SPEAKOUT

I HAVE KNOWN Coach Arnzen for years and I personally cannot think of a better person or coach I would rather like to see receive all the success he has had this year. His team is filled with hardworking, talented, and all-around genuine players. He has taught them the true meaning of success, and they all deserve nothing less than the NCAA Division II title. My congratulations and prayers for continued success goes out to Coach Arnzen and the Southeast Missouri State Otahkians. I am proud to be one of their many fans. Thanks.

THIS IS TO the Otahkians. Congratulations on a great win. Please don't be satisfied with achieving your goal of being in the final four. Make your goal to be national champions.

THIS IS TO the disgusted 18-year-old: Honey, I know where you're coming from. I've been there. I'm not your age, but I really understand. I would like to help you. I would like to talk to you. I have some good news for you. Please call me. I'd like to be your friend. Your letter touched my heart and I want to help you. I'm an average housewife. 334-0409. Thank you.

THIS IS TO the lady who was so angry with CBS for canceling her soap operas for sports. She said she switched to ABC. Let her see what happens when the Illinois high school final tournament comes. It's on all day long and all night long on ABC, WSIL. So you're going to be out of luck with them too, lady. Sorry.

VOTERS, WILL YOU please go and vote April 2 for the 5-cent tax for senior citizen services in Cape Girardeau County? I know people in the county who need it now and people who will need it in the future. How about you?

CONCERNING THE 18-year-old who grew up too fast: Well, I'm twice your age and I, too, grew up too fast, having a child in my teens. The only thing we can do is hang in there and look up and try to teach our children the best that we can and make it a better world for them. It is possible. God bless you.

I AM 71 YEARS OLD. I, too, worked 50 years and get along well on my money. I have an older friend who felt the same way at my age. She wouldn't set foot inside the Nutrition Center. Then she became disabled. The first thing she did was call the Nutrition Center for home-delivered meals to shut-ins. She's been getting these meals for about two years.

WE SPORTS VIEWERS around the area sympathize with the lady who called in and complained about her soap operas being canceled for coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament. We know it's hard for a couch potato like yourself to make it for a few days without your soaps. I guess it would be too much to ask for you to get up off that old couch and turn the channel to a different station where soap operas are on, or, even better than that, go find a job. Thank you.

AS A YOUNG husband and father of two small children, I couldn't help but get a kick out of your front-page story about seniors hoping to pass the tax. What goes around comes around. The greatest segment of the population who voted against recent tax proposals for park improvements was the senior sector. Seems they didn't want to pay taxes for something that wouldn't directly benefit them. Well, to all of the old folks who voted against park improvements, and now urge all of us to pay up for something that hits a little closer to home for them, I say fat chance. For me and mine it's pay-back time. We'll vote no, no, no.

WE TRUE OTAHKIAN fans would like to congratulate them on a great victory last night, but we don't agree with the way tickets are being distributed for the final four. Why should season ticket-holders be given special privileges for the women's games when their tickets were purchased for the men's games? Where were all the season ticket-holders on the nights when the men didn't play and there were only 300 fans? We can be proud to say that we were some of the 300 fans. It's a shame that women's sports don't get the recognition that they deserve. Last Saturday's game against West Texas State proved to be as exciting as the men's games. Again we appreciate all the support the Otahkians have received, but feel that general-admission seating would have given us true Otahkian fans a front-row seat. Thank you.

I AM CALLING in regards to the 18-year-old that called and said she grew up too fast. I agree totally with everything she said. I'm 18, too. I just want her to know there's other people out there that think just like her.

I'VE JUST READ the greatest Dear Abby ever. It was in Sunday's paper about the few simple keys to unlock the doors to popularity. I think everyone should read it. Thank you.

I WANT TO congratulate the young lady who said she's 18 and grew up too fast. In my book you're way ahead of some people who are three times your age and still can't say: I no longer live for sex, drugs, and alcohol. Can I assume you didn't finish high school? You'd be surprised at how helpful the folks are in adult basic education at the Vo-Tech School behind Central Junior High. They specialize in your kind. Please hang in there. You've seen now what the good life is not, and maybe your church and a few true friends can help you find what the good life is. Somewhere out there is a young man who is looking for a young lady who is 18 years old and 36 years smart and cares enough about her little boy to want him to grow up in a good world. More power to you.

I NOTED IN the Missourian that Sen. Bond co-sponsored a bill for the veterans, which I am wholeheartedly in favor of. But it must be election time because when he was governor of Missouri I never heard of a bonus for World War II veterans or Vietnam veterans or Korean veterans. So it's got to be a matter of just World War II veterans. The rest of them have been forgotten. Thank you.

WOW, HOLD IT. Enough already. No more real-estate taxes to support anything. I would like to know how many of the proponents, promoters, preparers, pushers, or panhandlers for the 5-cent property tax levy to fund senior citizens programs in Cape County are actually real estate owners.

I HAVE TO admire the little boy from Chaffee speaking up for what he believes in. As far as the longer school days for kids, they do not need that. Our leaders, most of them, do not think about what's good for the people. We are being told what we can do and what we cannot do and as far as our free country, it's going down the drain all the time. I'm for the boy. Hang in there, son.

THE OUTCOME of the Middle East conflict shows what can be accomplished when the boys in Washington trying to play softball are benched and men take over playing hardball. That's the way the game should be played.

MARY ANNE MALONEY: That new hairdo on you is really great.