Bonds
The rates on currently purchased I and EE U.S. Saving Bonds have been drastically reduced; for instance, the rate on I bonds is presently 0.00 percent (nothing). These rates come directly from U.S. Government Savings Bonds Processing Site. Any questions or doubt, call 1-800-245-2804 for information and the current interest rates.

Scrubs
Speaking of infection control, why is it that so many North Country health-care workers think it is OK to walk around outside of work with scrubs? Wearing or not wearing OR attire outside the OR area remains a controversial issue worldwide. Hospital workers also wear disposable gowns, hair coverings, masks, etc. to protect their scrubs or change into new scrubs as needed. Scrubs are worn to promote high-level cleanliness and hygiene. For decades, surgical scrub apparel has represented the uniform of perioperative staff members. Scrubs are now worn by hospital workers who never come in contact with a patient. So when you see someone in scrubs appreciate them instead. They are not spreading infection.

In session
Within a Speakout article regarding a start date for school this year was the negative comment that teachers don't work hard. The school calendar speaks to the days the children are in session. Teachers are in session 24/7. Please stop the ignorant comments that make teaching appear like a country-club occupation. Shadow a teacher for a day ... then we'll see if anyone thinks teachers aren't working hard.

Stimulus
The stimulus money we received is our money being returned to us, not a handout; the benefits you receive is our money being donated to people in need. Be grateful you received it, not because your kids looked good on the first day of school but because society is generous enough to share. And remember to pass it on when you are able to do so.

Sentence
Well, I see Zoro got a slap on the hand again. What does he have to do in order to get what everyone else gets when they do things. Like, did they go to jail for a year plus five years probation? He gets caught with all the goods three times and still only gets probation. Some people have all the luck, while others pay for what they did. It just doesn't seem very fair and surely not right.

Flu shots
To whoever set the price for the flu shots in Clinton County, you apparently are greedy. You decided to set a higher rate in Clinton County than the health-service directors did in both Franklin and Essex County. Why is this? You certainly do not care about the paying residents who need a flu shot.

Sewer
I live in Champlain Park and have a defective septic system. I can't really afford to pay for the planned system and feel that it is fair to base it on our assessment. I'm just glad that we have President Obama, Governor Patterson and Supervisor Bassett in office now. The Democrats just care about all of the residents regardless of income or what we live in.

Drug dogs
I saw that my idea for drug dogs at our nation's border crossing has met with some resistance from the drug smugglers who read the Press-Republican. I am so sorry that the idea of and the need for more drug K-9 units at our border crossings will cut into your bottom line. I guess the rest of us are tired of the drugs, the crime that goes with it and not to mention the other aspects of drug use.

Trash
To people who have to work three jobs to afford trash removal service, which has nothing to do with anything. Leaving garbage by the sidewalk 365 days a year is unsightly, smelly, attracts bugs and other vermin and is illegal.

Bass
All deer- and fish-loving and sewer-stopping residents of Cumberland Head, please contact the Chamber of Commerce and let them know that you are concerned about the slaughter of bass in Lake Champlain. The number of tournaments must be limited to save our bass population before it's too late. The bottom dollar is not worth the dead fish.

Towns
Instead of complaining about petty issues, why doesn't this community band together and take care of their towns? Your towns look like Section 8 housing, building falling down, trash blowing around. Yet you would rather sit here and complain about Facebook or the money certain people receive. Focus your attention on your community and helping it and its residents.

Movie
A study in "irony" — Michael Moore's latest movie tries to attack capitalism in America. Michael Moore is a millionaire for selling his movies to the American public.

Sirens
This is a response to fire whistles. First off, you chose to live in an area where there is a fire house. Believe it or not, not everyone has a cell phone or pager. The ones that do have cell phones, you don't necessarily get a signal, and pagers don't always work. It is necessary for the whistle to go off. Once someone gets to the house, they shut the whistle off.

Tournaments
When is something going to be done about all the bass tournaments on Lake Champlain? When bass are removed from their breeding grounds, and if they do survive the beating they take, it's doubtful they will breed in a different area. I really doubt that these tournaments bring in the money that's thought. Even so, is money worth killing our lake? Think of the future for the lake and next generation. The number of fish found dead after a tournament is totally uncalled for. Wake up DEC and please do an extensive analysis of these tournaments before it's too late.

Hunters
Big-game hunting season is upon us. It's time to hide pets and children from the arrogant hunters. These hunters use street signs for target practice and are pretty good at killing signs and any other piece of personal property they come across. They can spot a cat or dog in a person's yard and shoot it with no problem, although they can't seem to see posted property signs. I can't seem to find the reason that the northern season is three months when the southern season is one month long.

Wait
As a student at NACS I would like to say that our school has gone through some unnecessary and drastic changes. Honestly, to make all the school wait in the main lobby for 10 to 15 minutes is stupid. Finally someone had brains to make the middle school wait in the other lobby — good way to let viruses spread. And also wouldn't that be a fire hazard? Although it is still crammed. Whoever is making these crazy rules needs to actually spend a day at NAC as a student.

Disabilities
Yes, handicapped people are able to walk 2 feet from a handicapped parking space but, for some it's all they can bear. To the person who parks in handicap spaces: just remember you can also walk the extra 20 feet. It is disrespectful to the people who actually do need the parking spot. Your actions reflect a pathetic, lazy individual who only cares about themselves.

