SPEAKOUT

No more handouts

JUANITA SPICER, Dawn Evans and all the members of the NAACP: it's time to get a life. 40 years of liberal rule didn't work. We're all going to have work for a living, one or the other, black or white, educators or not. Jobs are there. Read the classifieds and apply for a job. Quit trying to find handouts. The handouts are gone.

I SAW on the front page in Thursday's paper the lady cashier that I know up there at Del Farm with a closeup of a book of food stamps that some customer is buying groceries with. I was just wondering if the photographer who took the picture asked permission of the customer or if they just took up on themselves to invade someone's privacy or whatever? I would like to know something about this.

REPLY: The customer with the food stamps wasn't shown in the photo. Therefore, there was no identification. When individuals who aren't public figures are shown in photos they are asked for identification. In some instances the photographer also would ask for permission to take the photo.

TV reporting

I HAVE a challenge for KFVS 12 TV reporters. I am a former food service employee. On the March 10 news reports, Terry Turner and Mary-Ann Maloney gave some irresponsible news reports concerning the new law that governs food stamps. First they said if the law goes into affect some people will not have any money to buy food. My question: Why don't those persons go out and get a job and earn some money to buy food, because there are many jobs open that pay much more than minimum wage? Second, they said in Kentucky alone there would be 120 stores closed because of the new law and many hundreds of people would be out of jobs. That is a totally irresponsible statement. My challenge is to give the facts such as what stores, in what towns and when will they close. If these stores are totally dependent upon food stamps for their survival, they are already in trouble.

SEMO tuition

I WAS just reading in the paper where they're thinking about raising the tuition at SEMO University. I agree with the editorial that they need to cut back on some of this. I do not understand why our tax dollars help support the school and why we have to go to these foreign countries and get kids to play basketball. Why not get our own students out of Missouri? Residents of the state should not pay for some kid out of another country to come over to get an education. We're spending too many dollars on that kind of stuff. You should be a resident of Missouri to qualify on some kind of scholarship for this school. They need to cut back on that. They're pricing themselves out up there.

Litter on highway

IN THE past the highway between Jackson and Cape was one of the most beautiful in the state, and as I go to work I have noticed that it has become one of the most littered. I wish people would be a little bit more careful, because we all enjoy beautiful scenery.

AIDS medications

I'M CALLING in regards to the caller in the Saturday paper about the AIDS patient in Cape. The medications he's on are not ultimately futile. They are used to prevent him from getting serious infections or illnesses which could lead to his death. I don't think it's right for these people to sit here and talk about how he gets his care free from the government. What about all the people on disability? He's just as disabled as they are, and he deserves just as much right to have his medical bills and anything else taken care of. He's human, and just because he has a disease doesn't mean that he needs to be looked down. These people don't even know what they're talking about.

Too many calls

CAN ANYONE tell me how to stop all these phone calls selling things or taking surveys? Would an unlisted number stop them?

Christian viewpoint

DESPITE THE attacks on the Christian way of life and even the persecution of Christians themselves today, the Christians are not confounded by arrogant intellectual elitism that asserts existence is a meaningless event in an unending, mindless flow of meaningless events. They are unimpressed by the pompous humanistic ideas that we are born out of nothingness to live and die, only to disappear back into nothingness. Christians know this kind of thinking makes absolutely no sense at all. They see this dark rhetoric for what it is, the verbal flailings of disoriented and frightened people who do not have philosophic handles on themselves or the universe in which they live. Life is not just some kind of glorious accident. The universe is rational. It's enough to make someone shout hallelujah.

Football mania

I HAD to laugh at the childlike attitude all the politicians and such have in St. Louis regarding one professional team. They've practically sold their souls in order to get a mediocre team here. I was there that last season in St. Louis as a season ticketholder when rarely 20,000 people showed up for a game. I think if they do get this team, the newness will wear off very quickly, and they'll revert back to their old ways of not drawing anyone. It's just a shame that all the people who have spent hard earned money on these PSLs are going to get a refund when in fact the owners vote and the Rams will continue to stay in Los Angeles.

