OpinionMarch 27, 1996
SPEAKOUT
I WAS just reading here under "Funeral plan" in your Speak Out column, this person states that they drive Interstate 55 five times a week and that when the speed limit was 65, they set their cruise just a little plus 65. Now that the 70 mph is the speed limit, it says, "I set my cruise a little bit plus 70." And they say cars still pass them like crazy the same as they did when it was 65. ...
Speedy judgment
I WAS just reading here under "Funeral plan" in your Speak Out column, this person states that they drive Interstate 55 five times a week and that when the speed limit was 65, they set their cruise just a little plus 65. Now that the 70 mph is the speed limit, it says, "I set my cruise a little bit plus 70." And they say cars still pass them like crazy the same as they did when it was 65. And the question was did the undertakers lobby for this speed limit to be raised? My comment is, judge not lest you be judged. If the speed limit was 65, you were not in compliance with the law when you set your speed cruise above 65 mph. When the speed limit is 70 mph and hour and you still state that you set your cruise control at a little over 70, you are not in compliance with the law. So whether you are driving over one mile above the speed limit or the cars passing you are driving 10 miles above the speed limit, my friend, you still are breaking the law. So do not judge other people by the same thing that you are doing.
Honoring the sacrifice
THIS IS to Marc Powers and to anyone else who does not want to remove their baseball caps during the playing of our national anthem. The next time you feel this way, I dare you to visit a veterans hospital and look into the eyes of veterans who have lost their arms and legs so that you may have freedom. I take my hat off to them and to all veterans to simply say, "Thanks for the sacrifice you made for me so that I remain free. Please don't ever take freedom for granted."
Federal assistance
WE CRY for our congressmen to make a dent in the federal budget but it's kind of hard to do when the hometown folks -- the hometown mayor, the county commissioners and the local newspaper -- are all beating them all over the head and shouting, "Give us some federal funds." And when he doesn't, they denounce him as a failure. We should stop requesting federal funds. In fact, we should start rejecting offers of federal funds. My what a thought. We are going to be asked to actually pay for what we want. I say let's do it. It's the only way we're going to get out of the big bear of federal control.
REPLY: What requests for federal funds is this caller referring to? For the record, this newspaper hasn't denounced our congressman for failing to obtain federal funds. And we're not aware that the mayor or county commissioners have either. We applaud the notion of relying less on federal funding. But the country is so addicted to pork-barrel funding it won't be that easy to quit.
Assault weapons
WHY DO the Republicans want to rescind the assault-gun law? The gun isn't or shouldn't be used for hunting. It's only use, as far as I can recall, is to kill people execution style. Why is it so important to gun enthusiasts to own this weapon? Rep. Emerson may get an A each year from the NRA, but he will not get my vote.
Crossing safety
I AM calling to comment on your editorial about safety at crossings. For the editor's information, you quoted state law saying motorists must stop within 15 feet of a railroad crossing. The stop sign is only nine feet from the crossing on an embankment. There are no signs anywhere on either side of that track saying there's even a railroad crossing ahead. There's no painted pavement with white railroad crossing signs. So until we get our information correct and we investigate what we are going to have in an editorial, I feel that the editorial was wrongly put in the Southeast Missourian. This is not only a friend of the deceased but also a wife of a Burlington Northern railroader.
Give here, take there
I CALLED these gas stations in town. Found out my boss gave me a raise in pay. So they've raised their gas prices so they can take it all away from me again. Kind of rough, though, on you folks who didn't get a raise.
Still good people
TO THE people helped us in the Dollar General Store parking lot in Jackson on Thursday, thank you again very much. It's nice to know there's still good people in this world.
Cutbacks and buildings
I'M CALLING in regard to the building of a new federal building. What I'm really confused about is this: They keep talking about having federal cutbacks and laying off employees. So if they're doing this, why do we need a bigger building? It looks to me like the building we have is adequate if they're going to have federal cutbacks.
IRS ire
REGARDING YOUR article on the Internal Revenue Service the other day, I just want to say that this article shows how devious these people really are and why we really do need the flat tax so we can just get rid of the Internal Revenue Service altogether. I can't believe there's a dozen people in the office all during the week and they need that 13th person on Mondays and Wednesdays, whatever it is, to answer tax questions. What about the other dozens? Sitting on their duffs.
