Letters, 7/3: Lightning rods save

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On Tuesday last, you had an article about the York home for the elderly that was damaged and set ablaze by a lightning strike.

Last fall, a hay storage shed (along with the hay) burned after it was struck by lightning.  There are probably other instances that I cannot remember at this time.

In May of 2002, I woke to a very loud boom.  The house was still lit up when my eyes popped open as wide as they had ever been.  After the adrenaline rush subsided, I figured out that my house had been hit by lightning.  My computer was slightly damaged even though it had been plugged into a grounded protector.  No fire, no other damage to the house.  Why?  The two tallest buildings on my property, the house and the barn, have lightning rods.

In the year 1752, America’s Renaissance Man, Ben Franklin, invented the lightning rod. He gave it freely to the world and encouraged its use.  It was adopted slowly because of religious objections, but wherever it was used, it greatly reduced fires caused by lightning. 

For some reason, lightning rods are no longer put on buildings.  Only older buildings have lightning rods. Insurance companies, who pay to repair the structures, don’t require it. Fire codes evidently don’t require it. 

If you live in the city two blocks from The Cornhusker hotel or other high-rise, you probably don’t need to install lightning rods. If you live in a new subdivision with wide open spaces, or on a acreage, you should consider it. It is much less expensive, in both time and money, than sorting through burnt and blackened keepsakes.

J. David Giles, Ceresco

Wrong about estate tax

One of the many pieces of misinformation about the estate tax was passed on by Mike Huddleston in a letter on June 24 entitled “Double taxation.” According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a major proportion of large estates consists of unrealized capital gains on securities and property. Those gains have never been taxed.

The perfect example is the chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates. Were he to die and the estate tax were repealed, stock valued at up to $54 billion would pass on to his family that has never been taxed. If they held it until their death it could be passed on to their families again untouched by taxes.

If the estate tax were repealed, the deficit in tax revenue would be near $1 trillion over the first 10 years. That deficit has to be made up by you and me, or if we borrow the shortfall, then by our kids and grandkids.

This is a rich man’s tax; why is our Congress even fooling with it when we have other much more pressing problems and are running massive tax deficits? Who do these people represent?

Bert Peterson, Hastings

Change of government

Let’s see. Our state government is losing revenue because people are driving less and aren’t driving SUVs as much. So what is their solution? Raise taxes. I wonder how far they’d raise taxes on gas if we all quit driving for a week?

Can you imagine a private company selling meat and people quit buying it because the price is too high, so they decided to raise their price another dollar a pound? What do you suppose the meat company’s next move would be?

Government has one method, and private business has another. Just one more reason to only vote for people that have had their own business.

I just got back from a trip through South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado. You can now buy gas in any of these states from 10 to 15 cents cheaper than Nebraska right now. Missouri, Kansas and Iowa are much cheaper also.

Property taxes in Lincoln are too high now. What is going to happen to the poor people that stay here after a lot of us move out?

We need a change of government in Nebraska.

Wes Hager, Lincoln

Protect the environment

For many years I have picked up litter on daily walks in various Lincoln locations. I see no improvement in this problem.

Litterers show no responsibility for keeping a clean environment. They eat/drink in cars, at picnic tables in parks or at sports events, and leave behind paper, plastic and odd items of china or flatware, though a litter receptacle is nearby.

Occasionally, a baby’s used diaper is left on the ground. Discarded alcohol containers indicate violation of the ban on drinking in city parks.

Other discarded items, some of which can be recycled, include clothing, children’s toys, golf balls and ballpoint pens.

The most frequent discards are aluminum cans and plastic bottles, often containing spring water or soda pop: a waste of money and resources.

Aluminum cans can be recycled at private companies for cash or at city sites. At A-Can Recycling Center, 3255 S. 10th St., you can donate payment for cans to an account for the Wachiska Audubon Society, which uses it for environmental projects.

Plastic containers with 1 or 2 (not 3 or higher) inside a raised triangle in the base are recyclable (Blue Pages 42-43 in the Alltel phone book).

What can be done to stop littering? Parents must instill in children respect for a clean environment at home and in public places.

When I tell children why I pick up litter, they help me. Teachers on field trips with students can emphasize the importance of not littering. Coaches at sports events can give the same directive to players and spectators.

Hopefully a generation will grow up respecting the environment and will transmit this code of conduct to their children.

Rosalind Morris, Lincoln

All are welcome

What a pleasure to read Cal Thomas’ views regarding the recent national convention of the Episcopal Church. His disgust with the presiding bishop-elect’s desire to include the unincluded in the life of the church leads him to ask why we don’t “let everyone into the church, including unrepentant prostitutes, murderers, liars, thieves and atheists.”

In fact, these folks are indeed welcome! Our weekly services include heartfelt confession of sin, penitence and recognition of the need for Christ’s forgiveness.

We are also quite happy to welcome those who suffer from the sin of pride, including those who think that their understanding of sin is certain and all-encompassing. We try not to ordain them, though; it is enough that Christ has that kind of understanding.

The Rev. Stephen E. Lahey, Lincoln

Pastor, Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church, Crete

Right to vote for all

I am outraged again by the House not voting to extend the Voting Rights Act which came out of the civil rights efforts in 1964.

Every vote must be counted and every citizen must have the right to vote. What is the excuse for going to war if we cannot at least do this for every citizen?

Marjorie Manglitz, Lincoln

Quitting feels good

On each pack of cigarettes is a warning to the smoker telling of the dangers of smoking. After 25 years of ignoring this warning, I have quit smoking for good.

So where was the warning about how good I’d feel if I quit smoking? Where was the warning about how much better I’d sleep? About how my taste buds are back? How my sense of smell is better than ever? How I feel the blood rushing through my body again? How I can take deep breaths again? How I feel so much more in control? How I feel so much better? Where were these warning labels?

It’s OK, I would have ignored that warning, too.

Tom Agnew, Lincoln