SPEAKOUT

We're living in the last days

I'D JUST like to say that with all the violence that's happening in the world and all the natural disasters that it's kind of obvious that we're living in the last days. If people would just look with open eyes they will see. It's all in the Bible. It's all there.

Smarter ones chose to be left-handed

I'D LIKE Laura Johnston to take consolation in the fact that everyone in life started off as right-handers, but us smarter ones learned how to overcome it.

Does freeze cover everyone?

I SAW an article in the paper concerning the freeze on district employees of the school district and their salaries. I just wonder if the Southeast Missourian could find out what employees mean. Does that mean school administrators as well as teachers and other employees?

REPLY: Yes, the salary freeze covers all school district employees, including administrators.

Libertarianism leads to anarchy

THE TREASURER of the local Libertarian Party recently had a letter published in the Southeast Missourian. He said in part that "life based on Libertarian principles would be freedom in its purist form." That's absolutely correct, and freedom in its purist form results in anarchy. In turn, anarchy results in chaos and a dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest society. Libertarians are warmed-over social Darwinists and so far out of the mainstream of the American tradition it's unbelievable. Thank goodness Libertarianism is only a theory and one sensible Americans will never allow to be put into practice.

Molestation is a choice

CHILD MOLESTERS make the choice to inflict this horror on our children. Even if they are from dysfunctional families, this gives them no excuse to continue the abuse. It's a matter of choice, and our courts are sending out the wrong signals here. Our prosecuting attorneys and judges are far too passive. Let's get someone in these positions with a passion for our children, someone who will give these molesters their just reward for the choices that they have made.

Kinder is right on gun control

IN ANSWER to the person who said Peter Kinder is wrong on gun control, I believe Kinder to be right 100 percent. I've talked to him in his office in Jeff City and also in Cape Girardeau. I too have seen the newspaper reports and TV reports of high percentages of Americans against guns and for gun control. I've taken polls myself, and I've seen results of polls, and they have shown 16 percent for more gun control and 84 percent against gun control. After all, if 20,000 gun laws on the books cannot cover a crime, one more is not going to help. A gun owner or a believer in the Second Amendment who would vote for another gun law would be like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders. No, another gun law will not stop crime. Peter Kinder is right.

New pension plan is ridiculous

JOE HECKEMEYER attacked state Rep. Mary Kasten for what he called being an embarrassment. I think it's an embarrassment that he's supposed to be representing the people of the Bootheel, and he voted to raise his pension to a point that's higher than most people's salaries. It said in the news that Gene Copeland is going to receiving $75,000 a year. That's ridiculous.

Tired of government waste

I WOULD just like to call and say I'm tired of the government wasting my money on things like enormous pension increases for state legislators. You know, I find it no coincidence that mostly Democrats have voted for this. I thought that they were supposed to represent the little people, but instead people like Joe Heckemeyer voted to raise his pension 33 percent. That's bad.

Statistics on gun control don't add up

IN REGARD to the individual commenting on Pete Kinder and his foolishness about guns: What paper are you reading? What poll shows 76 percent of the people were in favor of creating more restrictions on handgun ownership? Where did this information come from that says two-thirds of the gun owners want stricter gun laws? I have been a firearms owner and collector all of my life. I was raised with firearms. My mother's family was raised the same way. My wife's family was raised the same way. We are from New York. I have lived in Illinois, California, North Carolina, Virginia, New York and Missouri. I have visited every state in the Union at least once except Alaska. I have talked to firearms owners and non-firearms owners all over this country. I cannot remember anyone I have talked ever being asked these questions on firearms ownership unless it was by the NRA. Who asked these questions? What questions are asked? With 20,000 firearms laws on the books in this country, why do we need more? What we need is enforcement of the present laws. President Clinton's failure to have Janet Reno prosecute all these thousands of people violating the new Brady Law would be criminal if the figure was ever true. But the figures being stated or inflated are just plain lies. Please, bring me out of my ignorance and convince me that this would be a safer society if my and your Second Amendment rights were even more restricted.

Fees, taxes keep going up

I READ in the paper that the City Council has given its first nod to water and trash fee increases. I'm looking forward to at least one day when I pick up this paper and something in Cape Girardeau isn't going up as far as fees and taxes. More government. I guess that's the price we pay for living in the beautiful heartland.

Relieved by decisions on school cuts

WELL, I saw the headlines in the paper concerning the cuts made by the school board. I was so relieved. I've been worried they would tamper with the funding of athletics. I was also relieved that they bought out some of those expensive teachers. One would think that their years of experience would be extremely valuable, but we have to cut somewhere. Speaking of buyouts, I wonder if ever in the history of America has a winning coach been bought out.

Sounds like a matter of greed

I WAS reading the letter to the editor about the little boy who needed dental work but couldn't find a dentist because of being on Medicaid. It reminded me of the Bible verse that says, "What if you gain the whole world but lose your soul?" It seems all there is greed anymore. I pray that this boy finds the help he needs.

