Vox Pop

Vox Pop, voice of the people, publishes Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. 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.

ExtrABBAganza concert

My wife and I love choral music so when we got the opportunity to attend the ExtrABBAganza Choral Concert put on by the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus at Franklin Junior High Sunday, we went not knowing what to expect. And we were most pleased with what we witnessed. This presentation was, without a doubt, the finest music presented in this area, if ever, for many years. They were superb in vocal presentation, choreography and their voices were filled with joy. Thanks to the Out and Beyond organization of the Brainerd area for making the arrangements for this group's presentation.

People, wake up!

Concerning the country Power and Turf and the Baumgartner proposal. I can't believe the Brainerd council would even hear this. Come on, people of Brainerd and surrounding area, wake up. These people need to get names on the petitions from the residents surrounding their property in the general area, not Motley, not Royalton. Why not even go to Iraq and get the names? Come on. Be for real. Brainerd needs to expand south and east so that the Mississippi River does not interfere with this. ... I believe the council operates like a circus. Call in and let's get other people's votes.

Where is money going?

We have lived in Baxter for 25 years and have watched the city and taxes grow. We live where the new school is going up and we are wondering what is going to happen to Mapleton Road. ... I approached a city council member at the Commerce and Industry Show about the road. ...

"We don't have any money but we are hoping the county will take it on." Excuse me! ... Drive down Mapleton some time, city officials, and tell me how proud you are to have this road in your city. ... The road will rattle your teeth right out.

No warning

On Monday of last week as I am ready to leave work for the day, I get called into the manager's office so he can inform me that the company is doing a workforce reduction, so therefore my position would be terminated. I had no warning, nothing to fall back on, and thinking to myself that the electric bill is coming due. What next? One thing I am sure of, is that me losing my job due to workforce reduction didn't hit the front page of the paper. I had no warning. Unlike some 600-plus people who did.