Speak Out 7/22/06

Median eyesore

HAS ANYBODY noticed all the weeds and grass in the median going down Kingshighway? It is an eyesore.

Fashion fads

EVERY GENERATION has its style, and you don't realize how ridiculous it looks until you look back on it. Some old people look ridiculous because they're still wearing the old styles. Remember the glasses that were so big that they took up your whole face? I thought my parents would never get rid of their glasses like that. Kids today look cute. It does seem rather silly to buy jeans with holes, because they'll get holes soon enough. Every generation has its period of looking silly, and it's not just the kids. I think for the most part the kids' hair styles look nice.

Beauty is gone

I'D LIKE to know what happened to the beautiful crape myrtles that adorned the flagpole at Blanchard Elementary School. I use Sprigg Street as a route to work each day, and I used to get great pleasure admiring their beauty.

Energy first

IT'S TIME to shut NASA down and spend all that money on finding energy sufficiency. We are about to get into a world war with Arab oil suppliers, and it's time for us to figure out how to take care of our own energy needs. That's the first priority of the United States, not NASA.

Paying for roads

CONCERNING THE proposed Cape Girardeau County sales-tax increase: Residents of Cape Girardeau are being asked to pay additional sales tax for county roads and county law enforcement after paying for city police and city roads and streets. Those who chose to live in the county should take care of their own roads and police.

Less mileage

THE FOLLOWING two sentences are taken from the owner's manual of my new car. "Because E-85 fuel contains less energy per gallon than gasoline, you will experience an increase in fuel consumption. You can expect your fuel mileage to decrease by about 30 percent compared to gasoline operations." The politicians know this, and they are pushing ethanol and have forgotten to tell us this fact.

Repair the streets

CAPE GIRARDEAU streets are terrible. Every street has potholes Cape is a nice town. Why can't the city fix the streets.

TV noise

IT'S SO silly of doctors' offices to have signs on TVs in the waiting rooms that say "Do not touch." It might be better not to have a TV set than to have someone forced to watch a show the abhors. What if no one is watching and you want to switch the set off?

First, win games

GIVE THE Central High School football team a stadium when it starts winning games. A team that has a losing record year after year doesn't deserve a stadium.

Maintaining roads

I HAVE a comment about the sales-tax increase for the purpose of paving more county roads. It's my feeling the county needs to take better care of the roads it has. I live on County Road 389, and the weeds are higher than the car tops. I wonder if the county is going to wait until November like last year when the weeds were already brown and dried up before mowing. I'm not in favor of the tax increase because I don't feel the county has been upfront with people. Giving the county more money to misuse is not a good idea.

Hospital smoking

I WORK at Southeast Missouri Hospital, and I'm a smoker. I am angry that the hospital chose the smoke-free policy. I work long hours there and get two breaks and a lunch. I should be able to do as I please with my time, but my freedom is no longer mine. I'm not even allowed to go to my own car on my break to smoke. The CEO says the hospital is doing it for the health of everyone. Then I assume the hospital will take the soda and snack machines out, because obesity is one of the top killers. Where does it stop? As a smoker, I know that without a little stress release of a cigarette break, service may change drastically.

City road funding

VIRTUALLY HALF of Cape Girardeau County's residents live within the city limits of Cape Girardeau. As a result, the vast majority of the traffic loads take place within the city. Why is Proposition 1 setting aside sales-tax funds collected in the city for paving county roads? County roads, while essential, do not see the traffic volumes that city streets do. The county does need more police protection, but until city sales-tax funds are set aside for city activities, I will be voting no on Proposition 1.

Committed leader

JIM REINAGEL'S passing was a sad but memorable day for the Cape Girardeau and Kelso communities. This civic leader and church servant was committed first to his family and his Lord but served gladly in all aspects of his life. Thank you, Jim, from all of us who were blessed from knowing you.

Mowing along walks

THE REASON the city does not mow the grass along the sidewalks is because it is the property owner's responsibility, even if it is a vacant lot. All of these deadbeat property owners need mow, and everyone else needs to get off the city's case unless they want to pay more taxes to get more people and more equipment.

Spanking works

NO GOOD ever came from spanking? Really? That's the problem with today's society. Everybody thinks that if you spank a child that it damages him psychologically. I was spanked as a child, and it didn't damage me. A lot of parents spanked their children during that time, and we didn't have the problems then that we have from children today.

Risking their lives

I HOPE the person who called the Cape Girardeau County deputies "Barney Fife-caliber deputies" never needs them to help him. God forbid his wife and children are in danger and need the assistance of a deputy. My husband is one of those deputies who risks his life every day for very little money and even less appreciation.

About stem cells

NOBODY HAS yet said why the embryonic stem-cell initiative needs to be protected by a change in Missouri's constitution when none of the other federally protected rights required that the constitution be changed? The only advances made using embryonic stem cells have been made with rats for only one possible treatment. The only scientist who told the world about the wondrous treatments he discovered using embryonic stem cells was discredited before the world as a liar. No scientists using adult stem cells and cord-blood cells have been discredited. The scientist who cloned Dolly recently said he believes humans should be cloned. The caller who said adult-stem cell scientists were making extravagant claims didn't offer any proof.

They earn it

THIS IS to the person who said "any teacher who gives a kid an F hasn't done enough as a teacher." A teacher does not give a student an F. The student earns it. As a teacher, I have found that 90 percent of the F's that students receive in my class are because of laziness and failure to do their homework or study for tests. Perhaps students earn F's because the parents have not taken an active part in their child's education.

Wrath of God

ISRAEL GAVE peace a chance. And gave peace a chance. And gave peace a chance. Now Israel has unleashed the wrath of God and should have the support of the civilized world.