OpinionMay 31, 2009
Speak Out 5/31/09
Utility help; Build new shelter; Be thankful; Stable economy; Not a good idea; We can do it; Ignoring the problem; We're in peril
Utility help
MY utilities have been disconnected, and there are no agencies in town that offer assistance until at least June. I am a single parent working a lot of overtime, and still the bill is over my monthly pay. I need help, and no one seems to be able to offer it. Isn't there something someone can do to help? I know I am not the only one in this situation. Cape Girardeau does not have enough to offer those of us trying to get on our feet.
Build new shelter
IF the wealthy and elite of Cape Girardeau care so much for the well-being of the homeless, how about we build a new shelter?
Be thankful
STOP trying to live your life according to what you see on TV. Be happy with who you are and what you have. Live each day as if it were your last. Wake up each morning and thank the good Lord for another chance at a beautiful day. Work as hard as you can.
Stable economy
I thought the front-page article regarding Steven and Jessica Johnson was a good addition to the discussion on the need for a local homeless shelter. They put a different face on the homeless issue as opposed to the stereotypical panhandling substance-abusers we all fear. However, the real issue isn't homelessness as much as it is our need for a stable, economic climate that ensures good jobs and an individual's responsibility to maintain their employment.
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Not a good idea
I strongly oppose the homeless shelter in Cape Girardeau, especially since I am a resident so close to the downtown area with three children. It's not a good idea at all. The idea of putting a shelter in the old Washington school is even closer to my children.
We can do it
THE bottom line on using the federal building as a homeless shelter is this: We don't want Larry Rice getting a foothold in our community. If we need a shelter, that is something we can do in the community. We don't need his brand of help in our community. And we don't need him bringing in unfortunate homeless people to fill his beds. We need to take care of our own.
Ignoring the problem
I'M amazed by the amount of negative publicity the Southeast Missourian has given the Larry Rice ministry. He's an out-of-town person who wants to come to Cape Girardeau and help the homeless, and we don't want him. We've lined everybody up from the mayor to the senators to pastors. Let's sit in our cocoon and be a good Christian community and keep out anybody with new ideas. Let's keep out anybody who's not part of our little community to make things better. We're just fine the way we are, we don't need anybody from anywhere else coming in to help the homeless people.
We're in peril
SOME Christian preachers are speaking of Armageddon in these times. Even if this battle isn't true, look at what man is heading for: pollution, global warming, superbug microbes. Man, as well as the earth, are in peril right now.
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