Jackson bus phones
THIS IS the Jackson R-II director of transportation. I'm calling about a letter in Speak Out that was entirely in error. Somebody called and said that the phones in Jackson on the school buses are not being used. Those phones are permanently mounted. They're on those buses 24 hours a day. They are being used, and we have other phones that we send out on all of our trip buses. If they take a trip to an athletic event or an academic event outside of Jackson, they have a phone on that bus. I don't know who called that in, but that simply is not true.
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!
And Jamie Hall too...
I CALLED in earlier and asked if we could please send Peter Kinder with Jay Eastlick to St. Joe. Now I'd like to add Jamie Hall to that list. We don't need his trash to read.
Movies are fantasy
SO JESSE Jackson wants to protest the racial exclusion in the movie industry. How about the exclusion of monogamous heterosexual relationships? How about the exclusion of responsible teen-agers who work hard without cheating? How about people who pull their own weight and take responsibility for their mistakes? Hollywood is fantasyland, Jesse. Move on to something constructive and less self-serving.
Paper prices
WITHIN THE last year you increased your subscription prices on your paper due to higher paper and newsprint cost. Now that paper prices are coming down and newsprint continues to be discounted, will you be reducing your subscription prices?
REPLY: The price of newsprint has leveled off, but it hasn't gone down.
Here's a solution
MR. SULLIVAN, I enjoyed your column. Complained nicely in the best American tradition. Also, as a good American, you have no solutions. Why? Maybe the problem is too big and too complex to solve. You ask why everything costs more. Easy, the available goods and resources are shrinking, and everyone is scrambling for a share of the shrinking pie. I'm talking about people who work for a living now, work at anything. Do you blame a person who wants good things for his family for raising the price of his services or companies are raising prices on whatever they sale? Is it wrong to want a better life or provide for your family? What about those who work in government jobs? Shouldn't they and their families share in the nice things America has to offer, or do you think those in public service should make do with less? It's a philosophical problem really, but I have a practical solution. Nobody will take it because it's a lot more fun to whine and throw mud, metaphorically speaking. My solution is this: Hold a constitutional convention. Write a new constitution in which the states are united in a much looser union. Kind of like Canada only more so. Each state will go on it's own way, more or less. Do away with federal taxes completely. I'm really tired of that gripe. Then with new laws which allow everyone to pack a private pistol, we have a go at real freedom. Every man or woman for himself or herself. Sounded great to me.
Riverboat deception
MY COMMENTS concern riverboat gambling. I voted for it each time it was put before the public with the idea that they were going to be excursion boats. However, now I understand that none of these boats sail. They just tie up, which actually they're not much difference than a land-based casino. I feel like we've been flim-flammed and deceived. If this could be put back on the ballot again, I for one will vote against riverboat gambling. I hope those who got it put on the ballot before will do it again.
UFOs or heartburn?
I REALIZE this may seem farfetched, but my wife and I saw what I suppose qualifies as a UFO March 22. We went outside about 7:30. We wanted to locate the star that is supposed to be used as a point of reference to locate the comet. We ended trying to locate constellations. In the process, we saw six or seven points of light go overhead due north. The lights were in formation and disappeared at a phenomenal speed, in just a matter of seconds. Did anyone else see the same thing or we just hallucinating from our lasagna?
Presidential respect
THE PERSON who called in pertaining to Pearl Harbor: I just wonder if he fought in service. If he did what side did he fight for. He certainly does not sound like an American. I think he's a disgrace to refer to our president, whoever the president might be, and to kick the coffin of the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the greatest president this country ever had. How dare him.
Liberal tuition increases
THE REASON Rush Limbaugh quit SEMO after three semesters was that it was run by a liberals, and they kept raising his tuition.
NRA and the GOP
IT APPEARS that the National Rifle Association has the Republican Party all sewed up, lock, stock and barrel, as in assault-rifle barrel.
Lemonade from lemons
AFTER READING in Speak Out about the Cape accent, I have a proposal for the Chamber of Commerce. Erect a giant billboard outside of Cape on the interstate advertising "Cape Girardeau, home of the swamp bullfrog speaking accent." In other words, if you've got it, flaunt it.
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
OpinionDec. 12
Advertisement
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!
