Open Forum

The national elections get the attention and we lose sight of how important local elections are.

As reported in the Dispatch, let's review what they have done and not done to aid our families/jobs/economy/schools etc. since being elected.

Done: Good or bad/your opinion.

1) Allowed bars to stay open until 2 a.m.

2) Individuals to carry concealed weapons.

3) Consider higher speed limits.

4) Shoot and kill menacing doves.

5) No bonding bill (serious matter).

6) School system funding mess.

Review absolute positive things done for the area: Nothing/zero/zip.

As reported in the Dispatch, review what has been detrimental to our area, basically Brainerd and Little Falls areas.

1) GOP Senator Dick Day of Owatonna promised no state money going north. He kept his promise.

2) Our present senator voted three times against bills he authorized (they made me do it)

3) Loss of Brainerd State Hospital. For the first time there is no advocate with influence to keep the jobs and patients here. The only hope of keeping BSH is to elect someone with experience and influence.

4) No money for Little Falls paper plants. Clean up of pollutants and contaminates.

5) Governor canceled all state meetings and conferences in the area. No business for Ruttger's, Kavanaugh's, Madden's and Breezy Point. Keeping the no money up north pledge. Numbers revealed it was less expensive to have conferences here.

It appears that the state GOP is the "puppet master" over our last elected representation. Anyone running under the banner becomes a surrogate. Saying "trust me" is not enough.

We have survived because of the lakes and woods. That brought homes, recreation and related jobs. Our creator gave us that. Now we need someone to do a better job looking after it.

Marlys J. Orr

Deerwood

City candidate forum is Saturday

The Committee to Open City Government is hosting an exciting candidate forum that is scheduled to take place at the Brainerd Eagles Club, Saturday, Oct. 2, from 12:00 noon to 2 pm. This forum is for the 11 Brainerd City Council candidates running for the four open seats. I feel that there is simply not enough coverage of the city candidates and want to give all the runners a chance to get their message out to the citizens of Brainerd.

This forum will be hosted by a diverse panel. The panelist will be, Mary Koep, host of the popular radio show "Koeping with Government" and alderman at large for the city of Brainerd, Kaylo Brooks, self-proclaimed activist and conscientious citizen, and myself, former candidate and busybody.

This forum will be filmed, then aired on Charters Channel 8 in its entirety. The air dates are not yet established. The public is more than welcome.

Matt Taylor

Merrifield

Cancer is not voluntary

I was very upset when I read the article on meth. One inmate compared a meth user to a cancer patient. A cancer patient does not put cancer in their body, a meth user makes the choice to use. They had a choice, a cancer patient doesn't. He thinks because he has an addiction, he shouldn't be in jail, but should be placed in a room instead. According to the article, he is in jail for manufacturing meth, most likely to sell.

Thankfully, my husband is a thirty year cancer survivor. Yes, he was put in a room for almost three months, with treatments every day, at the Minneapolis Veterans Hospital. My mother and three of her siblings, plus several cousins died of cancer. This is a horrible disease, not an addiction. My mother was also in a room, with no air conditioning, no game room, no phone, just a bed and bathroom. The cancer caused a stroke, for nine months she couldn't talk, walk, or feed herself. Believe me, if she and other cancer victims would have had a choice, they would not have chosen to have cancer.

With all the publicity and information about any kind of drugs it's hard to believe people would choose to use. It affects not only the user but their whole family. The only drug addicts who don't have a choice are the babies born with an addiction.

Many cancer patients go through hell because of treatments to save their lives. A drug addict does too, but they had a choice in the beginning not to use.

Lucille Schellin

Brainerd

Thoughts on taxes and religion

A couple of things: first, I will vote yes for the tax increase in Baxter only if funds go toward a rebate of 75 percent of the cost of the water and sewer projects the people have had forced down their throats. Then what funds are left over can be used to build a new fire hall and placed into a water and sewer budget.

Second, I live in a Christian country, not a Muslim, not a Hindu and not a Buddhist country. I'm getting tired of people tearing down what this country was founded upon. If the Word of God offends someone, too bad, maybe they're being convicted of something.

Doug Francis

Baxter