SPEAKOUT

Rely on Bible, not Billy Graham

To the Pentecostal preacher, who was disturbed by Billy Graham's forgiving President Clinton: Sir, Billy Graham doesn't preach the full gospel. He preaches a lot of it, but he also leaves out some. The full gospel condemns Bill Clinton. So understand what the Bible says, not Billy Graham.

Don't overspend is just good sense

I REALLY had an enjoyable look at the paper this morning. Right on the front page: Simple lesson: don't outspend your income. Hooray for the Southeast Missourian. Keep it up. That's the most sense I've heard in a coon's age.

Would prefer to not be annexed

I LIVE on County Road 618 just outside Cape in Jackson. I moved out there because I like the countryside. If Cape or Jackson annexes along County Road 618 or 638, the city will put wider roads in, which means our countryside would be ruined. The way to keep our countryside safe from the city is to not annex into the city.

Repentance precedes forgiveness

I TOO have trouble understanding the Rev. Billy Graham's stance on forgiving Clinton. I guess I would have to ask Billy Graham, has Clinton asked for forgiveness? Because unless you repent, how can you be forgiven? I'm just dumbfounded by that.

There's a pot of gold involved

WHAT DO Monica, Linda, Paula and Kathleen have in common? They will all be rich no matter what happens to Clinton.

Private, public education compared

THIS IS in response to the person who wants to compare teachers salaries and test scores of Jackson, Cape and Notre Dame. In other words, private versus public education. First of all, private schools generally have much smaller class sizes, and the kids usually come from caring, two-parent families, whereas public schools have to educate everyone. Public schools must deal with crack babies, alcohol syndrome kids, behavioral disordered children, learning disabled children, as well as severely retarded kids. By the way, teachers don't work from 9 to 5. Most teachers start before 7 a.m. and grade papers up until midnight. They also must spend their summers getting more education. Your Speak Out caller needs to do more research before speaking his or her opinion.

Worker tries to buck the system

IT SEEMS to me that the employers in Cape must love torturing the unemployed as well as their employees. You fill out endless applications, wait for phone calls that never come, and then they get annoyed when in an attempt to show them how much you would love to work for them you call seeking the status of your application. Then, when you are employed by them, they all pay non-livable wages, forcing you to work two jobs as well as have your wife work, leaving your children home alone. No benefits, long hours, low pay. When you attempt to point out the unfairness of a company policy, they tell you if you don't like it, there's the door. No folks, I'm no deadbeat. I have worked within a week of major heart surgery. I've never collected unemployment or compensation. I just like to work.

Parks meet needs of growing population

IN RESPONSE to those who think Jackson should donate the Brookside Park for a veteran's memorial, it is my understanding that this park was purchased by Jackson because additional park space was needed. If this was true when the park was purchased, I think with the continued growth in Jackson it should be kept for its original purpose. If it is donated for another cause, then will we be hearing of the need to acquire additional land for a park within a few years?

No sympathy for teacher's long hours

THIS IS in reference to "Teachers work long, hard hours" in Speak Out. The caller says she works for less than minimum wage with all the hours she puts in. Well, she must have an awful low wage, because if she's working that cheap, she ought to get out of the teaching business and go find another job. I do not believe that, because I've been around teachers all my life. They do put time in at home, but she doesn't put that many hours in. If she does, she's awful slow at grading her papers and doing her work, that's all I have to say for her. I have no sympathy for her.

Be considerate and don't let dogs bark

TO THE person complaining about not being able to allow your dog to bark: You have all the right you want to allow your dog to bark, but I also have the right to be able to have some peace and quiet in my home. You don't know how many times we've been awakened because neighbors left their dogs out barking half the night. Your rights cannot supersede my rights, and it's foolish to leave a dog out there barking for long periods of time disturbing the whole neighborhood. Plus it gets other people's dogs riled up and starts them barking. Have a little consideration, and they wouldn't have to make ordinances like that.

Watch out for flood potential

OUR CAPE Girardeau vicinity really hasn't had much snow at all this year so far and very little rain compared to what it should have been. But they must really have had it bad up north. That means, though, they're going to have to have high-rise parking and more buildings two or three stories. Rainwater has to go somewhere, and if it can't go in the ground like it should, it has to go in the river and will flood everything year after year.

Special lunchroom effort is appreciated

I WONDER why it is that some local lunch programs in the schools find it acceptable to offer meals on Fridays for the students who wish to eat a non-meat meal while other schools think that offering a salad daily is totally acceptable and is all that should be expected of them. I realize it would take a little planning and creative cooking to do more than a salad, but I appreciate those schools that offer that option to their students.

It's a lot more than baby-sitting

THIS IS a comment on the caller who was calling teachers baby sitters. These teachers do more than baby-sit. How would you like to spend all day teaching 20 children? Parents have a hard enough time taking care of two or three kids at home. Try teaching them spelling and reading. It's not an easy job. You get a paid vacation from your job, don't you?

