Open Forum

The Brainerd City Council is pushing to extend city sewer and water into the Riverside Drive area and beyond, eventually annexing properties up to Wise Road. The rumors floating around change and answers seem to be made to fit the person being addressed at any one time. I question why the council didn't start out being up front, survey the people who will be directly involved and explaining up front what the actual costs will be to the homeowners: costs involving assessment fees, connection fees, removal of your current septic system, tax increase for being within the city limits, etc.

Two and a half million dollars seems like a lot of money to be borne by Riverside residents for the first phase, which is apparently to provide service to 27 homes. There is a rumor that some homes will be excused from the required assessments, which means the cost to everyone else is increased more. What justifies this when many don't want it to begin with? What about the extremely poor condition of the sewer system in N.E. Brainerd? Should this amount be spent now when they will soon have to come back and ask for additional assessments to repair the existing sewers? Why are they not discussing this issue openly?

Why were we once told that since everyone surrounding us (McKay Road) doesn't want annexation, we don't have to worry about it, only to hear now that once the Riverside Drive portion is done, they can take us all in?

Brainerd taxpayers and the residents along Riverside and north to Wise Road should ask why.

Alan Gutzman

Rural Brainerd

Be a leader

One year ago Crow Wing County Public Health was selected to participate in the Minnesota Arthritis Program as partners with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Arthritis Foundation. Our mission is to reduce the burden of arthritis in Minnesota and more specifically in Crow Wing County. An estimated 29.5 percent of Minnesota's population -- over one million people -- have arthritis, according to the Minnesota Department of Health's 2000 Behavior Risk Surveillance System. There are 13,000 people with arthritis in Crow Wing County alone. Those numbers are expected to grow. The Arthritis Foundation offers classes, programs, and educational materials that are proven to have a positive impact on people's lives. From a broad perspective these classes and programs may be considered self-management courses.

We need your help! Leaders are needed to teach this course in Crow Wing County. The course is held in churches, community centers and the like. It is taught over six consecutive weeks in two-hour sessions each week. Active participation by participants and experimental learning are emphasized. The class size is limited to 20 people to encourage group discussions. Participants receive the book, Arthritis Handbook. Leaders to teach the course must also complete the Arthritis Foundation's Self-Help Leader Training Workshop.

A leader training workshop is being offered in Brainerd at the Sawmill Inn on April 24 and 25, 2003. The usual cost of the training is $50, but during Crow Wing County's involvement with the Minnesota Arthritis Program this cost will be paid in full by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Please consider being trained as a leader yourself, or telling someone who would be interested in being trained as a team leader to teach the Arthritis Foundation's Self-Help Course. Don't hesitate to call with any questions.

Jeanne Thull

RN/PHN

Crow Wing County Health Department

If the shoe fits...

To those of you who use "No War for Oil" as your best slogan; if you really believe that oil is the reason we're at war, I suggest you consider a lawsuit against the school you attended. You were robbed of an education and your ignorance is showing.

The main source of oil for the USA is not Iraq.

To the Hollywood types: some of you actually aid the enemy with the positions you take. Your ranks include so many pampered, overpaid, un-American, unholy scum peddlers who think they speak for our people. Consider your contributions to the USA. You provide a steady stream of trash for our movie screens that rots the minds and morals of our people. You have made our television programming a direct sewer line into our living rooms.

All this, while brave men and women fight to protect your rights. The rights to ply your trash trade, and to shoot off your mouth about what a bad country the USA is. Like I said, you deal in scum, and you're not worthy to shine the boots of our brave service men and women.

Yes, freedom comes at a price! You should go to France and view the many thousands of graves of the USA military who died to give us and many others their freedom.

Yes, there is a place for legitimate protest. However, keep in mind that many of our loud-mouthed, uninformed protesters of the current war are trying to protect one of the most evil men and his regime that has ever lived on earth.

Finally, isn't it interesting that a large majority of Americans, as shown by many polls, agree with our cause in Iraq? But we are the silent majority. It's about time that some of us speak up!

Tom Rosenberger

Merrifield

Imagination failure

Regarding whose side God is on I believe She is on neither side as war is a failure of the imagination.

Helen Gangsei

Pequot Lakes