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Let them live in peace
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To the Editor:
Our community has been expressing concern about how to keep families employed and living here. It seems ironic that in this time of crisis some of our elected officials seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time and resources discouraging one stable young couple from establishing a home on their property.
Matthew and Beth Solum are not asking for government help. They simply desire to live peacefully on the property they have purchased without interference. They are an asset to the community. They are already employed and paying taxes. Isn’t this the freedom most of us expect and take for granted as American citizens?
Dennis and Betty Holty
Spring Grove, Minn.
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Volunteer firefighters deserve respect and thanks
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To the Editor:
Local volunteer firefighters deserve our respect and support.
They show such selflessness concern and commitment to help others. Each time they interrupt their daily lives to put themselves in very difficult, and many times dangerous, situations to respond to an emergency is something that we all need to remember to not take for granted.
While words cannot describe the heartache we felt as we lost our business to fire early in the morning of March 27. Words can also not describe how incredibly touched we were by the many volunteers of the Hokah, La Crescent, Houston and Caledonia fire departments, who worked so hard together. In the midst of disaster, they reminded us of the incredible goodness human beings are capable of.
Volunteer Firefighters de-serve acknowledgement and appreciation. Their dedication and hard work means more than we can say.
Our communities are truly blessed to be served by such wonderful people.
Arnie and Kathy Roth
La Crescent
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Change and hope
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To the Editor:
President Obama ran on a platform of change and hope. We are in the process of learning what the change entails. We have not yet seen the hope realized. Of course the “change and hope” idea is very subjective. What change occurs and what hope is realized will depend on one’s perspective, but we can be reasonably sure that politicians who ran on the platform will declare it realized.
We do need change in this nation. We need a return to personal responsibility, to commitment to truth and morals, to appreciation of life at the beginning as well as at the end. We need a change (turn) from the greed and selfishness as well as the lies and deceit that are so much a part of our society and political landscape.
The Lord is calling this nation to repentance - to change of mind and heart. But it begins with repentance of individuals who constitute a nation.
Hope: When a Christian speaks of hope and its fulfillment of what we are speaking? We surely desire that our nation prospers in its undertaking, and that we be able to live peaceably and comfortably here. The hope that is the breath of our life is anchored in heaven, which depends not on the state of the economy, but is rooted in the faithfulness of God who does not change, and is confirmed by the meritorious atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Whatever the circumstance on earth, the expectation and hope of the believer in Christ will not perish.
Milton Meyer
Caledonia, Minn.
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TEA party on April 15
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To the Editor:
Maybe you have heard of TEA Parties being held throughout the United States on April 15. The word “TEA” stands for “Taxed Enough Already.” The idea is that our government has sufficient tax resources or could have enough if our economy was healthy. The real problem is government spending. Increased taxation hurts the economy and job creation.
Whether you agree or not, why can’t we turn April 15 into something positive? With so many people either having jobs terminated or hours and days cut, why not use April 15 as a day to bring food items for our SEMCAC food shelf along with our concerns? With food shelf use at all time highs across the country, we can help. Call it a Potluck Tea Party, because the food is to be shared with our neighbors. What could be more Minnesotan than that?
In Caledonia we are going to have our Potluck Tea Party outside our Houston County Courthouse between 10-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15. All the food items brought in for the event will be given to the SEMCAC food shelf. Everyone who would like to speak about their concerns should bring their comments in written form so that they can be read or passed on to officials in written form. Plan to speak for a maximum of about three minutes (no minimum) so everyone can have a turn. Free tea will be available along with stickers and information about the Tax Rally in the Twin Cities on May 2.
If you just want to drop off items for the food shelf great. If you want to hear what your neighbors think about proposed tax increases stay and listen. If the weather is bad we will move to the band shell in the park. Contact Paul Ibisch at 507-895-2722 for more information. All are welcome.
Paul Ibisch
La Crescent, Minn.
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Tri-County Electric president urges: ‘communicate with your legislators’
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To the Editor:
Tri-County Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors and I recently participated in our annual legislative day at the Capitol in St. Paul. As always, we were again well received by all of our elected officials- Representatives Gene Pelowski and Greg Davids and Senator Sharon Erickson-Ropes.
