Letters 5/10: Why go higher?
Because Lancaster County Assessor Norm Agena is required by law to value our property at 92 percent to 100 percent of its value, why on earth didn’t he shoot for the 92 percent?!
Cindy Hochstetler, Lincoln
Gun owners not morons
So now we’re a bunch of blithering morons whose guns might fall out of our holsters. Or we might leave them in a public restroom after nature calls, according to Police Chief Tom Casady. He would have us believe that 85 percent of the rank-and-file officers in his department also think the concealed carry law is bad and would put more guns on the street.
If the 85 percent number is true, which considering the source is suspect, we need to recruit clearer thinking police officers to Lincoln. Everyone I know who is in support of the concealed carry law knows how to take care of their weapons. Maybe Chief Casady doesn’t, but us regular old law-abiding citizens who take their Second Amendment rights seriously do.
What a pathetic attempt by the chief to denigrate gun owners. He acts as if the general public can’t be trusted.
I think Chief Casady and like-minded politicians are the ones who need the scrutiny. I think it’s time for housecleaning at the Lincoln Police Department. Maybe all handgun owners should begin carrying their weapons on their hip in plain sight and see the uproar that would cause. Think, people.
Larry F. Graham, Lincoln
Teach conservation
It seems more than a little ironic that recently you printed a prominent article on Page 1, Section B, about four Malcolm girls driving to Lincoln for the sole purpose of cruising O Street back and forth to the malls for sheer entertainment. Then on the opinion page the next day, Cal Thomas’ column was about our dependence on foreign oil and the oil-rich countries supporting insurgency and terrorism.
It is incredibly selfish and totally ignorant to use gas and cars, not for transportation, but strictly for amusement. Considering the price of gas, are teenagers spending money they have earned to support their pleasure? Or are their parents giving this money to them?
If so, shame on them. People ask why the high price of gas at the pumps? Ever heard of “supply and demand”? This is where a lot of demand is originating.
Does anyone remember conservation? Our oil usage could be cut substantially with prudent use of our cars. I was a small child, but I remember gas rationing during World War II. I don’t think anyone suffered too much from it.
I’ve read that the ’80s were considered the selfish “me” years. Can we all work to stop that now in this generation? It would help if our leaders emphasized this by word and example, if parents would clamp down on their kids’ activities, and if huge gas-guzzling vehicles were heavily taxed.
Our country, and eventually the world, would greatly benefit by cutting our gas consumption, which would cut our helping to support terrorist groups with our dollars, and teens may even find other sources of amusement.
Betty R. Bruno, Lincoln
Secure U.S. borders
I’ve been following the debate on illegal immigration, and I agree with recent letter writer Roger Day that our nation should aspire to the sentiments expressed on the Statue of Liberty.
But an inscription is not going to stop meth from flowing from Mexico to Nebraska. A statue is not going to make up the $10 billion difference (according to the Center for Immigration Studies) between the taxes illegal immigrants pay and the services they use. And a torch is not going to frighten away gang members who threaten our communities.
Day and others want to do everything at once. But this is like a doctor trying to set a broken leg and put the cast on at the same time. It just won’t work, and it could make the problem worse.
When we try to do everything, we often can’t get anything done at all. That’s what’s happening in Washington, where’s there’s been no progress on this issue in 20 years.
Ben Nelson is trying to break the logjam by focusing on border security. That’s the right approach — everyone agrees we need to secure our borders.
David N. Wolf, Lincoln
Lack of understanding
Great job, Journal Star. Way to show your support for the gay community by printing Colleen Roser-Martin’s homophobic letter on the “Day of Silence.” That day was supposed to be about fighting prejudice and discrimination — not encouraging it.
As to Roser-Martin’s question of why “these people” have to be so vocal about promoting their “gay agenda” — they do it for the exact same reason people all over the country took a vow of silence that day — because the majority of the gay community can’t speak out. They can’t even talk to their own friends and family for fear of the prejudices they would face.
Roser-Martin’s comparison of being gay to having Irish heritage shows that she has no understanding of this issue at all.
Laura Cerveny, Lincoln
Support for term limits
Have you ever seen anything more nauseating than a bunch of politicians in an election year? The Democrats began going to black churches on Sunday, and the Republicans are trying to fill everyone’s gas tank for nothing just to get a vote.
The reason we have higher gas prices is because of the environmentalists telling both parties they don’t want to drill offshore or in the ANWR in Alaska. Bill Clinton vetoed drilling in the ANWR in ’96, which is killing us now.
Democrats are to blame because they need their base, and the Republicans are to blame because they are gutless.
It has never been more obvious how badly we need term limits. One term and one term only. It will keep the lobbyists from running and ruining our country.
Wes Hager, Lincoln
Mayor, chief arrogant
It astounds me to think that the mayor and chief of police can be so arrogant as to believe that their emotional thoughts outweigh the collective wisdom of 49 elected state senators and 10 years of debate.
