Speak Out 10/28/04

Back with a smile

I TAKE care of children who have no one else that loves them. I give 20 percent of my income back to the children I work with in order to be successful. I help children deal with the fact that Mom is in jail and that Dad has left forever. I am the only positive adult role model in many children's lives (though many adults fail to realize this). I get criticized by parents who haven't looked at my worn-out shoes, let alone tried to walk in them. I have a government that tells me that my 150 percent is not good enough and that I need to give more of myself. I devote 60 percent of my free time to your children instead of my own because my job requires me to do so. I get put down, frowned at, told that I am hated, yelled at by parents and would make more money working at a fast-food restaurant, but I still come back day after day with a smile. I am a Cape Girardeau public schoolteacher.

Job hunting

ARE THERE any decent jobs that a college-educated man can get in Southeast Missouri? I grew up here, then moved to St. Louis. I want to come home. Can anybody hire me and pay me a decent wage so that I can take care of my wife and kid?

Broadcast standards

SOMEONE SAYS Sinclair Group should be stopped from airing biased broadcasts. You mean the same way Dan Rather and "60 Minutes" should have been stopped? The way the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CNN, NBC and ABC should be stopped? The way Michael Moore should be stopped? The way Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, Rosie O'Donnell and the rest of the Hollywood elite should be stopped? Or do your standards only apply to those who support Republicans?

Halloween cheer

I WOULD like to challenge the residents of Cape Girardeau to have one person home on Halloween to hand out candy for trick-or-treaters. Let's light this town up and make the streets safe for all children who want to keep the tradition alive for going door to door to show off their costumes. Come on, Cape. It takes about 2 1/2 hours and $5 to make a lot of children happy,

Flag of insurgents

PEOPLE WHO are arguing whether Missouri was or was not a Confederate state are missing the point about why flying the Confederate flag is the exact opposite of being a patriotic American. The Confederate flag does not represent the concept of states' rights. The flag of the Confederacy is an emblem of an insurgent movement that fought to destroy the United States. These insurgents caused a war that killed 620,000 soldiers and uncounted thousands of civilians. Displaying the flag of this terrorist movement further indicates that a person does not believe in equality, which is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. States' rights can be discussed in the Congress of the United States without terrorism.

Uninformed voters

THIS IS one of the closest races in years with two candidates who are vastly different. If you don't know the issues, stay home on Election Day. You will only make things worse because of your ignorance.

Moving ceremony

I WOULD like to congratulate Southeast Missouri State University on the ceremony to retire the Indian mascot. I never saw anything like it. It was moving.

Enforce speed limits

CAPE GIRARDEAU, like many municipalities, assists the Missouri State Highway Patrol, an organization that is underfunded and undermanned, by patrolling the interstate within its city limits. That means that if you have an emergency, you can count on a response within minutes by the Cape Girardeau Police Department rather than the longer time it may take a highway patrolman to respond. We have speed limits for a reason. Like all laws, they should be strictly enforced. I have loved ones who travel that highway. If you don't want to be stopped for speeding, don't speed. I don't speed when I go to Memphis.

Say amen!

POLITICS AND sports constitute our secular religion. Sadly for Missouri political candidates, sports currently has a larger congregation. Go, Cards.