SPEAKOUT

Intrusive government

THE CASE of the Good Hope business district and other older business districts being abandoned because of excessive building regulations is just another example of the ever-growing intrusiveness of government. Building codes are written and enforced by those with a vested interest and see to it that they are complex and costly. Public safety is only a side issue. A regulation which required a fire wall next to a sidewalk to protect those who might be walking or driving by is a perfect example. This regulation assumes that people are too stupid to stay away from a wall of a burning building. The bogus code which is favored by our mayor and some members of the city council is full of useless and costly regulations and is enforced by those who favor the letter rather than the spirit of the law.

More Illinois football

I'D LIKE to see the Southeast Missourian give a little bit more football coverage to the University of Illinois. The Missourian does a pretty good job on regional coverage, but Illinois is a neighboring state, and there's just literally nothing in the paper about Illinois football games and schedule.

REPLY: Thanks for the suggestion. The sports staff tries to strike a balance in its coverage based, in large part, on the level of interest among readers. Letting us know what coverage you would like is a big help.

Effect of unions

I GUESS you read in the paper where Tri-Con is leaving Cape Girardeau. This is another example what your unions can do for your job. That's why the Jackson shoe factory is no longer in Jackson. The day they posted the closing of the plant, our union president who worked there left, and that was the last day we saw her. These big businesses are really money-hungry, and I think they are a traitor to the country when they go to cheaper labor and away from the American people.

Look at soap operas

I WOULD like to make a comment about how some Republicans are criticizing these trash TV shows. They need to look at these soap operas. The soap operas were there a lot longer, and some of these soap operas are a lot worse. I would like to make a comment about a show I saw about a guy complaining about how people aren't watching all these new TV shows that are coming out on television. The main reason, I think, that people aren't watching them: These shows are stupid.

Talking to someone

IN RESPONSE to the call regarding the voice mail system at Medicare: According to a fall 1995 newsletter sent out by Medicare in this area, the office of the inspector general in July 1994 conducted a beneficiary satisfaction survey. In this survey, that found that "73 percent of the beneficiaries reporting reported they encountered problems when reaching an automated voice system." If we really want jobs in this country, maybe someone could be doing these kinds of jobs. I know that efficiency is everything, but it isn't everything when you want to get through and talk to a real person.

Troops for Bosnia

I CAN'T believe people are not speaking out about Clinton wanting to send 25,000 troops to Bosnia. What kind of benefit is there for the U.S. in any decision over there? 25 years ago, we had troops in Vietnam. Where was Clinton then? Troops there fulfilled their obligation to their commander-in-chief. Where was Clinton? Clinton was not only protesting the war, he dodged the draft with a bunch of lies and criticized and condemned not only the president and commander-in-chief but the fathers and uncles of the boys he wants to send to war now. While Clinton is playing war games all over the world, he's also cutting our military spending, hindering our troops' ability to defend themselves.

Thanks, we're gone

THE multimillionaire owner of the Browns football team has a unique way of saying thanks to the Cleveland fans for 35 years of financially successful seasons in Cleveland. He's moving the team to Baltimore.

Poor taste

I THINK your cartoon on the Opinion page Nov. 7 was in very poor taste. There seems to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to Christians. There is enough Christian-bashing in the media now. Are you joining the masses?

REPLY: Absolutely not. The Southeast Missourian is proud of the fact that it regularly runs letters, columns and other articles that promote Christian values and ideals -- more than any other newspaper in Missouri. The cartoon in question used the setting of a revival depicting the Republican elephant preaching to a group of Democrat donkeys. If this analogy was offensive, we're sorry, but it certainly wasn't intended to be.