SPEAKOUT

A lot of name calling

PLEASE ALLOW me to amaze your readers with an observation that they may not have noticed. What is it about the conservative position that makes it so inherently weak that those who advocate conservatism must resort to name calling and mudslinging? The example in Speak Out is calling liberals "arrogant and condescending." Usually the terms used will be "Marxist" or "socialist" or "atheist." Even on the national level, if you listen to Rush or if you read any of David Limbaugh's columns, you will note that more often than not it's just a lot of name calling and mudslinging. Whether you like the liberal viewpoint or not, if you will just pay attention from this point forward, you will notice that I am correct. Invariably, most conservatives will not argue the facts or argue a position. What they will usually do is get personal and call you names.

Comes with an iron collar

I WANT to point out liberal Democratic hypocrisy, how it has invaded society with how they're such hypocrites and the political correctness they're pushing. You know, Dennis Rodman kicked a man and then made a settlement with him afterwards and has done all kinds of gross things. He didn't have to go take any kind of mental treatments. He just made a settlement with the guy. But this Atlanta baseball player, Rocker, he made some statements about New York which I totally agree with, and he's going to have to have mental treatments and be evaluated mentally. This is nothing but the thought police, and it's been pushed by the Democrats and the Clinton administration. It's what we're now up against, these thought police and politically correct people. They intend to judge your very thoughts and make you think what they want. It's nothing but "hail Big Brother" and "1984." This is what liberalism comes to. Liberalism will finally put you in a dictatorship and make a slave out of you. They do it by giving you a little something, and along with it comes an iron collar that makes you a slave. That's what they're doing to the whole country.

Expect to be attacked

CONGRATS TO our local congressperson, who is able to state that we need more flood control projects to prove our independence from Washington while at the same time supporting the $100 million St. John's Bayou project all of the funding for which is apparently coming from Washington. Kudos also to those whose response to any economic or environmental concerns about St. John's Bayou consists largely of vitriolic personal attacks. As an average citizen, I realize now that if I have the temerity to question how my tax dollars are being spent, I should expect to be called names by those who are receiving those dollars. And a final tip of the hat to our local newspapers and TV stations for their brave silence on the issue.

Blind trust not the answer

I JUST had to call. My husband works for a local company that's in the southern part of Cape Girardeau. The company is union. During the last two presidential elections my husband and I took a lot of heat from his co-workers who were union because my husband expressed his desire to vote for a Republican candidate. These union guys just went on and on about how much a Democratic president does for union members. Of course, the man's morals don't seem to matter. Well, we've got a Democrat in office for two terms. How many more companies have to close? How many more union jobs have to be lost? I don't see that this Democratic president has done any of these union workers any good at all. NAFTA: Does that ring a bell? Remember the Democratic president who signed that bill? I think you union folks need to rethink. Maybe your blind trust in a Democratic president is not the answer.

They will spend it all

THERE IS one sentence on the front page of your newspaper on Thursday, Jan. 6. The article about the general assembly deciding what to do with the settlement with the tobacco industry that I did not understand. It says: "How to handle expected proceeds from the tobacco settlement is expected to be the issue that will draw the most attention." I thought the reason why the tobacco industry got sued was to reimburse the states for Medicaid and Medicare that have been paid because of smoking. Now what is to decide? It should go back into Medicaid. But here we go again. The legislators are going to spend the money on frivolous things that Missourians do not need. Thanks a lot.

We've let it go down

I AGREE with the caller who said Cape Girardeau has gone down. In the early 1940s to the late 1950s, it was a beautiful city. You'd go downtown, and it was clean, the buildings and the streets and the stores. By the old St. Francis Hospital, the houses were painted, tree trunks white-washed, flowers in the front, vegetable gardens in the back. Everyone, old and the young, took care of their property. It was a real nice place to grow up. Everything from out on U.S. 61 was beautiful courts and green trees and roses. It was a beautiful city at one time. It was replaced by greedy people who wanted to build shopping centers and asphalt parking lots. Yes, it's sad. It almost makes you weep when you see pictures of old Cape Girardeau and compare it to how it looks today. We've really let it go down, especially the downtown area.