We all have to sacrifice sometimes

I JUST saw a vehicle with an "Impeach Dan Tallent" message written on the window and felt I must respond. While no one likes to have a salary freeze or cuts in programs or services, sometimes those measures must be taken. This happens in other areas also. I work for a large, national corporation that recently merged. We had a salary freeze for 18 months. Several years ago, my job in the medical field required a salary cut and freeze until financial situations improved. In our own family finances, the income has to cover the expenses. Sometimes something needs to be cut or delayed until the situation improves. There was so much controversy and negative feelings regarding our past superintendent and school board. I feel it's very unfortunate that there are those trying to stir up that negativism again. How would those people propose to balance the budget if they were in Dan Tallent's or the school board's place? Sometimes there is not a solution that will please everyone, and sometimes we have to just take the bitter with the sweet. Teachers are no different than those in the private sector. We all have to sacrifice sometimes in order for things to improve. Let's be positive and try to set a better example, and we'll get through this to improve our schools for the future.

Didn't know the bow was loaded

PETER KINDER and Mary Kasten's reasoning about their increasing their pensions kind of reminds me of the old story about the archer that shot his wife. When they questioned him, he didn't know the bow was loaded. That's kind of the way Peter and Mary are. They're giving you a real story. You can't trust people like that.

School cuts violate a trust

I AM saddened by the Southeast Missourian's coverage of the local school district's financial crisis. Editorials and columns in your paper often stress two issues the school administration has been allowed to evade, the importance of keeping one's word and the importance of personal responsibility. When a teacher is hired by the Cape Girardeau School District, he or she is shown a salary schedule. The schedule represents an agreement between the teacher and the school district. It stipulates the teacher's salary will increase a given amount for each year of service or for earning a certain number of hours of graduate credit. The school board voted to disregard this agreement. Teachers who taught this year or spent time and money on further education were promised a raise in return. Evidently that promise was meaningless. Secondly, school employees are being asked to pay for someone else's mistake. The school district pays a business manager to do financial planning. Suddenly we find the district is half a million dollars short. A shortfall that requires a school district to break agreements with employees should have been foreseen. It is inexcusable that such a large error should remain undetected. Even more inexcusable is that no one has stepped forward to say, "It's my mistake. I take responsibility for it." Tamara Zellars Buck wrote an excellent front-page article admonishing the district to spend within its means, but she failed to stress who holds the checkbook. At the personal level, few of us would be willing to ignore a broken promise or a failure to take responsibility for one's action. Neither would we accept this from our children. Why then are we willing to accept it from those who are in charge of the education of our children?

Legislator knew what he was voting on

HOORAY FOR David Schwab. At least he knows what he's voting on.

Speak up for Reggie White

THERE WAS a small item in Gary Rust's column concerning Reggie White and the treatment he received after his speech to the Wisconsin Legislature. After that speech, the radical homosexual groups bombarded CBS News, Campbell Soup and Nike for Reggie's statements, and they all canceled his contracts. If anyone would like to support Reggie for having the courage of his convictions, they could get in touch with Campbell Soup at 1 Campbell Way, Camden, N.J. 08071 or www.campbellsoup.com and CBS Sports, 51 W. 52nd St., 25th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10019 or www.cbs.com and Nike Corp., Football Division, 1 S.W. Bowerman Dr., Beaverton, Ore. 97005 or www.nike.com. Reggie is such a good man, and he's done so many good things for so many people. This is just an outrage.

Use some money for old theater

I UNDERSTAND that there's a possibility that the old hospital building and the old Marquette Hotel are going to be refurbished instead of razed. I also understand that there's been $500,000 in use-tax revenue put aside to pay for the razing. If we're not going to raze the buildings, then I suggest we use some of that money to help renovate the Broadway Theatre downtown for use as a community center for the arts. It's not only a good building still, but it also has historical value. It used to be a vaudeville house, and everything in the back is still there in place. Not only would we be able to help preserve history in Cape Girardeau, but we would be able to use that as an arts center to help children to have something besides sports to do to keep them off the streets and occupied and learn things they can use in their future lives.

Teachers should stop whining

I AM sick and tired of the secondary teachers in the Cape Girardeau School District complaining about Dr. Tallent and blaming him for their salaries being frozen for a year. I'm also sick and tired of seeing the bumper stickers that they've circulated, and I think it's pretty childish. I have 12 years of teaching experience in the secondary classroom and would love to have a cushy job here in the Cape district. I teach six out of seven periods each day while secondary teachers in Cape teach only five periods out of seven each day. I have talked to teachers in the Cape district, and they brag because they can get all their grading and preparation done and have their evenings free. But they tell the public and community about how hard they work every evening taking work home with them. I've talked to these people, and they tell a different story in private than what they tell the public. These secondary teachers need to look at the elementary teachers in the district who get about 30 minutes of preparation time per day. Also, secondary colleagues in other districts get only one preparatory period per day. We taxpayers supported the bond issue so the children and teachers could have better buildings and air conditioning. We've done our part and put our money where our mouth is. Now I'd appreciate if the secondary teachers would grow up, quit whining and griping and give us an honest day's work for their pay. If they're so unhappy, why don't they work somewhere else? The obvious answer is this: They know they've got it easy here. The community needs to wake up, and they need to grow up.

HAVE YOU driven by the Cape Senior Center at 921 N. Clark lately? The flowers around the flagpole are lovely. Thank you, Harold Meyr.