Letters, 11/10: Ho, ho, ho!
Hallelujah! The election is over. I finally get my TV back because there are no more nit-picking campaign commercials. Also, I get my telephone back as there are no more calls with recorded campaign messages. And who said there is no Santa Claus?
Ronald J. Miller, Lincoln
Amnesty not appeasementI am writing in response to Jerry M. Parsons’ recent letter on immigration. Sorry to break the news, but amnesty is not a “buzzword” for appeasement, it literally means appeasement.
What is this rigorous process towards citizenship? Didn’t we try granting millions of illegals amnesty back in the 1980s; hmm, how did that work out? It didn’t seem to solve any problems, now has it? Seems like rewarding folks for jumping our fences has only encouraged more illegals to come over in hopes of being “rigorously processed citizens,” try an estimated 12 million or more.
I have studied the issue firsthand; I lived in the border state of California for over 31 years. I’ve seen the schools become overcrowded, I’ve seen hospitals shutting down, I’ve seen social services being stretched beyond their means.
It is about time that we got tough with illegals. Why should we accommodate and reward people who have no regard for the laws of our land by granting them citizenship?
Sorry I can’t agree with Parsons, but I am tired of the sovereignty of the nation being violated by people who have no regard for our laws.
Brian G. Snofsky, Lincoln
Thanks for what?
Mayor Coleen Seng thinks she should be thanked for how she handled the firetruck fiasco.
Well, thank you, Ms. Seng, for not doing your job. As mayor of the city, she is responsible for the actions of every city employee from herself down to the lowest level on the organizational chart. Thus, she should be more than willing to accept some of the blame.
By occupying the highest level of command, she should create an atmosphere where certain behaviors are not tolerated. City employees, including herself, should be trained in the type of standards, ethics and principles that are expected of them.
Not knowing an employee is doing wrong does not relieve the mayor of her responsibilities in regard to that wrongdoing. It simply proves that if she were doing the job we expected of her, maybe the firetruck fiasco would not have occurred.
Patty R. Harris, Lincoln
Pick up campaign litter
To all candidates: After the excitement of being elected or disappointment from losing has passed, please remember to pick up your campaign signs from the gutters, storm sewers, and lawns. I have been very disappointed in the past to see signs for Jeff Fortenberry littering the lawn of the Veteran’s Hospital here in Lincoln, months after the election. What a disgrace!
Let’s respect our city by being good stewards of the land that has benefited Nebraska with fertile soil, pure water, and fresh air.
The impact of your advertising lasts long after the election is over. If you do not have the resources, time or heart to reduce the litter, think about corn/soy-based banners and inks that do not adversely affect our ecosystem and break down quickly.
Joselyn VanCleave, Lincoln
A fair question
Why not move the State Fairgrounds to Grand Island or Kearney?
The State Fair could be combined with Harvest Days if moved to Grand Island. After all, we are an agricultural state.
If moved to Kearney it could complement the Arch, which is need of support.
A statement often heard — Nebraska consists of Omaha and Lincoln. Why not spread the resources and unify the state?
Anita Jarecke, Columbus
Keep it here
It would seem to me that we citizens of Lincoln, Lancaster County, and the state of Nebraska should be allowed to have some say about moving the Nebraska State Fair.
I, for one, think it would be a shame to take it away from the present fairgrounds with its trees and buildings and roads and parking, etc., already in place.
There is such a thing as tradition, and the memories that go with the “old” fairgrounds.
We did not like it at all when the county fair moved out to the new location. There is no shade there on the west side of the grounds; therefore, it is very uncomfortable to go there in the daytime. At the present fairgrounds there are benches under trees in the shade to sit and relax and watch the people stroll by.
This year attendance went up and the people were pleased with the free parking. Does that not count for anything?
I do feel that the “special interest groups” that want to take over the present state fairgrounds could surely find other places that would suit their needs. Or will our State Fair Park be declared “blighted” as so many other places have been?
Speak up, people, if you don’t want this change!
Barbara Ely, LincolnHere's an ideaAttorney Amy Peck states in her recent letter to the editor, "business leaders also understand that we need more nurses, more scientists and more field workers. Our country is losing talented people and viable businesses to India and China."
You bet business leaders understand that. Must be why they brought in immigrants to take jobs from meat-packing workers who during the early 1980s were making $15 an hour "doing jobs Americans won’t do." Must be why American trucking companies pushed to allow Mexican truck drivers to deliver freight anywhere in the United States. We couldn’t find enough Americans willing to take $50-$60 thousand per year to drive. Must be why during the dot-com recession of five years ago companies like Microsoft were crying to Congress for more visas for high-tech workers.
What we need to do to even out the unfair advantage India and China have over us, however, is to export a few hundred thousand of our overpaid meddlesome lawyers in this country — and let’s start with the immigration specialists!