Catch the speeders in Jackson

I'D LIKE to know what kind of police force we have in Jackson. Used to, they patrolled the streets and used their radar. Now you never see them patrol or use radar. They let the speeders go as fast as they please. On my street, they drive 40 to 50 mph in a 30 mph speed limit. You don't see any speeders caught.

Teachers are our heroes

I HAVE a comment about teachers getting a pay raise. My mom is a teacher, a Catholic school teacher at a private school. Not only does she work from 7:30 to 3, but she works at home too. She grades papers, she has to change her bulletin boards. She does lots of things for these kids so they get a good education. I'm sick of people telling them they don't need raises. They're heroes. They teach our kids things.

Doctor-lawyer game fun, worthwhile

I COMMEND all the doctors, lawyers and halftime shooters for their role in the doctor-lawyer basketball. Not only did they provide a wonderful evening of family entertainment for all those that attended, but they also helped raise money for a very worthy cause, the Community Counseling Center here in Cape Girardeau. I would also like to commend the St. Francis Sports Medicine team for their role in the evening as well. I think community service like this goes a long way.

Teachers are dedicated

I'M CALLING in regards to the person who said teachers don't deserve baby-sitter wages. I'm an elementary education major at SEMO, and obviously this person has no idea how much hard work teachers must do to succeed in this area. The reason I'm majoring in education is to touch that one child and to make a difference in someone's life. Teachers are some of the most dedicated people, and they never stop learning. They're always going to clinics and conferences to keep updating their resources. Maybe the writer should walk a day in the shoes of a teacher's or even a student who is going to make a career out of this and come to appreciate them.

Nurse thinks teaching sounds pretty good

I'VE BEEN following the debate in Speak Out as to whether teachers should get a raise. I'm getting to the point where I'm kind of outraged by it, because I am a nurse and I didn't have any idea what I was getting into when I did it, but I've worked nights for years in a row, I've worked every other holiday for longer than I can remember, I've worked every other weekend for longer than I can remember. I've been threatened. I've been exposed to some deadly diseases pretty much on a regular basis. I've thrown my back out three times. And the idea of spending a lot of time at home grading papers, preparing for the next day appeals to me terrifically. And guess what? Most of us nurses have four year college degrees too.

Don't be naive about youngsters

I THOUGHT it was awful when the Mickey Mouse lady was robbed and when I read her first letter in the paper and when, of course, the boys were sentenced. And now she's written back, and I still think it's awful. But I have to say I think she's being a little naive about 14-year-old boys, what they do and do not know, and what they are capable of. Sure, they could be the real robbers. Fourteen-year-old kids are walking into high schools committing mass murders. These 14-year-olds today are not like when I was 14. Traditionally, young people have been major collectors of things in this country whether it's stamps, baseball cards or cartoon memorabilia. Anybody who can read and get their hands on books and information can always find out what anything is worth. When I was 14, I was a major Beatles fan. I was born in 1969, and that really didn't go along with what I should have been a fan of at the time since Kiss and Billy Joel were great big. But I knew everything about the band. But I wasn't alive when they were really big, so being alive at a certain time when something's really big really doesn't matter. I also think she should be a little more grateful that were caught.

A lesson from Russia?

BORIS YELTSIN fired his entire government. I think there's a lesson to be learned. Let's get the dead wood out of the Clinton administration.

Thanks for returning watch

I WOULD like to say thank you to the person who found my watch and returned it. I lost it in the Jackson City Park, and it was returned the next day.

Anti-drug support only goes so far

I'M APPALLED at the people in Cape Girardeau who out of one side of their mouth say that we need to help the drug addicts and stop the drug problem and then refuse to grant a halfway house to the Gibson Center. My son had a drug problem. He went into the Gibson Center. He got through that, and he's a productive citizen. If more people knew about the Gibson Center and the good work it does, then maybe you could further their cause and help them and hold your head up and say yes, I do want to help and do something about the drug problem.

Clinton deserves support at home too

AS A 17-year-old student at Jackson High School, I would like to pause and reflect upon a single moment in history which has brought tears to my eyes. While watching the evening news, I gazed on as thousands upon thousands of African men and women stampeded like animals to try and touch the hands of our president. They believed in the ability of one man who could run an entire country based on his own judgment, perfect or not. He is the leader of our nation, the head of the Free World. The fates of millions are in his hands, yet we who live in such a glorious nation constantly squabble about the ethics of a man who an entire nation voted for to run a second term. Bill Clinton is our president. It brought tears to my eyes. Not the respect to which we no longer afford to our leader, but the hope and inspiration which he brings to so many others who have never even stepped on American soil. God save our country.

Swim team is the best of all

THIS IS in response to the person who said that Central's swim team should be eliminated. If that person would actually follow high school sports, they would know that the swim team has done so much better than all the other teams in the school. When was the last time the basketball team made it to state? When did Central's football team even make it past district? Central has one of the best swim teams in the state. If you're going to cut a sports team, cut one that can't even get past districts.

Tax and fee capital of the world

AS WE residents of Cape Girardeau are picking out and selecting our city flag, I think we should also have inscribed on that flag something our being the tax and fee capital of the world.