Speakout 2/22

Sunday, February 22, 2004

Cottonwood Treatment Center in Cape Girardeau, a state funded facility, cares for children ages 6-17 who have behavioral, psychological, sociological disorders. They provide a home-like environment with counseling, alternative schooling, family and individual therapy with a qualified psychiatrist. This facility services a large area of Southeast Missouri and will closing around June 15. They employ approximately 100 people from this area, but what happens to the children? Some of them will go to adult facilities throughout the state. They will be in with adult schizophrenics, bipolars and/or sexual predators, just to name a few. Some will go to their families or foster families, they will go to public schools with your children. They will hang out with your children, date your sons and daughters. Give these kids a chance. There are enough sociopaths in the world. The Jeffrey Dahmers, John Wayne Gaseys and Ted Bundys of the world may have been normal, productive, happy people had they had a Cottonwood Treatment Center in their young lives. Do we need this facility? You decide. If you see a petition and are a registered voter, sign it. Keep the Cottonwood Treatment Center open.

I would like to thank Judge Mann, Paul Boyd and the public defender. I really appreciate you all. My son went to court Wednesday. God bless you all and I think you are all really fair because it really could have been worse. I thank everybody for their prayers. I am a mother who really cares and appreciates the assistance.

I was just wondering. The place where you pay your telephone bill charges $1 to take care of your bill. Of all the people who live around here and have to pay the bill, they make a good little dab of money. I know an elderly widow woman who scratches for every penny she has. I don't see how they can do this. It hurts a lot of people who are on a fixed income.

Many people who do not have a checking account would have to buy a money order. A money order can cost as much as $1 and then they have to add 37 cents postage to mail their bills. This service fee could actually be saving money for some of their customers.

When are they going to leave Bush alone? Now they're griping about him not being in the National Guard. Well, President Clinton wasn't in the National Guard or anything. He went overseas and burned the flag and demonstrated against the war. He spent more time overseas than he did in the White House when he was president and I don't know why they just keep harping on Bush. Why don't they just leave him alone? All these people who are griping are already drawing a government check of some kind, or are on welfare or get food stamps and all that. Bush hasn't cut them out; they just want more.

I am an elderly and had been ill. I had fallen at home and when I went to Wal-Mart to get some medication, I was crippled up a little bit and couldn't find my car. These two young people helped me into their car and then drove me around the parking lot until we found my car. The lady's name was Beth and the young man with her (I don't know his name) was possibly her son or brother. But they were very nice young people. I want them to know that I appreciate their help. I told them then, but I want them to know that people like them are really appreciated. Their grandmother (who was in the hospital) has some grandchildren she can be proud of.