SPEAKOUT

Limbaugh's message to grads

IT IS a travesty that Cape Central High School should invite as its graduation speaker a person who's intellectual dishonesty and ability for deceit to serve pre-determined political beliefs exceeds no other in the nation. He may be a hometown boy, but Rush Limbaugh is probably the greatest enemy of reason and honesty available. What message is the school attempting to convey to graduates with this address?

REPLY: The invitation to speak was extended by the graduating class, not the school administration. Limbaugh was not the first choice. Gov. Mel Carnahan was invited but declined.

Messed-up thinking

I WANT to comment on the president's idea of putting an 8 p.m. curfew on children. It seems to me like somebody's messed up or we're working at cross purposes. I remember the crime bill. Remember midnight basketball? How are people going to play midnight basketball when you can't stay up past 8 p.m.? I think there needs to be a regrouping, a rethinking and take the money that's being wasted on all this stuff and give it back to the taxpayers. It's just another example of the tomfoolery that's going on up in Washington. The whole bunch of them, especially the president, is just all messed up in their thinking.

Social Security questions

I'VE OFTEN thought the Missourian could do a much better service by having a question-and-answer section in the paper rather than Speak Out because Speak Out is usually so slanted one way or the other by people's opinions, including yours and mine. Sometimes the information is right. Sometimes it's not exactly right. For example, Social Security. I'm 68. I realize something has to be done to make some adjustments on Social Security. On the other hand, I would like to know just how much money does our federal government actually owe the Social Security fund? I've always understood that they borrowed money from the Social Security fund to pay their bills and if this is so, how much do they owe Social Security and how much interest are they paying on that money they borrowed from Social Security? Could not Social Security do better if that interest was paid by another source rather than our federal government?

REPLY: Yes, the federal government borrows from the Social Security fund, but it also pays back what it borrows with interest. As a matter of fact, by law the government is mandated to appropriate funds to repay borrowings from Social Security when they become due. The Social Security fund is required to seek investments that have low risk. In the world of investing, government securities (in effect, borrowing by the government) are considered among the safest investments around. The rate of return may be lower than higher-risk investments, but Americans who pay into the Social Security fund probably wouldn't like for that money to be exposed to high risk and a higher rate of return.

Humane Society's workers

WHERE DOES the Humane Society get its personnel? Are these people they bring over from the Environmental Protection Agency, or do they get them from OSHA? Gosh, they sound like they belong to either one of those places.

Park restrooms need a lift

I RECENTLY attended an event at the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau and was appalled at the condition of the restrooms. They are obsolete and a disgrace to the city. Large sums of money have been spent on parks and soccer fields and so forth. I think they need to do something about the restrooms at Capaha Park too. After all, many people visit our town each year. What kind of an impression does this make? City council, visit the Arena Building and Capaha Park and take a look for yourself.

Football and politics

IN THE recent picture that the Southeast Missourian carried of the Republican office holders and those Republicans seeking office, I looked at that and understood why the gentleman seeking the lieutenant governorship of Missouri had a smile on his face. Professional football players are accustomed to being hit from behind.

Show some appreciation

I WENT to my granddaughter's ballgame, and there was a question I wanted to ask, so I stopped the referee and told her my question. She looked at me kind of startled when I first approached, like "Oh boy, another old geezer with a grandchild." After I asked her the question, she was very polite, very courteous and very explanatory of all the rules. Then I got to thinking, you know, when was this young lady ever thanked for her duties, for her work, for her time? I told her, "I want to tell you something else, young lady, you and your partner out there did a terrific job tonight." It just made her blossom, and a very gracious thank you was received. Where are we, people? We're so dead in our own thoughts, in our own narrow-mindedness that we can't even thank these young people. Hey, look, I'm an old geezer. I appreciate a thank you too once in a while.

Coverage of the Bulls

I THINK the Missourian sports department is doing a good job on covering the Chicago Bulls and their relentless march towards another NBA championship. I think you sports editor, Jeff Breer, is doing a good job, and I hope to read more about the Bulls in the future.

Walkers should face traffic

I'D LIKE to make a comment regarding Cape Girardeau County Park South. As anybody who's familiar with that park knows, traffic is restricted to travel in a counter-clockwise direction only. Unfortunately, often as I go through the park, walkers are often walking in the same direction, two or three abreast. This leaves me a dilemma. I drive a late-model, well-maintained car, so I have to either drive up close enough to them so that they hear me, which makes me look like a jerk, or I have to honk my horn, which makes me look like a jerk. What I would suggest is that, since the automobile traffic is restricted to going counter-clockwise around the circle in Cape County Park South, the walkers should go clockwise. Then they would be facing the traffic, and they would know if there were cars coming. I'm not saying they don't have the right to be there. What I'm saying is that I think it's a danger, and it sure makes it difficult for a car to get around when people are walking three, sometimes four abreast, in the middle of the road.

Indians at school

MY COMMENT is about the Allen Gathman letter from Pocahontas. He has no common sense to know why the water tower has "Jackson, Home of the Indians" painted on it. It stands for the school.

