SPEAKOUT

Tell the taxpayers

I HAVE a comment to make about the buyout of flooded houses in Cape and other towns. I think the government should print the name of the owner, the amount of money they get and the address of the property in the local newspaper. The taxpayers should know where their money is spent.

Photo captions

YOU PAPER is incorrectly printing the wording in the captions underneath the photos. The first sentence is always supposed to have a present-tense verb. The AP stylebook says the first sentence is supposed to be present tense, and the sentences afterwards are in past-tense form.

REPLY: Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this. First off, the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, which the Southeast Missourian uses as a guide, has a long section on writing photo captions, but nothing about what verb tense to use. Many newspapers commonly use present tense, but many others don't. Style is just that: a newspaper's preference for the way it does things. Action in photographs isn't happening as the reader looks at it. Therefore, the Missourian's style is to describe the action as having already occurred. Another standard for many newspapers is to put all headlines in present tense as well. But that is changing too, particularly when it makes a goofy headline. You also mentioned some errors that got into print. Mistakes still happen, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

Poor jury choices

OF ALL the comments in Speak Out relating to the trial of O.J. Simpson, especially those supporting the jury and the verdict, not a doubt or question has been expressed about the jury selection. One white woman and one white man were attacked and brutally murdered, yet not one white man was selected to serve on that jury, which was predominantly black and only one white woman. In my opinion, the judge was incompetent. If this represents our justice system today, then may God have mercy on all of us, black or white.

Send your paycheck

TO THE people complaining about the Republicans cutting Medicare and Medicaid, why don't the ones complaining who work send in more of your paycheck to the IRS to help pay for more of this. After all, a lot of this stuff is unnecessary, so this is the way we can get it under cost control.

Where's Walt?

I WOULD like to comment about the wall of fame downtown. I think it's a beautiful job, well done and I enjoyed seeing it. My visitors enjoyed it. But there is one Missourian I've missed seeing on there: Walt Disney. Walt Disney is a person that is known in every home in the United States and across the world. I hope his picture is painted on the wall. I hope I just missed it.

REPLY: Sorry, this famous Missourian won't be on the wall. Permission was sought from appropriate sources for every face on the wall. The Disney folks refused to grant permission.

Miracle cure

AFTER WATCHING all the news footage of O.J. playing golf in Panama City Beach, Fla., I have only one question to ask. Hey, O.J., did you leave your arthritis in the courtroom?

Restaurant tips

AS FAR as restaurants go, most people don't realize that most servers only get between $2.13 and $2.25 an hour. They depend on tips to make up the rest of their wages, even though by law the restaurant they work at has to guarantee minimum wage. Most people don't stay at it because you can't make money. There are way too many restaurants in Cape Girardeau for the demographic area, and there are more coming in. It's hurting all the restaurants, not just some.

Whiny Democrats

I CANNOT believe these whiny Democrats since they lost the majority in D.C., always trying to scare the old people with their lies. Ever since I received Social Security, the Democrats have upped the price of insurance we pay and then upped the price you have to pay before the insurance will pay. One year we did not get the raise until January when we supposed to get it in July. We lost six months. And it's still that way. I wish they will tell us what debt reduction will cost us. I bet it will not be much person when you divide it among Social Security, welfare, disability and SSI. We probably would hardly know the difference. We all know that Democrats started this giveaway. The first thing they should do is cut their salaries and pensions. Their pensions are more than most people make.

Some taxing ideas

RATHER THAN a drastic cut in Medicare and Medicaid, why don't they start taxing the Indian gambling casinos and some of the churches' commercial properties?

Concerned Democrat

I'M A lifelong Democrat, but I'd like to say that I have to agree with the Republicans on their stand on the need to cut the rate of increase of Social Security because if they do that, my children and my grandchildren will be able to draw Social Security after they are eligible for it. As for all the men and women who are working today, they also will be able to draw and their children and grandchildren. So I just hope that the president would not veto that. And also on the debt limit, I also hope he does not veto that because it will throw our financial markets into a frenzy and will cause people all over the country to lose their life savings to the financial markets of this country. I hope and pray that he will go along with the Republicans on their plan that we might live and do the things that we're doing now without worrying the future so much.