Speak Out 10/9/06

Dangerous pursuit

WHAT DOES it take to convince law enforcement that a high-speed chase is one of the biggest risks anyone can take? The killing of innocent people or police officers is often a result of such a pursuit. Is it worth a human life for running a stop sign?

Speeding motorists

I AM sitting on my front porch on Rampart Street between Kingshighway and Lexington watching cars going down my street at 50 mph. This has been going on for years. I would like some help from the police department to see if we could slow the drivers down.

School exercise

PERHAPS WE should take a look at what JFK had to say about health and nutrition. In the 1960s, when it was found that children were obese and terribly out of shape, exercise was promoted. Long recesses were encouraged so schoolchildren should get more exercise. Gym class every day was mandatory. Now our children don't get long recesses and are not encouraged to exercise except in gym once a week.

Message on signs

IT IS stupid to make a business take down its sign when there are all these other signs for candidates. Nobody makes them take their signs down. The city is on another power trip telling residents what to do. What a way to bring people to our community. If you want that big company to come here and offer 350 jobs, then let's keep stop treating business owners like kids.

Tobacco-tax info

IN AN attempt to find the latest news, I searched online about the proposed tobacco tax, finding a Web site that explains it more fully. I know there are non-smokers who do not wish to know the other side of the story about this tax increase, but I advise all voters to read the articles, which should scare you. Among many other reasons to vote against it, one is how and why our schools might lose money, which would necessitate raising more taxes elsewhere. The site is www.nomo3.com/ front.

Don't blame police

THERE WOULD not be high-speed chases if people didn't run from the police. The one leading the chase is the one who sets the speed, not the officer. Don't blame the police for the bad choices people make. Obey the law.

Despicable use

I was glad to see that fewer than 200 people turned out to listen to the rantings of Ray McGovern. However, it's a shame that more people weren't there to hear him politicize Cpl. Jeremy Shank's death so that we'd all be witness to the left's despicable use of our soldiers' deaths in furtherance of their cause.

Smoking education

KNOWING WHAT smoking does to your health, I don't understand why anyone would start smoking or continue smoking, but that is a choice. But don't subject the rest of us to it. I work at a cancer center in Cape Girardeau. All the patients here with lung cancer were smokers. My father died of lung cancer, so I know quite a bit about it. If you want to smoke in your home or your car and kill yourself, fine. But don't subject us to it. And I hope if you have kids you don't subject them to it either. We seriously need some anti-smoking education taught in schools. Let the kids come to our clinic and see what happens to you when you get lung cancer and I guarantee they would not start.

Stop picking on teens

I REPORTED a serious crime to Scott City Police Department the other day and was treated rudely, laughed at and told how my case was not the officers' priority. But they stop teenagers for every ridiculous thing they can possibly pick on them for. Come on, Scott City police. Do your job. Stop messing with the kids and do some real investigating. That's why we pay taxes.

New headquarters

I AGREE with the comment that libraries are good, but we need to think about law enforcement first. With that being said, I think it would be a great idea to renovate the Schultz school building and turn it into police headquarters. The building's aesthetics are perfect for a police headquarters, and it's a scant two blocks west of the current headquarters. There is also ample ground for expansion and parking. Talk about a boost in morale.

Necessary pursuits

SHOULD WE outlaw police chases because someone died while running from the police? All that would do is send a message to criminals that in order to get away they only have to drive really fast so the police will have to stop their pursuit. If you run from the police, you deserve everything that happens to you. Please do not stop police chases.

Veterans on parade

VETERAN RECOGN ITION is a great idea in the Southeast Missouri State University homecoming parade. I'll be there, and I'll bring my old Army buddies too.

Hunting in Scott City

I ADVISE Scott City residents to keep their pets inside close to dark. I don't think most residents realize it's legal to hunt within the city limits. If a child had been shot instead of a pig, I think it would have turned more heads. And if your teenager doesn't execute good judgment when it comes to hunting, maybe he doesn't deserve a hunting license. Hunting is a privilege.

Assembly message

TO THE parents and relatives who were offended by the Team Impact trading cards that listed a performance at a local church: Team Impact did not give any kind of religious message at the assembly. They motivated the children to make good choices and be good friends to one another. They never once spoke about God or church. They invited the children to come see them do more stunts at their evening performances. When they told the children where it was located, they simply said, "It's in a big building next to the mall called Cape First."