SPEAKOUT

Speak kindly of leaders

PETER KINDER: I resent your Dec. 8 column about the first lady. You certainly are not a good example for our children. Instead of always being so negative, could you not work with the Democrats as we had hoped instead of being so critical? You are a disappointment to many of us. It's time we see the good in everyone and not put one down. I know you, and I feel you are not perfect, but try in the future not to speak for all of us. We haven't any chance but to buy the Missourian, but it is so biased. So please keep your comments to yourself and let us form our own opinion and back our president and his wife. This is America, and we should stand by our leaders. We teach our children to speak kindly of other people, but you certainly do not help.

Teachers who really care

WE SOMETIMES take teachers for granted, but they give their all to educate our children. True, some teachers aren't in this caliber. As parents, we are aware of the teachers who really care. When the school board hires teachers, it should take more time studying the resumes and studying the people themselves. Unfortunately, some of our teachers who have tenure should be dismissed. I think tenure should not happen in our system since the teachers become lazy and don't care at times. This doesn't mean all of our teachers at our school.

Westfall for senator

I FEEL that Buzz Westfall, the county executive of St. Louis County, would be the No. 1 man to beat Bond in 1998. I feel that he would represent the people as a whole, and I feel he would be for raising of the minimum wage. I think he would be a good backer for labor, and I think he would be our representative. He would not represent the interest of the rich like the two senators we have, unfortunately.

Inspiring park display

WHEN YOU drive through the Jackson City Park, be sure and check out the VFW Auxiliary 10495 inspiring display designed and built by Fred Margrabe. Great job, Fred.

You're in control

I'M COMMENTING on the person who said, "I was shocked to hear such trash coming from a local station." They were complaining about a radio station in town, and I suspect it was a syndicated program which airs in the mornings. I'm shocked that anybody would be shocked. I listen to this station. I enjoy it. I also take my son to school who's 7 years old in the mornings. What I do when he's in the car, I don't listen to it. It's very simple. This person apparently did the right thing and changed the station. And for anybody who finds something offensive on the television or the radio, you always have that freedom. Simply change the channel or station. Don't try to dictate to others what they can listen to or what they cannot listen to.

Conservative radicals

IT WAS rather interesting to see the article in the paper about the man who wants to be a conservative. I don't think he understands what he really is. If he is a follower of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, I think he ought to hear what a relative of ours from Australia, a college professor, said over the weekend. We were discussing American economics and politics. We told him that when Ronald Reagan went into the White House, the national debt was less than $1 trillion, and that when Ronald Reagan and George Bush left, the national debt was approaching $5 trillion. In the United States, we call these people conservatives. Our visitor leaned back and roared, "In our country they'd be a bunch of bleeding radicals." So I think you understand, what you call a conservative is to the rest of the world a bleeding radical.

Policing strip clubs

I WAS calling in about the thing they wrote in the paper about strip clubs in this town. I think it's wrong what the cops are doing, because they have no right even though it's a government thing. If they want to fight about it, they're going to get one.

Same-sex marriages

I THINK they ought to allow same-sex people to get married because after all, they let people of different races marry.

Congrats, Otahkians

I JUST wanted to send my congratulations to the Otahkian volleyball OVC conference champions on their fantastic season. They were a treat to watch this year as always. Thanks to the seniors for four years of outstanding effort. Too bad they had to meet USC in the first round of the NCAA tournament. I did notice in the paper that USC also took three straight games from their next opponents. So it was a very successful year, and I, for one, enjoyed watching them.

County taxes

I'M CONFUSED. I'm sitting here looking at my Cape County tax bill and reading the Missourian comment where Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones says paving county roads doesn't cost landowners one cent. Is this an early Christmas present from Jones, that we received a full pardon of our tax bills and we just pitch the tax bill in the fireplace? And if the landowner taxes don't pay for road paving, who does?

REPLY: The caller may be confused about the taxes on his bill. Cape Girardeau County has no tax on real estate -- one of the few counties anywhere that can make that claim. Although the county collector sends out the bill, the taxes collected are for cities, schools and many special districts along with the county's tax on personal property like automobiles. The paving program discussed in the article was financed entirely by interest from the county's reserve fund.

Challenge the must-carry rule

JUST WHEN we thought the political nonsense was over following the election, KFVS and the cable company decide to battle it out. I think the federal government is the big problem here. If Congress had not passed the so-called must-carry law for local stations, KFVS would be on its knees begging cable TV to carry them. TCI should switch to Channel 4 in St. Louis and stand up to the federal government, much like those sheriffs out West are doing with the Brady Bill.

Get rid of grocery coupons

THE GROCERY coupon story was interesting but any store that gives double value on coupons has to make up on those discounts on items for which the buyer has not coupons. Just compare the prices on the same food stuffs at different stores, those who give double discounts and those who don't. I wish all the grocery stores would discontinue the coupon system entirely and compete one on one, item by item.

IQ and welfare

SO MUCH for the theory that people with low IQs on welfare or vice-versa. Actually, there are some very smart people on welfare. Take for instance the health care providers who are scamming and ripping off Medicare and Medicaid for services not provided. Check it out.

Why transfusions are opposed

I'M READING the article about the newborn who died after he was given a blood transfusion over objections of the parents. I think that just goes to show you that blood is not always a lifesaver, and maybe it will help some people explain why the Bible says you're not supposed to take it. That's why these people did not want to take it. There are alternatives to blood that do not transmit the diseases and the problems that blood does. And these people at the hospital in St. Louis should have known that. There were alternatives they could have been using even though the parents objected to blood itself. And obviously, unless they just neglected to say it in the article, they didn't bother with any alternatives. And now both the mother and the child are dead because of the blood.

Science and religion

I'M CALLING to comment on the person who more or less said in Speak Out that science and religion can't co-exist. First of all, science doesn't understand all the workings of the world, and man doesn't understand all the workings of God. I think it's completely possible that both can co-exist, that there is such a thing as science and there is such a thing as God. Somebody who believes that it's impossible there's life on other planets, or whoever says there is must not believe in God is completely confused. Unless he fully understands the Bible and is smarter than the greatest Bible scholar in the world, maybe he should spend more time studying the Bible or studying science and understand that both of the Bible and science say that man is not perfect and that man does not understand everything.

A Christmas gift

I JUST wanted to thank the Missourian for this wonderful little Christmas magazine with the Christmas carols in it. I thought that was really nice gift to all your subscribers.

The rest of the carol

THE SOUTHEAST Missourian on Tuesday published an insert called "An Old Fashion Christmas," and that was a jolly good thing for them to do. However, on page 23, they give the Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," this was a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. They went through three verses leaving the singer or the reader in deep despair with no hope for Christmas Day. The problem was they left out the last two verses of that poem or the last two stanzas of the carol. Here they are: And peal the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead nor does he sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, Peace on earth, good will to men. 'Til ringing, singing, on it's way, the world revolves from night to day. A voice, a chime, a chance sublime of peace on earth, good will to men.