Leave the concealed carry topic alone, as we can decide for ourselves.
Gary Enevoldsen, Lincoln
Cindy Hochstetler, Lincoln
Gun owners not morons
So now we’re a bunch of blithering morons whose guns might fall out of our holsters. Or we might leave them in a public restroom after nature calls, according to Police Chief Tom Casady. He would have us believe that 85 percent of the rank-and-file officers in his department also think the concealed carry law is bad and would put more guns on the street.
If the 85 percent number is true, which considering the source is suspect, we need to recruit clearer thinking police officers to Lincoln. Everyone I know who is in support of the concealed carry law knows how to take care of their weapons. Maybe Chief Casady doesn’t, but us regular old law-abiding citizens who take their Second Amendment rights seriously do.
What a pathetic attempt by the chief to denigrate gun owners. He acts as if the general public can’t be trusted.
I think Chief Casady and like-minded politicians are the ones who need the scrutiny. I think it’s time for housecleaning at the Lincoln Police Department. Maybe all handgun owners should begin carrying their weapons on their hip in plain sight and see the uproar that would cause. Think, people.
Larry F. Graham, Lincoln
Teach conservation
It seems more than a little ironic that recently you printed a prominent article on Page 1, Section B, about four Malcolm girls driving to Lincoln for the sole purpose of cruising O Street back and forth to the malls for sheer entertainment. Then on the opinion page the next day, Cal Thomas’ column was about our dependence on foreign oil and the oil-rich countries supporting insurgency and terrorism.
It is incredibly selfish and totally ignorant to use gas and cars, not for transportation, but strictly for amusement. Considering the price of gas, are teenagers spending money they have earned to support their pleasure? Or are their parents giving this money to them?
If so, shame on them. People ask why the high price of gas at the pumps? Ever heard of “supply and demand”? This is where a lot of demand is originating.
Does anyone remember conservation? Our oil usage could be cut substantially with prudent use of our cars. I was a small child, but I remember gas rationing during World War II. I don’t think anyone suffered too much from it.
I’ve read that the ’80s were considered the selfish “me” years. Can we all work to stop that now in this generation? It would help if our leaders emphasized this by word and example, if parents would clamp down on their kids’ activities, and if huge gas-guzzling vehicles were heavily taxed.
Our country, and eventually the world, would greatly benefit by cutting our gas consumption, which would cut our helping to support terrorist groups with our dollars, and teens may even find other sources of amusement.
Betty R. Bruno, Lincoln
Secure U.S. borders
I’ve been following the debate on illegal immigration, and I agree with recent letter writer Roger Day that our nation should aspire to the sentiments expressed on the Statue of Liberty.
But an inscription is not going to stop meth from flowing from Mexico to Nebraska. A statue is not going to make up the $10 billion difference (according to the Center for Immigration Studies) between the taxes illegal immigrants pay and the services they use. And a torch is not going to frighten away gang members who threaten our communities.
Day and others want to do everything at once. But this is like a doctor trying to set a broken leg and put the cast on at the same time. It just won’t work, and it could make the problem worse.
When we try to do everything, we often can’t get anything done at all. That’s what’s happening in Washington, where’s there’s been no progress on this issue in 20 years.
Ben Nelson is trying to break the logjam by focusing on border security. That’s the right approach — everyone agrees we need to secure our borders.
David N. Wolf, Lincoln
Lack of understanding
Great job, Journal Star. Way to show your support for the gay community by printing Colleen Roser-Martin’s homophobic letter on the “Day of Silence.” That day was supposed to be about fighting prejudice and discrimination — not encouraging it.
As to Roser-Martin’s question of why “these people” have to be so vocal about promoting their “gay agenda” — they do it for the exact same reason people all over the country took a vow of silence that day — because the majority of the gay community can’t speak out. They can’t even talk to their own friends and family for fear of the prejudices they would face.
Roser-Martin’s comparison of being gay to having Irish heritage shows that she has no understanding of this issue at all.
Laura Cerveny, Lincoln
Support for term limits
Have you ever seen anything more nauseating than a bunch of politicians in an election year? The Democrats began going to black churches on Sunday, and the Republicans are trying to fill everyone’s gas tank for nothing just to get a vote.
The reason we have higher gas prices is because of the environmentalists telling both parties they don’t want to drill offshore or in the ANWR in Alaska. Bill Clinton vetoed drilling in the ANWR in ’96, which is killing us now.
Democrats are to blame because they need their base, and the Republicans are to blame because they are gutless.
It has never been more obvious how badly we need term limits. One term and one term only. It will keep the lobbyists from running and ruining our country.
Wes Hager, Lincoln
Mayor, chief arrogant
It astounds me to think that the mayor and chief of police can be so arrogant as to believe that their emotional thoughts outweigh the collective wisdom of 49 elected state senators and 10 years of debate.
Leave the concealed carry topic alone, as we can decide for ourselves.
Gary Enevoldsen, Lincoln
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