Speakout 2/11

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Bush is pushing for drug testing in the school system. I think we ought to push for drug testing in the White House. We also ought to make all newspaper editors pee in a bottle.

I wish you would clarify one phrase of your Feb. 1 editorial: "Those who prey on others..." Just who do you mean by that? I think ordinary people in Sikeston would say that the most damaging factor in this community are the people who maybe not so clearly on others, those who take excessive salaries they don't deserve, the ones who do dealings under the table, the ones who deceive people for financial gain, the ones who back projects that they know are crooked or not on the up-and-up. Wouldn't you say that is what damages this community most of all?

This is about the "Clean it up ad" in SpeakOut. This is a family member who is trying to clean up 314 Hardin St. If they will just look around, they can see that work is being done. Just be patient and you will see that it will be beautiful when it's done. If they want to help, they're more than welcome to.

I called in SpeakOut about a building on Center Street but SpeakOut had Hunter Street. It's a concrete block building and hasn't been occupied in years and it's an eyesore. It needs to be torn down.

We apologize for misunderstanding your call.

It will be interesting to see just how President Bush plans to cut the deficit in 2009. Increasing the deficit by $1.5 billion a year seems to be strange way of doing it. He must have had a different math teacher than I had. Apparently he hasn't thought with numbers. Medicare is up 1/3 in a matter of weeks. I guess the lower figure he used got the needed votes to pass it. Now he wants to get to the bottom of intelligence concerning the war in terror and in Iraq. Apparently he wants to get the report after the election in November.

So who has started the negative political campaigning? Already the Democrats are attacking the President's decision to go into Iraq and take out Saddam Hussein. They are using the same old politics of fear, method of deceit, exaggeration distortion. Scare the seniors, scare the minorities, scare workers and divide America. The question is, who is standing up for traditional moral values in this campaign? The Democratic Party who is pro-abortion and for gay marriages, or George W. Bush?

Amen to whoever said "Fairness is needed" in the Feb. 3 SpeakOut. That is absolutely the truth. Money can keep you out of the paper or money can keep you out of jail. I had also called in an article about the judicial system in Benton, letting a government employee out on a thing and mine was never printed. I'm a subscriber and just want to know why mine wasn't in there.

We have no idea who callers are. The content of SpeakOut comments determine if they are or are not published.

I would like to comment on "Elaborate about waste" which was published Feb. 3. I don't know who the providers are who get $212 per day but I have a home and am considered a provider and I don't get even a third of that much money. If I got $212 per day I'd take it, so give me a call.