CHS students learned a lesson - the wrong one

To the editor:

For the earnest students of Central High School, the Students in Government program suddenly became very real. Every year the Optimists sponsor the program where students take the places of various members of city and county government with the hope they will better appreciate and understand the political process.

With the slam from the Cape Girardeau City Council Monday, those students learned a strong lesson in politics. It is one thing to have a city council smiling at you and saying it would probably take favorable action to rename a portion of the street in front of the high school. It is quite another matter when Midamerica Hotels Corp., Drury Southwest Inc. and Benton Hill Investment Co. flex their muscle in opposition.

As the students so eloquently noted in October, Cape already has several streets that change their names -- for example, Lexington Avenue and Mount Auburn Road. I have not heard anyone seriously say that any confusion has arisen from that change.

Let's face it, the issue of confusion is nonsense. In these days of computerized records, splitting the name of the street in front of the school would have confused no one.

Shame on you, city council, for raising the hopes of young leaders and then sending them a message their concerns don't match up to corporate entities. The students learned a valuable lesson. Too bad it was the wrong one.

MICHAEL MAGUIRE

Cape Girardeau