SPEAKOUT

Refunds tough on Democratic Party

I THINK refunding overpaid taxes must be Mel Carnahan's worst nightmare. For decades, the Democrats' largest bloc of voters have been those receiving government handouts. In short, the Democrat takes working people's money and gives it to others in exchange for their vote. Having to give back money to wage earners goes against the very nature of the Democratic Party. Just think of the votes this $700 million in refunds could have bought.

Efficiency in removing tree in road

A LARGE tree fell across Bloomfield Road one morning recently, and 70 minutes later the tree had been removed and the road had returned to normal traffic. That's efficiency.

Hospital merger should be voted on

I WOULD like to speak out in regards to the possibility of our two Cape hospitals' merging. I believe this move would be a very bad mistake for all concerned. Not only would the merger take hundreds of jobs from the people, but it would also take away peoples' choice of where they would like to be seen as a patient. By having a monopoly in health care in this region, people will be forced to pay whatever the hospital wants them to. I think this issue should be voted on, since we are the ones who are going to be affected the most.

Repeat letter writers: Do something else

THIS IS about the same boring people who, over and over, sit at home and send in boring letters to the editor. Once again, they've proved that they have way too much time on their hands. If they want to really do something constructive, they should join the Salvation Army or get out and jog for charity.

Where are Scott City's birds?

WHERE ARE the birds? I feed birds every winter, but lately there are no birds. In fact, I see no birds any place in Scott City. I am concerned.

Holiday lights make the trip enjoyable

WE WENT out looking at the lights the other night, and they're absolutely beautiful. I've never seen them more lovely. We went past the Veterans' Home, and it was outstanding. I'm sure the people riding up and down I-55 appreciate it. To the person who thought we were being too extravagant by leaving the lights on: You've got to live, and if you're going to make the journey, honey, you might as well enjoy the trip.

Pity for thief who took recycling crates

THIS IS a message for the person responsible for stealing my white recycling milk crates labeled "glass," "plastic" and "cans" from the corner of Penny and Anna Street on Dec. 23: I pity you.

Don't waste $4 million on new jail

THE RECENT caller suggesting a tent city at the Cape County Jail had a correct idea. We don't need a $4 million luxury jail to house misfits. Let's put up tents and get rid of the color TVs and hot showers. It's time Cape County residents hold our officials responsible, and wasting $4 million on a jail is totally irresponsible.

Church is place to get closer to God

I WENT to midnight Mass, and I was sitting there trying to get closer to the Lord because my mom is very sick and I have a kidney problem. I was sitting there trying to sing and praying to God. The people behind me were sitting there talking about people they thought were fat and people they thought stank. They were making fun of the way people sing, and you could tell they weren't there for church. They were there so they could form their own opinion about the people in the church instead of praying and doing what they should be doing. I thought it was really rude and uncalled for. I was trying to get close to God because of my own personal reasons, and I think people should read this because church is a place to get closer to God, not to sit there and gossip.

Didn't like applause at church service

OUR FAMILY attended a Christmas Eve service at a Cape Girardeau church. The scriptures and musical selections were very appropriate for this holiday celebration of the birth of Jesus. The whole worship service would have been spiritually uplifting if people had refrained from applauding after each musical number. This was our first experience with hand clapping after Christmas songs in a church service, and we found it very distasteful. Surely the talented musical participants didn't feel they were an entertainment act that deserved applause. There was even a printed request on the program that there be no hand clapping. The pastor certainly deserves apologies from those who were so rude.

Welfare cheats need to be cleaned out

IF WE could bring down all the welfare cheats at the top, such as providers charging for services, there would be plenty to take care of the ones who really need it. If the American taxpayers knew just who was getting their hard-earned tax dollars, they would be appalled and surely put a stop to it themselves. Let's clean house and start at the top and work our way down to balance the national budget and reform welfare.

Reaganomics was the biggest fraud ever

I WISH Gary Rust would quit trying to feed us that garbage from Steve Forbes and be honest about the real economic situation in this country. He starts out trying to give us a bunch of hooey about what Reaganomics did. Reagonomics was the biggest fraud perpetrated on the American people in the last 100 years. We started out in 1981 with the national debt under $1 trillion. The interest paid on that debt was $95.6 billion. In 1993, at the end of the Reagan-Bush fiasco, the national debt was in excess of $4.4 trillion. The interest paid on the national debt was $292-plus billion. In other words, we paid almost $200 billion more in interest on the national debt at the end of this period. This is nothing but a fraud perpetrated on our grandchildren. We're going to be paying for this fiasco through the lifetime of my grandchildren.

`The Monkeys' Disgrace'

HERE'S A reading of "The Monkeys' Disgrace":

Three monkeys sat in a coconut tree,

Discussing things as were said to be.

Said one to the other, "Now listen you two.

There's a certain rumor that can't be true.

That men descended from our noble race.

The very idea's a total disgrace.

No monkey every deserted his wife,

Starved her babies and ruined her life.

And you've never know a mother monk

To leave her babies with others to bunk,

Or passed them off from one to another

Till they scarcely knew who was their mother.

Another thing you'll never see,

Is a monkey build a fence around a coconut tree.

And let the coconuts go to waste

Forbidding all other monks to taste.

Why, if I put a fence around a tree,

Starvation will force you to steal from me.

Here's another thing a monk won't do,

Go out at night and get on a stew,

Or use a gun or club or knife

To take some other monkey's life

Yes, men descended and men do fuss

But brother, he never did descend from us."