Speak Out 11/21/12

Getting paid

to do their job

MoDot has enacted a set of "values" in which to conduct business.

One of those values is "to provide the best value for every tax dollar spent"

Could you please ask Kevin Keith, Mark Shelton, or Gov. Nixon, how we as taxpayers, are getting the best value for our dollars by MoDot putting into place a "Safety Jackpot Lottery" in which employees get cash for doing their jobs by the policy, which states they do their job safely in the first place.

Recently in the Southeast District, Charles Roberts of the New Cambria Maintenance facility won $750 and Scott Miller of the Ozark Maintenance facility won $875. This is happening all over the state. Can you imagine how much cash is being handed out for doing their jobs, the jobs that taxpayers are already paying them to do?

Then on Oct. 16, 2012, again in the Southeast District, the whole Design Department from Sikeston and Willow Springs took several state vehicles to a resort in Lesterville, Mo. The resort, by the way, is owned by one of the design manager's family. This little outing was for a "Design meeting". The employees from the Sikeston office traveled 2.5 hours to get there. The employees from the Willow Springs office traveled roughly the same distance. All were using state taxpayers' vehicles and gas to make this trip. The assistant district engineer, Chris Rutledge, also traveled there from Willow Springs and the design liaison from Jefferson City also went from Jefferson city. Now, I ask, how are we taxpayers getting the best value for those tax dollars spent?

If that isn't enough to make your blood boil, the "meeting" lasted from 9 a.m. til 10--one hour! The rest of the day was spent playing games, such as miniature golf. Some of the employees barbcued and provided lunch.

Then at 2 p.m., they all traveled back to their offices. Traveling by state tax paid vehicles, burning state tax paid gasoline, and earning a paycheck to boot! Again, "best value"?

I work very hard for my money, money that I sometimes have to scrape together to buy gas to get to work. Now I find out that money, that I bust my backside earning, is used for crap like this. While we have roads all across the state with have potholes you could lose a compact car in. One of which I live on. The one I travel on to get to the gas station, more tax dollars. The road I travel on to get to work, more tax dollars. My family eats as cheaply as we can because we can't blow our money. My family doesn't take vacations, we can't afford the gas.

Now I hear that because I live on a lettered route, MoDot isn't going to plow my road when it snows, because they don't have the money. Well I don't have the money to miss work because I can't get out. I wonder if the state would agree to us keeping the gas tax that they would normally get . . . because we don't have the money.

Bill O'Reilly

is a hypocrite

I'm calling about the deal in today's paper by TV anchors favoring Obama by Bill O'Reilly. It ain't even worth reading. What a hypocrite this Bill O'Reilly is! He works for Fox News and nowhere in his column did he mention how Republican and right-wing the Fox News Network is, including hisself. You know to get up and criticize all these other anchors on TV - their bias, their liberal this and that. That's O'Reilly for you. He's just a washed-up has-been. Never was nothing, but all he wants to do is criticize, criticize, criticize. Criticize your own Fox News Network. Bill O'Reilly. Criticize yourself. You're more prejudice and biased than any man on TV. Thank you. God bless. And, I do NOT watch Fox News Network.

Poplar Bluff

is a joke

Hi. We moved back down to Poplar Bluff from Sikeston. This town is a joke! I moved back down here because of family only, but this town is a joke because of doctors not wanting to give pain medication to people who have severe pain. They will not do pain management at their offices. Then, my granddaughter goes to school and I had bought cupcakes for her Halloween party at school for which I found out they weren't going to have a Halloween party and the principal said due to the fact that only one school in the whole district has a Halloween party and that when she took over as principal that they have not had Halloween parties. Right as she was taking over as principal they quit having Halloween parties at little prior to that. It is a fact that children can't afford --some children--can't afford Halloween costumes. Then, they turn around and want to have a 50s-60s party, but yet they expect people to buy $25 or $30 poodle skirts and have their hair in pony tails and buy bobby socks and black saddle shoes and stuff. You tell me. This is an ignorant system. Thank you.