Speak Out 01/07/04

Time for fairness

I UNDERSTAND the frustration of the Taste's neighbors, and I feel sorry they are having to put up with this. But, as it's been explained in the paper, the city's hands are tied since the Taste doesn't have a liquor license. The owner of this business stated that if there was one incident he would close, because he was concerned for the neighbors. We had a murder, and he's not living up to what he said. I felt the city should give the owner a chance, and I was proud of the city council for being fair. Now it's time for the owner to be fair.

Hungry rats

OH, MY God! There are rats in the nice part of Cape Girardeau. I read that in Speak Out. The rats don't know that's the nice part of town. They just know that there's some deer meat out there, and they wanted to eat.

What's going on?

THERE ARE several things I do not understand about the Taste. And, quite frankly, I'm not going to go down to Good Hope Street after midnight to find out. Why are violent people hanging around the Taste at 4 in the morning? How does the Taste make any money if it doesn't sell liquor? What's going on?

Guardrail needed

I AM absolutely thrilled with the new bridge. There is one thing that concerns me. When you're coming from the Missouri side in the right-hand lane, that is an extremely steep embankment. If anybody skids for any reason or goes over it, they're going to roll, and somebody could get hurt or even killed. I'd like the see the city put up a guardrail.

Not anti-Christian

A SPEAK Out caller said many of our Founding Fathers were anti-Christian and mentioned Thomas Jefferson as an example. In 1781, Jefferson said, "God who gave us life, gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis which is a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God, that they are not to be violated but with his wrath. Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever." That doesn't sound like an anti-Christian Thomas Jefferson to me.

Works both ways

WOULD THE person who argued that the president should be able to use executive privilege to appoint judges when the Senate does not vote on confirmation also agree that President Clinton should have had the same privilege when the Republican Senate would not vote on his nominees?

Valuable lessons

THERE IS no distinction between school sports and education. In many ways school sports offer more valuable lessons about life than anything transpiring in the classroom.

Business as usual

THE FIRST crack has appeared in the much ballyhooed federal No Child Left Behind Act. Those with severe learning disabilities will not be expected to perform at the same level as others. It is a safe bet that we will soon be told that other groups of students will not be held to the highest standards for various and sundry reasons. Before long, NCLB will be a thing of the past, and we will return to business as usual. Thank goodness.

Closing criteria

AN URGENT decision rests before us: Whether to close Franklin Elementary School. This will affect our community's progress for years to come. Which neighborhood and which children must suffer? Taxpayers needn't silently swallow the arbitrary and capricious criteria this board set for deciding Franklin's fate. Instead, we can demand the board abandon the socio-economic class politics that favors their neighborhoods and demand these tough decisions are made using objective MAP results to gauge keeping the effective, closing the ineffective and weeding out administrators who don't deliver.

Spending on students

IT IS courageous of the Southeast Missourian to print that school spending does not correlate with school results. Cape Girardeau schools spend over $7,300 per student, and Jackson schools spend under $4,300 per student. You would guess that Jackson students would be only half prepared for standardized tests, but Jackson students actually do a little better than Cape students. We need to find the best way to educate our students without asking for more tax money.

City cutbacks

WHILE I have no objection to just over $24 a year in taxes to assist the police and fire departments, the city needs to cut unnecessary spending as well. The city currently maintains 26 city parks. Have you been to one of these parks? There are more city employees mowing than visitors. Last year following one of our snow storms, I observed a city tractor plowing the walking trail behind the Osage Centre while most streets were still snow packed. Cape Girardeau has a chamber of commerce, yet the city funds a tourism bureau. This is a waste of city money for something that should be funded privately. A municipality should focus primarily on police, fire, streets and water/sanitation. It is not the responsibility of municipal taxpayers to fund recreational complexes and activities.

Different holidays

TO ALL you people out there who think state workers get more holidays than anybody else, you are wrong. There are many other employees who get the same number of holidays as the state workers, but they are different holidays.

Murder is violence

THE TASTE owner said he would close the club if any violence occurred. Does murder not apply?

Forcing cuts

IF THE residents of Cape Girardeau continually say no to new taxes, then the council may be forced to cut expenses to balance the budget.

Not for police cars

SO THE city council is at it again, asking for more taxes. I am not against helping the fire department, but when I see the money goes to the police, it gets an immediate no on my ballot. What really gets me is how the police department will get new cars. What is wrong with the ones they already have? I drove the same car for several years with over 250,000 miles on it. If the police would drive their cars responsibly and take care of them, they could make them last as well.