SPEAKOUT

No cuts in Medicare

IN SPEAK Out, the statement has appeared not occasionally that the Republican Congress slashed Medicare. Early this month Paul Greenberg wrote about this on the Opinion page of the Southeast Missourian: Greg Murphy, president of the National Geographic Society: "My mother and father are elderly. Medicare means a great deal to them. Fortunately, they knew that Congress was not about to abolish Medicare recently." Greenberg continues: Yet the biggest, longest running and freeloading falsehood of the current election campaign still being repeated incessantly and deliberately is that the Republicans have cut Medicare when, of course, they have increased spending on Medicare. What is the source of President Clinton's and the media's source of misinformation known as lies?"

Another voting guide

WHEN I have a problem knowing who to vote for, it really helps when I see letters from Alan P. Journet, because then I know who not to vote for. I'm going to vote for whoever he's not voting for.

How judges are picked

I HAVE a question for Speak Out. Are the Circuit Court Judges Byron Kinder and Thomas J. Brown III elected or appointed?

REPLY: Both judges were elected -- Kinder in 1972 and Brown in 1994 -- in Cole County. Because the state capital is in Cole County, many important lawsuits involving state issues are heard there. By the way, both judges are Southeast Missouri natives. Kinder was born in Cape Girardeau, and Brown was born in Charleston.

Shopping-cart peeve

MY PET peeve is to go a store and have to get out of my car and remove a shopping cart before I can park my car. Some people are too lazy to take the cart to a designated parking spot or take it back to the store after they are finished.

A conservative county

I HAVE some food for thought. Cape Girardeau County is a very conservative county. It is a fact that Cape County has voted for the Republican candidate for president a long way back. So I'd like to know where these liberal comments in Speak Out are coming from. I suspect some of these comments are coming from the same liberal. I am very proud of Cape Girardeau County's citizens, its conservative history, its stable economy and the Southeast Missourian newspaper. Thank you, and please vote Nov. 5.

Abortion is complicated

I SUPPORT abortion and I'll tell you why. It's a complicated issue. What if you were a rape victim and became pregnant with the assailant's child? What if the assailant was a drug user or an AIDS victim? Is any of this fair to the child? Could you give a child a loving home knowing it was not conceived in love? What if your doctor informed you that caring your child was not physically possible and highly endangered your life? What if you were informed your child would be born brain dead? Obviously, abortion is a complicated and difficult matter. If it is outlawed, it will not stop it. Let's stop criticizing candidates who support women's choice. Rape, robbery and assault are illegal, but that doesn't stop those acts from happening, does it?

Minimum wage is unfair

THIS IS in regards to the people that are crying about the minimum-wage raise. Is it because that's less money in their pocket? Isn't that the reason? Don't they realize that people cannot live on $4.25 a hour? I tried it. I couldn't. And there are a lot of other people who couldn't. So they're making their money and their good living on the people who are working for $4.25 an hour. I think this is very unfair. They should at least put themselves in their employees shoes living at $4.25 and see how they would like it. They wouldn't like it, but they just do not want to lose their money that comes off $4.25 an hour wages, which is very unfair. I think this wage increase should go through.

Band music is uplifting

I'VE HAD just a wonderful experience. I've just experienced the wonderful sounds of the Cape Central High School band playing after-game tunes in the church parking lot. I live on Ellis Street and could hear the band from my back porch. My son was a band member three years ago, and the music brought back great memories to me. Keep up the great work and efforts, Cape Central band. And Mr. Nall, you still have the touch. Thank you for a grand end to my day.

Users should pay

THE CITY of Cape Girardeau political parasites are at it again. We do not live in the city. We are paying to repair your streets now. You parasites want us to pay for your water improvements. We do not use your water. You do not pay for our water improvements. Make the users pay for it.

The word is out...

I'M DEEPLY disappointed in the Southeast Missourian. I've thought of them as the voice of the right-wing Republican Party for Southeast Missouri. For the past week or little over, you have really ruined my opinion of you. A week or so ago you had a large article in the paper about finding out the effects of cigarette smoke and how it was deadly. And then on Monday, on the front page of your paper, you put an article with Bob Dole that one of his chief advisers was Charles Black who was a lobbyist for one of the tobacco companies. Don't you realize that you are giving aid to your enemies? People shouldn't be told things like cigarettes will kill you. You should keep quiet, because if you're going to a voice of the right-wing Republican party, you can't go around spreading stuff like that.

Age over ethics

I HAVE noticed a very interesting trend. Jokes and political cartoons about Dole usually have a punch line about Dole's age and stoicism. However, jokes and political cartoons about Clinton usually refer to his lack of ethics or high morals. Before you vote, ask yourself if you can in good conscience vote for the candidate whose morals, ethics, sexual conduct and trusted advisers are for good reason the subject of such widespread ridicule.

The Post-Dispatch endorsements

THE ULTRA-liberal Post-Dispatch was correct when it declined to endorse Bekki Cook for secretary of state. Some of her decisions concerning recent elections reeked of partisan politics, and her handling of the speaker of the House voting was downright unethical. However, the Post-Dispatch chose to endorse Bill Clinton for president even though his ethics make Bekki Cook look like Mother Teresa.

What about the debt?

I KEEP reading in Speak Out about all the wonderful programs that the liberals beginning with FDR have passed. Somehow the $5 trillion debt they have caused is never mentioned. Who is to pay for all our government handouts? I have children and grandchildren, and I don't want to burden with more debt and bigger government.

Clinton and Medigap

HAVE THE rest of you senior citizens noticed that our Medigap insurance is going to go up because Medicare is paying less, and Clinton was claiming somebody else was going slash Medicare. And yet he's still president and Medicare is paying less.