SpeakOut 2/5

Wednesday, February 5, 2003

Call 471-6636

I would like to SpeakOut about nursing - registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nurse aides, anyone in the nursing field. It is very wise for you to consider how you treat your patients, no matter what type of people you're working with. It's just good to treat people nicely because one day it could be you who needs care. You should treat others like you want to be treated.

You don't hear about Swiss airlines having bad business. Americans with tax cut profits and dividend increases are busy opening private Swiss bank accounts, safe from American taxes. They're not about to open up new businesses with the market so dark.

I call Mr. Bush "Bushy Boy" because he beats around the bush. He makes no sense. I would vote for Saddam Hussein if he was in the United States before I'd vote for Bushy Boy because he has more intelligence.

I'm a Democrat, but with Holden doing all this cutting out like he's doing and says if we don't raise the price of cigarettes he's going to do a lot of cutting. It doesn't matter if he raises the prices of cigarettes or not. He's still going to cut. What we need to tell him is that we will do some voting. But we will vote him out. We need to vote a lot of these people out who want to do a lot of cutting over here and give it overseas. We need to get rid of them. We need to get somebody in here who cares about the United States and not these other people.

I see in the St. Louis paper where the federal government is investigating the disinterment or destruction of an old Indian cemetery in Wappapello. When are they going to get around to investigate the destruction of the Crevasier Cemetery in New Madrid County east of Conran?

You didn't say what kind of destruction needs to be investigated, such as if you are concerned about its upkeep or if it has been vandalized. Officials only learn of these situations by word of mouth. You also didn't say if the cemetery is on private property or publicly owned. You should contact the sheriff's office with your information.

I would like to SpeakOut about Groundhog Day, which is Sunday (at least in Pennsylvania). Down here in Southeast Missouri, it's a different story. We've got El-Nino all over the country but my father always said to never count winter weather over until after Easter, and Easter don't come until the 20th of April this year. So don't you farmers and people out there get carried away and plant anything whether you're planting a garden or you farmers plant anything before April 20.

Mike, you wrote an article, "Who's in charge" on the flag. Let me tell you who is in charge. You know it and I know it. A bunch of black people protested and wanted the flag taken down. That's exactly who's in charge. They always do what the blacks want. Another thing. There was a famous man whose birthday was on the same day as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And we've forgotten all about him. His name was Robert E. Lee. At least he fought in the Civil War.

I understand that your feature, SpeakOut, is available 24 hours each day. I often feel that I would like to call in. I have resisted this urge until today. Today the banner headline that Governor Holden is threatening $259 million in budget cuts if he does not get his way, that in substance equals decreased take-home pay for all taxpayers. It is admitted that he takes a rather cute way to accomplish his balanced budget. He proposes to sell bonds based upon the future "tobacco settlement" or, one might say, some "pie in the sky" future that could certainly disappear, and never materialize. In reality, it means that this will be paid for by increase in the taxes levied, either property, sales, income or some other form of tax in the future. He does not seem to recognize that the people are not favorably inclined to tax increases to pay his budget suggestions. Recall the vote on increases in fuel and sales taxes proposed and soundly defeated by the vote of the people, when these were suggested to pay for road projects that were supposed to have been covered by increased fuel taxes. that had been investigated several years ago. This is not addressing the constitutional provision that Missouri will not become involved in deficit spending schemes. He picks education which is a very sensitive issue to be a victim of his budget cutting actions. This is a very touchy political issue that should be one of the very last programs to suffer from political light-foot dancing and scheming, as politicians attempt to push their political proposals. I do not see a proposal on the part of the governor, lieutenant governor any legislative body or person that they or any one of the elected officials that they will lead the parade or in any way lead out by saying, "Hey, I/we am/are willing to be an example or examples of patriotic volunteering to take decreases of or decreasing salary/expense allowances, etc., to help during this period of tight slim budget difficulties. Surely the amount of budget drain represented by these salaries/expense accounts, including pension amounts is significant and should hot be overlooked by the governmental personnel, both elected and appointed.