SPEAKOUT

A day of history

I'M CALLING on March 24, a day that ought to go down in history. Just like Lincoln with the Emancipation Proclamation, Newt Gingrich today has taken steps to free more people than even Lincoln freed and from a more deadly slavery of the welfare system to try to help them be self-sufficient and to break this dependency that generation after generation has been on. In years to come this day will go down in history along with the Emancipation Proclamation and the Magna Carta as a day when freedom began in the United States. I just think it's wonderful. The people who will soon be finding jobs and training will be grateful in the long run just like the black people are grateful for Lincoln.

I MUST say this thing over welfare reminds me of the "Wizard of Oz" when they threw the water on the wicked witch and she sat there talking about how her beautiful wickedness was over with and how she melted away. Sort of reminds me of the Democrats, how they were hollering about trapping people on welfare and setting up a big welfare state. It's all over. It ended today with transferring the welfare back to the states. They won't be able to build these massive constituencies based on a big socialistic state. I'm glad to see Newt threw the water on the wicked witch.

Something in the air

I GUESS there is something in the air in Cape Girardeau, because every time I read the obituaries, people down here live long. Every time I look at the obituaries people are at least 80 years old before they decide to cash 'em in.

The cost of convicts

I HAVE a response to the article "Convicts costlier than collegiates." A couple of things we might want to think about: Perhaps we should send convicts to college instead of prison. That way they could better their education and probably not return to the system. So we may want to start sending non-violent offenders straight to college. Another thing I read in the article is that the prison population will reach 20,000 fairly soon. So what we could do is build a city of perhaps 20,000 people and build buildings and such and just have a prison city and they could go to college and work and everything, but we could build a big fence around the whole entire city. That is something we should think about.

A raise for Heidi

GIVE HEIDI Nieland a raise. She deserves it. Also I have an idea where you can get the money without increasing your overhead. Take it out of Jay Eastlick's check. What ever you are paying him is too much.

Name for the cat

I HAVE enjoyed tremendously Joe Sullivan's articles about his cat. Most of the cats we've ever owned have been called Kitty because they naturally respond to that. But I've thought of a good name for his cat since she pretty much rules the whole kingdom there, they should name her CleoKatra.

I READ Mr. Sullivan's article in Friday's Missourian in regard to the cat ownership. Must I say I truly agree with him. We are the proud owners of a 16-year-old class cat who truly treats us just like his in the article. More power to cat owners.

Who's the Christian?

IMAGINE my surprise when I read the comments of the two so-called Christians responding to the gay Christian in a previous Speak Out column. To my way of reading all three comments, the gay man certainly sounds like the best Christian out of the bunch. What a surprise.

Great photo, Fred

I WOULD LIKE to compliment the photographer, Fred Lynch, for the beautiful spring picture in Friday's Missourian. The original would be a lovely picture to frame.

Liberals and facts

IN REGARDS to the person used the phrase "cry-baby liberals." We're not crying. We're just stating the facts. In the welfare plan you have representatives from Florida and Wyoming afraid that children and people in need may need welfare like wild animals and crocodiles. Not all human beings are wild animals and crocodiles. What are they going to pick on next? It reminds me of the days when Eisenhower's secretary of defense called us all dogs. He we who were unemployed could either be pups or bird dogs. That's a typical attitude of the Republican Party towards the working and the poor. I hope we see the light at the next election. It's not going to stop at welfare. It's going to go to Social Security.

Paying for travel

I WAS watching the news on TV and I saw that Hillary and daughter were taking in the sights in the foreign country. I wonder who's paying the tab.