Vox Pop

Vox Pop, voice of the people, publishes Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Submissions are limited to 100 words. To call in a comment, dial 829-2900 or 1-800-547-2909 then enter code 8008. To e-mail a comment, write to voxpop@brainerddispatch.com. Comments, which must meet the newspaper's standards of fairness and good taste, may be edited for clarity, length and libel.

Something should change

In receiving our homestead property tax card, did you notice our Social Security number is written on that card? We are told to protect that number as best we can. If we use the card to send back, here is our number in the open. Should there be a change here? Please give your opinion to our local officials.

State law requires the Social Security number of those who obtain homestead classification for a property. Instructions on the Crow Wing County homestead affidavit explain how to fold the card to conceal any Social Security numbers.

Same faces

Did anyone really think that Wal-Mart could be kept out of the area? While the Brainerd City Council members argued and accused each other of secret meetings, Baxter won another viable business. With Highway 371 going west of Brainerd, nothing will happen in the city. All those great visions about reviving downtown where crimes occur and seedy bars prevail have come again and again to no avail. Twenty-four years of the same faces in the city government and unless we face the mosquito control problem -- forget the outdoor recreation plans.