SPEAKOUT

Pay-as-you-go plan

I HAVE a solution for the water problem in Cape. Make all public restrooms coin operated. That way everyone pays their fair share, even the outsiders.

Street sweeper out at night

ON HALLOWEEN night and in the Westfield Subdivision the city had street cleaners out working the streets. Obviously the person in charge is not a parent, because a parent would not have someone out there doing that with the children out on the streets. Please consider that the next time you send the street sweepers out at 7 o'clock at night.

Good tips for childcare

I'M COMMENTING on the comments in Speak Out about tips for childcare. I think those are excellent tips. That's the reason why babysitters go into the work force, because the parents take advantage of the babysitter. So good going for the tips for childcare.

Halloween safety

WELL, I'M glad Halloween's over but I wish other people would take into consideration the safety factors in Halloween. In the subdivision where I live, our children all got together on Sunday afternoon before Halloween and went trick or treating in our neighborhood. We had a new sidewalk put in. We were not home on Halloween because we had taken our children to a Halloween party. We did not leave lights on at our house. When I looked out the next morning, our new sidewalk that we had poured had footprints all in it, adult size and children size. From the safety point of view, don't go up to houses that don't have on their outside lights, because you don't know who or what could be there.

Will there be food?

THIS IS in response to Joe Sullivan's column on Friday. Joe, I might be able to come to your funeral but it will depend somewhat on whether I have something to wear, whether it's raining or snowing or whether it's too hot or too cold. But before I make a commitment, I'd kind like to know if you're going to have a light lunch after the service.

Hilarious suggestion

I THOUGHT it was hilarious that in Friday's paper a caller in Speak Out asked that the Missourian try to restore some respect and dignity to the paper. That's hilarious, especially since it was printed in Speak Out, the most ridiculous part of the whole paper when it comes to low-brow humor and attacks and people acting like they have no clue.

Not all Republicans

YOU WANT customers after the election. After reading your editorial endorsement of Jo Ann Emerson, I'm not so sure you will have me as a subscriber. I have subscribed to the newspaper for 60 years and have never read anything so disgusting. Remember, some of your subscribers are not Republicans.

Picking on the president

I AM just about fed up with the editorial page of the Southeast Missourian. I bet 80 percent of your cartoons depict our president in a disrespectful manner. I know cartoons usually do that. But I really think you could pick somebody else besides our president to be your main theme.

Poor planning on sweeper

I TOOK my children trick or treating in Westfield Subdivision Halloween night where we encountered a barking dog which runs loose. And, just after dark, a Cape street sweeper went through the subdivision. Poor planning by the street department. This big machine in the street and small children everywhere, this scene could be in Ripley's Believe It or Not. If I hadn't seen it, I probably wouldn't have believed it. The children's safety was at risk. I think they should have waited to sweep the streets.

Where are the columnists?

The quality of your editorials has decreased dramatically. When we started taking the Southeast Missourian a few years ago, there was always at least one syndicated columnist on the editorial page. Now the past few months, the number of syndicated columnists has steadily decreased until we come to the bottom: one whole page of Speak Out and letters. I'm not getting my money's worth. I can get all the news I need from the Stoddard County Statesman now that you all but eliminated your editorial page.

REPLY: In the days just before a major election, every effort is made to provide space on the Opinion page for the views of letter writers and callers to Speak Out. Now that the election is over, the columnists will again be regular features on the Opinion page.

Blacks separate themselves

I JUST feel compelled to respond to your article on the front page of the Missourian regarding the African-American students at Southeast Missouri State University feeling alienated and separate. A lot of that separation is their own request. There is no white student activity council. There is no white choir. They separate themselves. They want to be only among blacks, and then they turn around and they say it's not right or that something is being forced on them. They are welcome as any student to join any organization. There are not separate white-only fraternities as there are for African-Americans. That's what separates them from the rest of the student body there, is the fact that they do not want to associate with the rest of the body. It's not because the student body does not want to associate with them. Nothing could be further from the truth. They're welcome as much as any other student, as any other creed or race.

Don't leave purse in car

THIS IS for the lady from Jackson who's purse was stolen because she left it in her car. Common sense tells us not to leave our purse in the car. You're just inviting crime. And please quit blaming teen-agers. It could be anybody, particularly people who are looking for money to buy drugs and alcohol and other things, not necessarily teen-agers.