Speak Out 7/28/06

Made in the shade

YOU CAN tell the sections of town built before air conditioning by the trees. Even with air conditioning, trees help keep energy consumption down. Not all low-tech solutions are outdated.

Give us names

HOW IS it that the names of scientists who oppose embryonic stem-cell research are known and tossed around, while all I ever read is that prominent scientists are in favor? Are these scientists really prominent? Do they have names? Are they afraid to have their names reported? Or is this only hearsay being repeated by those that do not know as much as they would like others to believe?

War and stem cells

MORALLY OPPOSED to stem-cell research? Don't want tax dollars paying for it? I'm morally opposed to war. It kills innocent people. I want my tax dollars to stop funding war.

Selective about laws

BUSINESS OWNERS who think they are doing good by thumbing their noses at the sign ordinance are demonstrating to law-abiding citizens that they are not worth supporting. If someone walks into their store and steals something, they want the laws to be followed. Yet they want to select which ones. I don't think so. This is not Boston, and this is not a tea party.

Life's priorities

I THINK I have seen it all now. This president sees no problem with spending half a trillion dollars in a failed crusade that has killed thousands of Americans, not to mention even more Iraqis, while he vetoes a stem-cell bill that for pocket change offered the promise of saving hundreds of thousands of American lives.

No New Hamburg?

I WAS browsing through www.scottcountymo.com for the first time. I was proud to be reading all the interesting facts devoted to our thriving county. When I clicked on "County Communities," I was shocked to not see New Hamburg on that list. We may not have more than 200 residents, a post office, or even a stoplight, but we're part of Scott County, too.

Tiring complaints

I AM tired of comments stating that we chose to live on a gravel road and should live with it. Four generations of my family have lived on this same farm. Why should the people who produce your food and milk be forced to live like second-class citizens and choke on dust all the time? I don't complain about your cities' restaurant taxes that pay for your benefits. These complaints make no more sense than complaining about the 911 tax because you aren't having an emergency, or complaining about the income tax because you didn't declare war on Iraq.