OpinionDecember 18, 1997
SPEAKOUT
I SEE where the Santa Train came into Cape Girardeau at 9 p.m. or later. This is the second year in a row that it has been so late. Why can they not start the train at Cape or have it come when the kids are out of school? My kids have to be in bed by 8:30 or 8:45 or they a real bear to get out of bed the next day. They heard all their friends talking about going, but we couldn't make it because it's so late. So please, try to think about the kids that have to go to bed next year...
Please have Santa Train earlier
I SEE where the Santa Train came into Cape Girardeau at 9 p.m. or later. This is the second year in a row that it has been so late. Why can they not start the train at Cape or have it come when the kids are out of school? My kids have to be in bed by 8:30 or 8:45 or they a real bear to get out of bed the next day. They heard all their friends talking about going, but we couldn't make it because it's so late. So please, try to think about the kids that have to go to bed next year.
Good reasons for charter schools
I WOULD like to address this comment to Dr. Dan Tallent on his opinion of charter schools. Granted, maybe Cape can offer the same things that a charter school can, but charter schools also offer a lot better things such as a drug-free environment for my children, a safe environment with no guns. They don't allow disrespect in charter schools. They pull those kids if they are. That needs to be the parents' decision, not a legislative board's decision. We need to allow charter schools. How about St. Louis where the crime is even greater than Cape Girardeau? That needs to be the parents choice.
Products are all made in China
I HAVE been trying to shop in the Cape Girardeau area and have not been able to find presents that were not made in China. Surely, there are some companies in America that can make pajamas and all other kind of items like toys other than China. I would like for someone to explain why we can't find anything made in America to buy for Christmas presents.
Compliments for Jackson displays
I WANT to compliment the city of Jackson on the displays in the park. I was impressed by the Chamber of Commerce sign of direction on the display. I highly recommend that that sign stays. Very complimentary to the park.
Leaf pickup program is worst ever
THIS YEAR has been the worse leaf pickup program in the city of Cape. In the south end town, the street gutters are full of rotting leaves left there weeks and weeks ago since the scheduled leaf pickup occurred before the leaves ever fell.
Need to take care of jail overpopulation
REGARDING THE jail situation, Sheriff Jordan says that they need a new jail, knowing the maximum capacity is 80 people. Looking back under your police report, population shows that is 93 which is way beyond maximum. I'm not saying that Cape doesn't need a new jail. My point is we have forgotten how many people hanged themselves in the jail due to overcrowding. They're not putting these people up in a motel. If they know they're overcrowded, it keeps referring to Cape Girardeau or Jackson receiving prisoners from other counties. Why is Cape Girardeau packed in with 93 people when in fact the population maximum is supposed to be 80 people? That's what I would like to find out. Where are these people sleeping? If it's overpopulated, then they ought to get on it and ship some people out. That's ridiculous. We're all taxpayers, and we don't need to be feeding people if they're not legally to be in jail. I just think it's a bogus situation when it's way overpopulated. We need to cure the problem as soon as possible. We don't need any more hangings in these jails.
Nothing was stirring -- except the leaves
SO IT'S Christmas morn, and all across the lawn I was working my tail off, not having much fun. I was upset, I was really ticked. And of all people it was St. Nick. I was outraged, I was hurt from within because he had committed the unpardonable sin. It was like a terrible disease, you see: Santa and his reindeer had scattered my leaves.
At least you can defend yourself
PAYING YOUR taxes at the end of the year is nothing like getting mugged. There's a serious difference. When you're mugged, you're forced to give over your money under threat of physical violence. When you pay your taxes, you're forced to give over your money under threat of physical violence. The difference being, when you're mugged, you have the opportunity to defend yourself.
Big trash container in front yard
I APPLAUD the cleanup efforts in south Cape. I hope we do not permit other areas to deteriorate. For some time now, there has been a big garbage container in the front yard of the house on the northeast corner of Park Street and Broadway. It is usually overflowing trash onto adjacent sidewalk. I assume this is rental property housing multiple families. Can the city not urge the landlord to find a more attractive way to handle the garbage of his renters?
