SPEAKOUT

IF MR. STOVERINK wants to inform the voters about the condition of the water system, I believe he should tell the whole story. He has a nice display made up of some hand-picked, cast-iron pipe cut from the water distribution system that was wire brushed, painted and mounted on a nice board, and he'll show it to the voters and brag about how good this old pipe is. While you're at it, Mr. Stoverink, tell those people about how many miles, yes miles, of two-inch galvanized main will soon have to be replaced or tell them about the hundreds, maybe thousands, of lead service connections still in place that need to replaced. Maybe you should mention the long-overdue filter rebedding needed at the Cape Rock Water Plant. Oh, and Mr. Stoverink, while you're holding your display board and bragging about this good deal, don't forget to inform the voters that there isn't enough money to fix all these problems. The city can raise water bills any time they want for any amount they want with no vote from the voters from now on because the Public Service Commission does not regulate municipal system rates. Tell them the whole story. Thank you.

Assistant City Manager Al Stoverink said that each of the concerns listed are addressed in a public presentation city staff members are making to civic groups and individuals who request to know more about the plan to purchase the water system from Union Electric. As to the "hand-picked" cast iron pipe the caller refers to, Stoverink said the city dug pipe from the system from a site they thought would be most susceptible to wear. He said the pipe was wire brushed and cleaned, but that the remaining section of original pipe is at city hall for anyone's inspection. He said replacement of the two-inch galvanized main, the lead service connections, and the filter rebedding at the Cape Rock Water Plant all are included in the improvements planned for the water system should the voters approve the city's purchase. "If the money is kept locally in the system instead of going into a corporation in St. Louis, stockholders in a private company or to Uncle Sam in the form of taxes, there is enough money to make these improvements," Stoverink said. "That's one of the key reasons we've advocated local ownership." Stoverink also said that by controlling the water system locally, the City Council is responsible for approving rate increases. He said the council would be much more accessible than members of the Public Service Commission, who would give local residents greater influence in the matter of rate increases. "We are addressing each of these points in the program we're presenting to citizens," he said. Stoverink suggested you contact city hall. He said staff members would be willing to go over these concerns in detail with you.

I WANT TO thank KFVS for putting on "Head of The Class" on week nights. I only wish they would show it on weekends. We love it and we're tired of "MASH." Thank you.

WHEN A MAN fails to pay the people he has been doing business with for many years for two months at a time, and they know that he's had the money to pay it, I would say the man is obviously a very foolish person. Thank you.

I HAVE ALWAYS gone to Homecomers, the Altenburg Fair, and the Cotton Festival, where parking and admission is free. The DuQuoin State Fair costs only $1 per car and that's all. The SEMO Fair is charging a total of $4 just to get in except on certain days. That's one reason why I have not gone for two years to this SEMO Fair and I won't again this year. Anyway, the park is public property that we paid for with our tax dollars and it should be free. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to say that the Jackson Indians football team is going to kick some butt this year and we're going to take names. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to address the teacher-strike issue in Southern Illinois. Teachers really don't need a raise considering the fact they get three months off during the summer. Has anybody considered that? Do doctors get three months off in the summer or news announcers? I suggest giving them the raise they want and then docking them pro-rated three-months' salary just like construction workers getting laid off during the winter. Give them three months less salary and see how they like that. Thank you.

I WOULD LIKE to comment about the breakup of the Soviet Union and how its big central government, with all of its bureaucrats and deadbeats that lived off the government and depended on the government, and how the government became too big and too wasteful. It sounds very similar to what we have in this country. I think it would be a good idea to break up this government the same way that they're doing in the Soviet Union. We could have smaller areas of influence and the state could have more power and it would cost a lot less. All these bureaucrats and deadbeats that are doing things for us we don't want done could work in the private sector the way the Russian deadbeats are going to have to. I think our country and the Soviet Union have a lot more in common than they do against each other. I think it would be a good time for us to break up this country into smaller parts and get rid of these deadbeats and make it more efficient so the taxpayers aren't robbed. Thank you.

AFTER READING MANY Speak Outs it seems to me that Speak Out is one of Southeast Missouri's only way of expressing what they feel. I believe that after many, many years of being on the borderline, out on a limb on abortion rights, I have started agreeing with the abortion people. My childhood was basically religious and after being in Vietnam I didn't know where my religion was. But you can't use abortion for birth control.

