Speak Out 1/19/10

Shut fountains

HOW much does it cost Southeast Missouri State University to run the fountains on campus? It seems to me that instead of laying off people it should shut down the fountains. This would more than cover the cost of someone's job.

Money talks

WHEN I was in civics class, my teacher said usury was a crime. The government had laws against it. Only the mafia employed usury. Today, instant-cash places charge usurious amounts of interest. Federal legislators, in their lust to be re-elected, have taken money from banking lobbyists to fund their campaigns. Instead of protecting the public, Congress has allowed these exorbitant interest rates to be lawful. The re-election system corrupts all honest people who go to Congress.

Not Christian

THE comments of Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh are not Christian. That is the talk of the devil.

School spending

MY children attend Cape Girardeau public schools. I believe in building new classrooms and expanding current buildings, but I'm not voting to fund a football field when our students need classrooms. What a waste not to buy technology and classrooms for every child, not just a few students.

Trying to adjust

COLUMNIST Charles Krauthammer asked what went wrong with the Obama presidency. Nothing, really. It's just that President Obama is a serious president, and the American people are trying to adjust. They can't believe it right now, but they'll come around.

Property views

YOUR editorial on eminent domain was enlightening but ultimately irrelevant to the large number of Southeast Missourian readers who adhere to a belief in nullification and think that their views on property rights and other subjects take precedence over whatever the Constitution says or how the U.S. Supreme Court interprets it.

Ought to be ashamed

I can't believe what Rush Limbaugh said about the Haiti people. He ought to be ashamed. A couple of weeks ago when he thought he was having heart trouble, everybody felt sorry for him and prayed for him. God will take care of Limbaugh.

Parking caution

I would like all the people who drive through parking places to know that they are creating a very dangerous situation for other drivers. It is not so bad at huge parking lots where parking spaces face straight across, but at some lots the spaces are angled, and the rows are one way up or down. When you pull all the way through, you are exiting the parking space in the wrong direction. Other drivers do not expect you to jump out at them. Is there nothing anyone can do about this?

SEMO job cuts

SOUTHEAST Missouri State University would be doing better if it would cut the money it is spending on lobbyists and keep the teachers.

Golden Rule No. 2.

HE who has the gold makes the rules. It is also his responsibility to make sure that the people without the gold are taken care of if they are able and willing to work or if they are disabled. This system is not perfect, but it is a lot better than what the government is trying to do now. The government bought a lot of votes from people who pay no taxes. This government is trying its best to take away the gold from the people who earned it. When that happens, the government makes all the rules and calls it redistribution of wealth. The end result will be redistribution of poverty, because if you take away the gold from the person who earned it, he or she will quit working.

They earned it

I'M a parent of a veteran. The GI Bill is something these people earned by their service to this country. I would never say anything against anyone who has protected us from harm.