SPEAKOUT

Taxpayers pay deadbeat dad's bills

TO THE taxpayers of the Missouri and especially to the county of Cape Girardeau, I wish to extend a heartfelt thank you for all the assistance you have given me through the years. You don't know me or my children, but you have been so generous. I'm divorced, and my children are owed thousands of dollars in back child support. I do have a job, but I still qualify for assistance because my ex-husband won't work and neglects his responsibilities, leaving it to the taxpayers to fill in for him. The workers at child support enforcement must really have some serious problems to deal with, because even though they are aware of my situation and know where my ex-husband lives, nothing ever happens. This has gone on for years. So thanks again. I appreciate it.

Support for higher cigarette taxes

THIS IS about the supposed hike in tax on cigarettes. People here in Missouri have it better than people up North and major cities where the cost of cigarettes is already close to $4. And if it causes you to not be able to afford to smoke. Well, that's great. That's exactly what it's meant to do, not just to stop teens from smoking but to stop people over the age of 18 to stop smoking as well. It's a good thing, and it's about time.

Callers know the difference

A WIDELY circulated and respected newspaper, The New York Times, is undergoing some changes. This is news in large part because The New York Times is known for sticking with tradition. Still, I predict the changes will succeed if and only if The New York Times adds a Speak Out section. Traditional newspapers have trouble telling the difference between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilization. Speak Out commentators don't.

Concerned about marijuana on Internet

I'M A concerned citizen. I use the Internet. Just out of curiosity and because I heard that you can do that, I used the Internet and found that there are marijuana seeds for sale from Canada, and there's at least about 15 different companies. They have pictures of what it looks like, and some of the names are Hash Plant and Hawaiian Indica. I think this is just craziness. If we have NAFTA, they need to start following our laws. No telling how many young kids or even young adults are ruining their lungs by trying to grow such a potent weed. They need to stick to school work, in my opinion.

Execution is grossest form of abuse

I JUST find it kind of ironic that the front-page headline is about Missouri executions, and then inside the same section of the paper it mentions that Missouri is a plaintiff in a lawsuit on behalf of abused prisoners in Texas. I think there's no more gross abuse of prisoners by any government agency than to execute prisoners. Isn't it just as much murder as the murder that you're executing these people for? I might be in the minority in conservative Missouri to take an anti-capital punishment stand, but that's the stand I feel I must take. The measure of a society is the measure of it's penal system, and in the measure of American society today, to be seen in it's penal system which doesn't work, never has worked and will never work until it's revamped. Also, on the same thought, if Missouri would take a look at what it costs to execute a prisoner as opposed to place a prisoner in prison for life without possibility of parole, there would be a major outcry on the expenditure. It's also very ironic to me that those people who are most in favor of capital punishment are the same people who claim to be anti-abortion on the basis to the fact that God says this, God says that. How can you have a belief in the sanctity of life from the beginning of life and not a belief in the sanctity of life later on in life?

We need national health care

IT'S SOMETHING everyone should know. There are 40 million people in this country who are without health insurance. This is the richest country in the world. I've heard the copout: "Well, if you don't like this country, go to another country." That doesn't answer the question. The late Congressman Emerson's response in letters to me was, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." Well there is no baby, and there is no bath water. There's nothing. Our congresswoman, Jo Ann Emerson, says the Canadian plan is not good for Canada. How she knows Canada, I don't know. But their plan certainly does help a lot of people. It's not perfect, but it's certainly better than what we have: nothing. If you're not on welfare or if you work for minimum wage and do not have insurance, you're up a creek. So, there's no excuse in the world. Our president wanted to give us one. They tried to say socialized medicine. I think it's time in this century for us to have a national health care plan, and nobody should be without.

Highway C not safe for bicyclists

REGARDING the Speak Out comment about the bike trail bringing tourists. I happen to live between Pocahontas and Altenburg on Highway C, and anyone who thinks Highway C is a safe place to have a bike trail is dreaming or has never driven it. I'm terrified driving back and forth to work. All these young people get right up behind you. They're driving 70-80 mph. It isn't just the big trucks. It's all the people, and they don't slow down to 35 mph in the towns. They just slide right through. And anyone who's brave enough to ride a bicycle out there is an absolute fool.