SPEAKOUT

Bloomfield Road first

IF MAYOR Spradling wants to raise the sales tax to pay for transportation, he better make his first priority to use it for redoing Bloomfield Road. It's a mess.

CAN ANYBODY answer this for me? Does the city ever plan to extend Silver Springs Road so that the two ends of it will meet.

Good neighbors

THEY SAY that the days of kindness and neighborliness are gone. But I just got a good demonstration that they aren't. I am a widow and disabled. Two sets of neighbors came over and shoveled my driveway, my patio, my porch and my steps. You just can't beat neighbors like that. I kept hearing a noise and looked out and there they were, busy as they can be.

TV mess

WHAT have you done to the TV magazine, and what is supposed to be the advantage to it? I cant find anything.

We are just as unhappy as our readers. We asked the company that prints the magazine to make some changes to make sure 24-hour listings were available, which many readers have requested. This was the result. The company assures us that things will be straightened out soon. Unfortunately, the next book is just as bad. We appreciate the many calls readers have made to let us know how important TV Update is to them.

Helpful young man

I WOULD just like to thank the young man who helped my this afternoon when I slid into a car out on the highway. I was so shaken up, and he was so nice. He moved the car for me and tried to calm me down. All I can say is God bless you.

Raiding Social Security

I WAS CALLING in response to the Speak Out caller Feb. 5 regarding the Social Security fund. I think the person is misinformed if he thinks that Newt Gingrich is attempting to raid Social Security. That was done several years ago. In fact there is an excess in the Social Security fund that is being used in the general revenue fund to reduce the paper deficit. Bill Emerson who is an outstanding representative for our area.

Ambitious mayor

I'M CALLING about our new mayor. It seems to me like he is up to something every week. He wants to raise the sales tax. Last week it was to fix the city streets. This week he wants it to buy ground and he wants to fix up the airport and he wants to fix streets and bridges and roads. Because he is rich there is no sign that all of us people are rich. We don't have money to go and buy all of the stuff for people that use it, and for us that don't use it we don't need to pay for it.

Nudity on TVON MONDAY night I turned to Channel 12 to see the news. "Chicago Hope" was getting ready to go off and they show a young woman lying in a hospital bed, and they open her hospital gown and show her naked chest. Since when did Channel 12 start showing stuff like that.

Twisted movie

I HAVE never in my life watched a movie that was so sick and so full of twisted people as "Serving in Silence." The whole thing is disgusting.

Ask the pros

THE O.J. Simpson trial could be shortened considerably if theyd just listen to Jessica Fletcher, or maybe we could call Matlock.

Good medical care

MY HUSBAND recently had neck surgery at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Not only did he have the finest care with the finest staff, he also had the two best doctors that we could have asked for. Dr. Dan Bieser and Dr. Charles Cheung did an outstanding job in diagnosing his disc trouble, and Dr. Cheung did an excellent job in surgery. We were so pleased to know that a town the size of Cape Girardeau could offer such fine medical facilities and fine medical care.

Surprise on TVDID I really see what I thought I saw on CBS's "Chicago Hope"? Did I really see a view of a young woman's chest? Her chest was completely revealed as if it were no big deal. Thank God my kids had just gone to bed, but I'm sure a lot of children were still awake. How can we prevent this kind of stuff being shown on TV? Every time I watch TV I'm surprised at the bits and pieces of nudity being shown on all the major networks. How can you teach your children morales when the whole world has lost it? I am completely saddened by the acceptance of all the immoralities.

I'M A 14-year-old teen-ager, and I feel offended that they showed a woman's chest. I don't feel I need to go to a strip bar when I can turn to Channel 12.

Picketing support

TO THE woman who is picketing the strip joint: Lady, even though you may not see crowds of people carrying picket signs, the heart of the public is behind you and we admire you. My husband needs to be with intelligent female company, which is why he stays home. And one more thing to the mayor who said these places are better to have than not have because you can regulate this activity and control. Sir, how do you plan on regulating the prostitution that will surely accompany these kinds of establishments? To all the decent people in Cape Girardeau, my advice is don't look back when you leave town. You might turn into salt.

Making streets safe

OUR CITY maintenance department could not get sand at a particularly dangerous intersection because they only do primary roads. This is inexcusable especially since the police department requested it. Overnight most of the things could be taken care of, and the main arteries could be done as well as others. This has always been accomplished five years ago. It has gotten progressively worse over the years.

Slippery hills

It's funny to me the street crews know how to get the flat country, but they sure can't get these hills in the north end of town around Washington School and Red Star, but they know how to get around the big shots, don't they? Don't we pay as much for our garbage as they do? I wonder, do they get a discount out there too? Do these big shots get a discount on their garbage and their sewers? They must get their streets cleaned better than we do. You people who think that Cape Girardeau does so dadgum good, you ought to go out and look and see what theyre doing for the big shots and see where you're sitting.

Commencement standards

WITH REFERENCE to Pat Ruopp's letter in Tuesday's Missourian, this committee still doesn't get it. High school graduation and commencement exercises should be tied together. If a person doesn't meet every single requirement established by the local and state officials, he should not be allowed to participate in the exercises. To allow them to join in demeans every diploma of those who actually did what was required.

Think positive

I'VE BEEN reading in Speak Out and listening on television and listening on radio to all the negativism that I feel has taken over in our country. What would happen if when we started to speak something bad about our political leaders, our president, our Congress, our local leaders, if we would spend as much time thinking positive thoughts, encouraging them, praying for them, caring what happens, I just wonder what would happen to our country. Positive thoughts always win over negative. Let's try it.

Successful pensions

WHY ARE there so many private pensions with billions of dollars while Social Security is always broke? Why does the budget never spell out Congress, the president and other government workers' funds and how much they are paying out? And how about all of the freebies to foreign nations? They never pay their debts. Now the Medicare insurance. I pay for mine just like I pay for my supplement. If elected officials are serious about the Contract With America, they had better get to work because they are out the next election.

White Africans

I AGREE totally with the Speak Out caller regarding the African American deal. These people are trying to rewrite history. You never hear of anything of the blond, blue-eyed South African people. There are white people who are African Americans born in Africa, but you never hear about them.

Paying for adoptions

I HEARD the cost of one child per year in an orphanage would cost the government $35,000. So maybe it would profit the government to pay the price it would cost a couple adopting a child. In the range of $30,000 would be needed to pay the lawyer and adoption agency for their work, which could be done in two days time. This would be a one-time cost for the government instead of costing this each year the child is in the orphanage. It would also allow a couple to adopt a child without costing them a small fortune.

A slob and a hero

REGARDING Babe Ruth: Something needs to be cleared up. No doubt about his legend as a home run hitter, but he was also one of the heaviest drinkers of alcohol, he smoked constantly, he cheated on his wife and he used women as much as he ate anything he could get his hands on. In other words, he was a fat slob, but he was also an American hero.