Cleanup starts with you

IF YOU think that Cape's streets and highways are dirty, I have a suggestion. Get off your butt and clean it. Organize a group to clean up the city. So clean it up and stop the complaining.

New Madrid needs flood control

ON THE subject of closing the levee gap at New Madrid, Liz Anderson of the East Prairie Eagle is a wonderful spokesperson for East Prairie. She's right. The environmentalists have frustrated her and put up more roadblocks than anybody can jump through. But the bottom line is the people of East Prairie are asking for gated flood structures at New Madrid very similar to Cape Girardeau's floodwall. We have gates that can be closed when the river gets too high but are left open most of the year. Why is it that a few elite people, mainly in protected areas, want protection for Cape Girardeau, but they don't want protection for East Prairie. I think the citizens of East Prairie should be protected by a gated structure at New Madrid. And I think it would be good for wildlife, because when the water floods into the spillway, it disturbs all the animals. It kills the rabbits, it disturbs the habitat of the deer, it wipes out the turkeys. We do not have as much wildlife in the area that floods as in the areas that don't flood. It would be beneficial to the people, to the animals, to the environment if we had gated control structures at New Madrid.

Always some unfriendly folks

DO NOT blame the Catholic faith for the Mass where some were unfriendly. I went to 5:15 Mass, and people were friendly and shook hands. In any job, neighborhood or gathering, there will always be those you do not like or are unfriendly.

Response was confusing

THIS IS about the response to the floodway project in East Prairie that was printed in Friday's Opinion page. I have read the article slowly, word for word, and I must confess I am totally confused as to what the author was attempting to say. The only point of the whole article that I was able to take is that she is critical of the Sierra Club and the conservationists and their take on this project. But as far as being able to follow the minutiae, it was totally beyond me. Perhaps somebody could try to rewrite this article or make the same points in a fashion that's a little bit easier to comprehend so those of us on the other side of the issue could at least understand what it is that we need to respond to.

No need for Jackson P&Z

I'D THINK that every one of the planning and zoning commission people in the city of Jackson would offer their resignation. After all, the Jackson city aldermen have unanimously said anyone can do anything with their property that they want to, so why would we need a planning and zoning commission in Jackson?

Interesting meeting

MY HUSBAND and I went to a epilepsy foundation meeting at Cape Girardeau Jan. 6. Dr. Stokes was the speaker. It was a very interesting meeting, since our daughter has epilepsy.

Need school cooperation

I AS a taxpayer and strong supporter of better schools appreciate the work the school board and administration are putting forth for that cause. But it bothers me very much, the attitude of some office personnel and teachers, particularly at the eighth-grade level. When a call is made for whatever reason to the office, it is often answered in a very rude manner. Maybe some training for these people is in order. If a child has had to miss school because of illness, it is almost impossible to find out what assignments he is missing. How is the student to catch up? We want our students to stay in school and succeed, but I often feel we don't have much cooperation from the school. School is more than a building.

Advice came too late

I'M GLAD to see that my city is using our tax dollars wisely. I got my utility bill Jan. 7, which means it was probably mailed on the Jan. 3, 4 or 5. And in there was an insert that was probably printed up by some company at some expense, and it was tips on how to prepare for Y2K. Considering that it wasn't even mailed out until after Jan. 1, it seems just a little bit foolish and quite a bit of a waste of my tax dollars. This city needs to stop worrying about all this other stuff and do what it's paid to do. Pick up my trash and provide me with water and sewer. If I want to know what to do about Y2K, I will do what any intelligent person would do. I'd research it. But they sent something out that I don't need well after the fact. Come on, guys, get on the ball.

