SPEAKOUT

Call 471-6636

To you people who haven't fulfilled my request to re-enter school, I hope you realize you are taking my education away instead of helping me get it. I registered to sign up about a month ago and you still haven't sent my papers like you said you would. You used to tell us to care about our education no matter who we are or how we look or what we do.

This is to the people who wrote in about the president getting into the Social Security fund. They are misinformed. There is no such thing as a Social Security Trust Fund. That is just a buzz word that Congress likes to throw around. Also, you stated that Bush is "getting into the fund." I find that hard to believe, considering that Congress hasn't even voted on a Bush budget yet. We're still living under a Clinton budget. You need to get your facts straight.

I see the Democrats are blaming the Bush tax cut for cutting into the surplus. What hypocrites. The Democrats were in favor of a bigger, immediate rebate for taxpayers which would have used even more money. The Democrats complain that the tax cut needed to have more effect in the first years and now they say Bush went too far.

I would like to SpeakOut about the Red Peppers. It has been a tradition in our school for many, many years and I don't understand why everybody's having such a problem with it this year. If you don't want your child in it, then don't put your child in it. I think it's harmless and I don't see any problem with it. It's a nice thing for our school. I was a Red Pepper and just loved the organization. It should continue just like it has in the past.

You wonder why there are more problems in our schools today. I'll tell you why. When our children have an issue with other students and they try to solve them by telling teachers, counselors or principals, all they tell our children is to ignore it. Well, there is only so much a person can hear until they can take it no more. Then what is our child supposed to do? They are expected to do nothing but tell on others. Tell me how ignoring a problem solves it if they don't face the problem head-on. I think it is all hypocritical what they teach our children today. If they're going to teach them one thing, don't say another thing. If you have one problem the answer should be the same on another problem.

I read where the senators are getting so many millions of dollars set aside for new bathrooms. Good Lord! Does it take that much for bathrooms? Also, does the President have to go around the world all the time and does the President have to take money to Egypt? I'm tired of it and everybody else is too. We're poor people. We're trying to live on what we have left and are having a heck of a hard time. You're a Republican paper. I'll bet you don't put this in, but if you do, I'll be surprised.

Surprise!

It was a nice try to defend President Bush, Mr. Jensen. But the SpeakOut caller who said Bush broke his promise was right. It's true Gore used the term "lockbox" first and it's true that the government does borrow from Social Security funds frequently. But that doesn't make it right and it doesn't dismiss the fact that Mr. Bush promised that he wouldn't touch those Social Security funds. We've been bushwhacked.

How long is JoAnn Emerson (as she still calls herself) going to ride on the coat tails of Bill Emerson? She can't do anything on her own. It looks like she would quit using his name. Every time you turn around, they've got something about Bill Emerson and she's got her face stuck in there. She's remarried but still keeps Emerson's name; living in St. Louis (I assume) and still is our representative and living in our district - supposed. Just a question.