SPEAKOUT

Time to put brakes on spending

THE LIBERAL socialistic Democrats say federal government does not spend too much and that Americans are not overtaxed. I disagree. Since 1927, every $1 of our taxes which has been raised has been matched by a spending increase of $1.59. Government in all levels now spends nearly 40 percent of the average American family's income. Federal spending has doubled since 1970 and grown 50 percent just since 1980. If you agree with me that this is out of kilter, you should contact your senators and your representatives and ask for correction. It's ought to be the primary purpose of Congress that it should take steps to reverse this trend, not to start spending more but to reduce taxes and reduce spending.

Questions about block grants

I SEE another revitalization project is going on downtown from Main all the way up to Pacific in the areas where all the community block grants stay. At the same time, they're rebuilding rental property but not offering block grants to the north end, where they're steadily tearing down homes at the taxpayers' expense. The question is, why rental property? I thought block grants couldn't be used on rental property, that this time the rental property owner makes a profit because he's able to up his rent. As a property owner in the north end, I think maybe we should write to federal urban development officials in Washington to see if this was legal.

What will the cost be?

RIVER CAMPUS: How can the state go ahead with the proposed River Campus when the people have already voted no on it? How much more cost will this have on raising students' tuition? I've heard another $500 per year per student.

Get area folks to run SEMO

WE ALSO need detailed information on the background of SEMO presidents since 1992 to date. Conclusion, we need to get rid of the buddy system. We need to get some good, qualified people from this college drawing area in administration like former president Dr. Mark Scully who was from the Charleston area and got this school back under control. This sounds good, but who is the we? It is you and I. And how can we get this done? Talk to your state senator and your state representative. Through them, we can get it done. Let's try.

Which numbering system?

I THINK it is wonderful that Congress has decided we can legally post the Ten Commandments in school. I do have a question about it. When you read the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament, they're written down twice. Both times, they're in narrative form. They're not numbered. Different churches have put different numbering systems on them. The Roman church and the Lutheran Church have one numbering system, and the Baptist church and the Methodist church has a separate numbering system. If we post them in schools, which numbering system are we going to use?

Let's focus on the criminals

I NEED someone to explain to me why the people in southeast Cape are upset at the police for checking on an apparent drug deal and then defending themselves against the attack but not upset at the people violating the law. If the protesters use the same outrage toward law violators, there would be less crime in their area and less cause for the police to spend more time in their area. It seems these persons are more concerned that a race of people are being arrested than that a crime was committed. Yet they demand that others be colorblind. Let us respect those whose actions deserve respect and demand that the criminal be arrested and held accountable regardless of the color of skin, yours or theirs or ours.

Hope his tongue was in his cheek

I HOPE that the caller who claimed that Jesus was a carpenter and his union were his followers had his tongue planted firmly in his cheek when he made the call. Either that or his head must be planted firmly somewhere else.

Fishermen in the carpenters union

A RECENT caller to Speak Out commented that Jesus was a carpenter with a union of followers. That speaker should know that Jesus didn't have a union of followers. They were called apostles. Among them, one was a tax collector and most of the rest were fishermen. That individual who called in needs to read his Bible more closely. When someone calls to criticize a carpenters union today, they certainly aren't saying anything un-Christian. They're simply expressing a view as the carpenter who called up saying he didn't need a union here in Cape. I don't think it's very Christian or very kind to call someone anti-Christian simply because they have a difference of opinion. I think that particular caller needs to read his Bible.

Regarding the FBI investigation

THE FOLLOWING Speak Out poem reflects my psychological state after reading in the Southeast Missourian that the FBI will investigate the riot on Good Hope Street.

Fear and Trembling in Cape Girardeau

The FBI will look into

The riot on Good Hope Street.

Let me know when they are through.

I'll be under my covers and sheet.

Don't play near school construction

OVER THE last several days I noticed that there are a lot of young children playing and riding bikes on the playground at Alma Schrader School. with the construction going on, there's a lot of wood and metal beams and scraps lying around as well as sawdust covering the whole playground. I encourage parents to keep your children away from the school area while the construction is going on. It's too dangerous for them to be there. There are a couple of nice parks in the area that they might can play at instead.

Need to mow early sometimes

I'D LIKE to complain about people complaining about people mowing before 8 o'clock in the morning. The thing is, people are just too lazy to get up any earlier. They want to sleep late and do things at 9 o'clock. They need to realize that other people have got things to do and can't work their schedules around them all the time. They don't need to complain. They need to learn to respect other people. I had a lot of things to do. This is the first time I had to mow this early. If they ever had to do things earlier, people should understand. Construction workers are on the job by 8 o'clock. I've even saw construction workers on top of a church roof at 6:30 this morning putting on a roof. It is unbelievable that people complain about other people trying to mow their yards. I mow this poor lady's yard and don't even charge her for it because she can't even afford me. I do it out of the kindness out of my heart. This one lady complained that since her husband's in a lawn service, he doesn't start until 9 o'clock on Saturday mornings. Well, I can't control what her husband does.