Wrong reason to celebrate

ONLY PAGANS celebrated birthdays. Christ or any of the disciples, none of them celebrated birthdays. No Christian or follower of Christ celebrated birthdays until after the disciples and everybody was dead, and the church at that time decided it would try to get away from some of the pagan celebrations and interact with them to get people to change to Christianity. You're not supposed to celebrate his birthday. Only his death and rebirth, so to speak, when he came back alive after his death. And yes, I agree that if Christ were to come to this earth now, in the form that he did before, most people would say he was nuts and put him in jail because he was only a lowly carpenter. It goes to show exactly how far away from the actual Scriptures we have gotten, because you're not supposed to judge by looks but by how someone treats you and others. We are supposed to take care of each other, but that doesn't mean celebrating Easter, as we know it, which is also a pagan celebration, or Christmas.

No complaints in Scott City

I LIVE in Scott City. My husband worked in the post office in another state for many years with kind, gracious patrons. I get quite disgusted with the complaints of Cape Girardeau residents regarding their postal department. In Scott City, our postmaster is kind, helpful and courteous. Our mail carrier is a saint, and she deserves the highest commendation. A special thanks to these wonderful people from one who appreciates them and has no complaints.

Take a look at Schultz school

I'M GETTING kind of tired of people calling in and complaining about why we need a new high school in this area. Granted, the old high school isn't that old. But part of the reason for getting a new high school is to eliminate the need for the Louis J. Schultz seventh-grade center. I challenge each and every person who thinks we don't need a new high school to go visit the Schultz building. It's old. It's falling apart, and I worry about the safety of the students in there. If we ever have an earthquake, even a minor one, that building has the potential to crumble. It's in horrendous shape. It's already falling down. Go take a look. By getting a new high school, it will accommodate the high school students 9-12. This district will be able to move sixth, seventh and eighth grades over to the old high school and junior high. They aren't getting rid of the old high school. They're redistributing the students. Folks, visit the Schultz school. It's horrendous. And that staff there, of whom I am not a member, does a great job with the little that they have. That school is a disgrace to this community, and everyone who has had a student there talks about the conditions there.

Millersville bills too high

THIS IS from Millersville. What do you think about the water hike we got? I don't think we should have to pay for the other people's bills. We've already paid our part. I think they're pulling something over on us. The bills shouldn't be that high on our end.

Too many cats in Jackson

DEAR SPEAK Out, I live in Jackson. I want you to know that there are so many cats on Woodland Street that you cannot wash your car and keep it clean. I wonder if there isn't something that can be done for this problem. I sure would appreciate it if you would try to help us. Maybe there should be a law where cats have to be on a leash.

Someone needs to check on this

I JUST read in Speak Out that it took three weeks for a letter mailed at the Cape post office to be delivered two blocks from the person who mailed it. Complaints just seem to continue about poor mail service out of the Cape Post Office. I wonder why the postmaster general doesn't have postal inspectors checking into this situation. There must be something more than handling mail going on there. I know people who drive to the Jackson Post Office if they want to be sure their mail is handled efficiently.

A conservative cloud

I'M SURE that there are others in Cape Girardeau who are anticipating the day when all the things non-conservatives look for will arrive. But until that day comes, we're covered by this overwhelming conservative cloud. Cape Girardeau, you can still see sunnier days.

Check cards are legal extortion

A LOT of the banks in this state have gone to a new thing called a check card. I believe it is a form of extortion that they do legally against the merchants and people of Southeast Missouri. It's a legal way for them to charge a certain percentage as they would for a credit card. Whereas if the business takes an ordinary check, there's is no such charge. I believe it's a method of legal extortion. I'd like to see someone investigate this and find out if it's legal to begin with.

Parents should be in charge

I HAVE read and reread parts of Mr. Cox's letter in Saturday's paper. I find many important ideas in his letter. He also makes the common mistake of implying that the parent is helpless to control or influence the child in many activities. No child must sit in front of a TV or VCR all the time or play Nintendo or sit at a computer. Where is the authority that says the parent should obey the child and provide whatever their imagination desires? What authority said that a parent should provide as much money as a youngster desires to spend? Why can't a parent simply say no? Why can't a parent be a real acting parent. The past two generations of parents have been so bombarded by child freedom and Spock philosophy that today parents don't know how to be parents or don't want to be bothered. Just as long as they obey their children enough to get a smile or at least a yelled-at response, life is good. The parent has provided or at least permitted the child to have access to things unsupervised that are helping to create the problems of our youth today. Too many parents treat children as baggage. Too many youths treat parents as baggage.