Players
Let me just enlighten a few of you on varsity and JV sports. It does not matter what you do in the off-season. The off-season just gives the coaches participating an income. The off-season provides a relaxed party atmosphere for the coaches and the "good parents." The off-season is a time to boost the confidence of the players there only to shatter it when it comes to the real season. Wake up people, let AAU go and take yourself and your kids on a real vacation and enjoy it.

Programs
If the new football field is not enough to make you aware that all other athletes are treated as second rate, check out the full-color programs distributed at the games. The first two home games at the beautiful new football field have had programs with full-color pictures of every varsity player as well as a team photo of both the varsity and JV teams. Where is the support for the other athletes — cross-country, soccer, gymnastics?

Cheating
I would just like all the women who take on a married man as a friend who they are hurting. You are a selfish, needy person who tears apart families. You hurt not only the wife, but the children, too. You hurt the family unit as a whole. You should know this; you have a family of your own. How about you stick to your own life and leave mine alone? How do they feel about your dishonesty? I'm sure you try to keep it a secret from them. You are a cheat, and cheaters never win.

Fairchild
The article about the PHS principal's job description fits Mr. Fairchild exactly. Why does the board want to hire someone like the person they let go? Maybe because Mr. Fairchild had enough guts to stand up for himself and the students, not hide behind "personnel reasons." It has gone back to the way it was at PHS, which is not a good thing. PHS needs to get in the current century with the students' needs, not always bully everyone to make problems disappear.

Businesses
Let's support our local businesses. If you have a local business you enjoy, go on the local.yahoo.com site and tell everyone about it. That's what I check when I'm traveling or want to check out a local place. Let your neighbors and visitors know the best places to eat and shop.

Contributing
To a recent writer who complained about a child-care program, hoping it wouldn't be publicly funded and hinting that moms shouldn't work. You raised your kids to contribute to society. Well, I was raised that way, and I help society through my job and my role as mom. I pay taxes, too. Imagine what our tax base would be if moms didn't work. Your taxes would be a lot higher then. You may hate paying taxes for something that doesn't directly benefit you, but think it through before complaining.

Exodus
Some teachers do put in extra time over the summer and evenings, but many do not. I know because I've seen it first hand. Have you ever tried to get to see a teacher after 3 p.m.? It's nearly impossible. Just observe the school's parking lot between 3 and 3:30 p.m. and watch the mass exodus. The only cars left belong to senior students who stay after for activities. If a teacher stays for a club, it's often in their contract, and they are paid for it.

Helper
My husband had just picked me up from CVPH. We were on the ramp coming home, and the car acted like a flat tire. My husband got out to check it and get the "doughnut" out of the trunk. Now my husband or myself couldn't lift anything over 10 pounds, due to last week he had an ICD put in and a week later I unexpectedly had to get a pacemaker. Anyway, a young man stopped, said he just couldn't go by without helping. At this point, I said that God had sent us an angel. Thank you.

Snide
It's not hard to figure out what side of the political spectrum the person is from who wrote the snide little remarks about area Tea Parties. The fact is Tea Parties are comprised of people who are from both parties, but the difference between you and them is they care about what's happening to our country. You are an apparent blind follower who believes everything you're being told by people of your ilk and lying politicians.

Pummeled
Congrats to the coach of the Pee Wee soccer team that pummeled our team 10 or 15 to nothing. Thank you for your sportsmanship in swapping out your best players on the line so that our kids could have a chance to have some fun. Thanks for screaming your heads off all game like it was the World Cup. Thank you for the lesson in sportsmanship. Thank you for the shining example of how not to coach a youth team.

Compassion
In response to this idiot who said he parks in handicap parking and that people should be able to walk the extra 20 feet from a normal spot: Have you ever tried to get someone in a wheelchair out of a van? Wait, what was I thinking? That would take intelligence and compassion.

Petty
To read the articles in Speakout just shows how low the human condition has become. People are petty, self-centered, looking for others to blame for their own faults. Natural selection has somehow jumped the rails. Humans are not evolving into something better; rather they seem to be a cancer on the planet Earth, destroying whatever they touch or can't have.

Lessons
Several Saturdays ago, I was at a blinking red traffic light coming from Cumberland Head onto Route 9. Since a southbound car on Route 9 stopped at the light, I assumed it was a four way blinking red and pulled out — almost getting hit by a northbound car. Luckily, they had the presence of mind to swerve, avoiding a collision — and to this person I give my sincerest apology. This taught me two lessons: Be more careful, and next time I am tempted to curse another driver for a mistake, to remember that none of us are perfect.

Late
Appointment: an arrangement for a meeting (usually at specific time or place). Easy enough to understand, right? Then why can't a man with a Ph.D. understand that. Case in point, a certain doctor that can't get his feet into gear to show up for his first appointment on time, therefore, pushing all appointments back, throwing everyone's schedule into limbo. I understand things come up. Every day, though? Have a little consideration. On a side note, to those who've had to deal with this problem, don't give the person at the desk a hard time ... it's not their fault.

Health care
To the person who wrote "Health Care" on 9/28. Are you kidding me? You are unemployed with five children, and the president has to get his act together? Political views aside, it takes a hell of a work ethic to accomplish becoming president of the U.S. He is the first president to actually push for passing this health-care reform so that unmotivated people such as yourself can reap the benefits.

Why don't you take the initiative to better yourself instead of criticizing the president for not solving your problems?

Religion
Let me understand this, kids in public schools can sing "Mmm Mmm Mmm...Barack Hussein Obama is so good (blah blah blah)," but if one sings a Christmas song like "Silent Night," he or she will be expelled. Yes, this is the change we voted for.