Speakout 4/19

Call 471-6636

I think people should quit running the elderly down just because Kmart is closing. I think it's because their prices were too high.

In an earlier SpeakOut column, we explained that Sikeston Kmart was chosen by the Kmart Corporation because this was a leased store and not owned by the corporation.

This is to the senior citizen who was complaining in the April 11 SpeakOut about the senior citizens who go to our local stores and get their exercising and walking in. We have a wonderful YMCA in town which has programs specifically designed for senior citizens in aquatics, exercise and walking. They have treadmills down there, people who can help set up exercise programs. You might even enjoy with the other senior citizens we have. I go down there myself at 5 a.m. and have to admit that the majority of people from 5 to 6:30 a.m. are in their 40s and 50s. We certainly enjoy some of the senior citizens who also come down then. Come try it, have a good time and feel good about yourself.

We have several taxi cabs here in Sikeston and it's a big help here in town. Someone told me the other day that Portageville only had one taxi service and the man who ran it died. Now they don't have any. This person said they sure would like to have a taxi cab down there. Maybe someone who didn't know this would be interested in expanding to Portageville.

This is for Mike Jensen, who said in his editorial that he was against the 16-year-old being executed. If it had been one of your family members, would you still be saying that?

Every time I go to Sikeston I see young men carrying signs in front of the Kmart store. What do you think you're going to accomplish? The Kmart Corporation already decided to close the store in Sikeston, so why the big hassle and fuss? We see enough about it in SpeakOut and the Standard Democrat every time we turn around. The city of Sikeston needs to get itself in gear, now that they have the new Charter form of government, and work closer with these businesses and make sure we don't have so many of these big stores closing. Let me suggest something else. You people who manage the government for the city of Sikeston might try putting a Hobby Lobby in there where Kmart is. Most of the women do the shopping in the families these days. I've been doing some surveying on my own and four out of five women that I've talked to say they like Hobby Lobby. Sikeston can't go wrong if you get a Hobby Lobby here.

Let us not blame Wal-Mart for all of Charleston's woes. Remember urban renewal? That came to our busy little farming community one time and destroyed it and fattened a lot of pocketbooks. Then Wal-Mart came.