SPEAKOUT

CONGRATULATIONS, VISION 2000, and to all the people who are making Cape the City of Roses again. They look good despite the drought. Good show, guys.

I WAS WONDERING if anybody knows of plans for a 20-year high school reunion for the Cape Girardeau class of 1972. Need dates for son in Arizona.

SINCE THE VOTERS in Bollinger County have so grossly let us all down by destroying the greatest asset to us all, the Millersville area lake, in view of the fact that over 90 percent of the working people in Bollinger County are working in Cape County and enjoying the benefits of the streets and so forth we have built, why don't we just impose a justified 1 percent earnings tax on all out-of-county laborers? Then, the 1 percent tax for the lake would be very small indeed. Thank you.

BEING AFRAID OF second-hand tobacco smoke, I am relieved by the Missourian's article about the American Cancer Society report that smoking is declining in the United States.

SO JUDGE THOMAS, Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court, was a casual marijuana smoker. Well now, we know what that leads to.

AFTER READING IN the newspaper about somebody going through unlocked cars and stealing whatever they want, I'm not surprised there aren't more entered. Last week we parked next to a nice car with the windows down at a local business. A pair of nice sunglasses was on the seat and a bag of snacks was sticking out. If I was a thief I could have reached in the windows, took it all, and taken off with no one seeing me except God. Thank you.

IT IS TIME to do away with the mandatory retirement for teachers all together. This is already costing taxpayers millions of dollars. Make government workers and teachers pay into the Social Security program just as all the rest of us are forced to do. This is the only fair solution for all of us.

I HEARD ABOUT Pee Wee Herman. He's a little silly but I thought he was a good role model for young children. My image of him now is being a terrible role model and an immoral person. I think the world's morals are bad enough and we don't need people like Pee Wee Herman influencing bad things in our children. Thank you.