The editorial page editor is Robert Leger, 836-1 113. News-Leader 8A Tuesday, Juty 24, 2001 I opinionI Readers' Inters How to get your letter published Online Via the Web Go to Opinions in Local News at www.OzarksNow.com Mail FAX Voice E-mail Letters to the editor FAX phone Call anytime e-mail News-Leader number: to 836-1212 letters springfi. 651 Boonville Ave. 417-837-1381 or 1-800-695- gannett.com Springfield, MO 65806 1779 News-Leader Tis a privilege to live in the Ozarks" Editorial Board members Bernard M. Griffin Jennifer Portman President and Publisher Associate Editonal Page Editor David F.
Ledford Hank Billings Executive Editor Editonal Page Coordinator Tom Bray Sarah Overstreet Managing Editor Columnist Robert Leger Jean Warren Editonal Page Editor Employee Representative Your letters are an important part of the daily debate on this page. Preference is given to letters that are brief and direct, 200 words or less. We verify all letters, so please include your name, address, a daytime phone number, and if you wish, a photo. We edit for grammar, clarity and length. Please call 836-1275 if you have a question.
Our View Classes have something to teach all races You get what you pay for MORTON Less prison time not liberals' fault This letter is in response to the many I've seen that blame liberals for Amanda Morton's death. They claim that the "bleeding heart" liberals want violent and dangerous criminals released from prison early and given a second chance. Not true! Those who have been voting Republican are the ones who should shoulder the blame. The overcrowding of prisons due to mandatory-sentencing policies for nonviolent drug offenders is causing the system to release violent criminals early. The Republican answer to the problem is to build more prisons.
Instead of building more prisons, let's take that money and build more drug treatment centers. That will free prison cells so violent criminals can stay behind bars for the entire length of their sentence. Better yet, let's decriminalize nonaddictive drugs, stop pouring hundreds of millions of dollars a year into a war we'll never win, and spend it on education and caring for our nation's children. I'm sure Amanda Morton, given the choice, would have preferred to have been rear-ended by a guy with 25 pounds of pot driving down Interstate 44 instead of the rapist who is accused of murdering her. It's time for the conservative right wing to get a clue and think about the consequences of its current drug policy.
Scott Dickinson Springfield POLICE PAY Who will pay for higher salaries? I have just read your arti Ths Issue: Pay for police in small towns We suggest The challenges for small-town police are getting tougher. Pay should rise to match. Your say: To respond to today's editorial, send e-mail to letters springfi. gannett.com, call 836-1212 or 1-800-695-1779, or write to News-Leader, 651 Boonville, Springfield, MO 65806. Please include your name and a daytime phone number.
tricts have managed to rectify. Unfortunately, the Springfield school board chooses to devote its resources toward over-budgeted stadium renovation projects and not toward issues that directly affect students and teachers. It is the failure of school boards to effectively address teacher pay and working conditions that are pushing teachers toward collective bargaining, not any actions by the governor in Jefferson City. James Sharp Republic TAX CUTS Refund notices are wasteful hype Setting aside the debate about whether or not the recently enacted tax-cut bill will benefit the economy, what was the purpose in sending out tax refund announcement letters? More to the point, what was the cost? How much will it cost to mail out refund checks instead of crediting the amount to our 2001 income tax liability? Marianne Toombs Springfield DWI CHECKPOINTS Constitutionality of stop stands Matt Lyons checks usurp July 16 Young Voices) can rest assured that his "right" to drink and drive without being stopped is not being violated. It simply does not exist.
He is very correct that the Constitution limits illegal search and seizure. He erroneously concludes that this includes his car. In law, words are not selected arbitrarily. In the Fourth Amendment, the probable cause provision only applies to a situation in which a warrant is issued. No warrant is issued for traffic stops because by law a general warrant cannot be issued.
The search and seizure clause applies to unreasonable search and seizure. By law, driving is a privilege, not a right. The police can lawfully stop you merely upon suspicion. The Constitution limits government from imposing on "certain inherent rights" generally named as "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," which are not granted by government. This does not apply to privileges granted to operate a vehicle on public roads.
Half of all traffic deaths are alcohol-related. Alcohol related traffic deaths are the No. 1 killer of teens. I attend the traffic stops, as do several members of our chapter. The stops are conducted in the highest regards for the law.
They catch people who are endangering our lives by dri Michael Weaver gave up a factory job paying $10.50 an hour to become a police officer in Strafford making $2 an hour less. He did it because he's always wanted to be a police officer, serving and protecting. There are just enough people like him across the Ozarks to fill the staffs of smalltown police departments. Just enough. They're willing to weather the comparisons to Barney Fife, to be subjected to withering criticism when they make a mistake, to accept the need to make split-second decisions on which their and others' lives depend.
