SPEAKOUT

THIS IS ADDRESSED to the citizens of Scott City. It's time to stand up and be counted. Do we want to continue to let a few people operate our school who say they are for the students and the good of the school and yet they decide to let go of a teacher, a coach, who has not only proven himself by having a first-year winning season but also teaches PE and doesn't just throw a ball to them and say go play? What kind of a basketball coach do we want at Scott City? Certainly not one who wins basketball games or teaches class or cares for kids. That just seems to be too much competition for others who are involved. Thank you.

I'VE WAITED PATIENTLY for about two weeks since reading the article in Speak Out where someone had asked how many employees Congressman Bill Emerson had on his payroll. Well, the reply was 18 employees. Can you imagine that? Seven in the office at Cape, five in another office, and the balance scattered over the district. What in the world do seven employees do in the Cape Girardeau office? It's a shame and disgrace. I'm sure you'll agree with me.

Your numbers are wrong. The response to the question in Speak Out on April 14 was not that he has 18 employees, but that congressmen are authorized 18 employees. Lloyd Smith, his chief of staff, was quoted in the response as saying Emerson has 15 full-time and one part-time employee, that six full-time and the part-time employees are in the Cape Girardeau office, two are at Rolla and seven are in Washington.

AS A PROPERTY owner I am reading with interest the contractors' statements on revising the city building code. I agree they should ease up on this; however, there are those landowners who own a piece of property and, because it is not paying off, they think that they should not have to pay out money to keep it properly maintained. This is wrongful thinking because it is detrimental to the neighborhood. It is detrimental to all the property owners around them and it's unfair to those who do properly maintain their property. Also, in the matter of weed control, many businesses think they can get by all year with ragged lots while all around them the grass is neatly cut. Then, when the city health officer gives them a citation and they get a stiff fine, they gripe for months and want city hall cleaned out. Thank you.

I SUPPOSE WE'VE heard enough about Social Security taxes but I would like to suggest this: To the people who are complaining about paying into Social Security and the people who are drawing from it, take your pen and paper and figure out how much you pay into Social Security. It will amount to less than $10,000 a year, I suspect. Now figure out how much you'll receive from Social Security. Many people receive between $300 and $1,000 a month from Social Security. That does not add up to the fact that what you paid in equals or is more than what you receive if you receive Social Security for any length of time. My family has received Social Security twice in the past due to disability. We were very grateful for every check we got because it kept us and our kids going. Someday we will receive Social Security because of our age. No way have we paid in as much as we will receive. And, I don't think that paying in to Social Security is a choice at this time. If you work, you pay Social Security, and hopefully it will be there when you need it. Thank you.

I'D LIKE TO know why we haven't had a good rock concert in Cape in several months. Come on, Show Me Center, get your act together. Bring a good band to Cape.

THIS IS IN response to the comment in the Speak Out column in Monday's paper. Non-traditional students at Southeast Missouri University need child care on campus. None of the child care businesses provide evening care or drop-in care. If you have one class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you have to pay a half-day rate. Students have needs that are different than the average full-time, working parent. Attending college does involve making sacrifices whether you are a parent or not, but, by not having adequate care the children are the one's making the greater sacrifice. Thank you.

THIS IS IN response to the person who is concerned about the children on Northbridge. If you are really concerned then it shouldn't make any difference to you if you get to your house 20 seconds later because you have to slow your car down while children move to the side of the street. As parents, we are concerned about our children and that's why we like for them to play outside and socialize with other children instead of sitting in front of a TV all day. Small children cannot learn to peddle a bike or scooter on the grass; it's too difficult for them. And it's almost impossible to push a stroller through the grass. It wasn't that long ago that your children played and rode their bikes on the street. I can see where you'd be worried since the gang is headed by 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds on bikes, scooters or in wagons and strollers. I think you need to be more worried about what your children are doing instead of what my children are doing. Thank you.

SOME TEACHERS ARE complaining about low pay and so on, and they say that's why so many are leaving the profession. My daughter will soon have her teaching degree and has recently discovered that schools in this area have 75 to 100 applications for each vacancy that occurs. If conditions are that bad, I wonder why there are no openings for new teachers who would be glad to take their place. Thank you.

THIS IS TO the person who called in about a neighborhood dog. If you believe the dog is being mistreated or abused, please call the Humane Society at 334-5837. I trust they will help you. To everyone else, please support the society so that they can be helpful. Thank you.

I'M CALLING regarding the couple who had the argument over the pork and beans out of the can. I personally eat them cold out of the can. Thank you.

I'M SUSPICIOUS ABOUT the usefulness and practicality of many of the education reforms that have been suggested. The one that lets people choose the school their kids will go to is one. Will we have to pay to bus the kids around the district? Will we wind up with only one school in a district because everyone wants to go there and because the less-popular schools just go broke? And won't the kids just choose the school that has the best record in sports anyway? One reform I am in favor of is the Taylor plan of guaranteed tuition. I haven't seen anything on that in Missouri but eight other states, including Arkansas and Oklahoma, have adopted versions of it. It's one reform that uses a carrot instead of a stick to encourage students to excel, and that aims at excellence instead of minimum skills. I could support a plan like that.

I KNOW THIS sounds picky but I was really not too happy with the headline that read recently that Girl Scouts had handed out awards to volunteers. Those volunteers earned those awards and those pieces of paper were a big pat on the back for people who spend a lot of time volunteering. It seems like a newspaper like the Southeast Missourian could come up with a better headline instead of one saying they handed out awards. They were indeed handed out, but it didn't seem like quite the proper headline. Thank you very much.

We realize that the volunteers earned the awards and the headline in Friday's edition, "Girl Scouts hand out awards to leaders and area volunteers," was not intended to belittle their importance.

GANG. BOY, CONSIDERING our children's ages on this street, that's a funny word to use. Excluding that point I am writing this concerning the children on Northbridge. I am a very concerned parent. I love my children that God has entrusted into my care, and with his help I will raise them to the best of my ability. The children do ride their bikes, riding cars and tot riders on the street. Have you taken a look out your window? Our driveways and yards are straight up hill, yours included. I am always outside with my young children when they are riding on the street. I am proud to be a mother who takes my children outside to play and doesn't stick them inside under a TV or Nintendo. I'm sorry if you have to slow down once in a while because of the children. I know you would prefer to round the corner and just go straight home with no concerns, but you do live on this street with 19 children in eight houses that take up the first half of the street. Personally, if I were going through any neighborhood that I knew had a lot of children, I would be more careful and go slower through that neighborhood anyway. I am sorry you have to slow down in order to reach your house 10 to 20 seconds sooner. Life must really be sad for you that you see children as an inconvenience instead of a joy. You should be proud that your gang's mothers aren't the type of moms who let their kids ride all over the place and aren't mall-hopper moms. Thank you.

THIS IS IN response to an article in Speak Out in the April 29 paper. It was regarding how someone thought it was disgusting that SEMO University had a Gay and Lesbian Student Association. Well, in my opinion, gays and lesbians have just as much right as anybody else does to practice what they preach. I don't think it's any business of theirs to decide who does it and I don't think it should be back in the closet. I think gay and lesbians are people just like everybody else. It's just like people for and against abortion. I am not a lesbian but I believe that they have the same rights and should get the same respect as other people. Thank you.