speakout use 5/5

Save your money

I KEEP reading about the poor getting poorer and the rich man getting richer, and who works harder, the poor man or the rich man. I don't know what people's definition of "rich" is. I'm fairly well off, and I've never owned a business. So I didn't hire people at minimum wage. What my wife and I did is saved money. We were lucky in our investing, and we are very comfortable now. It's not because we got rich off some poor person's back and worked them for next to nothing. You can be well off without owning a business or getting an extra-big salary. There's such a thing as money management, and that's what most people can't do. They can't deny themselves anything, no matter how much debt they go into.

Education vs. sports

EDUCATION PROVIDES for the future of America. What do million-dollar athletes and owners provide for the future of America? Greedy politicians have their priorities in their own future, not in America's. They campaign on improving education, then, upon election, they push for sports. Voters, remember this fiasco at the polls next time.

Reconsider list

AN EDITORIAL in the Missourian lauded former mayor Al Spradling III for all he has accomplished in the past eight years. Another article today noted the City of Cape Girardeau is operating in the red for the third year in a row. City departments have a $2 million wish list, and few employees have received any raises. Keeping this in mind, and considering real estate taxes have increased in the past eight years, maybe we should reconsider what the former mayor has done. Does the word "bankruptcy" come to mind?

Pay bills first

I JUST heard that the Cardinals were wanting the state of Missouri to help fund their ballpark for them, as well as fund some other sports complexes and such. I filled out my state income tax and received word that the state of Missouri is broke and can't even afford to pay me what they owe me until June. Now what business do they have trying to fund a ballpark or anything else? They need to pay the bills they already have first.

More needs

I DON'T understand why the residents of Missouri should be made to pay for ballparks when most people don't go because they can't afford to attend a game. They are cutting domestic programs and school lunch programs. There are many more things this state needs besides a ballpark.

Industry line

AS THEY'VE usually done, Ed Masters gave the typical medical-industry line when he wrote to the Southeast Missourian. The only problem is that the facts aren't on his side. I got out my 2002 New York Times Almanac. In less time than it took to read Ed Masters' letter, I found that the real facts are that there are over 24 other countries that have a life expectancy as long or longer than that of the United States. Our life expectancy is 78 years, and we spend 13.4 percent of our GNP for health care. Our neighbor, Canada, has a life expectancy of 79 years and spends 9.2 percent of their GNP for health care. Japan has a life expectancy of 82 years and spends only 7.2 of their GNP for health care. You can see the health-care system that Ed Masters touts so highly is really nothing to brag about, and it costs more than any other health-care system in the world. We are the only major industrial country that does not have a national health-care system that covers all of its citizens.

Don't need it

I'M CALLING in regard to the issue of Cape Girardeau and its lack of taxes. I would like to point out that we are not in St. Louis County, and if the people of Cape Girardeau wanted all those services, we would live in St. Louis. And by the way, we do not need a Shawnee Sports Complex and we do not need an Osage Community Centre and we do not need an airport airshow.