SpeakOut 7/22

Monday, July 22, 2002

Call 471-6636

I'm calling about the ad in Sunday's paper about the "Sikeston community leaders file lawsuit." When are you people going to realize that there are poor people in Sikeston? You have to face it. Just because you don't have to live in the bad area, you're scared that if they put the health facility down on the north end, that you'll have to see poor people walking in there? Give me a break. Sikeston needs to get out of this stigma with poor people. Every community has poor people. There's nothing wrong with the health facility putting their building up on the north end of town. You say it would improve the west end of town. You just want it to stay down where the poor people are, in the west end of town, is what you're saying. Not everybody in the west end of town is poor.


I'm calling about the health department site that they've chosen. I'm on Mr. Montgomery's side. As many empty buildings as we have in Sikeston, the Kmart building which is much too big, I'm sure; the old Piggly Wiggly building in the Mid-Towner Shopping Center, and other buildings, it seems like they could find a site better than what they've chosen. It seems to be a waste to spend taxpayers' money to build a new building and move it basically out of town and have it on the north side of town, where you could have a much more central location.

Does anyone now what I can use or do to get squirrels out of my attic? I would like to get them out before repairing the place that I know they're getting in.

I read in Sunday's paper where Missouri Gov. Bob Holden has raised taxes on a lot of stuff, a lot more money. He raised taxes that he took away dental services for the disabled and senior citizens. He took that away from us and now he wants us to approve a 6-cent sales tax on gasoline and everything else, when it says here in the paper that he just raised taxes on retail, pharmacies, vehicles, everything, but then he took away the dental services from the disabled people and senior citizens who cannot care for themselves and some who are living on $450 a month. It's a shame and I can guarantee you this bill will not pass. This bill will not pass.

This is to the person who called in and said prisoners should earn their keep. They should get out on the roads and pick up paper and this and that. Maybe this caller should get out and pick up trash. Not everybody in prison is there because of a crime. There are a lot of innocent people in jail.

I would like to say thank you to the Matthews, Flying J's, Charleston gas station for keeping their gas the same price during the Fourth of July holiday. We really appreciate it around here. Most people who live around here are on the lower side of income and we really appreciate it. And our hometown Sikeston? No comment.