CONTINUED INFORMATION ON WATER WOES WELCOME

Cape Girardeau, hard by the Mississippi River and with its rolling hills, is unique in its terrain. Along with this uniqueness come certain problems, among them, water problems. A project being directed by Michael Aide, agriculture department chairman at Southeast Missouri State University, will produce a videotape that outlines some of the flooding problems in Cape Girardeau and how the problems are being addressed by governmental bodies and individuals.

From a public standpoint, part of the difficulty in dealing with high water is that people tend to disregard during normal conditions. With the videotape, which will be available to area service organizations, public awareness will be raised about the problems and how to combat them. Aide and Vision 2000, which spearheaded the project, should be applauded for finding another way to bring this information to the public.

If at first you don't succeed ... well, at least credit the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department for persistence in its efforts to fix the Highway 77 railroad overpass just north of Chaffee. The problem is that the overpass, built in the early 1960s and subject to earth slides for many years, has become a bottomless money pit. As recently as 1986, the state spent $347,000 to inject a lime slurry mix that would curtail the erosion. This month, a contractor will begin a $857,431 project aimed at accomplishing the same thing. The project is necessary and the highway department should not be viewed too harsh~ly for its past failures in stabilizing the overpass; guiding Mother Nature's instincts is often not an easy task, and sometimes earth just won't stay where you want it to. Still, the expenditures at this location have been enormous and we hope the problem is solved once and for all.

As has been reported of late, cigarettes are finding less acceptance in the workplace. The reason cited most often for this is the health risk involved from smoke inhalation, and many local businesses are going smoke-free. However, a recent event reminds us of another concern. A fire that caused extensive damage at a local furniture store was apparently ignited by a cigarette that was carelessly discarded. Where there's smoking, there can be fire; smokers should take precautions to dispose of their cigarettes in a safe manner.

This toss-off comment might be more telling than we'd hope. Of his first session in the legislature, freshman state Rep. Mark Richardson said last week, "It is not as much fun when your choices are to cut or curtail programs rather than create new ones. There are a lot of tough choices this year." Maybe part of the problem of state government is that the creation of new programs could be perceived as "fun" in the General Assembly. And we would argue that the choices made in spending the public's money should be tough every year. That's why these folks are elected.