Sloppy journalism

I CAN'T believe the sloppy piece of journalism. The headline states that few favor it. However curfews are found to be in favor in many communities. Your article targeted teen-agers who are naturally going to oppose it. I noticed you didn't ask any concerned parents. You also wrote about a national curfew plan that doesn't even exist. It was a suggestion by President Clinton that communities that have juvenile crime problems may want to look at curfews as a possible solution. This articles reeks of anti-Clinton bias as uninformed teens are being used to discredit his noteworthy suggestion.

Blatant partisanship

ONCE AGAIN the Southeast Missourian is guilty of biased, blatant partisanship with the editorial about Gov. Carnahan using state money to seek votes. How quickly the Missourian forget. When Bond and Ashcroft both were governor, every time we turned around, they were in Southeast Missouri. And also as senators, the same applies. Who do you think pays for those trips? The taxpayers.

Curfews instill respect

I WAS calling in regards to the curfews and the president's proposal for youths. There were curfews when I was in high school, and I was glad for them. I think it keeps children off the street. Unfortunately, you sometimes have to make legislation when children don't monitor the children. Even though I didn't need the monitoring, I was grateful for it because it did keep children from going out in the streets after 11 p.m. Usually they get in trouble because it's quiet and there's no one out there seeing what they're doing. Nobody asked me if I liked the curfew. I just obeyed it as part of the laws. I think that's part of the problem now. We don't have laws that are respected. The police departments aren't respected. The teachers aren't respected. Why? Because we let the children dictate anymore what we want for them. We say, "Do you want a curfew?" Oh, no I don't want a curfew. "Do you want to be punished for something?" Oh no, I don't want to be punished. Why would we ask them whether or not they want something? Why not have them learn to obey laws at an early age? I think we'll curtail some problems as they grow up. It sure didn't hurt my age group and I'm 48 years old. I really don't see a problem back in the 1960s when I was in high school like they do now. And if they're saying that violence among juveniles is up lately, isn't it time now to address some of these problems?

Nothing better to do?

AFTER READING Allen Gathman's letter to the editor, I'm wondering, does he have nothing better to do than to write about the Jackson water tower?

Try a worthwhile issue

THIS IS in response to Mr. Gathman's letter to the Southeast Missourian. By the same token, how many Indians live out in Pocahontas? I think that name has Indian roots. Also, I would just like to tell Mr. Gathman the next time he's on one of his crusades, maybe he should tackle a more worthwhile issue.

No tigers or capes either

THIS IS to the person who wrote to the editor about the Jackson water tower that reads "Home of the Indians." He said that he looked at the census that you could only find nine native Indians? So what? What about Cape Girardeau? You don't see a lot of capes. And what about Central High School. The mascot is a tiger. You don't see a lot of tigers. What is your point? My opinion: Leave the Indians alone.

Feeding the birds

I AM pleased to say that I feed birds, summer and winter. I live in the city. I have neighbors all around me. I hear the birds over in my neighbor's yard twittering away, and the person behind me, his birds are twittering away. My resident wrens come every year. They're all around me. I always listen to their little calls. Yes, I feed birds.

Thanks, dedicated teachers

I WANT to congratulate all the teachers and school staff at St. Vincent's and Notre Dame School for all their work and dedication they show throughout the school year. They are the greatest. Thanks for the extra mile you do for your students.

Not another Jackson tax

TAXES, TAXES, taxes. Wake up. Jackson property owners must be sleeping. The school district is planning to sneak another tax hike onto your property taxes like they did a few years ago. They say they only want a $7.8 million bond issue that has to be paid for. They say it would only cost the $70,000 homeowner $26 a year more. Wait just a minute. Just two years ago they raised the valuation of property owners and raised taxes. Most property owners don't look at their valuation on their tax bill yearly, so they don't realize the Jackson School District sneaks all the tax hikes in without knowledge of the voters. We don't need another tax hike. We'll have to start moving out of the district before I'll have any valuation of properties raised again. And forget about going in front of the county assessment board for a hearing. All they do is laugh at you. Although the property has increased in value, they won't do anything about it. Think about it, Jackson homeowner, watch your tax dollar this coming year and next year when they pass this large bond issue again.

No snake lover

I WANT to comment on the person who called in and says to be a snake helper. I just want to say that snakes don't deserve to live, and I'll cross four lanes of traffic to run over a snake any day.

An enlightening column

MARC POWERS, you made my day. I had just heard the forecast of a rainy day and since that meant no sunning, I was in a foul mood. That is until I read your column in Saturday's paper. Your referral to the -- heaven forbid -- subject of KFVS and the CHS fiasco. I wanted to express my views earlier, but not being adequate with words, I was shy about calling Speak Out. But come rain or shine I had to get it off my chest. When KFVS shared with the community interviews with the CHS whizzes, the truth emerged concerning their wisdom on basic and primary subjects. They justified their ignorance with lame excuses and saw indulgence and pity from parents, teachers etc. In evidence of the report televised by the highly respectable news team, I say to the CHS student body, unless you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth and you were fortunate to be set up in business with a company derived from your family tree, you will, in order to be successful, need more wisdom than what you possess to come across highly profitable trades in the real world. Thanks again, Marc, for the enlightening column.