SPEAKOUT

Americans first

HOORAY FOR the person who called in and said politicians were elected to help the American people first. If they don't want to do that, then move to the other countries. We don't want you in the United States.

Flood wall suggestion

CAN YOU tell me who I could contact about some suggestions for the mural on the flood wall? Since Rush is the only controversial one who has been mentioned, I think it would be best to leave him off, otherwise, I'm afraid somebody will deface the mural.

Reply: You can call the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau at 335-1631 or Tim Blattner at 334-3288.

Door-to-door sales

IS IT AGAINST the law to knock on people's doors and try to sell them something?

Reply: There is an ordinance against door-to-door home solicitation for the purpose of selling goods, services or subscriptions in the city of Cape Girardeau. Any exemptions must be approved by the City Council. Complaints can be forwarded to the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Gas prices vary

JUST READ in the Missourian about gas prices in Cape Girardeau being $1.09. As of Monday, Quik Trip at Herculaneum, gas was $1.03 a gallon and at Arnold Quik Trip, gas was $1.01. Why so much higher here in Cape Girardeau?

Reply: According to the American Automobile Association, the average gas price in the St. Louis area earlier this week $1.10.9. Some stations lower their prices to generate more business. The statewide average was $1.11.9.

Sentence criticized

THIS IS in connection with that Samuel Jay Denny, the guy who raped and sodomized and suffocated a 2-year-old girl in Delta. I read in the paper where Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle recommended life without parole. I think is very sad in our justice system. He killed a 2-year-old girl. She don't have a life to live and now he's going to have to live the rest of his life behind bars. We have to feed him for the rest of his life.

Sales tax question

IF THE city is planning on spending part of this sales tax money at the airport, I will vote against this tax increase. If the city does not plan any improvements on the streets or overlays in the northeast section of Cape, I will vote against this sales tax. The people in this part of Cape are tired of not getting any return on their tax money. And if they use this money at the airport instead of putting it on the city streets, I don't believe this tax will pass.

Reply: No airport improvements are included. The list of transportation sales tax priorities approved by the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission include:

1. Expand paving overlay program.

2. Pave remaining gravel streets.

3. Street, curb and gutter repair.

4. Sidewalk repair and reconstruction.

5. Perryville Road, near Meyer Drive to city limits.

6. Hopper Road, Phase I, new alignment from Mount Auburn west to Kage Road.

7. Silver Springs Road, William north to Independence.

8. Bloomfield Road, Phase I, Christine east to Spring.

9. Broadway, widening and reconstruction from Clark east to Perry.

10. Mount Auburn Road: Widening to full four lanes, William to Independence; Traffic signals at Independence

11. New Route 74 connections.

12. Bloomfield, Phase II, Kingshighway west to I-55.

13. Hopper Road, Phase II, Kage Road to I-55.

14. William, general improvement and, or widening, Sprigg to Main.

15. Perryville Road, city limits north to Route W and Cypress Drive.

16. Kage Road, Mount Auburn to Hopper Road.

17. Mount Auburn-Southern Expressway extensions.

18. Independence, reconstruction Pacific to Sprigg.

19. New Madrid Street, Reconstruction from Perry east to Show Me Center, including realignment of Henderson intersection.

20. Rodney, new Cape La Croix Creek bridge and reconstruction from National Guard Armory north to Hawthorne.

C-SPAN support

I'D JUST like to let Mr. Eggimann and Mr. Gateley that there's nothing more educational on cable than C-SPAN. If they're really wanting to improve educational value of television, they should be picking on another station to take off the air. Leave my C-SPAN alone.

Reply: These councilmen have not pushed to take C-SPAN off the air. They want it moved from Channel 5, which is the local access station. The council approved a year of time-sharing for Channel 5 and C-SPAN, and that year is almost up. These two councilmen have also pushed for increased usage of the local access station.

Gangbanging definition

IN REFERENCE to your headline on the front page of the Monday, June 26, Missourian, I can't believe you have the word gangbanging in big print. If you ask any young person what gangbanging means, it means a bunch of men having sexual activity with a young lady or a bunch of women having sexual activity with one man usually forcefully. I thought the choice of the word was very poor taste.

Reply: Words change with the times. Today, the prominent definition means to be associated with a gang.

THIS IS SANDY RESSEL and but I really take offense when being accused of not caring about children, especially nine bus loads of them. My recent article explaining why I felt the next interchange should be in Jackson was written for precisely that reason. I do care about children and I am extremely concerned that they are being bused daily through an interchange that is killing and maiming people on a regular basis. I saw another wreck there this week. My comments about Jackson's growth is just a statistical fact that is relevant to this issue. It is something no one could have predicted and yet is a major reason this intersection has become so dangerous. Speed limits and traffic lights may help but I'm not sure that will be a solution the rush-hour bottle neck.