Economic warning

IN APRIL, our Congress appropriated $79 billion for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Now President Bush has requested an additional $87 billion. Administration officials have estimated that they will have to find $55 billion more from other sources. The deficit continues to rise. If you think the economy is bad now, just wait until interest rates start to soar due to our nation's huge debts.

Basic education

I KNOW I am really out of date. This Missouri Assessment Program really throws me. When I was in school, the teachers and parents did the assessing. The programs were literature, history, math, English and penmanship. Your grades were assessed by your teacher and homework by parents. If you did not learn, you did not pass on to the next grade. Parents backed teachers, and the teachers were respected by the students because the parents taught respect. Learning, responsibility for self and respect for others never goes out of date.

Design problems

ISN'T IT the city engineer's job to anticipate potential problems with the design of an intersection? It seems our city folks often have problems with that. Thank goodness our city has nothing to do with building the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge.

Black judge needed

I MUST say that I had a great time at the fair, but one thing in particular bothers me. The pageant for babies was not judged fairly. I really feel that there should be at least one black judge. Then maybe there would be more black participants.

Let the U.N. do it

ONLY WHEN the Bush administration stops trying to line the pockets of U.S. corporations in Iraq reconstruction and hands over complete control to the United Nations will we be able to end the bloodshed and loss of American and Iraqi lives in this futile power grab.

American nightmare

I RECENTLY read that half the marriages in our country end up in divorce. This is disturbing and sad. The article said the main reason for divorce is the sin of adultery. I think people have forgotten or don't care that adultery is a violation of the Ten Commandments. What is unbelievable is that our society condones this behavior. We are supposed to be a civilized society that believes in the American dream of getting married and building a strong family through hard work and sacrifice. It is apparent we have forgotten the American dream.

Asking for help

I'M DISAPPOINTED in President Bush for going to the United Nations to ask other countries to help us in Iraq. We were the ones at war in Iraq, and we should be the ones to rebuild it. I have confidence that President Bush knew what he was doing when he went into Iraq and that he has everything planned to successfully rebuild the country. It's embarrassing to have to go other countries to ask them for help when we told them earlier we could do it by ourselves.

Nearby Chinese food

THIS IS a comment on R. Joe Sullivan's humorous column of Sept. 5. Some years back, you would not have to drive all the way to St. Louis for Chinese food, just go over to Cairo, Ill., to Harper's Restaurant.

Add to the list

REGARDING THE "Confusing ordinances" comment: One might have also added junky-looking old boats in front yards as well as fences that run all the way up to the street.

Making bad choices

IT IS too bad President Bush did not listen to the will of the American people. America was against this war, and now he is asking us for $87 billion more. I do not think Howard Dean or any of the other Democrats are the answer, but I can't say how disappointed I am of the administration of George Bush and the poor choices he's made and his inability to listen to the American public.

No justification

HOW CAN Washington lawmakers justify a pay raise when they've got the best insurance in the world? They're not on Medicare. They don't have to struggle with paying for prescriptions. How can they justify that?

Hooray for cell phones

CELL PHONES are one of the great inventions of this era. We're fortunate to live in a time with so many new inventions.

Say 'Thank you'

MY SON, who is 12, is constantly doing acts of kindness, opening doors for strangers, picking things up for people who drop them, saying "Thank you," "Yes, ma'am" and "No, ma'am." He does these things because he wants to, and that's how I raised him. But there is hardly ever a time when anyone, usually adults, says "Thank you." My son notices this but will continue to do random acts of kindness. A "Thank you" would be very nice.

Thanks for statue

THANK YOU, Alan Gibson, for the Civil War statue on the fountain at the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau. Thank you so much.

Keep eye on parking

THANK YOU, Southeast Missouri Hospital, for requiring your employees to park on your property and not in front of Sunset area homes. We appreciate having our neighborhood back. Keep an eye on them. They're starting to filter back in and park in front of our homes again.

Doing the math

A NEWSLETTER I got from the high school says that one of the advantages of the six-week term is "you get formal grade information more frequently." That's not true. With the six-week term, you get grades three times a semester. With quarter grades, you get them four times.

DESE set the standards

THE PROBLEM with No Child Left Behind is not the program itself. It's not President Bush's expectation that every child should meet the standards. The federal program is fair and a worthy goal to work toward. The problem is that the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has set a standard for the state that's impossible to reach. Each state gets to set their own goal. So if our standard is deemed to high, we can only blame that on DESE.

Election motive

DURING A referendum when state Sen. Peter Kinder strongly supported statewide taxpayer involvement for a new baseball stadium and shopping complex in St. Louis, it seemed so contrary to his usually ultraconservative stance. The light has dawned. His Senate seat would soon expire because of term limits. If he were to run for a statewide elective position, he would need strong financial and political support from the St. Louis area. I hope the electorate does not soon forget how Kinder chose his own political well-being over the taxpayers he supposedly represents.

Comparing pay

TEACHERS ARE paid less than day-care providers. Do the math.

