See what happens
Your paper states District 181 hired a consultant to assist in negotiating with certified teachers. After reading the article, I wonder what the hourly rate of pay is for this firm as well as their anticipated expenses? Is there a maximum we can be charged? Also, are there any incentives for Ms. Maloney to help create a settlement in time to avoid a state penalty (District lost $200,000 last time)? Once the dust has settled, maybe the Board of Education will provide a report to the people. I’m suspicious of this open-ended board’s decision. Let’s see what happens.
Gay rights are your rights
Gay rights are civil rights. If you can be denied your right to marry the person of your choice because of sexual orientation, you can be denied any right for an equally arbitrary reason. Left-handed people can’t drive. People with green eyes can’t own a gun. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s the same thing. We look at the civil rights’ fight of 50 years ago and are shocked it was even an issue, that those people could be such bigots. Our descendants will do the same thing. Even if you’re not gay, fight for gay rights. They’re your rights.
Lack of support
Mary Koep stated at Monday’s meeting that she does not buy the Brainerd Dispatch. I was appalled that the president of our city council again showed her lack of support for the businesses in Brainerd.
Still honest people in the world
I was in Brainerd on May 7 for some quick shopping at Walmart. I was in a hurry and unintentionally left my purse in the cart. I didn’t realize it until I got back to Pequot. I called the store and the manager said a purse had been turned in. It was mine. God bless this lady that did it. Many thanks. Glad to know that there are still honest people out there.
Pay more attention to abuse
Why would anybody want to deny health care to those who could least afford to use it? Granted there are abuses in the system. More attention should be paid to tracking and getting rid of the abuses as opposed to getting rid of those people who actually need the health care services.
Dry paper
Your paper’s getting awful dry. We need another Gary Walters story.
Deep into our pockets
I understand the Minnesota state budget problems and the governor’s ideas. I must point out that the feds, the state, Crow Wing County, Brainerd and 181 School District all are projecting financial problems. Some have already indicated a desire to increase our taxes. Any tax increase, income, property, sales, fees, etc., must be considered in conjunction with all others. This is 2011 and most of us have tight budgets and realistically cannot afford every level of government’s hand going deeper into our pockets.
Comments (49)
Add commentIncreased taxes are essential for our survival!
More taxes and fees are absolutely necessary if we are to survive as a country!
For example, without increased taxes, how would the City of Brainerd ever think of getting their hands on a $7,500 grant to purchase pedometers and web-based tracking for their employee health program?
Without higher taxes, cities can kiss the availability of dollars like these away forever while employees possibly die because they can’t count their steps.
Jeff Czeczok
Newspaper
Maybe Mary reads the Dispatch online like I do.
Gay rights
are not civil rights. And the only people I see that are bigoted are the gays themselves who constantly write to this paper or post comments against those that don't support their thinking.
Newspaper
Mary doesn't know an Apple Mac from a Big Mac. She's the reason you can't email the council. Trust me, she's not reading anything online.
As if people against gay
As if people against gay marriage aren't the same ones calling gay people "sinners" and that what they do isn't natural, or that it somehow makes them lesser human beings? Sounds an awful lot like the civil rights movement to me...
Thank you vox pop writer; you hit the nail on the head.
"As if people against gay
"As if people against gay marriage aren't the same ones calling gay people "sinners"
Another nice stereotype from the left.
wolf and barnet
EXACTLY!!!
Stereotype? It's absolutely
Stereotype? It's absolutely true.
They aren't "in our faces"
They aren't "in our faces" nor interfering in our lives or our children's. They simply want to treated the same, because they are. We are all human.
Disagree with gay marriage
Disagree with gay marriage all you want, as I do. But until it hurts you physically, emotionally, financially or whatever other way there is, it is not up to anyone other than those that wish to marry to decide if they get married or not.
I and many think it's totally wrong for 18 year old boy and girl to marry, but can they...yes!
Why do I disagree with that? Because 90% end in divorce and 75% of them have kids.
Well said.
Well said.
at least
But at least it's Jack and Jill, and not Jack and John or Jill and Julie.
I was 18 when I got married. 4 kids, 3 grandkids and 33 years of marriage later.
mndad
So then, you will be on board to reverse laws against polygamy?
"So then, you will be on
"So then, you will be on board to reverse laws against polygamy?"
