Speakout 8/25

The gases prices are up to $2.30 per gallon now. Some towns it's almost up to $3 per gallon. You know, I think the simplest solution sometimes works for the better good of the people. I think that solution would be, to stop buying all of our oil from all these countries that have proven over and over they are not trustworthy, and start using the oil right here in the U.S.. Hell, let's start with President Bush's oil fields! Am sure by using our oil, prices would go down in a heartbeat, once the other countries realized just how much money they would be losing. No one needs that much money anyway! Especially the President! Especially, when he's supposed to be "for the people!" Well, I'm part of "the people" and I don't think him or anyone else in a political or governmental office needs to make over 75 grand a year! That's where our tax dollars are going! In their bank accounts! Wise up America and impeach the President, then clean house with the Congress, the Senate and Parliament. I bet prices would go down real quick then, and I bet stocks would go up!

I am a concerned citizen in Sikeston and I am concerned about the children who are in our public schools. We have some children who are walking 4/10 of a mile from a bus stop to get to a daycare every day. That is coming from Southeast School. There are other children walking three and four blocks and having to cross Murray Lane at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Which is a very busy road. Northwest Street is a very busy road. There are two children I know of that are coming from Southeast Elementary that are walking from the carwash on Ruth and Southwest all the way down to Murray Lane, crossing Murray Lane just to get to a daycare. My concern is what if something happens to these children. They could be hit or anything. They say here that the school system can drop our kids off on any street corner they choose to. They have to walk, no matter what the distance is, they have to walk. I understand they have only limited space where they can drop these children off at. They have to have their certain stops, I understand this. But we are talking like first and second graders are having to walk these distances by themselves, a lot of them because they nobody older to come and get them. They have nobody with a way to come and get them or anything else. We have little girls walking this distance by themselves. We have little boys walking this distance by themselves. Some of them are in a bad part of the neighborhood. Myself, I have two kids. I don't want my children walking. I cannot leave my 7-year-old by herself with my 10-year-old without something going to be said about it and where I would get in trouble. But they can drop my kids off wherever they choose and still yet it is all fine. If there is any other parent in Sikeston that has the same concerns as I do and please call and put it in the paper and let's fight this so our children do not have walk and be in danger of somebody picking them up, taking off with them.

Within the last two weeks we have placed our trash out on the curb on Shady Lane and it has been torn into by the same black cat with a collar. It is all right to have pets but they do not belong on people's property damaging their things. If you have pets you certainly should keep them in their own place and not destroying other people's property. Please do not let it happen again.