Speak Out

Marquette memories

I GOT an e-mail from an old friend who told me the Marquette Hotel was going to be renovated. He, another foolish young man and I spent some time wandering around in the hotel in the late 1970s. It was a cool place, especially downstairs where the Bullock Piano Salon was located. All the old instruments and pianos made it seem like an abandoned treasure trove. I'm glad the building will be renovated. It seemed a shame for it to go to waste.

Republican hypocrisy

I AM calling to commend the Speak Out comment that noticed the Republican hypocrisy of blaming President Clinton for the current downturn in the stock market while denying him any credit for the wonderful economic times we had while he was in office. I would also like to point out a new Republican hypocrisy of blaming Democrats for talking down the economy without pointing out that President Bush came into office talking down the economy. The reason Bush works so vigorously at downgrading the economy he inherited was to justify his tax cut to the wealthy and to make it appear that the economy was already going south so he would not be blamed for the current mess we find ourselves in.

Account for the funding

I WANT to comment about the Proposition B plan to raise taxes for highways. I remember two tax increases ago they said this was going to solve all the problems for Missouri. Before I vote for any more tax raises, I want someone to tell me what happened to the money from those other increases. Let's have an accounting.

Fun in the creek

I WAS one of the teachers who had children playing in the Jackson creek. The kids enjoyed the feel of running water and catching minnows and crawdads. They generally had a great time. All the parents knew where we were going and thought it sounded like fun.

Headline suggestion

I HAVE thought of a way where you guys could save a lot of time. Simply have two pre-prepared front-page headlines, "Dow rises by staggering xxx points" and "Dow drops by xxx points" and them simply fill in the blank with four or five hundred points or whatever.

Waiting to see

WHITE-COLLAR criminals have traditionally been punished by the judicial system much less than blue-collar or unemployed ones. However, with the spate of corporate scandals, that is subject to change. Still, I won't believe it until I see crooked corporate CEOs prosecuted and punished as though they were convicted of a capital offense.

No correlation

RAYMOND PEATS was perfect in his assertion that the products of public schools have contributed a lot to our nation. However, he was incorrect in claiming that our high standard of living is directly attributable to our public school system. A number of years ago, conservatives claimed that the Japanese economic miracle was attributable to their so-called excellent school system. You don't hear this argument much these days because the Japanese economy has been in the tank for 12 years. The correlation between achievement in school and standard of living is virtually nonexistent.

Fat-cat dilemma

THE VIEW of the Christian right, as reflected in the columns of Cal Thomas, seems to be that the Bush administration has not done enough to get rid of one-time corporate fat cats now employed by the president. This presents a dilemma for President Bush. If he doesn't follow Thomas' advice, he risks losing support from this significant group. On the other hand, if he cans all these fat cats, the number of folks left in his administration will be reduced to zero.

Watch your back

TO THE successful worker: Don't be naive. You may have the job, the house and the car, and you may keep your mouth shut. But you can still lose your job just the same. I hope you never have to go through the loss of a job, but don't put down the people who have. Look out for yourself, because no one else will.