SPEAKOUT

Dr. Laura scares this caller

NOT SURPRISINGLY, columnist Mona Charen likes radio psychologist Dr. Laura Schlesinger. Frankly, Dr. Laura scares the living you know what out of me. In my view, being married to a female version of Star Trek's Dr. Spock would be bliss compared to being betrothed to the superlogical Dr. Laura.

It's time for national health care

I THINK that it's about time that you people in the right wing listen to one of your right-wing spokesmen and finally realize that the time is now to have a national health care program. Several weeks ago, John McLaughlin said that with the way the current national health care program was going and medical costs, there's going to be a national health care program within five years. I think that we ought to do it very rapidly and follow the Canadian plan. We could cut our medical costs about 50 percent. We are paying for something we're not getting. We don't live longer, and this is silly. The Canadians live longer than we do, and they pay a lot less for what they're getting. Let's use them as a guiding light to our new medical program.

Now let's see some convictions

CONGRATULATIONS TO our new chief of police. It is way past time that some of these drug dealers and home burglars were caught. Now let's see some convictions. Keep up the good work. A concerned citizen.

Pain due to system's shortcomings

AFTER READING columnist Jack Stapleton's excellent but perhaps unattainable prescription for fixing Missouri's mixed-up health care system, I had to go to the emergency room. As Stapleton might have predicted, I went unattended and finally left after several hours of sitting there, complaining of searing pain caused by Stapleton exposing me to the shortcomings of Missouri's health care system.

Mural voting would spur turnout

A SPEAK Out caller recently called for a public vote to determine whose likeness may or may not be painted on Cape's wall of fame. Thank you, caller, thank you. Finally someone has thought of an issue that would end public apathy about voting and lead to a large voter turnout. In order to get the ball rolling, I nominate Bob Griffin and William Webster.

Standards would push states to act

I THINK the time is now for the states to launch a program of student testing at least every other year and have a combined effort where the states that are lagging behind the national average be required to make remedial action in such things as math and science and the other studies to bring the students up a much better average. How many states, especially Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi, are lagging way behind and something needs to be done? Not just jumping up and down because the president is sticking his nose in the school business. Somebody's got to stick their nose in, because the schools in these states aren't doing what they should.

Roadway should have been wider to start

AFTER SIEMERS Drive was constructed and the first businesses opened on it so you could get through, the first thing we all noticed was that it was too narrow. We wondered why in the world, knowing that other businesses were definitely going to be popping up, why they didn't make it wider to begin with. Now they're talking about making a extension to Highway 74. How can this possibly be? Why in the world didn't they just go ahead and make it four lanes to begin with? That was poor planning and poor vision.

Hogging left lane is dangerous

IN THE aftermath of the high-speed car crash that killed Princess Diana, I'm sure we're all aware, even more acutely than we were of how speed kills and how reckless, imprudent and careless driving is also to blame for many car accidents and general frustration. One of the things people could do for themselves and for others is not to get out there and hold that left lane. That is a passing lane, folks. It's right there in the driver's manual. It's illegal. If you're going to pass, do not get out there and hold that left lane and just drag as most of you do. People are lined up behind you, and you're just oblivious, happily motoring on as though you were on some tour of the countryside. You are on a busy highway, trying to go from one place to another. From Jackson to Cape, or Cape to Jackson or any other place, they will get out there and hold the left lane. I fault police officers, in some large part, for not enforcing this rule. We have seen police officers get out and actually drive behind these people and never stop them. Let's all try to remember not to do this. It's terribly frustrating, it's dangerous, it's just in poor general courtesy.

Visitation rules need to be changed

I'M CALLING on behalf of many, many little children in this world, narrowing it down to Cape. I would like to know why is it that these little children of fathers who have an ex parte order are ordered by the judge to go on visitation alone with these fathers? I think it is an outrage that this happens. I would love to know if there is something can be done. What can we do? These mothers and grandmothers, what can we do for these little children? Where do we start?

Learning the hardest lesson of all

UNFORTUNATELY IT has taken Princess Diana's death to teach people the most. The thing I'll always remember about her is that she was down to earth and a loving mother. I'm afraid Charles and the royal family are going to learn the most important and the hardest lessons from this. God bless them all.

Parental qualifications should be equal

I'D LIKE to add one thing to this child custody that I've been reading. It does seem that the system needs to be worked over again. I believe they're still geared back in the '50s when in the bulk of families the mother did stay at home and raise the family while the father was out earning a living. But I believe the court systems nowadays need to wake up and smell the coffee, so to say. This is the '90s, and the bulk of all families having two-income households, which means both mother and father work. Why else would the child-care business have boomed the way it has in the last couple of decades? It is no longer the standard that the children would be better off with the mother. I believe each individual case needs to be looked at as just that, an individual case, and qualifications of both parents should be taken into consideration equally. This is the decade of equal rights. The men should get a fair shake on the thing too.

City in the advertising business?

I'M A business owner in the city of Cape, and when we received our city water bill, I noticed two advertisements for other businesses included with our water bill. I'd like to know if this is a new thing that's being offered by the city of Cape, that now they will advertise for businesses. I find it odd that we, as taxpayers, are paying for the postage on this, not to mention the manpower to stuff this information in with the water bill.

REPLY: After other calls about this, City Hall has declared a moratorium on including advertising in water bills.