SpeakOut 12/20

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Call 471-6636

Let's all stand up and applaud Super D and give them as much of our business as possible for their outstanding ad. They definitely recognize Christmas for what it's celebrated for, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't know who decided to be brave enough to print Luke 2, verse 8-20 in their ad, but whoever it was, I praise God for you and I praise God for your company.

Mike, Upon reviewing my wireless phone bill I noticed there is already a city sales tax and a municipal gross receipts surcharge in place. I live in Mississippi County with a Sikeston mailing address. I told AT&T I did not live in the city. They told me it was a state mandated tax and they are required to bill it to anyone with phone service, cell or land line. With the attention being focused on implementing an E-911 tax on cell phones, I'm curious if the city of Sikeston is actually receiving these monies, and if so, how much and what fund are they going into? I'm getting older, it doesn't bother me to pay a couple or three dollars a month to have trained medical personnel only a phone call and a few minutes away. But if I am already paying what amounts to about $10 to $12 a month to the city of Sikeston for wireless phone service taxes, why do we need a new wireless tax? For reference I have two landlines and a family plan with AT&T.

City Clerk Carroll Couch offered the following response: "Yes the city is receiving it -- it is going to the general fund to pay for the operational cost of the (city's) dispatching center." Couch said the telephone franchise tax brings in about $208,000 per year and the sales tax brings in $83,000. He noted, however, that "there is no E-911 charge to cell phone bills. The E-911 surcharge pays for the equipment and software for 911 dispatch services ... Currently that is being paid for by landline charges only. As more people switch from landlines to cell phones only, the revenue keeps going down." Note from the editor: E-911 dispatching in the county outside of the city of Sikeston is receiving no revenue from your cell phone bills -- only from your two landlines. While you are keeping your landlines, many people are not. E-

911 dispatching centers all over the state are reporting declining revenues while costs continue to rise.

For those who want to buy pecans and have asked for a number, this year's pecans, they can call 283-5925.

It amazes me how the U.S. Postal Service can keep track of and deliver a small piece of junk mail, but will lose a 14-square-inch package. To assure delivery you must pay extra for a job you pay for at regular postal costs.

I was calling to see if there is any church in the community that is willing to rent a basketball gym out for about five hours a week. If they would call me at 472-1211.

I'm standing beside the stoplight at McDonald's by Wal-Mart looking at Ryan's being closed. Now that no food is being served, or spilled or anything, does that mean the cockroaches will eventually disappear from starvation?