes because they were over a particular age? It's very discriminatory.

What will you tell grandkids?

I WOULD like to make a comment to the people who voted for Bill Clinton the first and second time. What you going to tell you grandkids when they're reading in the history book and come up on Bill Clinton and see all these scandals? What are you going to tell them? Because they're going to look at you and say, "You mean you voted for a guy who supported killing babies? You supported a guy who sold national secrets?" What will you tell them? That's going to be kind of funny. I'd like to see some of you call in and explain what you're going to tell your grandkids. Because they're going to look and think you might not have had any common sense.

University needs new leadership

I APPLAUD the termination of Dale Nitzschke from SEMO University. He needs to leave town. Ken Dobbins and Don Dickerson should follow him immediately and let's get qualified people in these positions from our area who are interested in getting this school back to its original 1874 purpose, which is a low-cost, regional, taxpayer-supported school for area high school graduates. And stop this credit hour charge business and go back to a semester cost -- possibly at $800-$1,200 per semester would be a good goal. We get this kind of leadership in here and keep costs affordable to area families like it used to be. We don't need fountains, million-dollar softball fields, river campuses and new president's houses. We do need a good, low-cost, four-year educational institution for your children and grandchildren, one that you can afford. Let Gov. Carnahan hear from you. Let's stop this mess here and now.