Stanford L. Sipple, Lincoln
Ronald J. Miller, Lincoln
Amnesty not appeasementI am writing in response to Jerry M. Parsons’ recent letter on immigration. Sorry to break the news, but amnesty is not a “buzzword” for appeasement, it literally means appeasement.
What is this rigorous process towards citizenship? Didn’t we try granting millions of illegals amnesty back in the 1980s; hmm, how did that work out? It didn’t seem to solve any problems, now has it? Seems like rewarding folks for jumping our fences has only encouraged more illegals to come over in hopes of being “rigorously processed citizens,” try an estimated 12 million or more.
I have studied the issue firsthand; I lived in the border state of California for over 31 years. I’ve seen the schools become overcrowded, I’ve seen hospitals shutting down, I’ve seen social services being stretched beyond their means.
It is about time that we got tough with illegals. Why should we accommodate and reward people who have no regard for the laws of our land by granting them citizenship?
Sorry I can’t agree with Parsons, but I am tired of the sovereignty of the nation being violated by people who have no regard for our laws.
Brian G. Snofsky, Lincoln
Thanks for what?
Mayor Coleen Seng thinks she should be thanked for how she handled the firetruck fiasco.
Well, thank you, Ms. Seng, for not doing your job. As mayor of the city, she is responsible for the actions of every city employee from herself down to the lowest level on the organizational chart. Thus, she should be more than willing to accept some of the blame.
By occupying the highest level of command, she should create an atmosphere where certain behaviors are not tolerated. City employees, including herself, should be trained in the type of standards, ethics and principles that are expected of them.
Not knowing an employee is doing wrong does not relieve the mayor of her responsibilities in regard to that wrongdoing. It simply proves that if she were doing the job we expected of her, maybe the firetruck fiasco would not have occurred.
Patty R. Harris, Lincoln
Pick up campaign litter
To all candidates: After the excitement of being elected or disappointment from losing has passed, please remember to pick up your campaign signs from the gutters, storm sewers, and lawns. I have been very disappointed in the past to see signs for Jeff Fortenberry littering the lawn of the Veteran’s Hospital here in Lincoln, months after the election. What a disgrace!
Let’s respect our city by being good stewards of the land that has benefited Nebraska with fertile soil, pure water, and fresh air.
The impact of your advertising lasts long after the election is over. If you do not have the resources, time or heart to reduce the litter, think about corn/soy-based banners and inks that do not adversely affect our ecosystem and break down quickly.
Joselyn VanCleave, Lincoln
A fair question
Why not move the State Fairgrounds to Grand Island or Kearney?
The State Fair could be combined with Harvest Days if moved to Grand Island. After all, we are an agricultural state.
If moved to Kearney it could complement the Arch, which is need of support.
A statement often heard — Nebraska consists of Omaha and Lincoln. Why not spread the resources and unify the state?
Anita Jarecke, Columbus
Keep it here
It would seem to me that we citizens of Lincoln, Lancaster County, and the state of Nebraska should be allowed to have some say about moving the Nebraska State Fair.
I, for one, think it would be a shame to take it away from the present fairgrounds with its trees and buildings and roads and parking, etc., already in place.
There is such a thing as tradition, and the memories that go with the “old” fairgrounds.
We did not like it at all when the county fair moved out to the new location. There is no shade there on the west side of the grounds; therefore, it is very uncomfortable to go there in the daytime. At the present fairgrounds there are benches under trees in the shade to sit and relax and watch the people stroll by.
This year attendance went up and the people were pleased with the free parking. Does that not count for anything?
I do feel that the “special interest groups” that want to take over the present state fairgrounds could surely find other places that would suit their needs. Or will our State Fair Park be declared “blighted” as so many other places have been?
Speak up, people, if you don’t want this change!
Barbara Ely, LincolnHere's an ideaAttorney Amy Peck states in her recent letter to the editor, "business leaders also understand that we need more nurses, more scientists and more field workers. Our country is losing talented people and viable businesses to India and China."
You bet business leaders understand that. Must be why they brought in immigrants to take jobs from meat-packing workers who during the early 1980s were making $15 an hour "doing jobs Americans won’t do." Must be why American trucking companies pushed to allow Mexican truck drivers to deliver freight anywhere in the United States. We couldn’t find enough Americans willing to take $50-$60 thousand per year to drive. Must be why during the dot-com recession of five years ago companies like Microsoft were crying to Congress for more visas for high-tech workers.
What we need to do to even out the unfair advantage India and China have over us, however, is to export a few hundred thousand of our overpaid meddlesome lawyers in this country — and let’s start with the immigration specialists!
Stanford L. Sipple, Lincoln
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