VOX POP

I am grateful that local law enforcement takes drinking and driving seriously. The person complaining about this must never have lost a loved one to one of those DUIs.

More likely to breathe poison

First they complained we were smoking in the bars, now they complain we're throwing our butts outside. Hey, there were ashtrays in the bars. Maybe they should tax the downtown business owners to provide an ashtray for every block of the sidewalk we're now forced to smoke upon. Also, to the "11 minutes" writer, maybe you should've thought about that when smokers were mostly contained inside buildings you had a choice not to walk into. Now that we're all on the sidewalks, you're much more likely to have to breathe our poison.

Slow poky

I've never seen so many slowpokes using Crow Wing County Road 3 from Merrifield to Brainerd. The speed limit is 55. Pull over if you don't want to drive 55. Show respect to the 20 cars you jammed up. Slowpokes are causing many drivers to make unsafe passes. And if you didn't know, it's unlawful to impede traffic.

Nonprofit time

It is nonprofit donation drive time. Everyone is after our "extra" dollar. Make sure you know your dollar donated is being spent wisely and as the organization claims to be spending it. One way is to pull the organizations 990 tax report, which is available at guidestar.org. Compare it to other similar organizations in other towns.

Of course he's won 300 games

Good gosh. Of course the BHS football coach has won 300 games. He's been coaching for 46 years and plays starters and lets others play only if behind or way ahead.

Other ways to cheat the company

This is in response to smokers taking extra breaks. Here is a very small list of cheating your company: Falsifying expense accounts, talking to your kids every hour, taking extra time for lunch, idle chit-chat with co-workers, leaving 10 minutes early for an appointment, making appointments while at work, coming in late and falsifying your timecard and taking pens, paper clips, etc. I'm glad that you're the perfect employee.

However you feel comfortable

In regard to the Tuesday Vox Pop of "Not banned," tell me what sexual preferences on public display have to do with smoking? The biggest issue with the no-smoking policy, it should be left up to the bar and restaurants owners if they would like their patrons to smoke or not in their business. The non-smokers would have a choice - to visit this establishment or not. Your sexual preferences and your display of that can be done in whatever manner you feel comfortable morally.

Vox Pop, voice of the people, publishes Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Submissions are limited to 100 words. To phone in a comment, call (218) 855-5888 and leave a message. 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.