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Opinion

November 26, 2009

Speakout: Nov. 27, 2009

SPEAKOUT RULES

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Ruts
The other day, while traveling on the Shunpike Road in Keeseville, I was terrified. The ruts in that road will pull your car right into the ditch; the bumps in the road bounces your car around to the point where you can't control it. The town needs to do something about this before somebody gets hurt or worse. I know times are tough and it's a seasonal road, but safety should come first.

Streetlights
Who's in charge of the overhead street lamps on Upper Cornelia/Route 3 in the Town of Plattsburgh? I've noticed more than a handful burned out since springtime. Doesn't any civil servant drive that road and look up?

Right
I never stated it was right to hunt in front of someone's home, but it is legal. Those of you who live on the lake have to ask yourselves one question: Where would a hunter go from Rouses Point to Keeseville where a home can't be seen? There are not many spots, and that is exactly why the law has been written the way it has. To protect the duck hunters' rights and the sport of duck hunting as a whole. And so you know, you can be arrested for harassing us when we are breaking no laws.

Rain
What makes normally rational thinking people think it is okay to stand outside in the pouring rain for two hours or more to watch a high school athletic event? One week the schools are telling us how many students are missing school because of the flu. The next they are making them play sports in the pouring rain. It is legalized child abuse. If you went by someone's home and saw the children playing outside in the heavy rain and mud, what would you say about those parents?

Basketball
I would just like to commend the Peru Girls Varsity Basketball Team. I went to pick up my daughter, who is in third grade, and saw the varsity girls, taking time out of their busy schedules and helping with their practice. My daughter came home and told me if she keeps playing that she will get to wear the cool pants and jackets they were wearing. It means so much to me that they are getting involved in their community and helping out the younger girls that look up to them. Keep up the great work, girls!

Thanks
Applebee's, a big thank you from all the local vets for the free meal on Veterans Day. A real class act you are; again, thank you. Maybe others will catch on and help us out in the future.

Fog
Jeers to the driver who sped through Coopersville on Mason Road in the midst of an exceptionally foggy morning recently. The person didn't see the stop sign in time and was forced to drive right across Route 9B. It was only luck that nothing was coming from either direction for surely a serious accident would have occurred. Fog offers its own warning, and all would do well to heed it.

John Brown
John Brown fought for racial equality at Pottawatomie Creek and Harpers Ferry. Major Hasan fought for Allah at Fort Hood. And the guy who bombed the abortion clinic fought for people equality. Great aims, but lousy means, to say the least. So, I guess I won't participate in the John Brown celebrations, but you folks have a blast.

Applebee's
As a Vietnam vet, I would like to thank Applebee's for honoring all veterans by giving a free meal. For me, it wasn't the meal, it was just being recognized for serving our country. As all people know, Vietnam vets were not honored in any way. The manager even went around and spoke to all veterans. This touched me and I want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you to Applebee's.

E-mail
Peru School, 10 days to get your e-mail server operation? What are we paying all the tax money for? You should have a backup server. You should be ashamed of yourself. If I ran a business and told my employees that our mail server would be down for 10 days, I would be out of business, and I would be out of a job. Shame on you.

Sickness
This is in response to "Sickness", the writer complaining about the school nurse not sending sick children home. What an ignorant statement. All children are assessed and when necessary, parents are called. I would like to personally invite you to volunteer at the nurse's office for a day and don't forget to bring your running shoes, you're going to need them!

Parking spots
To the lazy people who ignore the customer with child parking spots at Price Chopper: I do not believe I have ever been to the Chopper without witnessing some lazy or overweight person park in these spots. Ya, they are not enforced like handicapped spots, but have some common courtesy for the families with toddlers. Any parent understands how convenient these spots are. The winter is on our doorsteps so do the right thing and walk the extra 10 yards, chances are you need the exercise!

Windmills
Dear Beekmantownite: Instead of whining, please attend a town meeting and become informed about the zoning and lawsuits that stalled your so-called tax reduction. You may want to know that the school of Beekmantown will not see a penny (most likely) since the portion of Beekmantown that is proposed to have wind mills is in another school district. Also ask the great people of West Beekmantown why they have sued this matter and created unwarranted legal expenses to be shared amongst us all. Lesson learned go ask stop crying.

Parking
Why bother counting empty parking spots. Count the cars that are "standing" in the No Parking Zones directly in front of store doors and on the sidewalks. I asked one person why they were parked there blocking our family from getting into the store. I was gifted with a wonderful definition of "parking" versus "standing." How silly of me. Maybe next time I'll walk into your car and call the police to explain the difference between "hit and run" and "hit and stand." Store managers: Get off your duffs and into the parking lot.

Wages
To the family that makes $70 too much for assistance: You can ask the social services personnel how to work within the system to gain assistance; $70 for a single income is $1.75 per hour — for two incomes that is 88 cents. You can ask your employer to cut your wages or alter the pay plan to meet the limit. I would first suggest that you consider how much assistance your $70 income loss per week would gain. There are ways. I was astonished at the methods used for calculation of wages.

Bridge
I totally agree! I know bridges are expensive, hard to maintain, etc. but I would absolutely love a bridge here. First off, it is expensive, I commute every day. Also, you get huge lines of cars in spurts going from each side, which is very annoying — I'd imagine for locals who live nearby particularly — because the amount of traffic that comes in spurts. This would alleviate that problem and allow for more regular traffic flow, not to mention the whacky changing ferry schedules and the changing procedure based on who is working.

Deer
I don't see how a person putting a bag of apples or corn from a local farmer near his hunting stand to put meat on his table is wrong. D.E.C says if you have money and can afford $500 hunting club dues, a food plot, or the lease of a cornfield you deserve deer more. Yes, set limits but don't hide behind the spread of disease unless you are willing to fence every orchard, field and crop where deer feed in groups! Once again money wins!

Bridges
Toll Bridges are excellent for this area. The ferry is about $13 one way for two people? Even if the states built a bridge and charged $5 per car the driver would still come out ahead and we would create jobs while paying for the bridges with something other than tax dollars of people that will never use the bridge. Plattsburgh-Grand Isle is perfect for the local economies — both sides are already set up for entry and exit.

Pets
In response to CATS on Nov. 17: What are you crazy? Yeah, lets all kill our animals because we can't take care of them anymore. If you can't take care of a pet you shouldn't have bought one in the first place. If you are going through a hardship, ask for some help; there are more good people in the world than you think. It is ridiculous to just think you should kill a pet solely because you cannot care for it. Lets kill our kids and elders because we have a population problem! If they're not sick, leave 'em alone.

Road
To the folks who designed the MacDonough Highway off of Cumberland Head Road that goes directly to the ferry: Thank you for making the highway... its great to have a direct route, and I imagine the people who live on Cumberland Head Road are pleased to lose the fast ferry traffic.

The only issue I have is that the entire highway is solid lined. I'm not a speed demon, but I get the ferry schedule so ingrained that when I want to go 55 to make the time I should be able to without going 35... so I pass anyway.

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