SPEAKOUT

Time for a change

I'D LIKE to say that I admire Senator Dole very, very much. He was a war hero and a great patriot and spent many, many months in the hospital. He was crippled because of war acts. I think it would be a good thing if he would win this election. I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I think we probably need a change. I'm afraid that he will not beat President Clinton. I will probably vote for Dole, even though I am a lifelong Democrat. I just hope that he can win for our country's sake.

Support for school growth

THIS IS in response to the Speak Out comment saying that supporting the Jackson school administration is "gobbledygook." You must not be a person who understands the growth process of a successful business. Support of growth of any kind means sacrifice. Our educators assure us that this is a worthy effort that we all need to put forth. Please, support the Jackson bond issue.

Thanks for the flowers

I'D LIKE to thank the people at 2707 Independence. I don't know the family, but they certainly have some pretty flowers, and they brighten my drive to work every morning.

One-sided thinking

"Judge asks why inmate in hole" was the headline in the paper. This is a very humane question, but I can't remember any time the question was raised as why a woman was held in jail for two years for contempt of court. For over two years, mind you, because she expressed her rights and beliefs about her child being threatened with sexual abuse by her husband. She had hit the child, but the judge confined her to jail for over two years. Maybe such one-sided thinking on the part of the judiciary would explain why we have such a reaction from the Freemen. Not that I condone them -- such action should not exist in our democracy.

Protecting health care

A RECENT caller in Speak Out criticized the late Congressman Emerson for going along with Republicans on defeating Clinton's governmental sponsored big government health care bill because he felt that the Democratic party would get the credit for it, because the people would be indebted to them for years and because the Republicans wanted to take control of Congress. The reason the Republicans defeated that bill is because the government has taken over one of the biggest parts of our lives to control it under socialistic services, which has been proven disastrous in Europe and other places where they have the same type of medical services. They all come into the United States to get specialized treatments and get services that they can't get in those countries. The Republicans including Emerson beat the government program down because it would have been disastrous for the United States and its health care system, which is the greatest in the world.

Riding in backs of pickups

I WAS once again shocked today when I saw six children riding in the back of a pickup truck in heavy traffic in Cape. Would someone please answer why we worry about people using seat belts and child seats when riding in cars but do not restrict people from riding in the backs of pickups? I have been concerned about this for a long time, and I hope my bringing this to the attention of concerned citizens will encourage someone to do something to correct this problem.

Check the restrooms

I WOULD like to suggest that the health department look over the restaurants. Some of the bathrooms are terrible, and the floors get spills and don't cleaned up. I suggest that they don't call them and tell them they're coming. Just go and surprise them. I know we were surprised.

Schumer Springs info

If the person who had the question in Speak Out about Schumer Springs will call me at 335-7657, I think I have some information for them.

Belleridge Pike traffic

I ALSO live on Belleridge Pike, and I would like to form an organization with the citizens of Woodland Hills as taxpayers to the city of Cape Girardeau to fight for stop signs on Belleridge Pike. These cars are out of control. This is a residential area, and we need to fight city council or whoever it takes to have stop lights and stop signs put on our street to save our children.

Russians made a choice

IF THE Russian people had it so good under communism and bad under capitalism, as Donn Miller claims in his letter to the editor, why didn't the Russian voters choose to return to communism in the recent election? I think the Russian people know a lot more about their welfare than someone in Tamms, Ill.

The truth about Yeltsin

IT LOOKS like some of that stuff has slipped off "Slick Willie" and stuck on Al "Hug-a-tree" Gore. While visiting Moscow and trying to meet Boris Yeltsin, he was snubbed the first day and had to go to an out-of-town rest home facility the second day for a brief visit. When asked about Yeltsin's apparent illness, our second-in-command said, "Boris appears in good health." The news folks covering the event said that the 65-year-old leader looked like an 85-year-old sick man. Now who's being truthful, the tree-hugger or the press?

A ploy to get voters

I'D LIKE to comment on the minimum wage for Missouri and the giant hike that ACORN is trying to pass. They're not really serious about this as a wage increase. What they're serious about is getting a certain class of people to get out and vote. When people in the bottom of a democracy decide that they can vote themselves a raise, democracy will cease to exist, which is what we're looking at now. No, they don't have a chance. They don't think it will pass. But what they're trying to do is get those people on the bottom rung out to vote. How do you do it? You promise them something, just like Mr. Clinton is doing. You promise and say anything and this is how you get the vote turned out. These guys aren't serious, but they do want these people to vote and vote heavy because it will be Democratic.

Jobs can replace welfare

I'M A strong believer in welfare reform. I think everyone should work if they're able-bodied, and I think teen-age mother should take responsibility. But, if you're going to put them to work, give them jobs that pay $6 or $7 an hour. Give them jobs like the new bridge coming. Give them jobs where they make big wages, and then put them off welfare. I don't mean give these mothers jobs at fast-food restaurants making minimum wage because what you're doing is bringing hardship. They cannot afford medical care. I think jobs like Proctor and Gamble, construction on the Emerson bridge, give them good paying jobs. That's the only way to have welfare reform.

Make the minimum higher

MINIMUM WAGES should be around $8 or $9 an hour. Businesses who worry about their prices rising because of minimum wages, they would raise their prices anyway, so that wouldn't make a bit of difference. This would help out the whole economy.

Cape needs school buildings

CAPE GIRARDEAU needs a few new school buildings now. It was years and years ago that the school boards and city councils claimed that our schools were falling apart. I guess Cape students will have to go to Jackson.