SPEAKOUT

Advice on winning a lawsuit

ON THE evening news last week, Tom Brokaw asked what it takes to win a sexual harassment lawsuit, referring to the Paula Jones case. Well, I can tell you the answer: Sue a Republican.

Complaints about city services

I LIVE on Lexington Avenue here in Cape Girardeau. When they cut that road through several years back, they slapped a 10-year lien on all of our houses that are west of Perryville Road. For the first three or four years, the city didn't even maintain the easement there. The grass would grow, so besides paying already city taxes and then the lien, we also had to maintain the property or it would be taken over with weeds. Last year, the city started mowing it, if you call it that. They ran a mower over about once every two months, and they would blow tin cans and bottles and trash into your yard. This year I've noticed that they cut one thin strip all the way up the middle. I'd also like to comment on the trash service. It's become more expensive. You find your trash cans half a block down the street because the trash men throw them. I think the quality of services in this city has gotten really poor.

Dog owners are thoughtless

YOU KNOW, I can't believe the thoughtlessness of human beings. It's not the dogs' fault they poop in people's yards, that's for sure. It's the people who let them. If you've got dogs in Jackson and I see them with you coming up and down my street, I'm going to stop you and ask you if your the perpetrator of what just happened to me. I was out of town a few days for a funeral, came back bone-tired and weary, bereaved, unloaded my car, stepped from the street onto my grass right into dog poop. Ruined a good pair of shoes that had to be thrown away. I just stepped in so much of it there was no way I could ever clean them plus it was completely unsanitary, and I would never feel safe about wearing them again because of all the germs. So if you've got a dog running loose, I fault you. We need a pooper-scooper law.

Save those apologies

IN RESPONSE to "Wrong to apologize for slavery": You need to read your history books. Yes, some tribal leaders sold other Africans to slave traders, but no one asked you ancestors to come to Africa. My ancestors were forced into bondage, so in no way should we feel sorry for the hard life your ancestors had. You and I both know all of it was wrong. You and all of your ancestors can keep your meaningless apologies, because it won't change a thing. Most blacks don't want it anyway.

School finance and bridge lights

I HAVE a proposal I'd like to offer for the problem with the school financing. Maybe if they'd hire another one or two administrators with Ph.D.s giving them $100,000 a year, they could all get together and come up with a solution. Also, the money for lights on the bridge they're building would go quite a little ways on building some highways somewhere, I think that's a ridiculous thing.

Come up with a plan

AS A senior citizen, I do not believe for one minute the Republicans or Democrats are out to destroy Social Security. If they do, what does a so-called Christian nation do with the people as they unfortunately grow old without money? I'm not interested in the usual political game being played out locally by the two parties in the Southeast Missourian. Many of us have been deceived and lied to by both parties. If you have a plan for Social Security, let's hear it. When you throw out the word "privatize," if you mean get it out of the federal budget and on its own, fine. I'm not frightened by so-called scare tactics and accusations. I do not want Wall Street to get its self-interest hands on all of Social Security's dollars. It's been guesstimated that it will cost $9 billion just to privatize. Come up with a plan as to percentages of risks, a specific plan, and quit playing politics with privatization.

Put an end to DST

STOP THE insanity. End daylight-saving time now.

Charging for phone consultations not new

I'M CALLING in response to the Speak Out comment about doctors who are charging for phone calls. The caller says it's something new. Over 18 years ago, I took my daughter to a doctor who always charged for phone calls. This is not a new practice. It's a very common practice. It has nothing to do with the doctors in Cape Girardeau only. Plus, they are in business, and their time is their business. If they have to answer your questions on a phone call, they have every right to charge.

Priority mail took 10 days

REGARDING PRIORITY mail at the post office: I mailed two packages a month apart with priority mail. It took 10 days for each one of these packages to reach their destinations. And when I said something at the post office, they same as said it's my tough luck.

Indication of moral problem

WHEN ASKED about the Paula Jones case being dismissed against the president, the answers the young women give from Jackson and Chaffee shows how low the morals are in our country. These young ladies may have daughters some day, and then they may realize how bad things are. Kids are never taught respect anymore or decency.

Clinton's rationale hard to swallow

I THINK Bill Clinton's most recent comments regarding the Paula Jones case are indicative of the kind of pretension that permeates his thought process. In his comments he said that if he were an average citizen he would regret not getting his day in court against Paula Jones, but as president he's glad the case was dismissed so he can get on with his job. Bill Clinton considers himself to be so important to the American people that now he's willing to sacrifice his own self-satisfaction for the good of the American people because he's so important to all of us. Well, I consider myself to be an average citizen. Call me Fred 40-ounce. I would have loved to see him go to court. And I also think it's a little presumptuous of him and indicative of what he thinks of the American people that he thinks we're all a bunch of beer-swilling fools who would believe that sort of nonsense.

Bush appointed the judge

IF YOU Republicans don't like the outcome of the Paula Jones case, just write and tell Mr. Bush, because he's the one who appointed the judge.

Stay out of spiritual affairs

LUCY ANN Goldberg, you've got your nerve, and I'm appalled. Making the statement that you were appalled when President Clinton took Holy Communion. That's between him and his God and the Catholic church. It's none of your business. It's none of my business. You might criticize him politically. But how dare you interfere in a man's spiritual life. That's between their God, their family and them. You were out of line. Stop picking on this man and telling him how to worship.

God's message about the river?

A RIVERBOAT has hit a bridge and there are barges sinking on the Mississippi in this area. Maybe God is trying to tell us something about how we should use the river.

A long history of violence

I THINK it's amazing how the country hems and haws about how violence has demoralized our society. Here's a bit of disturbing news. Violence has always been a part of civilization. Romans and Greeks found it entertaining to watch gladiators eviscerate each other in a coliseum. Centuries later this is translated to Americans paying $10 a pop to watch men with similar physiques blow apart bad guys in movies. This is all supposed to be in the name of freedom. Let's face it, violent behavior in the media is relished as long as women and children aren't in the line of fire. The human mind's fascination with violence is one of the things that separates us from animals, and we'll never be able to control human's animal behavior. I would rather keep it in my video games and on the big screen instead of on the evening news, but until men can curb their instincts to go blow a hole in the side of a deer or duck and can resist getting videos with titles like "Real Faces of Death" we should come to expect it's going to be leaking into our school yards and homes. And as for Jesus and the cross being the answer idea to violence, I present a piece of history known as the Crusades as proof that violence stems from any sort of behavior regardless of what God is doing at the time.

Tax all of income for Social Security

I UNDERSTAND Bill Clinton is looking for a solution to the Social Security problem. He says we need to find ways to raise more money so that Social Security doesn't go bankrupt. Here's my answer: Put the Social Security tax on all of a person's salary. Don't stop at $65,000 like they are right now. Make all of Bill Clinton's salary Social Security taxable and all of Bill Gates' salary Social Security taxable and, yes, even all of Michael Jordan's multimillion-dollar salary Social Security taxable. Then we'd have plenty of money past the year 2035. Oh, by the way, Bill Clinton can send my check for finding this solution in care of the Southeast Missourian.

Tax rebellion may be coming

ALL YOU hear nowadays is talk about saving Social Security. Well, how about saving the taxpayer? I draw Social Security, and my wife has taken a minimum pay job to help make ends meet, yet we have to pay $500 extra on my Social Security, and because she adds her onto mine, it makes it more taxes. What I'm really doing is paying taxes on the Social Security when it was held out and now I'm being re-taxed again. I probably won't live to see it, but some of these days in the United States there's going to be a tax rebellion because people we are taxed to death.