Our message was straight forward and to the point - our electric cooperative members could not afford additional state mandates that increase our cost of electricity. I believe our legislators agreed with our message.
During our visit discussions were taking place behind closed doors at the Capitol on possible revenue streams to help balance the budget. One idea was a “pollution fee” being added to consumers’ monthly electric bills. This “fee” proposal sounds much like the “Health Impact Fee” put in place in 2003, which most people better recognize as an increased tax on cigarettes.
Minnesotans can be very proud that our state is the leader in the promotion of renewable energy with the 2007 approval of the 25x25 mandate (25% renewable energy generation by the year 2025). We also are a leader in energy conservation and have a state mandate, also passed in 2007, to reduce consumer energy usage by 1.5 percent each year beginning in 2010. We have further legislation supporting community based renewable energy in the form of C-BED projects, which again we lead the nation. All of these measures are aimed at the overall objective of putting Minnesota first in addressing climate change. These aggressive measures also have an increased pressure on the price of electricity.
If Minnesotans support a pollution or carbon tax, then call it a tax and we’ll list it on your electric bill. However, let’s also make sure all of the revenue collected from the tax goes towards research and development to support affordable, reliable energy generation advances for our future.
What makes a state “pollution fee” on energy particularly offensive is that the revenue will simply be used to balance the state’s general fund budget. The legislature has no intention of using monies from such a fee to mitigate the perceived impacts of using fossil fuels to generate electricity. If state legislators feel it is necessary to raise taxes to balance the budget – then they should at least be forthright enough to propose a change to our current tax code.
Some legislators have even suggested that our members should pay higher electric rates to encourage them to use less electricity. We do not agree. Our mission is to provide affordable and reliable electricity. Artificially increasing the cost of electricity to balance the state’s budget will only make it harder for our members in today’s harsh economic environment.
My point is simple and genuine. Please take the time to engage in our legislative process. We have made the process easy. Just logon to our website at www.tec.coop and click on the “Our Energy, Our Future” campaign. You can send an e-mail and add your comments to all of our elected officials.
Respectfully,
Brian Krambeer
Tri-County Electric Cooperative
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Grandstand entertainment at the Houston County Fair
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To the Editor:
News travels quickly in Houston County (by word of mouth).
I’m sure many have heard that the Houston County Fair will not be hosting a figure 8 race or a demo derby this year. The reason being both driver participation and audience attendance has drastically declined. In 2008 the grandstand attendance was less than half of 2006.
After checking with promoters, other celebration committees, other county fairs, and even going so far as to send out approximately 50 letters to demo drivers to come and offer their input at a meeting on Jan. 10, four drivers showed up. Where were the other 46 drivers? The consensus of these four drivers was to hire IMP to run our derby.
IMP had been hired for our 2007 derby and of course we were flooded out. In 2008 we again had a contract with IMP and they booked another derby for the same day at Owatonna. IMP stated they would split the crew and do both derbies. The problem was that the businesses in Owatonna added $20,000 to the purse. Where would you go with your derby car?
I have personally attended several derbies in the last few years to see what needed to be done to improve our derby. What I’ve noticed is a drastic decline in car numbers everywhere. The old cars are harder to find and are way more expensive. The newer cars are harder to work on and aren’t as suited to derbying and still are expensive. In 2008 junk cars were approximately $300.
I also noticed that you don’t see the interest in the sport from the younger generation. When did you last see a 20-year-old with his head under the hood of a car – even to check the oil?
The board has heard from many residents of Houston County who are urging us to try another avenue of entertainment in the grandstand shows. After checking with many different sources it was decided to do celebrity entertainment (by contract we are restricted to name at this time) on Friday night and Sunday will bring the Houston County Mow down (lawn mower racing as seen on TV).
I hope this answers the questions as to what is going on at the fair and hopefully you will come and experience the many new things at the 2009 Houston County Fair. For more information see our web page at www.houstoncountyfair.com.
Elden Pohlman, President
Houston County Fair Board
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