OpinionSeptember 4, 1997
SPEAKOUT
I WAS watching my next door neighbor's 16-year-old son. He was lighting paper towels and throwing them on my garage roof. Suddenly his father jumped off the porch and began swatting his son on the shoulders with a rolled up magazine to discipline him. I am against hitting children, but sometimes it is necessary...
Discipline necessary sometimes
I WAS watching my next door neighbor's 16-year-old son. He was lighting paper towels and throwing them on my garage roof. Suddenly his father jumped off the porch and began swatting his son on the shoulders with a rolled up magazine to discipline him. I am against hitting children, but sometimes it is necessary.
Education wasn't wasted after all
GARY RUST recently quoted Thomas Huxley who said: "Perhaps the most valuable result of an education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do whether you like it not." If Huxley is correct, then my education has been a huge success story, because I consistently force myself to read Southeast Missourian columns by syndicated columnists Walter Williams and Cal Thomas, reprints from The Wall Street Journal, pronouncements from on high by the president of Hillsdale College, the occasionally printed thoughts of Steve Forbes, inaccuracies from a group called Accuracy in Media and the recipes of Mr. Food.
Local contests not based on talent
WE ARE new to this community, having been out of state for 12 years and out of this area for at least 15 years. Recently we began to enter our daughter, who is 12 years old, into local talent contests, having faith in the belief of fairness and community and honesty and respect. We found that that is not the case, that it is who you know, how you know them and how much you can financially put into the community. It's been very alarming to us to think that we moved out of a large city to move into a more wholesome environment to find that, in fact, it is a very manipulative type of environment. It has been very eye-opening for us that small town does not mean better town.
Rewards for child-support deadbeats
I WOULD like to make a comment on welfare reform. I think there should rewards for people who turn in other people who owe child support. I think this would give a whole lot of ease on welfare, because we need to start saving our old people. They are the ones with the minds, and they have lived life's experiences.
Plenty of speeders to be found
THIS IS in regard to the comment made by the person who can't find the speeders. Are you blind? Have you been on Kingshighway, William or Mount Auburn Road lately in the morning or in the evening? They're there. When you're pulling out of Union Planters on Mount Auburn Road and there's a car at the stop sign of Independence and Mount Auburn Road and by the time you get out on Mount Auburn Road that car is on your tail, I would consider that speeding. The speeders are out there. Either their cars should be taken away or their licenses should be taken away, because I'm tired of risking my life because they're in a hurry.
Lots of nice people come to the rescue
THERE ARE lots of nice folks around to help stupid people. I left stuff on the back of my car and drove off. When I came back, the first man flagged me down with cigarettes and dog medicine. I got home, and there was a message that another couple had found a file folder with papers that had been scattered which they'd picked up. Called the Missourian lost and found and put an ad in for glasses. Later on got a call from a man who had found them and had called the Missourian and your lady told him to call me and he brought them by. Thanks to all of these nice people.
What about alcoholics, overeaters?
THIS IS in regards to the person that said in Speak Out that they did not agree with the government paying disability payments to people on drugs. It seems that our society doesn't accept people on drugs, but if you look at the problems that we've had with alcohol -- the number of people who are drunks, drive, break up marriages and families -- when they get bad health, we put them on disability, we pay their way. Look at people who are overweight. They eat like there's no tomorrow. We put them on welfare, on Social Security. Drugs are horrible, but alcohol is a drug, and overeating is just as bad.
Impose stiff fines for pet messes
I'D LIKE to make a comment on the people in this city who have dogs. I'm a public servant and I have had a lot of dealings with such matters. Everyone in this town knows what the dog owners are doing with their dogs, and it's disgusting. It's getting to where you can't have your kids in school grounds, in parks or on the streets in a lot of cases. Something needs to be done in this town. It's getting to be a serious matter. It's also to do with health. I think that a $500 fine for people who have pets that relieve themselves on their neighbor's yard, in the parks and mainly in the school yards would be a good start. A leash law just won't get it. They'll stand and hold a dog on a leash and let them do their business, then go on back home.
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!
Suggested lunch hours for license bureau
I'M CALLING in agreement with the earlier Speak Out comment regarding the license bureau being closed for lunch. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. That's the most logical time for most people to take care of their business is over their lunch hour. What I would suggest is that some people in the office take their lunch from 11-12, others take it from 1-2 p.m., and then they have the most people coming in, a full staff there from 12-1 when most people have lunch.
Blacktop for county road is put off
AS A lifelong resident of Cape County, I have one question for county commissioners: Will the gravel roads on your list to be blacktopped ever be done, or will we keep hearing the same reply of "maybe next year?" For three years now, the families on my road have been promised blacktop. Safety and money saved are two major reasons this promise needs to materialize. Recently there was a crash on our road of two automobiles. The state trooper cited it was partly attributed to excessive dust. On the money side of the issue, the county would save by stopping the excessive gravel wash and the manhours spent maintaining this stretch of road. My neighbor has obtained signed construction easements from every landowner, which was requested by the county engineer. This would supposedly help speed the process up. We, the neighbors of County Road 254, have written letters, phoned county officials, offered to meet with them and have been more than patient. We're only talking about blacktopping a stretch of road that is 7/10 of a mile long. This small stretch of road supports traffic from 17 individual families plus continuous through traffic. I wonder what would happen if these 17 families got together and said, "Next year we will pay our taxes."
Competition means lower prices, not higher
I'M CALLING about this hospital one-upmanship call. The caller implies that competition somehow drives up prices. I don't understand that. I've been taught in economics for a long time that competition lowers prices. I think the caller is misguided.
Speeders on Belle Ridge Pike
TO THE person wanting to know where the speeders are. They're on Belle Ridge Pike, just like they've always been. But don't worry. We're putting a stop to that, one way or the other.
Students take all the park's parking
I'M A young, seven-month-pregnant mother with a 3-year-old whom I tried to take to Capaha Park so that she could play. We couldn't even find a parking place in that park. I think it's pretty bad when the college students are allowed to clutter up the park so that you can't even park there. I drove through the campus and looked at the parking lots, and there were plenty of spaces available for them to park on their own lots. I think something needs to be done about this problem. It's getting ridiculous.
Start school after Labor Day to avoid heat
I'D LIKE to suggest that if these schools would not start before Labor Day, they would not have to let them out early of school for the heat. It does not make sense to me why they start so early before Labor Day.
Democrats don't understand 'family'
I WOULD like to make a comment about the Democratic party. How can they sit back in the last election and claim they are for family values? When you look up the word "family?" Doesn't that include children? How can a person be a Democrat and claim he's for family values when there aren't even going to be any children around because they abort them?
No signal lights is dangerous too
PEOPLE WHO do not turn on their signal lights are as dangerous as speeders.
Story Tags
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.
Related
Advertisement
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!
