Speakout 5/8

Wednesday, May 8, 2002

Hello. I would like to begin by saying that I have lived around the Sikeston area since 1955 and I have seen Sikeston grow and try different things to grow. It would take little spurts go forward then slow down. I'm proud to see you people getting the Charter form of government but there is three things that if you don't tackle wholeheartedly after you get this Charter-form of government going it ain't going to work, it ain't going to be worth all that effort. That is more industry, more low-income housing (and I'm not talking about no $70 or $80-thousand dollar homes, you need to break loose and start building some $30 and $40 and $50-thousand dollar homes for the working man can afford) and also more businesses, not just little pop-up restaurants here you all need some more good grocery stores, more clothing stores, more big business stores. Until you all knuckle down and set your mind that you are going to do this, your Charter-form of government ain't going to amount to a hoot.

I just read in Speakout where someone that is not too bright thinks we ought to send Bill Clinton over there to stop the wars. The only thing that Bill Clinton could do was give them all the rest of the country he hasn't give to them. He would give them the factories, the jobs, the money and probably the whole damn United States. That is all that Bill Clinton is going to

After watching CNN's coverage of Yassir Arafat, they're obviously biased toward those people, you have to wonder whose side they would have been on if Hitler would still be around. Have all the people in the media forgotten that Yassir Arafat claimed responsibility for bombing a busload of school kids about 25 years ago? And these idiots who call themselves so-called peace protesters over there with him? Or do they not even care about that?

I also think it is a good idea to send ex-Pres. Clinton overseas to "straighten things out." Give him a one-way ticket.

This is regarding spring cleanup. I would like to find out why we don't have spring cleanup in Salcedo, Tanner, Crowder and Vanduser? These are towns that have elderly people living in them and have no place to take their trash. Why does every place else get spring cleanup except these areas?

This is a question for the leaders of each individual community.

How can some people move from one place to this town, be divorced, draw welfare, live in the same house and still have to pay child support? Does the welfare office in this town check into this when they move from one town to another?

SpeakOut doesn't know how the laws work for this type of situation. You should call the Division of Family Services for answers at 472-5222.

What is the city of Bertrand doing? It looks like they're putting in a new pump. I'm sure the water bill is going up. Why don't they try to get hooked up on rural water like the rest of Mississippi County? The water bill is already too high. I can't believe it costs that much for a city the size of Bertrand to furnish water to the residents.