Speak Out 7/25/06

Police protection

I WOULD much rather our tax dollars go for paying for police protection than paving roads. These people who live in the county knew gravel was there when they chose to live there.

Enriching the rich

THE AMERENUE "Taum Sauk tax" proposed rate increase would enrich an already rich company on the backs of working folks, piling criminal increases on top of their reservoir crime. Where are our public leaders on this?

No line dancing

THERE WAS much disappointment over the fact that there would be no line dancing at the fair this year. The fair is having bands instead of dancing.

Cynical policies

THUMBS DOWN to those who claim that illegal immigration is an unstoppable natural force. Illegal immigration is created through cynical policies that push and pull immigrants. It is the result of corruption among the rich and powerful in two nations who first create desperation and then prey upon the desperate.

Making deals

U.S. REP. Jo Ann Emerson recently voted yes on the free-trade pact with the Mideast country of Oman. This will allow companies operating out of Oman to take over U.S. ports and other critical national-security jobs. This is a slap in the face to citizens who have already spoken out about national security when the Dubai port scandal was first brought to light. By the way, as it turns out, the Dubai company has been allowed to go ahead and take over the ports as planned while our leaders stick their heads in the sand. Please remember these things when you vote.

Cool idea

POSTAL CARRIERS are soaked with sweat by 9 a.m. and have to pack their water for the day in coolers. Whenever you see your mail carriers, offer a bottle of water or glass of lemonade or tea or anything with ice. They will appreciate it immensely.

Saving taxes

IN RESPONSE to the person who paid $73.95 in county road taxes in 2005 and would have to spend $14,790 in taxable purchases to equal that. That would be $1,232.50 a month in taxable items. If you deduct the major monthly costs -- mortgage, rent, car payment, utilities, water, sewer, phone, cable, insurance -- that are not taxed, most of us don't spend $1,232.50 a month on taxed goods. And most of us don't buy a new car, boat or trailer every year. If you do, you only pay sales tax on the difference you paid. I urge Cape Girardeau County voters to get out your 2005 real estate and personal property tax receipts and compare the figures. Look at your monthly bank statements and check registers and see how much sales-taxable spending you do in a month. For every $5,000 you spend at the grocery store, it would cost an extra $25. The additional half-cent sales tax would be spread out throughout the entire year, not due all at once as your current taxes are. You will save money on Proposition 1, and it betters the community we live in. You do the math.

Blame men

WHILE READING the article "Girl versus girl," I was waiting for men to be blamed for girls hating and fighting one another. Sure enough, near the end of the article came the statement that our culture, which is dominated by men, encourages women to sink their claws into one another. OK. We confess. We kidnapped Lindbergh's baby. We started the great Chicago fire. ...

Help the sheriff

THOSE OPPOSED to Proposition 1 and feel that they don't use the county roads or the county sheriff should think again. If you think the city police are the ones protecting you, you are only partially right. The city police make the initial arrest. Within hours, the entire burden of that arrest is placed on the shoulders of the sheriff, who is responsible for housing inmates, courthouse security, transporting inmates to court, getting witnesses and victims to court, securing jurors and transporting inmates to prison. Let's help out the sheriff's department and remember that only half the money raised by Proposition 1 goes to the much-needed repair of the county roads.

Paying for farmers

WHEN U.S. senators like Kit Bond start crowing about this or that bill protecting farmers, hold on to your wallets. Non-farming taxpayers are footing the bill.

Two kinds of famous

THIS SHOULD solve any controversy: divide Cape Girardeau's Missouri Wall of Fame into famous and infamous parts.

Hometown promotion

SO IF this was Tokyo Rose's or Axis Sally's hometown, we should promote it in order to attract tourists?

Overlooked area

DOES ANYONE else wonder why residents in the north end of Cape Girardeau were not included in the new bus service? Didn't the transit authority think we needed this service as well as the south end? This is ridiculous. They took away our cab coupons. What about university students who would use the bus service?

To the rescue

ONCE AGAIN I must say thanks to the National Guard. After bearing the brunt of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and after responding to last year's Gulf Coast hurricanes and storms, our brave National Guardsmen have once again been called to service in response to the St. Louis storms. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. You are in our prayers.

Simple math

I KEEP reading uninformed comments that city residents do not want to pay for law enforcement and paving roads in the county. There are 36,000 people in Cape Girardeau and 73,000 people in Cape Girardeau County. In other words there are more people in the county who live outside Cape Girardeau than inside the city limits. Where do these people presently shop? The people in the county support Cape, and Cape residents evidently do not appreciate it.

Chaffee outage

IT IS Friday afternoon, and the power has been off in Chaffee again. The power should not go off every time it clouds up or a wind blows through. You would think as much as our electricity is costing us, we could at least enjoy it on hot days.

Air show hazard

THE AIR show was terrific. I love to watch the performances. As I was driving home to Benton, I passed by the airport as the show was in full bloom. A motorist passed me and cut back in front of me, hitting his brakes and causing me to hit mine. Lucky for me, there were no other cars following me. Although there were signs saying you could not park on the shoulders, it would help if there had been a patrolman on duty to monitor the interstate to issue fines for slowing down suddenly.

Do without

WAY TO go with the bad check writers. Public humiliation should make others give second thoughts to being dishonest. Either you have the money, or you don't. And if you don't, do without.

Bad checks

THE ARTICLE about bad checks made me mad. Then it made me laugh. I was mad at the casual attitudes people have today about their financial responsibility. Everyone writes a bad check once in a while, sometimes because they don't balance their checkbooks. But to habitually write bad checks and fail to make them good is irresponsible and criminal. But the lawyer's comments made me laugh. Where is the risk of posting a wrong name when you get back a bounced check? I would think you'd have the correct name on the check. I think a good follow-up article should explain how much it costs a business when it gets a bounced check and why banks charge those outrageous fees when they process a check with insufficient funds.

Belongs on the wall

THE OBJECTIONS to Rush Limbaugh on the Missouri Wall of Fame make no sense. Whether you agree with him or not, he is a man of relatively simple beginnings who became extremely wealthy pursuing his dreams. His opinions struck a chord with millions across the nation, and he has more of an impact on American politics than most states' entire congressional delegations. He belongs on the wall more than most of the others there that I've seen. The only thing embarrassing about this debate is the pettiness of the small-minded views from his own hometown.