They're willing to take such a job for an average starting pay lower than a convenience store night shift In Richland, they start at a rate barely above minimum wage. In a dozen other communities, the average starting pay is $8.68 an hour less than the $8.85 Git-N-Go starts people on the night shift. Small-town police are no different in this regard than other people with a deep need to serve. Teachers, social workers and day-care workers are all paid far less than they are worth with the excuse that they're doing what they love. If they wanted to do something else, they could.
The problem is many people who might enjoy teaching or policing have decided taking care of a family is more important. They've walked away from their love for a better-paying, if less fulfilling, job. Yet they're not the only ones giving something up. The towns they serve also lose. Many fine people serve in law enforcement despite the low pay.
But how many others turn their backs? When a position opens, does the job pool include all the best candidates or only those who can afford to take a job that pays $18,000 a year? Is it easier to work in the factory for better pay and predictable hours or even at a job flipping hamburgers for the same pay but no headaches? It becomes a matter of what's important in a community. Do residents of a small town want the best police officers? If so, what are they willing to pay to get them? That becomes a matter of choices. Higher taxes are one way to increase salaries, but some towns have such a small tax base that it would take a sizeable tax increase to make a difference. In those cases, it may be a matter of reexamining priorities. If the town wants to increase police salaries in order to draw from a larger recruit base, is there something else it's willing to do without? Maybe it's trying something different.
Would law enforcement improve if every town in Greene County shut down its police department and contracted with the sheriffs department for regular patrols? Much would be lost, including the ty of having "our" officer. But it might be a more efficient way of getting improved law enforcement. There no doubt are other ideas. All need to be explored. Amanda Morton's disappearance in Strafford has put the spotlight on small-town police departments in a rapidly growing area.
The challenges they face are evolving and call for better training than was necessary a decade ago. Small towns won't be able to count on people willing to give up $2 an hour to become a police officer. If they're to get the law enforcement they want and that people in Strafford said they expect they're going to have to pay better than a fast-food restaurant. Too often, the cultural and historic contributions of African-Americans are reduced to footnotes. It is a lack of knowledge that cheats people of all races.
But starting tonight, and for the next two weeks, Springfield area residents both black and white have an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others. The Black History Summer School is back in session from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Springfield Community Center, 618 N. Benton Ave.
Classes are held nightly through Friday and July 31 to Aug. 3. The program, which began in the mid-1990s, offers in-depth history lessons about Africa and African-Americans. Each year, about 75 people attend the course. Youth and adult sections are held.
This year's theme is "Drama, Dance and Drums." Kindergartners to grandmothers are welcome, and a nursery is provided. Organizer Gwen Marshall, an assistant pastor at Mount Olive Baptist Church, has simple but profound aspirations for the summer school: that her heritage and culture won't be forgotten. "For those who aren't African-American, they'll learn something about the culture," she said. "For those who are, we hope they learn and hold on to who they are." In a community such as Springfield, which lacks much racial diversity, opportunities such as the Black Summer School should be seized. 1 WITeM: CONGRESS SAYS AND EUMlNMfc IT.
cle on small town police officers, Amanda: Smalltown cops search for respect," July 22 front page). On one hand you want to tell us these police officers are our neighbors, but we don't have a clue as to what their job responsibilities are and we should not take offense at the negligence of their duty because they are undertrained. If these officers are our neighbors we know what they are worth, and in Richland that is $5.85 an hour. Don't cry because the people do not want to pay for corrupt law enforcement. Crooks come cheap except in Greene County.
The public sector makes more money than most other jobs in these rural communities. Government cannot continue to be the best and most financial rewarding occupation. Who is going to pay for it? If you want to improve the wages of any government Ozarks Voices County should respond to state animal-abuse law Re: The two dogs in Greene County that were baked alive in a car surrounded by federal agents, Greene County deputies and Springfield police officers on July 11. In the article describing the event and the subsequent editorial, the newspaper assesses the blame for the inexcusable torture, the dogs' death and the botched rescue attempt on two members of the County Commission who voted against a proposal last year that the paper claimed would have provided animal control for Greene County and saved the dogs from a hideous and cruel death. Crackdown on Cuba hurts U.S.
I have reviewed the proposal and I cannot fully agree with the newspaper's assessment First of all, the proposal never came to a vote because it never got a second. Secondly, the proposal as written was so narrow in scope, it only impounded dogs under two specific circ*mstances: if the dog was aggressive and apparently at large, or if there was an injured cat or dog and the animal was immobile. Even if the proposal had been voted AUSTIN, Texas Oh goody, we're cracking down on Cuba again. President Bush wants to punish unauthorized travel to Cuba and plans to increase financing for groups on the island opposed to Fidel Castro. Jim Swain employee first improve the lifestyles ofthe residents.