Charge the same for prescriptions

IF CONGRESS honestly wants to control the costs of drugs in this country, it would be quite easy. All they would have to do is to require that drug companies sell their products in the United States for the same price that they sell them in the other countries of the world. The major drug companies have profits on sales that are four times higher than the other Fortune 500 companies. In addition to this, they get special allowances on their taxes for research. The drug companies have overcharged the American population long enough, and Congress has the power and duty to assure that the American ill can buy the drugs at the same price that they are sold in Canada, Mexico and the rest of the world. Contact your congresspeople and demand fairness for the American ill. I saw in the paper a few weeks ago that one of the major drug companies sells one of their drugs in England for less than one-sixth of the price they charge here. We are getting screwed, and I don't like it.

Poor journalism

WELL, PETER Kinder, you've done it again. You claim a double standard between the way the media views liberals and conservatives, and you claim that there were inflammatory statements made by Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Spike Lee, Rosie O'Donnell and the Baldwin boys, but you give no example of what you're talking about. How are we supposed to know what you're talking about? If you could provide a quote from each of these people, then we would know. You're just a poor journalist.

Fix up the high school we have

THE PR is gearing up for a new high school here in Cape Girardeau. But we already have a pretty good high school, and we're losing population in the public high school. Notre Dame has a new big high school they want to fill up, and now the Saxony High School wants to come on line, and some students are still moving to Jackson. With the declining population of our high schools, do we really need to buy a new $25 million high school, or can we refurbish the one we have since it has plenty of space and we're not gaining students. Why don't we just fix up the one we have? Or is that just too meager?

Lawsuits instead of responsibility

I WAS Just reading in the paper where the White House and cities across the nation are joining together to carry out the Clinton administration's plan to sue gun manufacturers over violence in public housing projects. The article says that "last month the administration threatened a new national class action lawsuit to be filed through HUD's public housing projects, accusing the gun manufacturers of negligently allowing firearms to fall into the hands of criminals." Now if they can do this to gun manufacturers, why can't the average law-abiding taxpaying safe driver of this country sue auto manufacturers for allowing automobiles to fall into the hands of illegal drivers persons without a valid driver's license, suspended drivers, drivers convicted of felonies involving automobiles, drivers who are known to be careless and imprudent drivers, or drivers that have been convicted of DWIs or those who have no insurance. They cost this country's citizens who pay for valid licenses, insurance and taxes a whole lot of money each year, also. Maybe we could sue the auto manufacturers for allowing autos to cause bodily injury, death and property damage to us. While we're suing people for everything these days, why not sue anyone that makes a product that could cause injury to any person? I think that suing is going to become a solution for anyone who does not want to take responsibility for their own actions. If I were drunk and fell off your porch, I should be able to sue the person who built the porch. Because if they had not built the porch, I would not have fallen off of it. You say, now be realistic. How realistic is it to sue the gun manufacturers for guns getting into the hands of criminals? Don't punish the innocent. Do more than just slap the wrists of the criminals.

We ought to have a say

ATTENTION, MILLERSVILLE water customers. For the past 25 or 30 years we have paid a minimum water bill of $9 per month with the idea perhaps it would go down if the bill should go down. Now the board tells us we must pay $22 a month to dig a well and furnish Gravel Hill water. Do we customers wish to dig a well at Gravel Hill and furnish water which seems out of our territory? Let's all join together and see if we have any right to say what our money is spent on.

Resign or get caught

THIS IS to the caller who compared Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton. It is not correct that Newt Gingrich had the decency to resign his position out of respect to the country. Newt Gingrich was having an affair for six -- count them -- six years before the scandal was finally exposed. It was only because this affair was about to be made public that he resigned, because the Republican impeachment attempt would then be revealed as pure hypocrisy. In no way did he resign out of respect.