GIVE ME THE good old days when you could tell if a person was a man or a woman.

I JUST WANTED to make a comment about school. You can tell school has begun because of all the litter on the street around Central. Thank you.

EVERYONE SHOULD READ Jay Eastlick's Sept. 5 article on homosexuality. He really told it the way it is. Thank you.

I HAVE BEEN WATCHING the controversy over whether to keep or not keep MTV on the cable system. I honestly don't watch MTV and had not formed an opinion either way, but, while flipping through the channels, I caught a glimpse of the MTV video awards. Billy Idol was presenting the award. When it came time to announce the winner he left the podium and strutted before the crowd, opened his fly and proceeded to pull the sealed ballot from his unzipped pants. Of course, the crowd cheered. So now I stand up and cheer for those who are forcing their opinion to have it removed from the cable system. I pray for those of you who think this is acceptable viewing on TV. Thank you. P.S.: Please don't respond with you don't have to watch MTV; I don't, but, maybe your children will.

YEARS AGO YOU never heard of garage sales. People, when they couldn't wear something, passed it down to somebody else. The good Lord means for us to do this about anything. I am going to ask if they're so greedy that they've got to have these garage sales, then I think the city of Jackson, the city of Cape Girardeau, and all cities should make them have one central sale one time a year in a public place, not in residential areas where they destroy lawns and block driveways. Furthermore, there's not supposed to be commercial business going on in residential areas. I think we need to stop it as of now. Wake up, city councilmen, get to work on it. Thank you.

I'M A NON-TRADITIONAL student at Southeast. In reading the paper I'm outraged to see that the educations of me and my children are being held hostage to the whims of a Kansas City judge. I've read some of his plans for the Kansas City school systems such as a farm, a petting zoo. That's outrageous when we have instructors without materials. We have buildings drastically in need of repair. Campus employees have gone without salary increases and now they're going to be asked to do even more. I have one professor who all but has to crawl to his classes because we can't afford elevators while the Kansas City schools are in luxury. At this point I don't know how my children's education will be affected, but what would happen if the state of Missouri simply refused to pay? I just don't believe this is fair, and I think our legislators should meet immediately to do something about this. Thank you.

THIS IS TO the Scott City, Kelso, and Commerce residents and businesses. You sit there and gripe about the cost of the 911 system that they're proposing to go into your communities. The way it sounds you don't want it, but think about it: one of these days it may save one of your lives, your kid's life, or your property. Quit ranting and raving about the cost and worry about your life. Thank you.

I'M ONLY 17 years of age, but I think the police department is taking this no-parking a bit too far. They've got no-parking signs up in front of my house to where we cannot park in the street like we normally do during the day. I think they should be taken down. At least let the people who live on that street park on the street. Thank you.

I WANT MY MTV.

KEEP MTV. THE religious people who want to take MTV off the air need to mind their own business. They're not having to watch it and it is not any of their concern. If they don't like the lyrics on it, fine; they don't have to listen to them. They don't like the videos, fine; they don't have to watch them. It does not bother them and it does not hurt them. If they want to do something constructive, why don't they get rid of the homosexuals that have an organization at Southeast Missouri State University?

HAS ANYONE NOTICED as I have all the daytime robberies and burglaries that have been going on in this city within the last three or four months? It's getting to be a real rash of incidents. It's getting to be a little scary. I have a teenage daughter and I would think during the daytime she shouldn't have to worry. But with people pulling up beside other people on parking lots and demanding money in broad daylight at 9 in the morning, it's becoming a great concern, I would imagine, to many people.

WOULD YOU PLEASE tell me why you don't put channel 31 in your TV guide? Thank you.

We are constantly re-evaluating the stations listed in our weekly television schedule, and Channel 31 is one of the channels we have for now decided not to list. An outside company prints the guide, and under contract we are limited to specified space. That means that each time a new channel is listed, something else must be taken out.

I THINK THE Y.E.L.L. editions of the Missourian to go on sale Wednesday are a great idea and there was a fine article in the paper, but I read the article twice and I cannot find anywhere where the letters Y.E.L.L. stand for anything. Would it be too much trouble to explain it? Thank you.

Y.E.L.L. stands for Youth Education Literacy Learning.