Speakout 3/7

Thursday, March 7, 2002

Call 471-6636

East Prairie had a school dance recently where five girls were intoxicated, three with alcohol and two with drugs. The girls who were on alcohol were made to take a breath test and they were put out of school. My question is, if the alcohol use and drugs are against the law, why weren't the two girls who were caught smoking marijuana, why weren't they given a test? Drugs is drugs and it's against the law. My other question is, why do the liquor stores sell the alcohol to these kids and nobody is doing anything about it? Wake up, America. How can we fight a war in Afghanistan if we've got a war on drugs and alcohol going on right here in East Prairie and no one is doing anything about it?

In response to the SpeakOut caller who asked about what to do with old greeting cards, you can donate them to the Sikeston Depot Decade Exhibits.

I read the SpeakOut comment, "Your tax dollars at work" about the white Christian heterosexual male and I think he owes all the blacks an apology because he said the man had "hit the mail on the head" because we are all white Christian heterosexuals. My husband and I have been married for 30 years and we are heterosexuals also and I have never in my life been on welfare and my two children are not on welfare. We have to pay for these same people who are on Section 8 just like he is and we're black.


I'm calling about the tax dollars at work in SpeakOut. You white people are not the only ones who pay taxes. We black people pay taxes too and I don't appreciate this a bit. I don't think the one who printed this in the paper should have put it in the paper and his opinion at the bottom. That is not right. This sounded like racism to me.

The issue was concerning working families and welfare families. Neither the caller's comment nor the SpeakOut response said anything about race.

To the people who called complaining about people using cell phones while they're driving, I saw a Sikeston school bus the other day with children on it, going down the street, and the driver (a woman) was talking on the phone.

I would like to SpeakOut about the over crowded prisons. I'm sure those people are intelligent enough to know that if an inmate has served half of their time, then they should be let out and free to come home. There are so many who come and go home and then there are others who just stay and stay. Those who have served their time should be let out to come home and make a life of their own or with their family if they're not able to work. There is no need to build more prisons when they could get out and get a job.