SPEAKOUT

Saddam is using President Clinton

I WANT to comment about Saddam Hussein. The secretary of state has been saying that we're up against a brick wall over there. Saddam won't even let us inspect as many areas as he did before. He's hardening his position. The reason is that he's using Bill Clinton. He knows the American military has been gutted. They've got all the homosexual rights and the sensitivity rights now. We have a two-front war now, and that's what happens when you've got a leader that doesn't have credibility. These foreign countries are watching us, and Saddam Hussein will invade Kuwait soon.

Trim trees in winter to avoid icing

BETWEEN NOW and the middle of February is a very good time to start trimming your trees. At least, if they get ice and snow on them, you won't have to start breaking your power lines.

I JUST have a question. My property taxes have gone up by almost $200 this year. By law, Missouri isn't allowed to raise taxes that much. I'm not the only person who's experienced this. I've talked to others. I can't get a good answer on where that money has gone. I'm curious how that money is being spent and where it's going. I called the county assessor and there was a young lady who was very nice and answered my questions, but I'm still wondering where the money has gone.

REPLY: Local property taxes are not included in the overall state revenue that must comply with the tax lid of the Hancock Amendment.

Put up tents for prisoners

ON HEARING about the county jail being overcrowded and about our need for a new county jail, I think Sheriff Jordan ought to take a few cues from an Arizona sheriff and go out and build some tents for the guys with a fence around them and throw them in there. I don't think we need to be spending any more taxpayer money on these misfits of society.

Repeat letter writers are boring

THE OPINION page recently contained about a third of a page of wasted space. I'm talking about the letters to the editor. Those writers have appeared time and time again, and they have absolutely nothing to say. They're just blabbing along. Please, quit wasting time and newspaper space. Put something interesting in there. If you haven't got it, put ads or comics.

Trade deals mean more Chinese goods

I KEEP reading in Speak Out about everybody who can't find anything to buy for Christmas presents except things made in China. That's true, but the reason for that is that our politicians have made trade deals that benefit China and have not considered what is good for the American people. You people better be darn glad that the Fast Track authority didn't pass, and we better keep it that way.

State seeks control over children

I SEE where Big Brother in Missouri wants to further encroach on our lives. With Carnahan's proposal to monitor reporting on the care of children, apparently they don't think parents can do the job, so they want us to dig deep in our pockets so we have less control over our children. Pretty soon, we should just turn our children over to the state and allow them to raise them because this seems to be their goal.

Please observe four-lane markings

I WANT to comment about the new Highway 74 from Siemers out to Kingshighway. I want to let everyone know that it's a four-lane road and not a two-lane road. The lines aren't very clear, but they're there, and people need to observe the lines.

Congratulations on 25 years on KFVS

I WANT to say congratulations to Mike Shain for his 25 years with KFVS. He does a good job, and I also enjoy the "Made in the Heartland" section.

Melrose Avenue lights are impressive

HAVE YOU all seen the Christmas lights display on the house at Melrose Avenue? My family and I went the other night. Just don't forget to have some sunglasses. It's very nice. We were all very impressed.

But my heart is universal

I WOULD like to respond to the wonderful piece printed in Speak Out on Dec. 20 titled "Black-white issues will never be resolved." May the bigoted person who was behind it have a truly wonderful holiday season. For some of us, skin color is nothing more than a difference that each and everyone of us share. Let me explain the true difference. It has not and has never been blacks versus whites. It's always been the haves versus the have-nots. Blacks sold blacks into slavery, just as whites have always used the less-educated whites to serve their cause. The blacks have not made "gigantic strides into the white man's world." They are simply attempting to live in a world provided by all that the ignorant white man has claimed for his own. Yes, Mr. or Mrs. Bigot, it is possible to get a fair deal from someone whose skin color differs from yours. No one is going to roll over and play dead for anyone else. We are far too educated to hide behind the evil face of prejudice. I look forward to the day when we can look at a fellow human being as just that. We have enough problems being human, why add to it? Just in case you're wondering, my skin color is white, but my heart is universal.

Sports photos are outstanding

YOUR SPORTS pictures in Friday and Saturday's paper are outstanding. The one on Friday with the person dancing in the air and then the wrestlers showing wonderful skin contrasts and position. These pictures are classic. Congratulations to Mr. Lou Peukert.

Bring back old-fashioned doctors

THE COMMENT in Speak Out about Cape needing good doctors. Isn't that the truth? Families have been going to the doctors in St. Louis. I agree that we need the old-fashioned doctors back.

Still waiting for Perryville Road

1997 IS drawing to a close without this year's promised Perryville Road improvement. My only encouragement is that road crews were recently putting on patches so that the government can dig them up and do the originally planned project.

Rather be safe than sorry

I SEE someone has called to berate the Scott City mother who's gotten a petition drive for security guards in the schools there. You seem to think Scott City schools are very safe. And in fact, I'm sure they are very safe. All your family and friends might have gone there and things have gone off without a hitch. That's fine. But why don't you go down to Paducah and ask everybody there if they thought Heath High School was safe. I'm sure everybody involved would say that they thought it was. On this one day, you see, it wasn't. If there's something we should do to prevent that, like having security guards, we should consider it. I know it's not appealing, but the alternative is so much worse. The inner workings of psychology doesn't know population size of a town, and it doesn't know geographical boundaries or history. If there's a disturbed child out there and they take a gun to an unarmed, unguarded school, it's going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. It's almost 1998, and it's time to be jolted out of your complacent shell. I don't know what it's going to take -- if not the tragedy in Heath. You can't just pretend that it's not going to happen in your town and to people you know. It might someday, it might not, but you're playing with people's lives when you say they don't have the right to be guarded.

Good health care will only get better

THE CAPE Girardeau area is very fortunate to have an excellent array of medical services and programs for its citizens. We have well-trained and skilled physicians and two fine hospitals. The executive leadership and governing boards of the hospitals are to be commended for their willingness to examine ways to affiliate their institutions. Collaboration by the hospitals and sharing of their resources will assure best utilization of their services and will eliminate costly duplication of health-care technology.

IN RESPONSE to "No one dies for his country": We didn't choose that way of life in World War II, but if we hadn't stopped Hitler, he and all the other warlords would have this world in a big mess right now. You also wouldn't have the freedom to put your remarks in the paper.