AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEAVE MARK ON STATE APPELLATE COURT: STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT PRIVATE ENTERPRISE

The American economic system is alive and well, and it is celebrated with this week's Freedom Forum in Cape Girardeau. At this three-day assemblage, 150 or so high school students gather to discuss the basics of American economics and government. We see this as a valuable extension of the education of these young people, putting students in touch with the mechanisms of making this democracy work.

Sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, along with the Missouri Chamber and the state Farm Bureau, the Freedom Forum affords participants (including 15 from Cape Girardeau high schools) an opportunity to go beyond classroom explanations of the free-market system. Speakers range from entrepreneurs to business leaders to farmers, all with something to share about the utility of a system where choices are ample and excellence is rewarded. Students will also learn about the rigors of holding public office and the difficult decisions that arise from these positions.

The Cape Girardeau Freedom Forum began in 1986 and surpasses in attendance the original symposium, which is still held yearly in Mexico, Mo. We believe this activity, which lasts through Friday on the Southeast Missouri State University campus, serves a useful purpose for young people, supplying them a view of private enterprise they don't ordinarily get in their academic routines. We commend the sponsors for keeping this forum alive.