SPEAKOUT

A front-page good deed

WHAT A wonderful thing those Citgo employees did. They made a lot of people in Cape feel a lot better when they read that article. It should have been on the front page though.

Help with concession stand

ON JUNE 26, the trailer concession stand owned by the Central Boosters Club burned and was destroyed. This was believed by some to be an act of arson. The trailer was being used by the Capaha baseball team at Capaha Field for both the Capahas game and also for the junior and senior American Legion games. This was a great loss because soda, hot dogs and popcorn are a tradition at any baseball game. I will not go into great detail of the financial expenses of the Capahas, but I know this is a great loss for the Capahas, American Legion, Babe Ruth and, of course, the fans. I am sending a $50 donation to Jess Bolen, manager of the Capahas baseball team, to use as he sees fit for the replacement of the concession stand. I challenge the people of Cape and any other neighboring town who enjoy the many baseball games that are played at this beautiful park. By the way, the Capaha baseball team is 100 years old. We should make sure that this credit to our town and community will continue.

Old seminary is heritage

I SAW the grounds of the St. Vincent's Seminary for the first time during Riverfest and realized that it had the most magnificent view of the river of any place in Cape. It would be a shame not to preserve this as a part of Cape's heritage.

Postal Service issues

I'M GLAD to see that the postal workers are picketing to let people know about privatization. Some of the same organizations did some picketing when they thought about taking the postal service out of the federal government. If they want to do something to keep themselves from being privatized, they need to look within themselves. Postmaster General Runyon himself said, in a recent issue of Federal Times, that postal employees are paid too much. Their raises are too high. Compared to the private sector, they're getting considerably higher increases than anybody else. If you don't think they're paid too much, take a postal clerk from Cape Girardeau Post Office and compare the wages to a postal clerk at the state university. They do the same job. Are they getting paid equally? Are they really worth the kind of money that we're paying them to handle the mail? They're untrained, unskilled and uneducated for the most part. It doesn't take a college education to deliver the mail. And is the Postal Service really looking for all the avenues for saving money? Why doesn't somebody look at the possibility of why the Postal Service does not use more contractors. If we can get the mail done cheaper, why aren't we? And if we can't, and management isn't taking all the steps it needs to do to get the Postal Service in line and to repay the debt to the public for the buildings and property it got when it broke off, then it's time that we privatize the Postal Service.

Support for Bekki Cook

I SHOULD like to give my support to Bekki Cook on not re-opening candidate filings for Bill Emerson's place. She is following the law laid down by the state. The woman who had the job before her violated the rules to allow her son to file after the deadline, and she was thrown out on her ear -- and properly so. Bekki Cook is doing exactly the right thing.

Try a dead-end street

I LIVE on Belleridge Pike, and I also feel something should be done very soon about the speeding problem before some child or pedestrian is killed or injured. I think one solution would be to close Belleridge Pike at Perryville Road. Then we in our neighborhood would have a dead-end street instead of a shortcut speedway for all those living out in the subdivisions off Perryville Road. Those people could then use the new modern route of Lexington to Perryville as it is intended. Then maybe we could have a nice, quiet street where all the neighbors in Woodland Hills could relax and enjoy our street. Parents could rest easy knowing that their children wouldn't be run down while riding their bicycles or walking. I seriously believe we should all get together and consider trying to get this done.

Flag has been published

WHERE IS the paper flag that's always in the paper a week ahead of time to put up for the Fourth of July? I've been looking for it for the last few days, and I can't find it. I don't have a flag at home that is in decent shape anymore, and I was looking for it. Is it going to be in the paper this year?

REPLY: The U.S. flag, suitable for putting in your window or on the wall, is a popular item among our readers. It was published in the June 28 edition of the Southeast Missourian.

Lifeguards are needed

I WANT to respond to an comment in your paper that was in Speak Out called "Taking responsibility." They were talking about a young man drowning at Trail of Tears State Park. I think they should hire lifeguards and give people citations. If they would give people fines, they would be able to hire lifeguards. It wouldn't cost them any extra, because they'd be taking it out of the funds from the tickets. They ought to start charging people to go out past the buoys. Then there wouldn't be as many accidents, and then I wouldn't have lost a dear, good friend.

Teddy's assessment

FORMER PRESIDENT Theodore Roosevelt once stated, "No man is worth default who is not ready at all times to risk his body, risk his well being, risk his life in a great cause." Our draft-dodging president who is so much in love with the left-leaning foreign socialists should pay attention to what he said. Maybe he would learn something.

Thanks for the flag

THANK YOU to the Southeast Missourian for again supplying the American flag tearsheet. I look forward to it every year, and I have it placed in my picture window.

Lake would benefit Cape

ALL BOLLINGER County residents, Cape is always looking for tourism. Cape only wants the income from the proposed Bollinger-Cape Girardeau lake project for themselves. They want the tourism dollars for themselves. None of this will help Bollinger County. Why should Bollinger County impose a tax to build a lake that will help Cape County when they really don't care about Bollinger County? I agree with the person who said, "I hope the people backing the project would spend that much effort getting industry in the area when we would all be better off."

Need ban on fireworks

I WOULD like to voice my support for any proposed ban on individual use of fireworks Missouri. After all, if shooting fireworks in a private area was so great, people would shoot at their own houses, wouldn't they?