Speakout 8/26

To all the drivers that drive around Wal-Mart or anywhere there are pedestrian walkways, if they had lived 3 to 3 1/2 years in Berlin, Germany they would all learn what those crosswalks are. Anytime a pedestrian comes up to the walkway, they have the right of way. I hope you put this where all the people who drive around the pedestrian crosswalks will get the idea. I don't know how many times I have almost got hit myself by people not knowing what the crosswalks are really meant for.

I would like to hopefully see the Jaycee Rodeo get Gretchen Wilson next year because she's a talented singer and awfully cute!

Mike your editorial on Sunday, Aug. 19 just touches the surface of government spending and taxpayers' money and fraud. I agree it's poor management or someone being paid a kick back. When it comes to money, people are ruthless and greedy and will do anything to use a so-called loop hole for a profit. On the local level, I'm positively aware of this situation. State contracted government contracts that use concrete for purposes such as highways and state buildings that are being built, have to use what is called state inspected government sand. This sand comes from a plant north of Sikeston. This plant hauls several loads of sand everyday to concrete mixing plants throughout the area. That is called commercial sand. They also have a sand called state sand. This is used by the state for government projects. This is the same sand that comes from the same sand plant, the same pit. State piles have been sampled by a state certified sand inspector who I'm sure is a high paid state job for doing this. It's the same sand. Why would our government pay double the price for government inspected sand when commercial sand is sold at half the price? This is a waste of taxpayers' money. It goes on at all levels of government. On a county level, I saw where Scott County commissioners bought five FEMA trailers that are being used for county purposes. I think that the Scott County residents should be able to view these trailers when they are completed to make sure they are being used for what they say they are and not personal use by the commissioners or any other county employee. Taxpayers need to get involved in what our government does with our money on all levels. Complete reform is needed in all aspects of our government.

Senator Hillary Clinton just kicked off a round of new television ads in Iowa and indicates certain individuals and groups are invisible to President Bush. I guess the question the media needs to ask Senator Clinton is if Monica Lewinsky was invisible to her along with Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones, Juanita Brodderick and Jennifer Flowers.

Bush said Rove was "movin' on down the road." I guess that's better than "goin' up the river" with Cooper.

Here is something that should be of great interest for you to pass around. I didn't know of this until it was pointed out to me. But, back during the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover ordered the deportation of all illegal aliens in order to make jobs available to American citizens that desperately needed work. And then again in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 13 million Mexican nationals! The program was called "Operation Wetback" so that American World War II and Korean veterans had a better chance at jobs. It took two years to deport them. Now, if they could deport the illegals back them, they can sure do it today! If you have doubts about the veracity of this information, enter Operation Wetback into your favorite search engine and confirm it for yourself. Reminder, don't forget to pay your taxes, 12 million illegal aliens are depending on you!