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GRAVEL PITS GAMBLE I personally believe the question of whether to build Hunter Lake or use six local gravel pits/aquifers is an easy one.
After reading the recent report prepared for CWLP it leaves no doubt that if Springfield uses the pits it will negatively affect the wells/water supplies of Chatham, New Berlin, Riverton, Dawson and Mechanicsburg.
The question now is how severely will it affect them? There will also be many other difficult issues such as buying and keeping water rights, effects on the gravel pits operations, obtaining needed permits, etc.
Using Hunter Lake will never affect any of these small towns’ water supplies and during an 18month-long drought it’s estimated to supply Springfield with more water than if all the pits were pumped dry.
How much more water will all these small towns and Springfield be using in the future? Will these gravel pits/aquifers be capable of getting the job done for Springfield in the future?
Can Springfield really afford to gamble? Reg Davis Springfield
FOOT PATROL Have you noticed some dogs hopping like kangaroos these days or high-stepping like horses? Remember that warning to “put
your palm on the door” before opening it during a fire? Well, here’s a new rule for anyone with a dog who is living somewhere fiery hot: “Put your palm on the floor” before stepping out with your dog. If the pavement is too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your dog’s feet, unless you are fitting him or her out with the same sort of shoes that protect you from the scorchinghot sidewalk.
For more ways to be kind to your canine companion, check out the book Let’s Have a Dog Party! available at www.PETACatalog.com. Ingrid E. Newkirk People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Washington, D.C.
IN PRAISE OF POLICE While the actions against non-illegals is unfortunate, no one was targeted [see “Show me your papers: Protecting the nation by deporting Springfield dishwashers,” by Bruce Rushotn, July 19].
Mistakes happen. No single organization, including the police, are perfect and make no errors. What about the other 400,000 who were deported? I didn’t read any boo hoos about them.
These dishwashers are doing harm because they have broken the law. What part of illegal in illegal immigrant does this country not understand? This is a country of immigrants...my own family came here from England and Germany but they did it legally. They became Americans, acculturated to America and speak American English. I don’t have to press 1 for German, so why do I need to press 1 for Spanish?
I had a friend who got caught up in the ICE raids at the local restaurants. She was not illegal. She was a naturalized citizen who owns a business, employs several dozen people and pays taxes. It was a bad situation for her, but her personnel file at the restaurant contained inconsistencies that led police to believe she was also illegal. She spent the night in jail, but you know what? She’ll be a lot more careful from now on with paperwork and the documentation of her employees.
This article should have been written to praise the police officers who have to spend enormous amount of taxpayer dollars to remove these people from our country. I have no sympathy for the illegals, but a great deal for the police. We have seven unsolved murders in Springfield. Maybe if less time were spent having to police Mexican and Chinese restaurants, they could devote time to the continued safety of the community. From illinoistimes.com
NOTHING NEW Regarding the article about illegal immigrants: This activity has been going on for eons. We know people living in Edinburg, Texas, who told us when we visited there that the Mexican people had been doing this by the thousands for a very long time. Many places offer services in Spanish as well as English. Do we want a two-language country? If we disregard the word illegal, where does this stop?
Name withheld by request Springfield
