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NONVOTERS LOUD AND CLEAR
Ted Cruz [see “The people’s choice! Only, not really.” By Jim Hightower, Aug. 16] may be a nut and he may have only had 4 percent of the people who walked into the voting places and thus took advantage of their right to vote. Those who did not go to the polls, voted with the majority. So in a manner of speaking the people chose loud and clear.
From page 7 of the same issue, Mike Madigan [see “The campaign against Mike Madigan,” by Rich Miller, Aug. 16] may be speaker of the whole House of Representatives yet only his district is able to elect him. It doesn’t matter whether 301 people from a poll know who he is or not. What matters is that voters in his district get out and vote for or against him.
People have and are fighting for the right to vote for all people. Yet millions of people in our country don’t care and don’t vote. It’s a very sad situation. Nancy Lamport Dawson
JEROME ISSUES
Many residents were appalled at the conduct and actions of the Village of Jerome board at the Aug. 16 board meeting. It appeared it had already been decided to cancel the annual junk pickup and final branch pickup before the meeting began, as there was no meaningful discussion. When President Stirmell tried to discuss the subject Trustee Sharon McConnell asked him to get on with the vote.
There was an attempt to justify the board’s actions by putting together questionable figures. According to Trustee Scott McTaggart, the village will save approximately $10,000 by cancelling the pickups. Here are the facts: The additional employee salary cost is $0, the crew is salaried and are paid whether they read water meters, patch roads, cut grass or do village pickups. The cost to dump pickup items is $0 – the village already has vouchers to use for dumping. No one believes the cost of fuel for the backhoe and trucks equals $10,000.
Trustee Dale Lael is currently the only trustee who seems to have the courage to make hard decisions. Trustee Lael’s motion requiring our police chief to leave the Jerome-owned police car in Jerome did not receive a second. Not receiving a second meant no discussion and no vote. For about nine years our police chief has been allowed to take the villageowned car to and from his home 22 miles from Jerome, with Jerome footing the gas bill. Apparently five trustees feel our village resources are better spent on the police chief driving our police car to and from his home outside of Jerome than funding services for all village residents. Lynda Fein-Chilton Jerome Former 9-year Jerome employee
MORE BUS SHELTERS
I am writing to ask that there be more shelters provided at the bus stops in Springfield. With rising fuel costs, more people are looking to public transportation in order to get to and from work, school and the grocery store. Buses run on a tight schedule and even 30 seconds can mean the difference between making the bus or being late. Consequently, people are early and waiting.
Unfortunately this means waiting under a blazing hot sun, in the rain, high winds, snow, etc. While I appreciate how many benches there are at bus stops, it pains me to see the elderly, children and people dressed nicely for work forced to endure the elements for lack of proper shelter. Amanda Jean Dobron
PENSIONS PRAYER
Readers who are teachers, State workers like me, or other public employees know that our jobs, salaries, pensions and benefits are all under attack from the administration in Springfield. We have voted, communicated with our elected officials, worked for the Open Primary, and peacefully protested against these measures, things we should continue to do as citizens.
We should also pray. James 5:1, 4 says this: “Go to now, ye rich men...Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabbath.”
This says that God is with us in our struggle, and He wants to act on our behalf, but He may not act until He hears our cry to Him. Let us pray. Douglas K. Turner Springfield
