Question: It’s open forum week. What’s on your mind?
• I drive for a company here in Newton for five or six days a week. Is it possible something could be done at First and Old Main? People have no common sense that when the light is red going east, to stop west of Old Main rather than to block the street of Old Main. I’ve seen it time and time again. People want to go to Old Main and, before you know it, the traffic is backed up to First and Main. Is there something the city can do for this situation, like a stop sign there, telling people to stop here at the red light, west of Old Main? I hope something is done with it, because it’s terrible.
• To the two anti-Palin comments in Wednesday’s Voices, I would say, careful, your un-objectivity is showing. It’s amazing to me there is so much focus on the vice presidential candidate. But since you brought her up, she’s got more experience than Obama himself. She’s governing a multi-billion dollar state budget and doing it quite well, thank you very much. Obama has been a U.S. senator for what, two plus years, half of which has spent campaigning for president. Before that a state senator, and before that a community organizer. Wow, there’s credentials for you.
• Isn’t there a minimum speed limit on Main Street, highways and whatever? There’s a lot of these motorized bicycles that are really slowing down traffic.
• After eight years of the worst president in history, we need a Democrat in the White House. Go Barack Obama.
• To the lady in the light-colored minivan who has her kids or neighbor kids jump out and steal campaign signs, I know who you are. I have you on video. Unless you return those signs immediately and turn yourself into the police department for theft, I will personally file a warrant for your arrest for theft and trespassing. This is as low-life as anything could be. This would be next to stealing flowers in the cemetery. So do the right thing, lady. Clear your name before you really are embarrassed.
• As a longtime Republican and North Newton resident, I was disappointed with the ousting of Sheriff Wuthnow. However, now I must vote for someone else. Tonight a man came to my door and handed me some papers. One page was about T. Walton’s campaign, and two pages were about protection and safety. Anybody who cares more about community safety than himself deserves my vote.
• Now our city officials on the Harvey County side and the city side have decided we’re going to have a hotel, information center, a new fairgrounds and maybe a YMCA. I think our city manager needs to have input on this and let us know what he thinks about all this progress our commissioners want to do and raise our taxpayers money. My property tax is too much now as it is. I cannot afford any more. That piece of pie is getting smaller all the time, and our commissioners, both city and county, need to realize they need to put a stop to this. There’s too much going on too quick.
• I personally think if they have a president having a woman for vice president candidate, that is just tremendous.
• I cannot believe Republicans are not embarrassed by your president and the amount of greed and favors gone wild in the last eight years! No matter how you look at it, McCain is four more years of the same thing. Does that not register at all? Not to mention Gov. Palin is just not intelligent enough to take his place. I’m embarrassed for each of you who cannot think on your own or just follow the Republican party no matter if it’s good for the country or not. And how dare some of you, who think voting Republican makes you somehow have more morals? I just cannot understand that at all.
• When I moved into Newton from the country, my house was five blocks from the railroad tracks. During the night, the windows would rattle, which at first frightened and confused me. I soon realized it was the trains rumbling by. The train whistle, when used, seemed loud and annoying, but then I remembered how we love it at the NHS football games when we hear it blow. After that when I heard the train whistle during my sleep, I just said “touchdown” to myself and contentedly went back to dreamland. Proper perspective can bring peace.