The cost of AIDS

THIS IS regards to the Speak Out comment about the AIDS patient. You say we should not continue to support these people due to the fact that they cost the taxpayers a lot of dollars. This is true. However, many people have had living, homes, income, everything they've had wiped out.

On-time delivery

I GENERALLY don't have too many things to complain about the newspaper. I like Heidi and I like Mark, but I want my paper on time. I think Cape and Notre Dame get equal coverage but I want my paper on time. I don't care if Jay has a beard or not, but I want my paper on time. I think the newspaper coverage of school board issue has been fine, but I want my paper on time. I was not happy when the Missourian went to a morning paper, but just like I gave up years ago of having doorstep delivery, I also decided not to be a old codger and go along with this morning delivery, but I want my paper on time. I'm a teacher of current events, and I use the paper everyday. When it came in the evening, I could prepare my lessons for the next day. But now since I leave for school at 7 a.m., I need it at 6 a.m. On Sunday, I leave for church at 8, and I don't think it's asking too much of a morning paper to be here by 7 by Sunday, especially when the neighbor's St. Louis paper is here by 6. I guess we have a new delivery person because it used to be here early except on rare occasions. The last month or so, there have been numerous times we've had a evening paper. My subscription is going soon if this does not improve.

Reading the signs

HAVE YOU ever noticed that cigarette smoking has a particular effect on smokers? It seems to render them incapable of reading. They seem not to be able to read no smoking signs.

Those free lunches

I WOULD like to make a comment on how the liberal elite, especially in the news media, TV and press, will claim that these free lunch programs are going to be cut out. When you get down to the details, it's the people that make over $200,000 that gets these free lunch programs. It's not the poor people. It's the rich people they're going to cut. Rush Limbaugh said it all.

I'M CALLING to comment on the fly-through weather map on KFVS. I took an informal poll at work the other day in the lunch room. Everyone there, and there was about 20 of us, just hate it. It doesn't make any sense, you can't tell what they're showing. Some people said it made them nauseous. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. I've traveled all around the world, and I've never seen anything so stupid in my whole life.

REPLY: There have been many, many comments about the new computer-generated weather graphics used by KFVS during the weather forecast. The news director at the station was given an opportunity to respond, but he said he didn't want to comment on the calls. Unless there is some new information about the TV weather forecast, no more comments will be published.

Paying for North

I JUST wanted to make a comment on the Speak Out call where someone criticized the low North turnout of 850 people for the $10,000 he was supposed to receive, supposedly from Southeast Missouri State University. Southeast Missouri State University didn't pay that fee. The four colleges of Southeast Missouri State University did pay $10,000 to Anita Hill when she came to town, and she only had 810 people present. I think that somebody has made a mistake in that fact that Ollie lied to Congress. He robbed Southeast. Those of us who bought tickets and the Young College Republicans and the fund-raisers paid his fee, which I believe was a lot more worthwhile than Anita Hill's $10,000 paid by the four colleges and administration.

Jackson streets

HELLO, PEOPLE of Jackson. Have you read the announcement about a committee's decision on how and why the finishing of streets will be made? I'd like for you to travel with me. We are at the intersection of Old Cape and Shawnee. On this corner is a sign that reads, "Your transportation tax at work in Jackson." Next let's go down Adams Street behind Pizza Hut. See that nice new bridge? It is built across Hubble Creek. Next let's go north on 61. See that bridge that has no street to or from it? That too is across Hubble Creek. The old quarry lies back there someplace. Now tighten you seat belts. We will go up Main Street. This was repaired and done before this decision was made. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Councilman, tell me: Where are the tax dollars we are paying? Where has all this money gone to? People, don't you think it's about time for you to get a review of all this? This is election time. Remember their names and, if necessary, write in a candidate. You'll be doing yourself a favor as well as other people.

Gutless commish

WELL, THE gutless NFL football commish is trying to block the move of the Rams to St. Louis. Now, Big Al Davis moved and nobody stopped him, and Big Al Davis is talking about moving again, and nobody will stop him this time. Why does the NFL let Al Davis walk all over them but try to give the shaft to St. Louis? Just thinking about this gets me meaner than a boot full barbed wire.