SPEAKOUT

Schwab's questionnaire

THIS IS to the person who called in about not receiving a questionnaire from David Schwab about this lake. Those questionnaires were sent out to only people which would have their land covered by water. Now, if you're one of these people, please give David Schwab a call, and he will give you a questionnaire. But if you're not included in this group, that was his fullest intent: to only get those people directly affected by the lake.

Vote twice for schools

I WOULD like to thank Gary Rust for putting his column in the paper on voting yes twice on the bond issue. That should be the feeling of every citizen in the Cape Girardeau district. There is no reason to vote no. There are lots of reasons to vote yes. Just look at the children's faces as you walk around the street as you go home every evening. Just stare one of them in the eye. How can you not say yes to the this bond issue? It's just security of our children, of our community and our ability to see progress if the yes vote passes. Once again, I thank Mr. Rust very much. I think he said it quite eloquently.

Time to move on

I'M A private citizen of Jackson and respect how the union election turned out here. I have no affiliation with either side or any city employees. I know very few. I'd just like to say that I fully hope the city will make sure that it doesn't ostracize or try to penalize the employees who it believes were pro-union. I would sure hate to see those people be forced to leave the city or something happen to them in some other way. I don't know much about those matters, but I think both sides should just shake hands and go on, and we shouldn't lose any valuable employees.

Deal with the flooding

A LITTLE over four years ago, I worked on a dredging job in central Illinois. We cleaned out a river. The area had been flooding years and years before. We found it necessary to blast out about four feet of lime rock in several areas. After we got done, we changed the value of some of the farmland from $200 an acre to $3,000 an acre. The land has never flooded since then to have a crop failure. This is, to my idea, what should be done on a larger scale to the Mississippi River rather than a bunch of rednecks arguing between themselves who will build the levee higher.

Others should have voted too

THIS IS about the proposal that Rep. Schwab had made to Peter Kinder about asking the people that the lake would affect to vote first. Well, I live on the south end of Cape and was isolated by Route 74. I think that we should have had a vote. That way maybe we could at least have voted for a small walk bridge that crosses Route 74. Since 74 has gone through, it has isolated our community.

Personal property rights

REGARDING THE lake issue, I found it refreshing to read the comments of the persons interviewed in the March 17 issue. They were concerned with personal property rights in contrast to many proponents of the lake who seem to feel that what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine too. I commend them for giving priority to landowners' rights above their own creature comforts. It appears that minority rights are fiercely protected in all areas except in individual ownership.

Native American dignity

IT IS really beneath my dignity as a Seneca Native American -- not Injun -- to respond to the ignorance in Speak Out regarding mascot suggestions at SEMO. I have watched with interest this whole recent process and have high praise for the professors at SEMO who have a backbone instead of being spineless when it comes to undertaking to correct a longtime wrong. It isn't just at SEMO. It is all over the U.S. from elementary schools all the way through the pro teams. We dare not use the N word or Kraut or any or all of the other slashing, degrading names used against brothers and sisters in this human family. But it is OK, apparently, to use the word Injun as a corruption of the name given by the wonderful Christopher Columbus when he "discovered" America, the America my people had been living in for thousands of years at least. We are the Native Americans, the first people, and we have had to put up with the ignorance so obviously promoted by this person in Speak Out far too long. I hope this wonderful person also read about the Native American dancers. I would bet this person does not know a Native American on a personal basis, and reading true information just might make a dent in such a thick skull.

Thanks for the flowers

I JUST want to say a thank you note for the club or person responsible for planting the beautiful jonquils at the intersections and other places around town. I really appreciate it. Spring is sprung. Also, I want to thank the business that put the cross on Kingshighway, reminding Jesus died on the cross for us and rose on Easter Sunday. Thank you, Lord.

Job discrimination

I'D LIKE to talk about special education, how people who are in special education are looked down upon and discriminated against because they can't do the things that regular people can do and they're not as smart as regular people and they can't get the jobs that they can get. Business owners just don't want to take the time to train someone who's a little bit slower than someone else. You know, I feel like people in special education like myself are just left behind. People don't care anymore. I would really like to be able to get a good job just like everybody else who's regular person. It's not fair. It's discriminating against them, because I work just hard and I'm just as dedicated but I learn a little bit slower than everybody else and I don't get a chance.

Vote for the school issues

I CAN'T help wondering what kind of home the person who said repair the old school buildings is living in. Is your home 50 to 60 years old and has no air conditioning? Let's help our children have a good place to learn for the future. It won't cost the taxpayers that much and will help our future generations. I'm 74 years old and willing to help. Why not you? Vote yes April 1.

PEOPLE, I can't understand why we have to raise real estate taxes. We just used our tax money to build the mini Show Me Center, so why can't we build schools one at a time with the revenue we're already collecting? I will vote no because I can't afford another $20-50 per month tacked on my mortgage to pay $200-500 a year for the re-evaluation of my taxes. Mr. Tallent, let's get some patience. One at a time. People, vote no. I could lose my home. It's tough enough to make mortgage payments now.