SPEAKOUT

One-party newspaper

WE GET our paper through the school for our history class, and as we read it we think there's only one party, because that's all your paper refers to until they want to criticize the Democratic party. We would like more level coverage of both parties. Apparently the editor is one of those Republicans.

Fixing sharp corner

ABOUT TWO years ago I read that the city was going to straighten out the 90-degree turn on North Main Street near the old shoe factory. It is very dangerous. Also riverboat visitors will be driving to Cape Rock Park. This small job could be done by city employees at minimum cost.

Blame the timekeeper

THE DOCTORS only beat the lawyers at basketball by two points. The lawyers could have won if the time keeper had been a lawyer.

Respect for leaders

The other day someone called about the unfair treatment to our president and how you call him as Clinton. In regard to the disrespect part, I believe that is true. When you print things like that you're showing our youth of today how to act for tomorrow and being disrespectful. If we don't unite ourselves as a nation, we are divided. So we have to respect our leaders and honor our leaders and make suggestions to them, not degrade them.

A prayer for today

I WOULD like us to be so successful that abortions would stop. Children and employees and street preachers could share their religious views without penalty. Families could educate and discipline without fear of the state and religious persecution. Ridicule and discrimination would disappear. In the meantime, I would that we could continue with as many as people as possible to be faithful and most importantly that we can lead our lives and do our jobs as God would want to. Amen.

Wary of OBE

PETER KINDER wrote a very good article on Senate Bill 380 and outcome based education. OBE is something that every parent with any kid in school, especially in high school, should be very wary of. It's behavioral modification, it's attitude adjustments. It has very little to do with reading, writing and arithmetic. Peter Kinder has done a very good job on this article in pointing out that this needs to be looked at very carefully.

Bad calls

I ATTENDED the Scott City-Bloomfield basketball game Feb. 10. It was the worse officiating I've every seen. It was obvious from the tipoff that the officiating was out to make sure Scott City came out on top. It was no wonder that the coach from Bloomfield was ejected after the second technical. I sure felt someone should say something about how bad it was. My heart and pride goes out to Bloomfield. They never gave up after coming back from being down by 12 points late in the ball game. The boys from Bloomfield really deserve a pat on the back.

'Walton Wedding' a treat

I JUST want to say a big thank you for having "The Walton Wedding" on Sunday evening. What a great show it was. I hope KFVS would put on more shows such as this. It was a great show.

Gambling for streets

THE CITY wants a sales tax to pay for city street projects. I thought Boyd Gaming Corp. was supposed to pay for some of that as part of the bargain of coming to town. You've been hoodwinked, Cape Girardeau.

Tax-spend governor

EVERY TIME I see an article concerning Mel Carnahan's desire to cut taxes and/or to give the citizenry a greater voice in tax raises, it makes me want to throw up. In fact, it makes me want to puke seeing how he is nothing but a tax-and-spend politician, and I am positive he is only looking to the 1996 elections.

A wonderful place

I WOULD like to say something for the Jackson Nutrition Center. That is a wonderful place, very clean. My husband and I have been going to the Jackson Nutrition Center for about three months now. We met the administrator, who is a very nice lady. We miss the nice friendly young lady that used to sit at the desk. She would always say good morning and then talk to us about something. She would ask me where I got the good-looking young man that I was with, which we're both in our 80s. We sure need more like her at the desk to greet us old senior people.

Sand and salt

I THINK it's high time they stop putting all the sand and salt all over our streets when it's really not necessary. And when we do have ice and snow, how about using a little common sense and put sand on hills? They do not need to put it all over these streets the way they have in the past. Then it takes months to get it cleaned up. I'm getting tired of cleaning up that sand in front of our home.

Votes were bought

DURING MY lifetime Democrats have been known as big entitlement spenders. The Democrat-controlled Congress during the previous 40 years continually expanded welfare, AFDC, food stamps and countless other give away programs. The vast majority of these programs have proven to be miserable failures. President Clinton promised to change welfare as we know it. But he has done absolutely nothing since taking office. Why are many Democrats resisting changes? The answer is simple. Self-sufficient people are more likely to vote for a Republican. The people who get free government money almost always vote for the big-spending Democrats. The Clintons and Gephardts might tell you that they are protecting the unfortunate, but their main goal is protecting an extremely large bloc of solid Democratic votes. They bought those votes with taxpayer money.

Sweeping the sand

THE CITY street sweeper went up and down my street this morning. But all of the sand is still there. At least most of it. The street sweeper was going too fast to do any good. This doesn't get the job done.

Isolated neighborhood

THE NEW bridge entrance along College Street will isolate those citizens south of the bridge traffic and cause another Smelterville. Will they build a new elementary school on the south side of the new bridge highway?

No vote for tax

THE MAYOR might as well forget the roads tax before they put it on the ballot. I am not going to vote for it, and I think there are a lot of people in Cape Girardeau who will not vote for it.

Good TV movie

I WOULD just like to thank CBS for producing such a good program for all the family like "A Walton Wedding" Feb. 12. It was one of the best Walton shows I've seen. Please try and bring more program like this back. It brings back memories for my family and my five children who watched it years ago. No sex, no violence. We need more of this kind of program for today.

Cigarettes and health

MY HUSBAND never did drink, but he did smoke, and it killed him. I just get so upset when I see children running around with a cigarette in their mouth. They don't understand the value of their health. I think it's time they put a stop to these cigarettes and put them out. I don't know how our government is going to keep up with the expense because I know how expensive it is to have somebody ill with emphysema. It is very expensive. If it hadn't been for Medicare helping me I would have never made it, and I still had quite a bit to put out. Please do tell the children and the people of today smoking is harmful to your health. On top of everything it is very expensive if you get sick.

High school Spanish

I WOULD like to suggest to the new Jackson school superintendent that Jackson High School begin offering four years of Spanish. The NAFTA and GATT treaties will only increase the influence of Latin American markets on the U.S. economy. Fluency in Spanish will become an even bigger asset in the business world. Also, why must the system of choosing classes for the next school year be a test of physical endurance? Is forming lines in the pre-dawn cold the most efficient way? The counselors treat students' questions like annoyances. Marine drill instructors are more sympathetic and less intimidating. Please remember you are dealing with kids.

Like the new look

I WOULD just like to comment that I like and appreciate KFVS-12's new logos and their little weather thing they do at 6:15. I think it is very good and they should continue it in the future and congratulations to them.

The minimum wage

I'M CALLING about raising the minimum wage. Are the people out there so stupid that they think that would help? The only thing that is going to do is raise prices of everything else out there. So why should they raise it? Things are high enough already.

Wants NASCAR viewing

I WOULD like to make a negative comment about KFVS-TV sports. This Sunday at 11 o'clock they had the Busch Class, which is a race for the pole winners from all of last years NASCAR races. But when I turned my TV on to watch that I got basketball. I think that is rather silly when that could be played anytime. When you have a race that features the hottest racers around, you don't want to watch basketball.

Thanks, good fairy

THIS IS to the good fairy who left the soda, chocolate, oranges and coffee at my doorstep. What a thoughtful thing to do. It really brightened my day knowing someone cared. Thanks.