Using our money to drop bombs

I UNDERSTAND from reading in the paper that the wealthier countries are going to forgive the debt that these poor countries have run up. They're fighting a war with Social Security money. Bill Clinton's doing this. But when the American taxpayers need a cut in taxes or we owe the government something because the government's going to bail these banks out, that's what is going to happen. It's going to be the American taxpayer that's going bail this out with their Social Security money. Why can't we have a tax cut if we can go around bombing everywhere and spending all this money on these wars that are unnecessary and then bailing out worthless bank loans?

Let law-abiding citizens keep guns

I'VE GOT to make a comment. I'm ready to explode here. The world is evil and will continue to be evil until Jesus decides it's time to come back. I try very hard never to hurt anyone and to be a decent and fair human being, but I'm of the flesh, and I sin as do we all. You're probably asking yourself, why would I, someone who tries and wants to be good, own a firearm? It's to protect the ones I love and me and my country. Why would anyone want to take that right away from me? Why would anyone think that by making it illegal for a law-abiding citizen? Listen to me. This is profound. Criminals are not law-abiding. If you have what they want, they will use any means possible to get it: baseball bats, knives, forks, rocks, chains. Please don't take our right to protect our children away.

Does she have facts?

I'M CURIOUS after reading Tamara Buck's column in the paper June 19. Has she actually got statistics and factual information to back this article up? I'm very curious as to how she's gotten what she's based on her opinions on.

A chance to show leadership

I JUST have to say one more thing. I'm really personally very disappointed that Tamara Buck is not taking a stronger leadership role. She is a prime position to help show leadership throughout the community, help create a balanced objective and help to mend the fences on this. Instead, I see her taking a personal stand, a victim's stand, and I don't understand. She has a responsibility as a leader through both her civic ties and her reporting and her association through every aspect of the community to help to bridge this gap instead of further tearing it apart.

Highways need some repairs

I WAS wondering what the holdup is with the state highway department. Why they haven't resurfaced Route F in Tilsit and Route A in Whitewater? It's pretty strange and sad that you can travel the county roads in the area, and they are smooth and paved. But you can't travel the state highways without doing damage to your vehicles because you have to dodge the potholes or hit the potholes.

Another oxymoron

I LAUGHED when I read the reader who said conservative compassionism is an oxymoron. Ha, ha, ha, ha. That's the first evidence I've ever seen that intelligent liberalism is an oxymoron.

Lies put innocent people in jail

THIS IS to whoever reads this Speak Out. Please tell me why the laws in Illinois and America are so backward. I mean, they're locking up the innocent to free the guilty. I just can't hardly believe we are in America anymore. The thing that bothers me the most is the hearsay law, because that means a person can lie on you and have you put in jail or prison for many years, and there goes an innocent man's life. It's taken away. And there goes the lives of the families because they fall apart. I'm hurt and disgusted because of these laws. A family member of mine has been falsely accused. Whatever happened to being innocent until proven guilty? Anyone can be guilty if you get the right person to tell the right lies even though they are really innocent. So think about it. Thank you. A concerned American citizen.

Let them suffer the consequences

I'D LIKE to ask the American people if the United States were bombed by a foreign country, would they come and rebuild our country back? No, they would not. I think this is so stupid and ridiculous to bomb a country and then help rebuild it. This should not be done with taxpayers' money, whether Slobodon is in power or not. What does this tell the other communists countries? That if we tear your country up, we will come back with American tax dollars and rebuild it? I think not. I have a grade-school education, and I simply cannot see using millions and billions of dollars to tear this country up and then go back and rebuild it. If you do that, the people over there haven't learned anything. So whether Saddam is in power or Slobodon is in power or not, let them build their own country back.

Good license bureau in Marble Hill

I DON'T want to knock any license bureau, but I'll tell you the one in Marble Hill is great. I travel all the way from Cape County to get my license there, and I know of other people who travel from other counties. I appreciate the Marble Hill license bureau.

Government using social engineering

I WANT to point out something after watching CBS. It shows the bias and the selectivity of CBS's reporting. The report was about working men, how they don't get enough time off and how companies are putting day-care centers in. If the government didn't take 58 percent of our salary, we wouldn't need day cares. The women could stay home with their kids, and it would lead to better families and stronger families. We've torn these families apart with the tax structure. It's just like the government says: If you spend your money this way, you get a deduction. They're using social engineering. That's the same thing they're using on this day care. If we didn't have such a big government doing things that we don't need, we would not need to have all this day care.

Not happy with Riverfest

LET ME start off by saying that my husband is 68 and I'm 62. I'm calling in regard to the Speak Out comment regarding Riverfest and the gentleman traveled a 1,000 miles to come to Cape to enjoy Riverfest. We agree with him wholeheartedly. If this is what Riverfest is to continue to be, then I think they should leave Riverfest alone and do away with it. This was not any kind of Riverfest in any way sense or form. This was an insult to the people who help sponsor this and to the people who attended. If you can do no better, then quit or turn it over to someone else.