Speakout 7/26

I am a very upset citizen, among many, that live in East Prairie. I have a scanner and there has been so much emphasis placed on speeding, etc., instead of patrolling the back streets where there is stealing and dope deals being done. I thought they were supposed to protect and serve, not just write tickets. I can't wait until the next election.

This is Wednesday, July 18. Front page of the Standard-Democrat, man arrested for tall grass and so and so and so and so. You need to go north on Highway 61 by SAHEC and look at the tall grass there. It's waist tall. I guess all the city leaders need to be put in jail.

You are so worried about people not keeping their yards up, it being an eyesore and all of this stuff. You keep raising taxes because you need taxes to fix the streets and the roads. I've lived on Sixth Street since '82 and I have not once seen that road repaired. I would like to just once see my tax dollars spent on the street we live on. It is a nice street and we like to keep it clean. Could you all please patch up the holes on Sixth Street and north of Sixth Street? I would like to see the tax dollars spent on the poor side of town, not just for the rich people.

To the caller I see trouble ahead. I see trouble now. Children are not just children anymore. More than half the children are home unsupervised, with no parent. And children are committing adult crimes now. How many of them are on antidepressants, which cause violent behavior or some other kind of prescription drug prescribed for attention deficit or whatever. Children are killing other people, killing animals, they don't respect other people's property. They don't have a parent at home most of the time. Children maybe have a parent at home for supper and to put them to bed. As soon as they get out of their diapers, they're home alone. So don't call children just children. These I don't know what you call them these days, they have no parents at home either. Parents are not parents anymore. They don't teach their children to treat people and animals kindly. Parents are not parents anymore. You grow up and face reality.

The social fabric of the United States has disintegrated for a number of reasons. It takes more than daydreaming and let's be active and let's do this to bring it back. Face up! Come up with some real solutions.