SPEAKOUT

Raise minimum wage

I AM a born-and-raised Democrat, but I voted a Republican ticket this last time. It will be my last after hearing what U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft said about the $4.25-an-hour minimum wage. He said there was no sense in raising it. I'd like to see him live off $4.25 an hour and pay the bills that people have to pay. Doctor bills and everything else just keep going right on up. He doesn't care about his working man or woman that put him in office. Let me tell you something, these people that don't believe in raising the minimum wage, they're hypocrites and they don't love their fellow man as God says we're to love them.

Buchanan was right

THANK YOU, Pat Buchanan, for your column in Saturday's paper: "How World War II really ended." I appreciate your setting the record straight and simply reporting what was done in that time. I served in World War II, and I deeply appreciate your stance.

School computer links

I WAS happy to read that Cape Girardeau Central High School will be connected to state and national computer networks. This was long overdue, and Kimberly Gwyn is to be congratulated on this accomplishment. However, I have no reason to believe that the elementary schools will soon be connected as the last line of the article stated. The Cape Girardeau School District has shown very little interest in computers for elementary use. Take Jefferson School. I believe this year each regular classroom finally got one computer each. This was because the secretarial staff switched from IBM to Apple, and the kids got the old the Apples, but the only programs are Shareware, which are those can be copied for free. The district does not allocate the money to buy the better programs that could be really useful nor does it ask the teachers what they could use. The learning disabilities classroom at Jefferson has no computer at all, which is really sad, because those special-needs kids are often highly motivated by good computer programs. Only the federally funded programs at Jefferson, remedial reading and math, have had money to get computers and programs that they could really use. The district, unlike the federal government, has not seen fit to fund computers or programs adequately for elementary teaching. Other districts, even those smaller and not as highly rated as Cape Girardeau, do much better by their younger students than we do here.

Great art show

HOORAY FOR the great coverage for the 17th High School Art Show at Southeast Missouri State University. Congratulations to all participants. It's a wonderful show. Where was Cape Central High School?

No tax increases

I JUST noticed in the paper where the city is figuring on a tax increase. I, for one, am against any kind of tax increase for schools or the city because when they get their gambling boat, they're going to get so much money they won't know what to do with it.

Smoking at the mall

REGARDING SMOKING bans at the mall: People who don't want to breathe second-hand smoke don't have a holier than thou attitude. They are striving for good health. I have asthma and cannot be around any smoke. Now I can go the mall so I will spend the money that the Speak Out caller says he or she will not be spending there.

Loud downtown music

I WOULD just like to say that I agree about the loud, awful music downtown. It certainly does take the pleasure out of strolling and shopping and enjoying the river downtown. So I would go along with getting rid of all that loud music downtown.

Blues on PSN

FOR THOSE KPLR TV fans out there waiting for the Blues and the Cardinal games to be aired on the cable service, I do know Prime Sport Network is going to carry 13 Blues games and 43 Cardinal games this year. I picked up my schedule at the local cable office.

It was just a joke

THIS IS to the person who was criticizing Gov. Carnahan for pardoning the 10-year-old boy. Does this person realize this was a tongue-in-cheek matter and not a serious situation at all?

Public broadcasting

WE SHOULD support National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System for the common good. The developed countries of the world subsidize their public broadcasting to raise the cultural level of the people, and we should continue to do so. Although sports programs are good, not everyone wants to watch them. Soap operas, sleazy TV sitcoms and many talk shows too often are examples of low ethical and moral standards. On the other hand, NPR and PBS have high quality programming that should continue.

Face the facts

IT SEEMS that doom-and-gloom Stapleton is still in a state of denial following November's election. Face facts, Jack, your party lost. You and the rest of the self-ordained intellectuals are going to have to live with that fact for at least two more years and hopefully well beyond. Your subtle implications that the voters were stupid in kicking out the Democrats is really off the mark. In fact, the opposite is true. Because the voters now have viewpoints other than those of Dan Rather and his kind they are more informed than ever before. The gravy train is over, Jack, and all of your whining and groaning is for naught.

Legal vs. right

EVEN THOUGH abortion is legal that does not make it right, and I hope anyone considering an abortion will realize that they are truly carrying a human life.

Ludicrous coverage

THE SOUTHEAST Missourian's coverage of the protest at Regina's House of Dolls was absolutely ludicrous. Since when does a protest by three people with homemade cardboard signs constitute a huge public protest and deserve front-page coverage? Is the Southeast Missourian that hard up for news? Donna Miller is just like the strippers: They're all on stage. The only difference between Miller and the strippers is that she's got her clothes on.

Superseding authority

THIS CONCERNS the governor superseding the authority of the parent recently. No one should be surprised at this. This happens all the time in the public schools. Students are allowed to challenge the authority of the teacher, to go over the head of the teacher. Same thing, parents are allowed to challenge the authority of the teacher and go over the head of the teacher.

Cut national debt

WHY DON'T our state and federal elected officials go for a balanced budget and reduction of our national debt? Why must we continue to spend billions on our space program, loan money to Russia, which is keeping their space program going. Let's cut back for a few years to lower our national debt.