SPEAKOUT

Site selection

CAN ANYBODY tell me if the city council or anyone in the city government of Cape Girardeau is doing anything at all to actively pursue the old St. Francis Hospital site? As we know, the majority of Cape Girardeau feels it's the best site, but we may feel it's the best site and of course the city council and the GSA is going to do what ever they darn well please, and if they feel that it's not logical to put it there, they're going to put it somewhere not logical.

REPLY: The city council has agreed to review sites and may make suggestions to the General Services Administration, which now had indicated it will look outside the previously designated downtown area for a suitable site.

Let's go back

I HEARD Warren Rudman say that if we elect Buchanan for president he would put us back 40 years. I hope that's true, when the streets were safe, when the highways were safe, when we could send our children to school and they could get an education, when our preachers could preach the word of God and not have to preach politically correct sermons. Oh, that would be wonderful. So let's all get out and vote for Pat Buchanan so we can take the world and country back for 40 years.

Sexual violence

I JUST received a questionnaire in the mail from Mary Kasten. One of the questions on it is, "Do you support making violent rape a capital offense punishable by death or life in prison without parole?" Mary, just what exactly is a non-violent rape?

Marriage advice

IN RESPONSE to the person wanting a quick 24-hour marriage chapel, the pre-marriage counseling offered by most churches provides an opportunity to discuss topics that a couple may not have considered otherwise. This is especially true for our young adults. You may feel uncomfortable at first with some topics, but it's better to know how your mate feels about it ahead of time. This response is not coming from a pastor but from a couple happily married for two years and very open to communication. If this person doesn't want to go through a Christian church ceremony, they already have the opportunity to get married by a justice of the peace. Best wishes for a successful marriage for them, but remember communication is important.

Attacking Buchanan

I NOTICED that Bill Emerson is recommending Bob Dole to be nominated for president. There's a bunch of us out here who really like Pat Buchanan's ideas. This old rhetoric of Pat Buchanan dividing the Republican party is a bunch of bull. Actually, it's the big party bosses in Washington who have ganged up behind Bob Dole and think they're going to lose and trying to destroy Buchanan.

Stand up, truckers

TRUCK DRIVERS from Missouri and Illinois, are you tired of politicians from Missouri and Illinois treating you as low-class drivers? Let's change some government politicians, state and local. Remember how many votes truck drivers in both states carry, plus our family members and friends. We keep getting more laws on truck drivers each year. If judges, governors, politicians, police officers and lawyers had to follow truck drivers' rules, approximately half of these would probably be fired overnight. I have 33 years of experience, a 3-million-mile award, 33 years of unchargeable accidents, last ticket 20 years, ran off the road one time to keep running over a drunk driver with a car full of children. Also, blowout right front steering tire 20 year ago. Trucks and tires are much improved now.

Audit findings

I JUST finished reading the front-page story regarding the audit at Southeast Missouri State University. While the net overrun totaled $36,000, I believe the actual total budget overrun and unbudgeted expense amount was $54,000. Also, Dr. Bill Atchley, president, was quoted as saying the mismanagement didn't involve theft. When an employee makes personal long-distance phone calls on company time, that is theft not only from a fund used to pay for the personal calls, but also theft of the salaried time used while talking on the phone. It's called making restitution when paying back the money spent, especially after getting caught.

Look at traffic flow

NOW THAT we have a contract with a riverboat, maybe the city fathers could take the time to look at the infrastructure of our city. Speeding everywhere, on street parking, views blocked on crossings by shrubs, fences, trees and so forth. Why not make Broadway one way downtown, then Independence out? Let's hire a traffic consultant and not let the subdividers and the city lay out our through streets. What a mess we have.

REPLY: The one-way traffic pattern was tried a few years ago. Most motorists as well as businesses along Broadway and Independence agree that one-way traffic didn't work well.

Why drive faster?

WOULD SOMEONE please tell me why they're changing speed limit. I thought the lower speed limit was supposed to save lives and save gas. Doesn't the Missouri Legislature have more things to do than to legislate something that isn't necessary?

Stop the blackbirds

I CAN'T understand why something can't be done about these thousands of blackbirds that are allowed to multiply and continue to be a nuisance and house problem in our city and all over this countryside. You can kill deer, rabbit and a lot of animals to control their populations, but then these flocks of thousands of birds that carry disease are protected.

