Speakout 11/22

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The City's leaf pickup program is all wet. Citizens were told the program would assist storm water runoff by removing leaves from street gutters. Expensive machinery was purchased. Three-man crews operate each machine. Citizens were instructed to rake leaves from their property to the curb if they wanted to participate. Once raked to the curb, the leaves would, what? Okay, yes, some are removed by expensive machines and three-man crews. Most, however, are wind-blown into the streets and street gutters where they get rain soaked and hamper, what? Storm water runoff. This process is a huge waste of money and manpower. Someone much smarter than the person who hatched this idea of a leaf program once said, "Government cannot and should not do that which a man can and should do for himself." If in fact those expensive machines can be sold, they should be. If in fact a citizen can dispose of leaves from their property by burning and/or mulching, they should. If in fact city council can dream up any other ways to waste tax dollars, they should not.

Is our post office short-handed or what? Once again our neighborhood of Laurelwood, Thornwood and Tanglewood is receiving our mail very, very late in the evening. This is bad for several reasons. It is so much easier to be able to pick up our mail when we get home from work rather than go back outside in the middle of the night with flashlights in this cold weather to get our mail. Also many times we forget to go back out and get it and it sits there all night. One of my neighbors found a bill laying on the ground, where one of the postal workers dropped it because it was so dark. This is ridiculous. Many of us do not like to go out at night alone to get our mail. This is ludicrous and not necessary. Mail should be delivered early enough that they can get their mail when they arrive home after work. If the post office needs more workers, they need to hire them.

I would like to know how much rain we have got in September and October this year. Thank you.

We contacted Sikeston BMU. According to their records, recorded rainfall for September was 10.23 inches and 4.25 inches for October.

I was calling to find out if anybody could tell me how much is an old pastor and church book on how to conduct weddings and everything worth from 1899? And also, can anyone tell me how much a three-cent commemorative stamp is worth? Would you please leave it in SpeakOut and let me know how to get in touch with someone about this?

I'm just calling to reassure Mike that life as we know it will go on just because Democrats have taken control of Congress. Also, I would like to make a couple of observations to Mike. I believe that if he will do the research he will find out that more atheists voted Republican, more homosexuals voted Republican and more Republican women have abortions than Democratic women. Thank you.

The very eloquent article written by Miss Storey is so typical of the arrogance demonstrated by the parents and students of Notre Dame. If Notre Dame is so far ahead of everybody else, why on earth would you bother competing with public schools in athletics? I have a great idea. Why don't you form your own leagues and you can compete against each other in the district, sectional and state titles? Then you won't have to deal with peons like us. Have a great day.