Speak Out 3/16/06

Rude customers

I WORK in retail. Nothing burns me up more than a customer who comes to my line while talking on a cell phone. That is so rude. I don't want to hear about last night's rave and Katie's love life. I don't care.

Belts on buses

SO WHAT if school buses are one of the safest modes of transportation? Is that going to guarantee that someone else does not hit them? Put the children in seat belts just like everyone else. They are our future.

Reeking secrecy

IT'S NOT right that Cape Girardeau County officials are keeping secret how much the county has offered to pay for the cab company in Cape Girardeau. That reeks of pockets getting padded.

Early fund-raising

FUND-RAISING in preschool? Give me a break. Don't we pay enough already? It is bad enough that the schools are making the kids sell overpriced items for $8.99. Sell candy bars for a dollar. Fund-raising puts too much pressure on the kids, the parents, the neighbors and families. Give it up. Take up a donation instead of bothering the kids.

Custody to mothers

WHY IS it that judges almost always give custody of children to the mothers? Most mothers work outside the home, so that can no longer be the excuse. The old "mothers are better equipped" to care for children is no longer valid, if in fact it ever was. It should be considered criminal for a judge to award custody to mothers who take drugs or live in an unstable environment with an unstable boy friend or in filthy homes. Have you ever heard of an unwed father gaining custody of his child? Why not?

Birth control for men

THE COMMENT that if women had to pay child support they might be more careful about birth control is right only to a point. If a man doesn't want to be responsible for a baby, he should use a condom. With the threat of AIDS, he should anyway. A woman may not want a baby, but she might like to have child support. So, guys, use your own method of birth control.

Lack of response

WHY IS it that Cape Girardeau police officers are willing to pull over anyone who looks suspicious, yet when someone reports a crime the police say they can't help? Is the paperwork to excessive? A friend and I reported crimes, the officers told us there had been many complaints regarding similar incidents with the same person. Where is the justice? What has happened to the civil servants who are paid to help us with injustices such as these?

Science as god

TO LET science determine our definitions of life would make a science god. And the science god has been wrong before. Look back. People thought that bloodletting would cure you. That was certainly not a teaching of the Bible. It was a teaching of science. For years scientists were sure that the earth was flat. Many people confuse these false scientific teachings with the Bible. So when you let science determine definitions you are worshipping another god.

Bird-flu concerns

IS IT possible to be overly concerned about the bird flu? If and when the bird flu is passed to humans, do you know how fast and easy it will spread, thanks to airplanes, doctors offices, work places, cruises. People will have to be quarantined to prevent it from spreading. Large amounts of people will die because they will think it is the regular flu until it is to late.