SPEAKOUT

Lovely roses

THIS IS to all flower lovers, especially those who haven't seen the roses on the First Presbyterian Church property on Broadway. Those roses are just beautiful. Never have been lovelier. Considering the long, hot, dry weather we have had this is certainly remarkable. Mrs. Rogers, you are certainly doing something right.

Timber is cut

I AM calling in regard to a timber company that is in my area that is cutting down a bunch of trees. I woke up this morning to a timber company that is demolishing the landscaping and the beautiful trees in the lots next to where I live. Come to find out, the man who owns this property has sold the timber rights. I would just like to say that it is a shame that somebody would buy beautiful property and sell the timber rights without any regard to the neighbors and the animals that take shelter here.

REPLY: Timber is a crop, and a valuable one at that. While some folks like the beauty of the trees, others prefer the cash. Shouldn't a property owner be permitted to make that decision?

Street problems

I LIVE in a subdivision off Route K. One of the streets out here has a hole in it big enough that you can drop a car off in. It has been this way for about two and a half to three months already, and nobody does anything about it. Who does a person contact to take care of streets in a subdivision?

REPLY: If the street is in the city limits of Cape Girardeau, you can contact the public works department at 334-9151. If you are outside the city, try calling the Cape Girardeau County highway department at 243-5270. You may be in a special road district, and one of these offices ought to be able to help you figure out who is responsible.

Sunflower thief

I WANTED to thank the individuals who cut my sunflowers. I live in the 800 block of North Main, and I try to have flowers out in front of my house. Some individuals just come and cut my sunflowers down. This has been a rundown area for a long time. I just wanted to thank the person. I hope they sleep well, whoever got my sunflowers. They cut two of them down in my front yard.

All about smoking

I AM a 45-year-old male who has never smoked and dislikes anybody who does. Smoke bothers me immensely. I make it a point to spend my money in businesses that do not allow it. I am also a believer that history tends to repeat itself. Alcohol prohibition of the 1920s was a complete failure. Alcohol abuse in the latter half of this century can be traced to the federal government's misguided attempts to control what they cannot. The vast majority of people in this country don't smoke or drink and in addition demonstrate reasonable human behavior. They are the ones who are best suited to convey to the smokers and drinkers of this country that they better not do it in our presence. Keep up the fine work on covering data that show the health negatives of smoking. In the long run most, but not all, people will be smoke free. And the nonbelievers will all be dying, gasping and wheezing. Better keep our federal government out of any attempt to control smoking. They will surely fail, and we will pay the price.

Attitude on zoning

THE COMMENT under the heading of "Let's vote on zoning" apparently has the same attitude that so many other people do today; Let somebody else do it. You know the old idea of "Let George do it. I would like you to do something for me. I don't want to have to do it." That kind of attitude prevails. The caller stated, "We need someone to start circulating a petition so it can be put back on the ballot." Why doesn't that person get out and start the petition if the person wants the thing on the ballot and not wait for somebody else to do it?

Education reality

THE PUBLIC education system is stripping us of civilization. Fifty years ago the public schools were small and answered to parents. Today they are huge and answer to judges and bureaucrats, whose techniques coddle students' egos while emphasizing political correctness. So grades that are inflated widely have risen among students along with self-esteem. The real outcome, tests show, is almost half of adults are functionally illiterate. They also show a drop in a number of high achievers and further show a stagnation or slow decline for the bulk of students and disaster for those at the low end.

Street problems

I LIVE in a subdivision off Route K. One of the streets out here has a hole in it big enough that you can drop a car off in. It has been this way for about two and a half to three months already, and nobody does anything about it. Who does a person contact to take care of streets in a subdivision?

REPLY: If the street is in the city limits of Cape Girardeau, you can contact the public works department at 334-9151. If you are outside the city, try calling the Cape Girardeau County highway department at 243-5270. You may be in a special road district, and one of these offices ought to be able to help you figure out who is responsible.

All about smoking

I AM a 45-year-old male who has never smoked and dislikes anybody who does. Smoke bothers me immensely. I make it a point to spend my money in businesses that do not allow it. I am also a believer that history tends to repeat itself. Alcohol prohibition of the 1920s was a complete failure. Alcohol abuse in the latter half of this century can be traced to the federal government's misguided attempts to control what they cannot. The vast majority of people in this country don't smoke or drink and in addition demonstrate reasonable human behavior. They are the ones who are best suited to convey to the smokers and drinkers of this country that they better not do it in our presence. Keep up the fine work on covering data that show the health negatives of smoking. In the long run most, but not all, people will be smoke free. And the nonbelievers will all be dying, gasping and wheezing. Better keep our federal government out of any attempt to control smoking. They will surely fail, and we will pay the price.

Attitude on zoning

THE COMMENT under the heading of "Let's vote on zoning" apparently has the same attitude that so many other people do today; Let somebody else do it. You know the old idea of "Let George do it. I would like you to do something for me. I don't want have to do it." That kind of attitude prevails. The caller stated, "We need someone to start circulating a petition so it can be put back on the ballot." Why doesn't that person get out and start the petition if the person wants the thing on the ballot and not wait for somebody else to do it?