Opinion
78° is the Perfect Temperature for Air Conditioning
...according to Alliant Energy. As I was driving, I had the radio on and heard a gal from Alliant Energy come on. She was giving tips for energy consumption. "Turn your thermostat up to 78°." I glanced at the thermostat in my car. It was cranked down to what my car labels "cold" which is below 70°. Most of the time that is just about right. Of course, that's if I have the fan on low. The words we don't say out loud
I attended the meeting this week of a new organization in Benton County called the Benton County Suicide Prevention Coalition (BCSPC). The group is still in the forming stages. They are setting up the legalese, the tax forms, the logos, the messaging, in other words, all the details.I went to the meeting mostly because the topic hits home with me.
Letter to the Editor: What a mess!
Dear Editor, Today, after a doctor's appointment, I was watching Scripps News. Suddenly, all this gibberish was thrown out at me. I turned the television off. For me, that's a big deal.This country is in a gigantic mess!! *We have severe drought in the Midwest,*We have flooding on all the coasts.*We have outbreaks of tornadoes daily.
Letter to the Editor: Living in the present, the past forwards the future
Dear Editor: (forgive the length - if you read grab your favorite beverage first.) Living in the Present, remembering some past events on the farm: and future energy sources One of the more pleasant experiences of age and retirement is that I have time to read books. I mean books, not the electronic ones but ones with pages made of paper. One other thing about age - one of my wiser friends treated me with this profundity; "It is easy to get old; it is hard to be old".
Letter to the Editor: Concerns of loyalty to taxpayers
Dear Editor, Wow, Mr. Primmer. I have kept quiet for long enough. Wake up and start putting Benton County first. As an elected local official, I expect you to be above all the collusion and bull**** that occurs in federal and state government.1. Yet you pulled the bull**** in the hiring of the weed commissioner by getting the job for your grandson. Then you jump parties to back Thompson.
Letter to the Editor: Affirmative Action
Dear Editor, The purpose of affirmative action in the United States was to create government programs to overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women. There is no question that past societal discrimination occurred in the United States and perhaps the only appropriate remedy {at the time} was affirmative action.
Letter to the Editor: Letter in Support of Benton County Veterans Affairs
Dear EditorI do not feel we should be attacking Ms. Martin for asking to go part-time. If she can complete her job to the standard put forth by the commission, who says it must be 8 Hours a day. I have no doubt that she will be there to assist the veterans as needed. When was the last time anyone heard of a government department returning money?As a Purple Heart recipient, you would think VA Benefits would be automatic.
Letter to the Editor: Buchanan County resident asks for residents to take notice
Dear Editor, While Benton County did an admiral job of keeping wind farms out of the county, if NextEra Energy gets its way in Buchanan County, folks in the northern parts of Benton County will be subjected to the same destruction of their quality of life as those of us just “across the border”. NextEra Energy has proposed placing a wind farm just north of the Benton/Buchanan Road and about a mile west of Brandon.
Letter to the Editor: Vinton parks rock!
Dear Editor, I accidentally found Vinton city Park along the river. What a fantastic park you have. Got my heart beating walking up snowhill. And saw your beautiful playground with so many different activities for the kids. Swimming pool, pickleball and tennis courts, ball diamonds, stage for bands plus more for kids of all ages. How thoughtful to put part of your park close to the retirement centers.
Letter to the Editor: When do pleasant thoughts arrive?
Dear Editor, I recently had a health scare. Believe me...I was scared. Vinton has an excellent ambulance service! They arrived immediately, and they were both professional and compassionate. When I was teaching in Kansas, I had the occasion to be in two different hospitals. One in Minneapolis, Kansas, and the other in Salina, Kansas.