President Clinton has done a good job
I WAS reading Speak Out. I read it, and I enjoy it. I read in there somebody was downing Bill Clinton again. You know, that's ridiculous. He's been in there all these years, and everybody's hollering he's doing crooked and he's going to pen. Well, he's been there all this time, and he hasn't done nothing wrong. He's been a great president. Our economy is moved really ahead.
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Trees keep the air we breathe clean
I WOULD like to respond to the individual who hopes the trees to be cut down. I guess they haven't stopped to consider that these trees help to clean the air that we breathe. Without trees, we would all die, and there would be no one left living to complain about who's leaves get picked up the fastest. Please don't think so selfishly next time. There are others involved.
Shocked by tax on a vehicle
I RECEIVED my recent tax bill and found myself in shock when I discovered my taxes for one year on my vehicle was nearly half of the amount that I paid for sales tax on the vehicle when I purchased it. I think this is a crying shame.
Let the hospitals compete with each other
DON'T LET them fool you. It's a stinking idea to have both hospitals merge. I think it's great that they both try to compete with each other to try to give the patient the best care that way. So keep them separate and have them both compete against one another to try see who's the best to take care of the patient. One's a Catholic hospital. It should be. And one's an independent hospital. Let's have two hospitals.
Good to hear inmate is drug free
I READ with great interest the letter to the editor from Mark Abbott who is in Oxford, Wis., in the federal correction institution. I too feel that 20 years seems to be a lot of sentence for the methamphetamine problem. But at least he says he is drug free. Good going, Mark, and it looks like getting some time has helped you to get over this drug. As far as you saying you're not a violent person and never have been. Well, what everything we read and hear about meth is that it's the meth that gets in the system that makes a person violent. Anyway, Mark, glad to see your letter to the editor. Maybe, like you say, some day the government will help the people that are addicted to this like yourself. We're glad to hear you're drug free. I agree it does take a lot of love and caring for people that are sincere like yourself.
Black-white issue will never be resolved
I'M AWARE that you're a newspaper that doesn't like to rock the boat and you probably won't print this but I have to get it off my chest anyway, if you don't mind. Politicians threw us all, both black and white, into the situation that we are now in. If you, as a white man, think you will ever get a fair deal from a black man, think again. If you, as the black man, think the white man is going to roll over and play dead, you too should think again. The black man has made gigantic strides into the white man's world, but black is still black and white is still white and with only a few uneducated exceptions, never the twain shall meet. So dream on.
An expert on absolutely everything
YES, THERE has been much discussion in the newspaper by Peter Kinder of recent times regarding his negativity on just about every subject of which he claims to know everything. I find it unbelievable. The man is an expert on absolutely everything.
Prefers open-house ads on Saturdays
I NOTICED that one sensible Realtor in Cape Girardeau is now advertising their Sunday open houses in the Saturday paper. Boy, that makes a lot of sense. I suggested that about five years ago when we were looking for a house. If you other Realtors would follow suit, then people could take the weekend to go look at these houses.
Who's keeping tabs on foreign aid?
I REALLY think in the United States we could save a lot of money help a lot of people here in this country if we wouldn't just give it a lot of our money away across the world for worthless causes. The examples in your paper and as I heard on Paul Harvey: The secretary of state is giving money to the Congo president, who has suspended all political activities since he's been in power even though we are giving him money to be a democracy, which is a laugh. I question, where's this slush fund of money that everybody has to just write checks and give to all these foreign countries. I thought everything had to be in a budget, I thought everything had to be accounted for. And I'm assuming that that's not the case, that no money has to be accounted for -- only from us to the IRS when we turn in our yearly budgets and account for the money we made.
Personal experience in hospital ERs
THE REASON that the two hospitals are needing to merge and they're losing business going to St. Louis is our docs are in too big a hurry to be doctors. They want to go play. I've had several bad experiences through the ERs, and it's beginning to become very upsetting.
Need good doctors, not hospital merger
WHAT CAPE Girardeau needs is good internists, a doctor who knows the complete body. We have too many specialists. When they went to medical school, didn't they have to learn about the whole body, not just parts? A sinus infection can cause asthma. I hope we get some good doctors in Cape Girardeau. That would save the hospitals from having to merge.
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