Speak Out 04/29/04

Best high school musical

HATS OFF to Notre Dame Regional High School for its production of "Crazy for You." It was magnificent -- by far the best high school musical I've seen. The Southeast Missourian review did not do the show justice.

Moron's minimum

THERE IS no minimum speed that I have seen posted anywhere in Cape Girardeau. I usually drive very close to the speed limit. A lot of my friends used to say the speed-limit sign was the moron's minimum.

Save the money

I DON'T need to see a so-called educational video to know that changing a mascot will cost dollars. Leave the mascot. Save money. Lower the tuition so more people can afford to go to the college.

Common enemy

WHY DON'T the doctors and lawyers stop fighting each other and start fighting their common enemy, the insurance companies? The source of the problem is how much the CEOs of the insurance companies are making.

Little increases add up

NO MATTER if it is just a quarter-cent sales-tax increase, it is an increase. Every time a government wants to increase a tax or create a new tax, it is always "just" a quarter-cent or any other amount. Over time, these small increases add up to dollars. To people on a fixed income, every quarter-cent increase is important. The increase won't stop people from shopping locally, but it will make it a little tougher on people on a fixed or low income to buy things they need. I will vote against any tax increase until e government (local, state or federal) stops wasting money on pork-barrel projects and trying to create new programs when we can't afford the ones we have.

End the embarrassment

TO AN outsider, Cape Girardeau County and Bollinger County seem socially and culturally deprived. The use of the "Indian" as a mascot only intensifies this perception. Must we advertise the fact that we are rough, poorly educated, uncaring, insensitive bigots? Let's do the right thing and pick a new mascot. This is taking too much time and causing public embarrassment and ridicule to the university.

Support our officers

WHEN ARE Cape Girardeau officials going to back the police officers? Why do they insist on putting citizens in harm's way by diminishing the respect law enforcement requires. It's as if the criminals in this town have the whole political population tucked neatly into their back pockets. It's a constant fight between prosecutors and our officers. Instead of reinforcing our officers, these officials are constantly undermining their decisions and belittling their positions. If the respect that is so deserved by our officers were duly given them, maybe they wouldn't feel so bitter about their jobs. How can you be expected to protect a community when the people who consistently break the laws are getting thrown back onto the streets?

'Cats' gets low rating

WHAT A boring evening "Cats" was. Wish I had my money back. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, I would rate this show a 1/2, and that is only due to the costumes.

Power of spanking

TO THOSE who seem to think that spanking is abuse: I was spanked as a child, and so was my younger brother. We have both grown up to be moral members of the community. I had a step-brother who was never spanked a day in his life. He was just recently released from prison.