Stopping traffic

THIS IS concerning the traffic on Mount Auburn. All those people who live on the west side of Mount Auburn would like to see the city put a four-way stop at Mount Auburn and Hopper Road. During rush hours, we can't get on Mount Auburn without risking ours and our children's lives. The traffic travels just too fast. Sometimes we have cars lined up two blocks trying to get on Mount Auburn. Come on, all you people, and comment on this to Speak Out.

Voting for Buchanan

I USED to like reading Paul Greenberg's column until he joined with the other liberals and started denouncing Pat Buchanan. So I'm going to vote Buchanan and show all these media elites that they're just not in touch.

Drug traffic

I LIVE in Jackson, and I cannot believe the way drugs are being sold over here. It seems like no one cares. No one wants to stop anything. It's getting rampant in Jackson.

Gambling donations

THANKS AGAIN, Southeast Missourian, for bringing to light "casino owner Steve Wynn raised $478,000 for GOP candidate Bob Dole in 1995" plus that "one of the largest contributions by the Yes on Amendment 6 Committee was $50,000 to the state political action committee of Dick Gephardt." It proves against the Republicans or Democrats gladly reach for the filthy lucre of the gambling industry, no matter how destructive if may be to the individual eventually.

Wedding preparation

TO THE person who thought they ought to put in a 24-hour marriage chapel so people could just rush in and get married and rush out so they wouldn't have to take the counseling from the churches. I really wished you stop and take a look around at all the pain and suffering that is in this world right now because too many people have gotten married that should never have gotten married and had children. It's the children of our world who have to suffer when these parents divorce and split and argue over the kids and everything else. So marriage is not something that's supposed to be entered into lightly, and I think the counseling by the churches is a wonderful idea.

TV bias

THIS IS to the person that called in about watching the primaries up in New Hampshire. So have I. I guess you saw it on C-SPAN, because you can't get any of these full coverage truth on any of our news channels on television. It's a crying shame in an election year. Not only do you not get to see full speeches or anything, but they absolutely sway you. You can watch a program and see how they're pushing one candidate and bashing another. And I think for our news media in this country on television, it is an absolute crime against the American people.

Taking responsibility

I'M SADDENED and disappointed about the Southeast Missourian's coverage of the funds that are missing or mismanaged in the Trio program at the university. Dr. Schuler was fired and his picture was on the front page of the newspaper. Nobody was held accountable or mentioned. Who did Dr. Schuler report to? Who were his bosses? Where was Sue Ann Strom who was Dr. Schuler's boss. What happened to her? Shame on the Southeast Missourian for not asking those questions, and shame on the university for not telling us who else was involved in this and what disciplinary actions were taken against them. I expect better from the university and from the newspaper. Maybe you could ask those questions and tell the community who's in charge at that university.

Why the wait?

I WOULD like to comment on the recent editorial, "A step backward" about Rich Chastain over at Meadow Heights. Just for your information, a principal's position is not a tenured position. No one has said he will be leaving the district. They simply stated that he will not return as principal. As for the whistle-blowing, the events happened in the 1990-91 and 1991-92 school years. He didn't report this until 1995. Why that length of time? The names were added to the high school rolls. Obviously this shows incompetency when he didn't see this happening under his nose for several years.

Bad decision

AS A concerned parent of two children who attend Meadow Heights School under the supervision of Rick Chastain, I'm very concerned that the school board has fired him. He has done a great job. I feel that the school board has made a very bad decision, this time as well as in the past. I also would like to say that I feel that's time that the school board shape up or ship out, and I would like to suggest that we have a new school board and that a few members resign.

Motorcycle helmets

I'M CALLING to comment on Heidi Nieland's article regarding a brain-injured patient. This is incredibly poor and irresponsible reporting. To say that in this single episode that the neurologist claimed that a helmet would not have offered any protection and probably would have made things worse implies that helmets in general are not necessary. Somewhere in the article it should have stated that helmets were not only law but rather the only smart way to protect your brain while riding a motorcycle. Head injury has been cut down remarkably by the use of crash helmets, and the failure to point this out in the article suggests that it is safe and a reasonable thing to do to ride without a helmet.

Private schools

I'M A Democrat and I voted for Mary Kasten every time she's run for office, but I'll never vote for her again for co-sponsoring a bill that would put public tax money from the public schools into Catholic schools and private schools. In the first place, this would be unconstitutional. And secondly, all of these people have the opportunity to go the public schools. I realize they pay the same taxes as we do but send our children to the public schools. If they want to go to the private schools, fine, no problem with me. But not with my tax money.