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OpinionSeptember 9, 1999

I TAKE exception to the self-centered caller who says that the ones demanding health care aren't paying into income tax. I'm for a national health-care plan 100 percent, and I'm well taken care of. I don't especially need it. But there are a lot of people who need health care, including the working poor whose employers do not furnish medical insurance. ...

Willing to pay to help others

I TAKE exception to the self-centered caller who says that the ones demanding health care aren't paying into income tax. I'm for a national health-care plan 100 percent, and I'm well taken care of. I don't especially need it. But there are a lot of people who need health care, including the working poor whose employers do not furnish medical insurance. This problem is going into the year 2000. I'll be more than glad to pay my share to take care of these people who need health care. That's my duty as a good American. How many of these people opposed to the poor and the working poor getting health care are churchgoers? We really have a lot to learn.

And now the rest of the story

THIS IS regarding the Speak Out comment on the Scott City PTO meeting. What the caller failed to point out is the motion to spend $4,400 was not made by one of those hard-working parents that she was talking about. It was made by someone who had never set foot in a PTO meeting. I think next month I'm going to go to the Scott City Booster Club, make a motion to buy $5,000 worth of new basketballs, have my friend second it, and see how that goes over.

As close as you can get

I'D LIKE to comment on leaving part of the bridge when it's torn down. A councilman said it would be nice to people could get closer to the river. But all they have to do is go downtown to Themis and Water or Broadway and Water and walk right up to the edge of the river. How much closer do you want to be?

We could stop on the bridge

I THINK Mayor Spradling's suggestion of keeping part of the bridge is a great idea. Why waste a good view? The only time you can see the river is when you're crossing it, and you can't stop. I think it's a great idea.

Remember what Barnum said

I SEE in the paper that they're discontinuing Beanie Babies and that they're not a hot seller anymore. What did P.T. Barnum say? A sucker is born every minute.

Mrs. Clinton needs some character

WATCHING HILLARY'S interview on TV, how can she explain Bill's womanizing and oral sex in the White House to family and friends and her daughter by just saying "We have worked things out"? Doesn't she have any decency? Any pride and self-esteem, to drop this creep? Or is it just the political power and prestige that's important to her? She says she wants to keep the family together. Who would want this pervert in their family? With one affair after the other. Taking the victim's role is popular. How about some character, Mrs. Clinton?

Jackson insurance ideas rejected

REGARDING JACKSON'S school insurance problems. I attended one of the insurance meetings for the Jackson School District. If 80 percent of the employees need the insurance and 20 percent is on the annuity, which is the most important? I agree 100 percent with the insurance committee and the administrators and what they are trying to do. Yet the school board ignored them. Why should we have a consultant and not listen to what he said to do? Why can't Jackson cut the annuity if the other schools in the area already have? Wake up, school board, and see what's happening. Maybe we need a change. If you work for a big company, do they pay annuities? No.

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A nation of immigrant workers?

INCREASED IMMIGRATION and poverty and globalization are at loggerheads, creating a social dilemma and an increased burden on taxpayers, not to overlook the competition for jobs on Americans. It seems the objective is to create a highly technological America and import, through immigration, a Third World slave-labor low-paid group of people. Those who aren't employable would swell the welfare rolls for the American taxpayers. This could only be a corporate benefit scheme for cheap labor. And those who don't work would be a burden on American taxpayers, so corporate profits would not suffer either way. In fact, they would realize a huge beneficence at a huge cost to Americans. Increased immigration would not increase the tax revenue but be a further drain on American taxpayers. And globalization takes American jobs out of the country, further damaging American workers. This Clinton administration is corporate-driven and a disaster to America.

Thanks for PTO donation

BRAVO TO Scott City's PTO. Thank you for supporting your school with your donations. The sports programs have advertising to support their needs. The elementary schools have Scott City PTO. Just think how many children will benefit from this one donation. Thank you, Scott City PTO, for your generous donation.

List your grips on Web site

I'D LIKE to offer an alternative to the political bickering that's been going on in Speak Out lately. It's getting rather nasty. I'm sure that most readers would prefer that it took place someplace else. If the arguers would like to go to onelist.com and do a search for Rush Limbaugh, there is a onelist called Rush Room. They're welcome to go in and voice their opinions there, and they wouldn't take up room in Speak Out.

Can't win without turf, new press box

WE SURE need Federal Express to hurry up and deliver us some artificial turf for Houck Stadium. We also need to have the construction company hurry up and move that press box from one side to the other, because after witnessing the opening football game, we must have those two items so we can win. But if you really want to know what we need, we need what you call a coaching staff that knows how to put a winning football team on the field. We do not have that now, and the SEMO University board of regents is too blind to see that.

Keep tabs on what's happening here

I WAS reading with interest the article in paper about the Weed and Seed program. Looks like our would-be politicians who are always so critical of the things going on in Washington should get behind some of the things that are going on in Southeast Missouri. It seems like the Weed and Seed program is falling flat, and the reason for that is there may be a few weeds with their fingers in the money part of it. I'd like to see more comments on the things that are going on in Southeast Missouri than in Washington.

Comments on farm prices were uninformed

WHY IS the editorial staff of the Southeast Missourian again proving its ignorance by the completely obnoxious attack on the president of the Farm Bureau? You prove that you have no understanding of the relationships between agricultural production, world demand and prices. Given the fact that our grain production is such a large part of the world market, any decline in our sales at a time of large crop yields will have a disastrous effect on prices and farm income. Mr. Kleckner was right in stating that a small crop will cause an increase in prices enough to increase farm income in this country. An agricultural economist who was highly respected by the grain trade used to say that a 1 percent decrease in supply usually raises grain prices 3 to 4 percent when supply and demand are near balance. As the old saying goes, he who knows not is a fool. And you certainly know not, and are not smart enough to check with someone who knows the truth before presenting erroneous opinions and insulting a man who knows.

Thanks for supporting tax cuts

I'D LIKE to thank both Senators Ashcroft and Bond and Representative Emerson for being in Portageville. I want to thank all three of you for supporting tax cuts. You're doing the right thing. Keep working on tax cuts, even if that man vetoes it. Present it again and again. And the third time, he might sign it, just like welfare reform. And then he'll claim he came up with the idea himself. Keep up the good work, and keep up the tax cuts.

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