SpeakOut 11/22

Call 471-6636

I noticed the second or third picture of the Sikeston All-Star soccer team. I was under the impression that the all-star teams were supposed to be made up of mixed grades. I was under the impression that first graders should be included on the A team as well as the B and C teams.

To all you fellow Democrats out there, I am a devoted Democrat and always will be. But let's give credit where credit is due. This Republican President that we now have has a lot of backbone. He will stand up for all Americans. So let's not complain and give him our support.

We hear about young people getting killed in wrecks all the time. We, as parents, need to quit putting all the blame on the kids and take a look at ourselves. We're the ones who buy them the high-powered vehicles that will run over 100 mph. The old saying is still true. You can't put a grown person's head on a young person's shoulders. When you parents buy your child one of those small, fast cars, have the dealer put a governor on the car so it won't run over 60 mph. It will save a lot of young lives.

I would like to SpeakOut concerning the Portageville Bulldogs football team. First off, I would like to say congratulations on a great year. You all played your hearts out each and every week. I just basically wanted to say to the senior class that for the past four years it has been a privilege to watch you, but even better than that, it's been great to get to know and become friends with you. The way ya'll carry yourselves on the football field is a sure reminder of how successful you will be in life, so to Chris Bates, Aaron Bidewell, Tyler Boatwright, Kyle Ezell, Larry Mayberry, Lance Penn, Danny Scherer, Drew Underwood and Ryan Wilson, great job, good luck, and thank you.

Did the City of East Prairie approve 1/2-cent tax on the property owners to help pay for the streets?

East Prairie had a street tax that was approved for 10 years, but it ended about three years ago, according to Lonnie Thurman, assistant city administrator. Voters declined a new street tax in a 2000 election.

I would like to SpeakOut about you farmers here in the Bootheel, especially in New Madrid County and around Sikeston. As flat as the land is from Morehouse to New Madrid, it looks to me like you farmers should be raising more rice down there. Rice is a good crop and the demand is going to keep growing with other countries like Cuba, Southeast Asia and some of the little countries in South America. You need to remember to drive your pumps deep enough to pump the water deep enough. Some buys make the mistake of not driving their pumps deep enough and when the drought comes, they hurt. Drive those pumps several hundred feet deep. We're always going to have a good water table here in the Bootheel. As long as we're surrounded by rivers and streams, you won't have to worry about not having a good water table. I believe rice (and winter wheat, of course) would pay off for you farmers.