SPEAKOUT

Promise to help is broken

MY REASON for calling is because of so-called friendship. You all know who you are. You tell a person, "Sure, I'll help your wife, husband, while you're away." Yet when the time comes when they need help, instead of saying "No, I can't" you say "Sure" but never show up. Well, just so you know, your time will come someday when you seek help, and, sure, we will be there to help. Thanks for all your help.

Meth use isn't worth the agony

JUST BEING a casual meth user is not worth the risk of jail time, prison time, probation or custody of your children. Nothing good comes from using meth. I've seen a lot of people in Speak Out giving opinions. Thank God he brought me out of being a user just in time. Prayer changes things, and I'm praying for others who think they are too cool to get caught. I did some thing I'm ashamed of while I was high, but thank God it was just in the presence of my husband and God.

Same song, same verse

THERE ARE way too many organizations and individuals tampering with "The Star Spangled Banner" and trying to do it their own way. There's one correct way, and that's the way Congress designated it be sung. It's getting to be trashy. It should be sung the correct way.

Experience with TV ratings

THIS IS to the person who doubted the authenticity of TV's rating system. Twice I've complied with requests from Nielsen to keep a week's diary of TV watching. Both times they called to verify that I had received their material and then called again to see that I was keeping the diary, then a written reminder to mail promptly. They were very professional, resulting in great respect from me.

Capital suckers of the world

HAVE YOU ever wondered why all these people are trying to convince us that we live in a global economy? I have figured it out. The reason is when the New York bankers and Wall Street invest in a country like Mexico, they make tons of money. When that country's economy sours, the investors start to lose, so we have to bail out that country. Actually, we're not bailing out poor little Juan and Juanita down in Mexico. We're bailing out the Mexican banks who promptly pay off Wall Street and the New York bankers. Now it's happening all over again: Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China and Japan. Aren't we lucky to be living in a global economy? I never got residual checks from my friends on Wall Streets or the New York banks when they were making money in those economies, but now they want me to help them bail themselves out, through my money, which has gone into the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and my own government. Gosh, it's great to be an American. We are the capital suckers of the world, not the capitalists of the world.

Get uninsured motorist coverage

THERE is another option when you're involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist. Uninsured motorist coverage is for you in case someone hits you who does not have insurance. You can collect off your own insurance company. That's why they put it on there. It's mandated by law that it be on there. Having this coverage would be a heck of a lot cheaper and a lot less hassle than to go take someone to court and go through all the legal fees.

Individual rights come first

THIS IS in regards to Mrs. Stevens letter to the editor on the 25th anniversary of abortion ruling. The person's individual rights have to be held up against all else. A woman has to have the right to choose whether she can have an abortion or not. This has to be the most important thing that we keep up in the United States.

Calling issues isn't about children

I'M CALLING in regard to the person who believes that callers in outlying areas need to keep children off the telephone. If the caller thinks all of this is about children on the telephone, then he hasn't been reading the paper. It's in regard to opening up our calling area to make it affordable for residents who are senior citizens who cannot call their doctors, hospitals or for people who cannot call their employers or for parents who cannot even reach their children's school teachers. That is the focus of this, not children and their personal habits of the telephone.

Lots of good folks in Dutchtown area

I RESENT the remark that Mayor Spradling made about Dutchtown. He said the only thing out there is floodwater. As far as I'm concerned, there's a lot of decent, warm, caring, hard-working farmers in that area in the Whitewater area, Allenville area, Delta area and Chaffee area who all drive through Dutchtown to get to Cape or Jackson. I think he should apologize publicly to the people.

United Nations is the enemy

IT'S HARD to believe that our rights and freedoms are slowly disappearing. American corporations are shipping all the good jobs overseas. The United Nations, the one-world government that Bill Clinton loves so dearly, is on the move. In Europe, American soldiers are under command of foreign generals. In America, heavily armed soldiers from dozens of foreign countries are in secret military training in Mississippi, Minnesota and Colorado and many other states. It's frightening that our elected leaders are leading us into the arms of the enemy. Congress will be voting soon on a $2 billion United Nations funding bill. We must stop this enemy, the United Nations.

Let parents take care of children

REGARDING EARLY childhood programs: Let's get rid of those programs. It's just a free babysitting service. Let parents be responsible for their children, be their first teachers and put basics back into the public school system. Not all of these extra programs are needed.

Some top musicians too big for here?

I REALLY enjoyed the article that was ran in the Saturday morning paper on the Christian radio station. I do, however, find it very interesting, that working with a local church, we have no problem in booking major southern gospel groups to our community. It just makes me wonder if maybe the contemporary artists feel that they're too big to perform in an area like this. And if that be the case, that's really sad.

Where will you get the premiums?

FOR ALL these people that think the president offered them such a wonderful deal by putting them in Medicare from age 62 to 65 if they're laid off from a job: Remember, if you're laid off from a job, where are you going to get that $300 to $400 a month to pay for your insurance? Remember, people on Medicare do pay into this system every month.

Let them take more of my pay?

AFTER SEEING my taxes jump sky high, the first thing I'm going to do in April is give these people easier access to raise my taxes by voting yes to these three amendments.

Columnist is insightful

I JUST wanted to say that I really liked Tamara Zellars Buck's Dr. King column. She's a very insightful writer.

Conservation tax should be refunded too

I THINK the conservation commission is being real cheap on not wanting to refund the money. I've supported the conservation commission ever since the eighth-cent sales tax went in. I voted for it every time. But I won't anymore if they're going to be that cheap about it.

REPLY: Just to make sure everyone understands, it isn't the Missouri Conservation Commission that has filed a lawsuit to bar the inclusion of conservation funds in the state tax refunds. It was a special-interest group, the Conservation Federation of Missouri, that sued.

Older worker is let go

MY HUSBAND doesn't want me to say anything about it, but I can't help myself. I am 68 years old. My husband will be 77 this month. Yesterday he was told by his employer of six years that he would have to go. No notice, no nothing. The reasons given him were "We're cutting expenses because business is slow" and "My partner" (who just happens to be his son) "wants to upgrade everything and use younger people." What business isn't slow in January and February other than the retail business? Now, that's no way to treat a man or an old lady.

Concerned about youngsters in parking lot

PARENTS OF Cape Girardeau, do you know where your children are? Go by West Park Mall about 8:30 on the back end and watch 50 kids, some as young as 12 or 13 years old, smoking, hanging out, pushing, shoving. Do you drop your kids at the mall and leave them? Maybe you ought to check.

Medicare proposal is a joke

I JUST finished reading the Saturday Speak Out regarding the "wonderful" proposal by President Clinton for the extended Medicare benefits. I can't help but respond to the caller who was criticizing the rich man's party, that is, the Republicans in Congress, for their opposition to this plan. I'm curious. Did the caller read anything beyond the headline to this proposal? If he did, I cannot believe that he did not realize that the proposal requires a $300-per-month premium for those unfortunate employees age 62 to 65 who have been laid off or for the "working poor" as you have also mentioned. Do you know anyone like this who could pay $300 a month? Where I work, I don't know very many, if any, who could whether they're working or not. The proposal seems to be a joke. Unfortunately, it's a joke on you and you poor, unsuspecting Democrats, because the only people who could afford anything like it, by your definition, would be the so-called rich Republicans. You unemployed, under-employed or laid off Democratic constituents would still be left out in the cold by President Clinton's plan. And that leaves me wondering: Why are you all so gullible to such ideas, and why do you think all Republicans are rich? I can attest to the fact. I am one, and I certainly am not rich. I couldn't afford this myself, and I hope that you all will read between the lines.