Lee Allen Martin West Plains LABOR School boards aid union organizing In his July 23 column, "A step toward unionizing Carter Ward of the Missouri School Boards' Association complained that Gov. Bob Holden's collective bargaining order for public employees will lead to collective bargaining for teachers. Unfortunately, the misguided policies of school boards concerning teacher pay and working conditions are far more likely to cause collective bargaining for teachers than the governor's order. For example, teachers' salaries in Springfield were not raised by 2 percent, as claimed by the school board. Increased health insurance costs offset the nominal increase in the base salary that they received.
Additionally, teachers and students have to put up with horrible working conditions in the fall and spring due to lack of air conditioning in most Springfield schools, a condition most outer lying school dis ving drunk. These people get their right to a trial. This has the support of many law firms, insurance companies and elected officials from both major political parties. The Missouri legislature has even lowered the legal blood alcohol limit for motorists from a high .10 to a more reasonable .08 Fortunately, few legal experts and citizens take Mr. Lyons' arguments seriously.
To my knowledge, his argument has never been upheld by any court. Justin K. Hamlin President, MADD Missouri Ozark Mountain Chapter SLAVERY No comparison of soldiers, slaves Re: Ann Moore's July 21 letter regarding reparations, "Payments, should go to soldiers, too." I disagree. To compare the loss of her relatives during wartime, tragic as that may be, to the continuing legacy of whole generations of a people working for hundreds of years without compensation is just incomprehensible. Marty Dean Springfield We have cracked down on Cuba under Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, NLxon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Clinton and now Bush n.
Fat lot of good it's done anyone. Our policy may not work, but it shows perseverance. Unfortunately, so does Castro. We are reduced to sitting around hoping he'll die, which is not a shrewd foreign policy. America has been in a snit 4 Molly Ivins travel." Cuban-Americans, who have permission to travel, account for 120,000 of the 200,000 American visitors to the island each year.
Word has gotten around that Cuba is a great place for a cheap beach vacation, so Canadians and Europeans flock there. Americans who want to go simply leave from Mexico. Now Bush says they can be fined up to $7,500. Just what is the point? Your average beach vacationer is not likely to join the Communist Party, though tourism does help prop up Cuba's economy. Actually, its economy is growing at a thumping 7 percent a year, but "unlicensed and excessive" American travelers don't account for any noticeable portion of that This is a limitation on American freedom, not a boost for Cuban freedom.
As to funding groups opposed to Castro, our record in this regard is not terrific. How happy would we be if Cuba started pouring money into groups dedicated to overthrowing our government? The corporate Cold War mentality of this administration just gets weirder and weirder. If you thought the Cabinet was a little heavy on corporate types, check out the second-tier appointments. The new secretary ofthe Air Force is James Roche, vice president of Northrup Grumman, the giant defense contractor, which wants billions in new Air Force contracts. The secretary ofthe Navy is Gordon England, vice president of General Dynamics, which is seeking billions in new contracts from the Navy.
If possible W. has a darker sense of humor than anyone has suspected. Contact Molly Ivins at www.creators.com. on and adopted in December, the two dogs which were baked alive on July 11 would not have fallen under those narrow criteria. There was no provision to remove confined dogs from the owner's premise simply because the owner is unable to care for them or the custodian, in this case the law enforcement officials, wanted them gone.
Another thing I can't buy is Springfield Animal Control's excuse for not responding when first called, saying they couldn't step even a few feet outside the city limits. Animal control officer Buford Wilson told me he could go anywhere in Greene County he wanted to when conducting an investigation. Then why didnt he go and investigate the two dogs roasting in a hot car when requested to do so by police? Out of this whole incident I have one overriding question. Section 578 of Missouri law says animals must receive adequate food, water, shelter and health care. If Greene County ever adopts some kind of animal control for the county, at least the populous subdivisions, are they going to respond to complaints involving dogs chained up, starving and living out in the elements with no shelter, in addition to aggressive and injured animals? When I asked this question last year, when talk of county animal control first came about the presiding commissioner informed me that they just simply couldn't implement every new exotic proposal someone came up with.
Section 578 is not some exotic proposal Section 578 is state law that makes animal abuse and neglect a crime and is supposed to be enforced. Jim Swain is president ofthe Alliance for the Welfare of Animals. about Castro since shortly after the Earth's crust cooled. It has led the country into some of its most memorable follies, including the Bay of Pigs and the time the CIA tried to make Castro's beard fall out Some scholars have recently taken a look at American foreign policy in the 20th century, trying to figure out what worked and what didn't Most of it didn't The one shining exception, the great success of the century, was the Marshall Plan, under which we committed mucho dinero to rebuilding Europe after World War U. Had we been really shrewd, we would have invested in a couple of other Marshall Plans by now, notably in Mexico, thus saving them and us significant pain.
Bush II says he will "enforce the law to the fullest extent" to stop "unlicensed and excessive fiWIist was said: Read the past seven days' editorials, columns and Readers' Letters at www.OzarksNow.com. I.
