Speak Out 1/22/09

Ready for digital

WHILE throwing away some old newspapers I found an article about the change to digital television that was published in December 2007. It explained the advantages of the switch, what people needed to do to be ready and how to get coupons from the government that could be used to purchase the converter box needed to receive the new digital broadcast. This was over a year ago. How many more years do we need to get ready?

Build traffic circle

IT would be good to have a traffic circle at Mount Auburn and Hopper roads. Traffic circles slow the traffic, but most cars do not have to stop. This uses less gasoline than stopping and then moving up a few feet and stopping again and trying to guess when it is your turn to go. The city is marking its right of way and getting ready to change the intersection. We may as well make the change for the better and build a traffic circle.

Respect for the Lord

IN response to comments about the Cape County Cowboy Church: How dare anyone criticize what another person wears when he worships the Lord. I attend Cape County Cowboy Church and am proud to say that every single Sunday morning when I walk into church, Bible in hand, my boots are polished, my hat is brushed off, my Western shirt is clean and ironed and my jeans are looking especially blue. What does it matter if we wear Western clothes or show up in prom dresses and tuxedos? Everybody comes to the Cowboy Church to worship the same God. As soon as Brother Jim says "Let's pray," a big whoosh comes over the building as hats come off out of respect for the Lord. Focus more on what the good Lord has to say rather than what's on the preacher's head.

No more deficits

WE have been snookered. Many officials are calling for massive federal spending even though they know we have a federal budget deficit. It's time to go back to deficit reduction. It's time to balance the federal budget. That's how we get economic growth: Balance the budget, and let the private economy run.

Blame the parents

MICHAEL Jensen's column, "The lack of accountability," is absolutely right. I'll go one step further. Blame the parents who are not watching what their children are doing. When my boy was 12 years old, he went to the mall and brought home a tape. I listened to it. It was terrible and violent. I made him take it right back, and I scolded the shopkeeper. There's got to be accountability for the parents.

Right on the mark

RIGHT on, David Limbaugh. You tell it like it is and what we can expect in the next four years.

Watch out for pets

WHEN snow and ice are forecast, keep an eye out for your animals and other people's animals. If you see a dog or other pet left outside without shelter and without food in temperatures like this, call the Humane Society. Don't turn your back and say, "That's none of my business." It's everybody's business when animals that can't speak for themselves suffer.

Doggy doo

WHILE driving down Perry Avenue, I see a man with two dogs. One dog wants to keep walking, his other dog wants to stop and poop in somebody's yard. He lets the dog do its duty and then tells the dog what a good dog he is and they keep on walking. He probably wonders why people hate him and his dogs.

Unnamed survivor

I noticed in the paper where a woman died, but it didn't list my friend as being related. So I did not realize it was his mother. It seems there has been some division of family. I can't believe they would carry it over quite this far.

Better TV

ONCE again Speak Out comments are complaining about the conversion to digital TV. This has been explained in detail so many times even the worst of dullards should know what's going on by now, but here we go again. The number of receiving and transmitting devices is increasing by leaps and bounds. Laptops, cell phones, satellite dishes, garage-door openers, televisions, emergency workers' two-way radios all require a bandwidth to operate. Bandwidths are getting so crowded that if something isn't done soon you're not going to have any television to watch at all. Switching TV signals to digital not only frees up bandwidth but also gives the consumer a better signal. For a meager investment and the minor inconvenience of installation, you're getting an improved signal and the possibility of endless new free channels in the future.

Thanks for light

The traffic signal at Broadway and Sprigg Street has been adjusted to respond to traffic flow. Thank you to whoever is responsible for this fantastic improvement. What about the rest?