Polygamy is next. And then...?
mndad1
Supposedly, alcoholism has a biological component too. Should we as a society simply look the other direction? Perhaps we can offer a program where we supply all the booze they want. Of course, we wouldn't want them to spread diseases by sharing bottles so we could provide free condoms that they could slip over the end of the bottle. Maybe a bunch of them could even storm a meeting of the American Medical Association and demand that alcoholism be redefined, but not as a disease. We could even force all liquor stores to hire at least one alcoholic, call it "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
We have been duped. And, we HAVE been harmed, at the very least financially. Not exclusively by gays but by the whole sexual revolution, of which the gay movement is the most vocal part. Does anyone have any idea how much we spend on AIDS and other STD's? Do a simple Google search. You can make any argument you want to but don't come to us with this patronizing crap about love and only wanting a stable marriage. BTW, see how gay marriage is working out in Denmark.
Wolf
Polyamary, group marriage, may be next. Do a Google search of that word to see how much serious support there is for it. These people are overwhelmingly in favor of gay marriage because they recognize it as a stepping-stone to their way of life. We think businesses and governments have a hard time offering free health services now? Just wait.
It wasn't that long ago that
It wasn't that long ago that interracial marriages were illegal and there are still people who wish it were still the law.
Maybe we should have a constitutional amendment on that too.
The bottom line is that the Republicans campaigned on jobs, jobs, jobs and instead gave us hate, hate, hate.
I'm not surprised at this lie and I won't be surprised when they shut down government to keep the wealthy from paying their fair share in taxes. The session had barely started when they gave a class on shutting down the government.
Bad argument, Fish
Show us one reputable (non-biased) source that is willing to equate gayness with race. The Republicans won't have to shut down government. Government will collapse under its own debt weight from providing medical services.
POLYGAMY? Its hard enough
POLYGAMY? Its hard enough to stay in good graces with one wife, why would anybody want to try with more than one?
I agree
Cycle - I agree 100%. How someone would juggle more than 1 is beyond me.
Women
Women don't get enough attention as it is, let alone sharing it with another woman ;) (snickering)
DNTMG, this country is NOT
DNTMG, this country is NOT Christian, nor based on anything Christian at all. The majority of the found fathers were not even Christian. Freedom of religion means there can be no law in which the belief of any religion would be forced upon everyone. Bringing to an end heterosexual marriage? Um. No. They simply want to have the same rights as everyone else, which the Constitution guarantees them. There is not one single solitary reason that can be said without being disproven that gays shouldn't be allowed to marry.
What?
DNTMG....
Not sure what gun ownership has to do with this debate...but okay.
Christianity is based on the New Testament...which supercedes the laws of the Old. If I'm not mistaken...the laws laid out in Leviticus apply to Judaism. That's not to say that there aren't important teachings in the Old Testament...but Christians typically follow the teachings of Christ. Those old laws you refer to went away with the sacrafice that Christ made for us ALL on the cross. Remember the greatest commandments: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. The second is love your neighbor as yourself..."
What?
DNTMG....
Not sure what gun ownership has to do with this debate...but okay.
Christianity is based on the New Testament...which supercedes the laws of the Old. If I'm not mistaken...the laws laid out in Leviticus apply to Judaism. That's not to say that there aren't important teachings in the Old Testament...but Christians typically follow the teachings of Christ. Those old laws you refer to went away with the sacrafice that Christ made for us ALL on the cross. Remember the greatest commandments: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. The second is love your neighbor as yourself..."
DwizzleD
If you throw out Leviticus then you have to throw out "Love your neighbor as yourself" as it was first given in Leviticus
If we live on the basis that;
If we live on the basis that; if it does not hurt me than I don’t care; then how does our court system work? If you sit on the jury you were not involved in the crime at all; so why would you care what happens to that person and why should you be the judge of this person? If the USA was not created under Christianity than what influence was there? Our founding fathers gave all the credit to the creator!
By living under the Love your neighbor as yourself “law” then you must love everyone, including Hitler and OBL! Which of you rejoiced when OBL was listed as; killed.
Mary Koep
When people say she doesn't use a computer, I remember that my mother never did either. That is just because during my mother's working years, there were none. Is that perchance Mary's reason? It makes her look ill-prepared to have a seat on a 2011 city council that is voting on technology issues. If this is the case, maybe it is time for Mary to retire and let someone more technologically up to date take over. This is part of the job description in the 21st century.
I also feel this way about some congressmen who brag about how they don't know how to email. Makes me wonder what else they don't know? Email has been around a long time.
And
If she is adept at the computer, then I retract my statement. And she should be proud of gaining that skill.
barnet
Would you vote for me? I could be in the Vacillating Party.
You are right. It was pretty presumptious of me to judge someone I don't know. I will edit it.
Thanks for your suggestion. LOL!
out of
You are out of more than ink, barnet.