Speak Out 7/6/11

Grading system

IMAGINE how disappointed I was when I opened the paper as a parent to look at my child's honor roll in the Southeast Missourian and not one Jackson Elementary School other than West Lane, because they're in fourth or fifth, was listed. But no other elementary school was listed in the honor roll. It's probably because they don't have the regular A, B, C grades and A Honor Roll and B Honor Roll. They go by this ridiculous grading system of 4, 3, 2, 1. The teachers can't even grade and get a good honor roll. So I'm disappointed that they're not in here, but it's because we don't have the grades anymore. As a parent, I have hated it all year. We've given it a chance. It's ridiculous. It's watered down. It doesn't keep the students responsible for things.

Mayan-like piercings

I see these piercings, especially the extreme ones where they look like they're Mayans. I see this as the further breakdown of our society. I know that I might think it's OK to put purple in my hair, but the thing about a woman's hair is that it washes out and eventually goes away. I'm wondering, are these young men going to be left with these gaping holes in their ears? It's ridiculous.

Palin title

THEY refer to Sarah Palin as Gov. Palin, but she never fulfilled her job. I do not see how they can call her a governor when she was a failure. If she had served her full term, then I would say she earned the title. Amazing what some news company will say or do to try to make money.

Scapegoat

MAYOR Harry Rediger is a smart politician to scapegoat rowdy kids as being responsible for drowning Cape Girardeau in smelly and nasty cigarette butts. Hey, kids can't vote.

Bad checks

IF I write a bad check I go to jail. But the U.S. is writing bad checks everyday with no way to fund them.

SEMO budget

I can't believe that SEMO is thinking of giving raises after raising the tuition. People are still out of work, some homeless, and they are going to give raises to the ones that are making good pay now and living a lot better than the middle class. I sometimes wonder where these people have their heads. There are going to be fewer students as they are not going to be able to afford the high cost of getting an education when they then can't find jobs for what they went to college for.

Government waste

BOEING overcharged the U.S. Army on helicopter spare parts, $71 for a metal pin worth 4 cents that the Pentagon already had plenty of in storage. Nope. No waste or laws broke there.

Obama and jobs

OBAMA has a lot of nerve to stand up in front of a crowd and declare that he created thousands of jobs when the statistics show there are 1.9 million fewer people working than when he took office.

Paying bills

OBAMA said that this is the first time the United States could not pay its bills. Do you suppose the fact that Obama spent trillions on a failed stimulus bill had anything to do with it.

Birth certificate

DAVID Limbaugh recently wrote that neither Michele Bachmann nor Sarah Palin were "cartoon characters." I'm not totally convinced of that but I'll give Mr. Limbaugh the benefit of the doubt. However, since Bachmann is now in the presidential race, I demand to see her birth certificate. I'm not convinced she is a natural born citizen.

Sweet deals

WITH the recent superintendent hiring of cronies in the Rockwood district in St. Louis we have another example of those in charge feathering their own nests and all with board approval. In Cape Girardeau we have a superintendent that makes four times what a beginning teacher makes and can't live on that so he "retires" and then is assured he can get "rehired" at his salary. The "interim" superintendent is allowed to stay through August so she can have a better retirement. What teacher is ever allowed such sweet deals? Many teachers have gotten advanced degrees and still lived within a budget without doing a fake retirement.

Party platform

I love all these made up stories the pitiful Democrats put in here bashing Republicans. The reason they make up mud to sling at Republicans is because they can't put the things Democrats stand for in their party platform. You know, like socialism, more entitlements, amnesty for illegal aliens, abortions, gay rights, more welfare, more food stamps, higher taxes, less drilling (which means higher gas prices), making fun and slamming Christians. Need I say more?

Prosperity?

OBAMA is doing great. Gasoline is up 100 percent. Unemployment is up 23 percent. Black unemployment is up 25 percent. Food stamp recipients up 35 percent. Poverty rate is up 8 percent. National debt is up 32 percent. I can't stand much more of this prosperity.

Coveting wealth

GOD told us in the Ten Commandments: You shall not covet. God made this law not to glorify Himself but to teach us to live with each other. Coveting the property of others makes us unhappy and leads us to temptation of theft. It has come to my attention that the main idea of our president and his political party is to covet wealth that belongs to other people. He talks about raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires to give more to the people. But people who earn much more than I already pay much more in income taxes and at a higher rate. It is much better to work for my family and be satisfied.

Open process

CAPE Girardeau School District superintendent Jim Welker has every right to withdraw his retirement if he wants to. He went through the correct procedure and was open and aboveboard about what he wanted to do and was given approval to do so. Nothing immoral about it, as some writers think. I see a lot of jealousy and envy here.

Thank you

A sincere thanks to the kind lady at Toys R Us who blessed us with a free large box of diapers. Her random act of kindness made our day, and we will be sure to pass it on.

Lindsay's malaise

THE gloom and doom expressed by the likes of Lawrence Lindsay in your predictable Wall Street Journal reprint makes the malaise expressed by President Jimmy Carter seem downright Pollyannish.