SpeakOut 6/20

Call 471-6636

I don't think people who have loved ones buried at Memorial Park or Garden of Memories Cemetery in Sikeston need to clean up the lots out there. Those cemeteries were sold as perpetual care cemeteries. Some of us need to get together and hire some attorneys and get onto the new owners.

I'm calling in response to water bills in Blodgett. I didn't realize that the Christian people in Blodgett were so sensitive about water bills. For your information, my home is paid for. That's why it is higher than my house payment. Is your home paid for? If it is, that's why the water bill would be higher than your house payment. I always heard that people in Blodgett were nice, good, Christian people and a good place to come from. I didn't realize people were so smart-alecky there. So maybe I'll have a different opinion about my good neighbors.

I'm calling about water bills in Blodgett. Excuse me, but I didn't mean to touch a sore spot in anybody's life in Blodgett. But I pay my bills, hon, and no one should be throwing stones if you live in a glass house. I'm sorry about your daughter who cannot move into town because somebody else owed a water bill but I don't owe one. My bills are paid, as they always are.

In defense of the caller, the daughter had to pay a water bill left by a previous tenant before services would be turned on for her. That bill was not owed by the daughter.

Mr. Black, you want to do the right thing? Get our boys and girls who fought overseas and for our country a pay raise. Men and women in the armed forces are way, way underpaid. If you want a tax increase, tax the rich and put a tax on the farm subsidy that the farmers are getting. Please stop picking on us little guys. How about giving a summary of the money you take in and the taxes you pay, and don't leave anything out. But do something good to be remembered by, by helping the working people and the men and women in the armed forces. Quit standing on the corner with a cup, taking money for the farmers and the rich. Help the man who pays the taxes; help him get a break. Come on, Mr. Black. Do the right thing.

Military pay is a federal issue, not a responsibility of the state legislature.

This is in reaction to the June 10 article on Sikeston Schools. The article was probably talking about the number of schools who were invited to summer school. I guess that means the people wearing orange jumpsuits in Benton were invited there by Sheriff Bill Ferrell. Seems strange to say we're now "inviting" kids to summer school.

George W. Bush is doing his best to ruin the Medicare program for senior citizens. He says we should turn Medicare over to private insurance companies. Don't even think about allowing this, because they can't even handle the Medicare program. The government should keep this program as it is now. If Bush can, he will also turn over the new prescription drug program for Medicare to private insurance companies. Don't let that happen. Stay under the old tried and true Medicare program. Bush cut income taxes for rich people by using surplus money which had been scheduled for use under the Social Security and Medicare programs. Now he says these programs do not have enough money left to operate without big deficits. Guess who caused these big deficits? Bush will lie to you anytime he can. He wants to turn over the federal government to private business and is doing it now. Write or call your congressman and senator about this and ask them to stop what Bush is trying to do.