Speakout 2/24

Stand your ground, Governor. Cut the funds for free babysitting.

I picked up my Feb. 11 paper and turned to the Bulldog Barker, which is our local high school newspaper and, to my shock, a pregnant girl was right on the front. I'm sorry things like that happen to people but there is no point in flaunting it on the front page of a high school newspaper. Where were her parents when this came about?

There are three freshmen girls starting on the varsity basketball team and a pregnant girl on the front of the Bulldog Barker. Is there something wrong with this picture?

I am an old battle-hardened Marine (World War II). I'd like to meet this Ron Greenlee nose to nose and toe to toe, wherever he'd like to meet.

I knocked on a man's door to get directions. He came out and three dogs came out with him. I said, "You have a lot of dogs" and he said, "They all serve a purpose. This one's named Hunter, this one's named Government and this one is named Farmer." "Unusual names for dogs," I said. He said, "Those names are appropriate. You see, a Hunter catches a rabbit, then Government takes it away from him and Farmer whines until Government gives it to him and then Farmer gets in his Cadillac pickup and drives to JoAnn Emerson's office and tells her 'We've got to have more Hunters and rabbits, and while you're at it, eliminate the inheritance tax and income taxes. She said, 'You can depend on me.'"

I'm calling to complain about the potholes on the Sikeston Post Office parking lot. It's been like this for at least a year or two. Some of the potholes are as big around as a tire on a car. I was standing at the bank on the parking lot by where the post office is located. Why haven't these been repaired? If you don't know where they are, you can really do some damage to your car. These aren't just small little holes, they are big holes and it's getting worse and worse. The postal service increases its rates every year and now we have to worry about doing damage to our cars when we pull into the parking lot. If the bank still owns the lot, they should be responsible for any damage that is done to our vehicles. Can you look into this?

My son-in-law lost his job at that wire factory on East Malone a year or two ago and he had to look for another job. Of course, he got a better job at Noranda and makes more money. But that's not the issue. Is the new industrial development man in Sikeston doing anything to get industry in there and buildings like that that are sitting empty? I want to see something in the paper about this. Mike, you're good at writing editorials. Why don't you write an editorial on him and let me know if he's worth his money and if he's earned it.

I got my morning paper and there are people in here complaining about their cable television. You don't have to take that. I get stuff in the mailbox from the cable company for me to subscribe to it. I don't want it and I don't have to take it. All I have to do is say "no" and you can do the same thing.

For those who are afraid of farm subsidies getting cut out and having a $200,000 limit or whatever the government is talking about, I only get like $10,000 with burning 2,000 acres. They're after people like the big boys who get money pumped in overseas and communists because they sold us out and are buying up all this ground for the foreigners. They're the ones who are going to get hurt (and they should get hurt) because they are screwing with people. It is just. It's a matter of homeland security when we have these big farmers coming in and taking us small farmers out. All they are trying to do is line their pocketbooks off foreigners' money. We don't need that in this country because if we don't export grain, they'll make no money for the Gross National Product gain. Without money, our country just falls below the double standard. So think about what these people have done to us. I kind of question their status in the United States. I think they're almost communist when they start selling out to foreigners (big companies and stuff like that). We don't need that in this country.