SPEAKOUT

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Priority: protect and serve

My daughter was working alone at a clothing store in Sikeston on July 29 at 10:15 a.m. when a suspicious person was looking into the store and lingered in his truck for some time. She called the police to request a walk-through. She then called me to be on the phone until they arrived. Ten minutes later, the police had not arrived. Thirty minutes later she had still not been contacted by the police. I then called the police and spoke with a supervisor who told me that someone had called to cancel the request; this was not true. This is unacceptable! When a hard-working, tax-paying college student calls for police protection, they should be a top priority to be served and protected.

No need to go faster

The news of the high-speed rail crash in Spain is precisely the reason this country does not need to pursue high-speed rail at huge costs. Small towns in the middle of this country need it and will continue to need the kind of local rail service they once had. Transportation is key to real working democracy interaction of people. High-speed rail is ludicrous. People don't need to get where they want to go any quicker than regular rail traffic was taking them those years ago. It's all part of what is wrong with so much nowadays, and you can argue especially in this country.

Morning mower

Please show some consideration for your neighbors on the weekend by waiting at least until 9 o'clock to mow your yard. Some of us that are not retired, some of us have to get up at 5 a.m. so we can go to work every day. It is a luxury for us to sleep in a little bit on the weekend. When you are in bed on the weekend at 7 o'clock or 8 o'clock in the morning and the neighbor wakes you up in the morning mowing, it's not very pleasant. And also, you can continue to mow your yard three times a week, whatever floats your boat I don't care, but please wait until after 9 a.m. to do it.