Speak Out 1/16/15

Eliminating jobs to save money

Kaplan keeps telling us how much the new 2.2 million dollar automated meter readers is going to save the city. Well -- by my calculations if the city pays a meter reader $40,000 per year in salary it will take us approximately 55 years to recoup the 2.2 million. I don't know how many meter readers we have so that number would have to be adjusted accordingly. Of course that doesn't count for the interest on the borrowed money to buy them -- the cost of installation -- and the training and technology required to operate them. I hate to see us eliminate jobs needlessly!

Out of touch

Two local leaders: John West and Louis Snider gave us the Twin Towers Housing complex and Louis Snider devoted a life time to improving the town. Cronyism and the good old boy network are not exclusive to local leaders if hiring your friends is still the definition of it.

If Mrs. Pearson and the other three councilmen made such a good choice why would the leader . . . why would the caller throw her under the bus? Businesses added will be the thing to compare Mr. Bagby and Mr. Kaplan when it comes time to renew his contract. Someone can have the best of intentions and have a degree, but if they are so out of touch with the needs of the people they're trying to serve, they may not be any more help than if the selection committee hired the first person that they passed on the street. Using words like propaganda and making accusations about cronyism without giving real proof is what got the town in the sad spot that it is in today. Freedom of speech and press can be get nasty at times, but history tells us that suppressing them can result in tragedy. One of our local leaders adopted the slogan: It's nice to live in Poplar Bluff and friends were good. Now, thanks to the four new council members --my how things have changed. Welcome to battleground. Collecting debts

I understand the city of Poplar Bluff needs some money. Let's begin by asking Peter Tinsley, our council man, to pay the city what he owes. I know he says that really he doesn't owe it because it was his corporation that owed it, but let's not kid ourselves Peter Tinsley owes it. If he was an honorable man he would pay it.

Spending, spending

This is just a thought about city hall. I'm over 75 years old. I helped build the Lucy Lee doctor's complex and I know the building was built to last. So let's say to fix the roof costs plus or minus $700,000 and what if it would take another plus/minus $1.3 million to do the rest of it. That's around $2 million. Granted the building is old, but it is sound and it's apparently very functional. It just seems to me that spending about $2 million is a lot better than spending $4.5 million. Like I say it's a thought. Thank you.

Thanks for an awesome job

I just want to give a shout out to Kathy Hicks out at Hicks Veterinary Hospital. She did a wonderful thing by neutering God knows how many animals on a Friday for only $10. And I think that's wonderful and I wish the rest of the veterinarians in this town would do the same thing because it's a wonderful thing and it would save so many lives and I just want the Hicks Veterinary Hospital know that it was very awesome for them to do that. God Bless them and have a Merry Christmas. Thank you.

Consider the working class

Yes, Speak Out, I'd like to comment on the rents in this town to all of the landlords. You have people working and trying to make it and it takes two incomes to make it. If they want $700 - $950 a month for two bedroom apartments they need to go to St. Louis where the money is at. People here are not making. We're trying to keep our businesses going as it is. Please pay attention. Please have consideration for the working class people. Thank you. We appreciate your thought.