SPEAKOUT

Families are the core

I JUST read Jay Eastlick's column, "Event celebrates life and family." I just enjoyed reading his article so much. How true it is that families are very important, and it was really something good to have this "For love of life and family" conference at the Bavarian Hall at Fruitland. That's what we need to do, get behind our families. They are the core of our nation, and that would be very good for our country to have good families.

Apology for sore feet

I'M CALLING to apologize to the person or persons upon whose feet I stepped on my way out of the aisle after the performance of "Oklahoma." You probably know who you are. The seats are beautiful, but the rows are certainly close together. I'm sorry.

Little people vs. big guys

YOU GOOD old conservative Republicans who want the federal government off our back and want to turn everything back to the states. But you want the federal government to regulate the court of law where the common people are concerned about making lawsuits against corporations and malpractice suits. You want to put a cap on them, on any wrongful damage suits, any wrongful damage dismissals and things of that sort. You want to put a cap on the people suing the big men. You cried too much federal government last time in the election, yet that's one thing you don't want to put in the state's hands, to run the courts. That's one thing that the president is going to veto, the bill that they passed, to cap all lawsuits. Thank God we've got a man who's for the working people. So they want to turn it like England, where it's almost impossible for the poor to sue.

Thoughts on Social Security

TO THE caller who asked why doesn't each person making over $300,000 a year exempt themselves for any Social Security payments. Primarily, because the federal government has taken 7 1/2 percent of their salary for years with the understanding when they retire it would be used for their benefit and not for giving to some welfare program and somebody else. Let me tell you, Social Security is not something you give to somebody because they need it. Social Security is a program by which they take 7 1/2 percent of my salary and 7 1/2 percent of the employer's salary, put it together, put it into a fund supposedly to provide for your retirement. Big corporations are donating now by putting 7 1/2 percent in addition to your 7 1/2 percent into the fund every time they write a paycheck. This is not a welfare program. It's not something you give somebody. The reason the Social Security trust fund is in trouble is because the federal government has taken the money that we paid in to reduce the deficit and make it all look smaller. If they could pay that $400 billion back into this fund, there wouldn't be any kind of problem in the next generation.

Remember Carnahan's promise

THE MEDIA did nail George Bush for his "Read my lips, no new taxes" statements, and he was defeated in 1992 by Bill Clinton. A very similar comparison. Mel Carnahan promised a tax raise would be submitted to the people, but he broke his promise. The media failed in its duty to keep the people informed. Now Carnahan weasels by supporting Amendment 4. Think we should remember his promise of 1992.

Gas is expensive here

THANK YOU for putting the gasoline prices of the nation in the Missourian. I noticed that in Missouri the average cost per gallon of unleaded is $1.08.1. Here in Cape Girardeau in some places it is $1.15.9 per gallon. That's quite a difference when you realize the transportation is very cheap by having the river here to bring in by barge and so on. So when you look at $1.08 compared to $1.15 you've got a seven or eight cent difference.

Crying babies on TV

WHY DOESN'T some federal agency do something about television sponsors and movie makers who abuse babies? The camera didn't just happen to catch a little one crying for a bowl of cereal or because it's diaper was wet. Babies are not seasoned actors who cry upon demand. Something has to be done to make that baby cry, and in my book that is child abuse.

Gas prices fluctuate

I MADE a 300-mile trip west of Cape Girardeau and back over last weekend. The gas price ranged anywhere from $1.11 to $1.02.

Emerson gets the job done

LONG LIVE Bill Emerson. He got the earnings raised on Social Security. I'm an old man. I never liked the way they had the restrictions on it. It's the way most of the Democrat programs are. They restrict so if you're not a liar, you don't get anything. But God bless Bill Emerson because he fought long and hard for it. I hope he recovers from the chemotherapy because he's a doer. He doesn't talk much, but he gets a lot done. He got more done than any Democrat we've ever had in that position.

All kinds of schools

IF SCHOOL vouchers are allowed, schools will spring up like weeds. There will be schools for devil worshipers and all kinds of cults.

Reason for juvenile center

I BELIEVE we should have the juvenile detention center at Klaus Park because it's for our kids in the Cape County area. The murder thing that happened in Wayne County, those kids come from other states, and that's the reason we have a lot of problems. This detention center is for our own community to help these kids. These kids are our future. We should be helping them so that we don't have all this stuff running all over the streets, murdering other kids and the drugs and the alcohol.

I WANTED to comment on the article in Monday's TBY by Ron Farrow. I was so interested in this article, especially because he commented on my father, Henry Buckner, owner of Sprigg Street Tavern. But it was a very, very well written article, very interesting, and I would like to see more of the old doings in Cape Girardeau that would reflect on the past.