Speak Out 12/26/10

Smokes, diddly-squat

People should not have to settle for secondhand smoke. I don't really give diddly-squat what Farmington does. The person said settle for the fake boundaries a restaurant has for smoking and nonsmoking, where the smoke creeps right over to your nose. I don't think so. People should never settle for second-best when it comes to their health.

Vote Democrat

WHENEVER there's a survey done, they always show that senior citizens, on the whole, are better off than most people, they're doing fine collectively as a whole. So, therefore, I don't think they deserve a $250 tax allowance or whatever you want to call it. If the caller's truly upset about this, you should have voted Democrat in the election.

No need for the cash

MR. Dickerson who used to be just a little bit of a con man and has been convicted of a felony, now says he can develop a dental clinic downtown in three old buildings, with or without $2 million in state grants. Well, if he can do it without the $2 million in state grants, let's say, go do it, you don't need the state grants.

The city's business

I'M wondering why the city wants to even do business with this gentleman from Paducah who wants to put this health care deal in, this Mr. Dickerson. One of the board, the vice president, is well-known around town for not paying his property taxes. Mr. Dickerson is writing bad checks. Why do you want to do business with people like this? You know the city will only end up getting the wrong end of the deal. The taxpayers will have to bail the city out again.

The city's business

IT just occurred to me on how Obama plans to give health care to people. He's not let us seniors have a cost-of-living increase for going on three years. Because I'm a diabetic, Medicare wants me to give the pharmacy a log of my findings in order to obtain my test strips. Another invasion of our privacy. I understand I'm not the only one being audited by Medicare. Talk about government take over. When is it going to end?

What's up, mayor?

I want to thank the newspaper for figuring out that the downtown redevelopment man, Mr. Weaver, actually was a con man. I'm glad you figured it out and found out that he had a felony record. But why didn't you deal with the mayor? It sounds like he still wants to go ahead with the redevelopment even though he found that the man trying to do it is a con man. Doesn't he understand about that? Has he ever been swindled? Sounds like he's just standing in line ready to have it happen again.

Yes, Virginia

I would like to thank the Secret Santa who sent me some money in a Christmas card with no signature or return address on the card. I hope to return the favor for someone else.

I would like to make an apology. I was in one of the chain stores today and I was very rude to the lady behind me and I have felt so bad about it ever since I have come home. I wasn't feeling good and I think the stress and the rush and the hustle and bustle of trying to get things done and I am very sorry that I spoke to her the way I did. If I knew who she was or where she lives, I would call her personally and ask her to forgive me because I have asked the Lord to forgive. And you know, at Christmas, we get so caught up in the rush and in the things that really don't matter at all and that's not what Christmas is all about. Christmas is to celebrate the greatest gift ever given to all mankind, all over the world, from the beginning to all eternity and that was the birth of Jesus. So once again, I apologize to that lady. I'm sure she'll remember me and I ask her to deeply, from the bottom of my heart, to forgive me for being as rude as I was to her.

ON the smoking ban before the city council and soon to be before the voters, it is time for supporters of this ban to speak out. Smokers are addicts and as such are in denial. They deny they are killing themselves and harming others with their habit. What gives them the right to ruin my meal in a restaurant or to exhale a cloud of smoke into a pregnant waitress's face? Think about how long it's been since you could smoke on a train. The airline stewardesses association had documented proof of devastating health effects on their employees and stopped it. Did airplanes cease to fly as a result. Smokers are the minority. Only about one-in-four Americans continue to smoke. We non-smokers are the majority and our rights to breathe clean air are being ignored. We have the majority and the voting power to pass this ban and to note which elected officials refused to man up and protect our right to breathe clean air.