SPEAKOUT

Go west, federal building

I THINK the downtown merchants' committee for the new federal building should reconsider the area just west of city hall. This area could be improved tremendously if Happy Hollow were gone. The small merchants and landowners in that area would probably be happy to sell for a much more reasonable price. Have they been approached?

It's murder

I JUST read an article in your paper about partial-birth abortions. I think that's murder anyway you go about it. I'm against abortion, but killing a baby at that stage of life is totally wrong, and I consider that murder. I think something ought to be done to the people who perform those abortions and the women who have them.

Social Security info

I WOULD like to make a comment about a lot of older people on Social Security. I don't think these people realize that when Social Security first started, for every person drawing there were maybe 13 or 14 paying in. Now for each person drawing, there are only about three or four people paying in. And another thing I don't think they realize: It only takes three and a half years to draw out everything that you have paid in plus interest.

Parking for disabled

THANK YOU for explaining that some of us who park in disabled parking really do need it even though we don't walk disabled. I can no longer shop at the mall or some of the other large stores, because it would be too far for me to walk. I am fortunate to be able to do some shopping two weeks out of each month. Be thankful you can still go when and where you like.

Great leader

IN RESPONSE to the person who called our president -- whom I think is a great leader -- a coward: That offends me greatly. Not because Bill Clinton is the president of the United States. It just shows the tactics of a poor loser. The caller said the coward wants to send our boys into the line of duty to risk their lives. If he doesn't want to send them in the line of duty, then the caller would say he doesn't want to stand up to the country because he is a coward in the first place and didn't serve in the Army. If he does, he didn't serve but he wants to risk everybody else's life. The only thing that will make this caller happy is to get a Republican president. That's what is behind the whole thing. The caller's buddy, Phil Gramm who wants to be president, managed to shirk the draft and get out of the line of duty and lived off the government. And when did Rush Limbaugh serve in the armed services?

No credentials

I WANT to comment about the situation we have with the presidency. There's a time when the use of power can be very good and a useful tool in foreign diplomacy, such as when Reagan bombed Muammar Gadhafi's house in Libya after he machine-gunned children in Rome. This put a stop to him doing anymore terrorism. When Bush kept Saddam Hussein from taking over most of the oil in the world, this was a proper use. But Bill Clinton doesn't have the credentials to send men into battle, and this is dangerous. Who would follow somebody who wouldn't go himself? This is a bad step for the United States. I'm afraid it's going to affect the United States, because everyone's going to remember that there was a president elected one time who didn't serve int he military. It's almost going to have to be like Moses and the children of Israel, who had to wander for 40 years until that whole generation died off.

Feelings on Tri-Con

I AM employed at the closing Tri-Con plant in Cape Girardeau, and I was not impressed with the article in the Southeast Missourian. It only stated facts and expressed management's excuses for the plant closing. But it didn't express how the employees feel about the plant closing nor does express why we feel this way. Not a word was said about the hardships and the harassments given to the employees by the management. Not a word about our pain and frustration. You may ask why we have stayed. Our pride and what we can and have done is producing a fine product in our plant. Our wages weren't the best, but we had arranged our lives to live on $7.99 an hour. But $7.99 was better than a minimum-wage job, which was our only other choice. So a plant closing may not make a big impression on your readers, but it does and will have for a long time for the 200 persons at Tri-Con. It's been a long, hard struggle for us, and it's not over yet. The employees who belonged to the ACTW will continue supporting our union and each other. With God's help, we will make it together.

Too many labels

I WAS watching C-SPAN in regards to the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin. An American citizen called in and went on about how she loved her country but was tired of the label of right wing or right-wing extremist. That's interesting. I have voted for Republican presidential candidates and a Democrat only once. I voted for Reagan. Ronald Reagan became president and labeled the Democrats as liberals. If he did not originate the label, he promoted it to the hilt. It bothered me that just because someone has a different solution or idea than I have that they have to be labeled. Not only do we label them liberal, we use it in a degrading way. Constructive criticism is healthy. We should welcome it. Labeling people negatively promotes oneself at another person's expense and creates division in a democratic society. What goes around, comes around. Or, if you can't stand the labels, stay out of labeling. Both parties have caused serious divisions among the citizens. Where has statesmanship gone? Without it, there is no leadership to unite.

TV for women

I'M CALLING in regard to the TV programs that are aired on the weekends. They're basically geared toward men and children. I realize they view a lot of TV. Some women or young mothers can't watch TV, and some work. But there are some of us who are widowed. We are lonesome, and the TV is our only companion. Some of us can't even get out of the house. Nobody comes by to see us, pick us up or take us anywhere. TV is all we have. I wish some programs would be geared towards us. I would greatly appreciate it, and I'm sure a lot of other women would too.

Unions and NAFTA

I WAS just reading in the paper where Tri-Con is shutting down in the Cape Girardeau and moving the jobs to Mexico. I hope the people can see why the unions were against this North American Free Trade Agreement. They said it was going to create jobs. All you can see is that we're losing jobs. Little by little more jobs are going to Mexico. How can we have jobs to feed our people when they're sending all our jobs down there? When are the people going to wake up and understand it? We have to keep our jobs here at home.

Youth football

I'D LIKE to thank all the coaches and staff associated with the Cape Youth Tackle Football program. This year we had the biggest turnout as of yet and finished with a great season. Oh, by the way, the Rams creamed the Vikings, 27-6 in the final game of the season. Go Rams!