Prostitution alert

I'M CONCERNED about the prostitution that's taking place on Bloomfield Street in Cape Girardeau between the 1100 and 1600 block. The Cape Girardeau Police Department needs to do its job.

Need stop signs

I LIVE near Frederick Street and Bellevue Street. My neighbor and I see quite a few accidents in this particular intersection. It's really a concern when I have to drive through it. Postal workers park up and down the street, blocking the view. The city needs to put up another stop sign on either side of Bellevue and make it a four-way stop. I've been here since June, and there have been six accidents. What's it going to take before someone looks at this area and makes a decision?

A RECENT caller seemed intent on the idea that a Republican president and Congress caused the recession, saying "I wonder when we'll get smart and vote Democratic." The American public got smart in 1992 and 1996 when we voted in William Jefferson Clinton, a Democrat. President Bush is doing a better service to this country during this crucial time of war than Clinton or Al Gore could do.

Protesting the charges

I THINK the SEMO District Fair board needs to re-evaluate its decision to charge for parking plus admission on Sunday for the kickoff of the fair opening, which has always been free except for parking. Our family has enjoyed fairs for years, going on Sunday at noon to see the pet parade and the horse show. We were charged $3 for parking and also charged $2 each for admission. We managed to have a good time, but I think this is very unfair.

Do a little planning

IT SEEMS obvious now that the city is not prepared to design intersections and then build in concrete. If you're going to build something in concrete, you need to have a good plan and know where you're going to build it before you start. Otherwise, it costs a lot of money to build it again when it should have been built right the first time.

Feuding with neighbor

I HAVE a neighbor who obviously does not like animals. The minute our dog barks, which is very seldom, this neighbor is quick to call and complain. He is very rude while doing this. I would like to know if it's legal for him to trap squirrels in the middle of Jackson and then shoot them with a BB gun. I thought this was an illegal practice in town.

Golden Eagle pride

MY CHILDREN and my sister were members of the SEMO Golden Eagles Marching Band. I know how hard they practice. They were outstanding 10 years ago and still are. I'm very proud of them. They also stayed throughout the entire game to support the team even if it's being clobbered.

Time for support

OUR PRESIDENT has done a fantastic job in pulling our economy up. He has given tax credits to families. The former president didn't handle Iraq or Saddam Hussein, even though he had the opportunity. Let's quit attacking parties. Let's support the good in our current leader. Let's pray for our nation and support our leaders without attacking parties.

Make engineer pay

WHO WAS the engineer who screwed up the intersection at Mount Auburn Road and Independence? I'd like to know who hasn't got the sense to know how to fix an intersection. He should be the one to pay for the repairs, not the taxpayers.

Great parade

CONGRATULATIONS TO the folks who organized the SEMO District Fair parade on Monday. It was so well-organized. We enjoyed it very much. Many thanks to all who were responsible. It's the best parade we've seen.

Wasting money

FOR YEARS, Cape Girardeau has been wasting money, playing the Mount Auburn Road game. How many lanes we had yesterday will change today and tomorrow. Stop trying to ease us into a change. Construct your final plan and stop wasting money. If the city cared about safety, the mailboxes would be moved to the doors. Either a resident or the mail truck is going to get hit.

Teaching concerns

IF I hear one more time that Cape Girardeau teachers are overworked, have too many students in their classes and don't have time to get everything done, I'm going to start screaming. I went to the two open houses at the high school and junior high school. All I heard was about how crowded the classes were and how the teachers don't really have enough time to get everything done. That wasn't the purpose of the open houses. I found out that my sons' math teachers don't even grade their papers. How do they know how they're doing? They might as well just hand these kids a book and give them a study hall, because the teachers certainly aren't teaching.

Wonderful parade

OUR FAMILY thoroughly enjoyed the SEMO District Fair parade up Broadway, and we'd like to thank everyone who was involved. The parade seemed to move steadily along, and there weren't any big gaps. It was just wonderful. So thank you all. We really enjoyed it.

Aggressive 'skeeters

I THINK the mosquitoes must be getting more aggressive. The other day I had a cup of water sitting in my kitchen. There was a mosquito on the top. Before I could get it, it flew away. They're really getting bad.

New Hamburg speeding

THIS IS to remind all the speeders who are going through New Hamburg, Mo., that there is a 25-mph speed limit. Please slow down before you injure a small child since school is in session now. And don't be surprised if there's a deputy sheriff sitting there waiting to catch you some morning.

Security assistance

THIS IS a five-star compliment for the security service at the SEMO District Fair. I am a visitor from St. Louis. At 11:30 p.m. Monday, I had starting problems in the parking lot. I was allowed to contact AAA from the security center. Before the tow came, a very knowledgeable gentleman diagnosed the problem and sent me on my merry way.

Delayed anger

IT'S MUSIC to the ears of terrorists all over the world to hear the Democrats run down the president and the country. Bill Clinton sat for eight years as terrorists organized and grew. Where was the Democrats' anger then?