Speak Out 11/25/07

League's voting info

I WOULD like to get this out so it can spread across the country. The League of Women Voters does a great job informing the public on candidates positions, but it also connects people through its Web site: VOTE411.org. This is a great site that offers all the information one might need to get registered, where to vote, and whom to contact for irregularities. It is a nationwide site. Another pat on the back for LWV.

Stem-cell advance

IT WAS announced this week that a new system has been discovered to turn adult skin cells into cells that act like stem cells. This could lead to new cures for spine or nerve diseases with cells that perfectly match the recipient. This is so much better than killing embryos for stem-cell research. It can match the correct DNA to the recipient. It is time to quickly repeal the stem-cell amendment and encourage the new system.

Graduation conflict

CAN YOU believe it? For at least the second year in a row Central High School and Notre Dame Regional High School have graduation on the same day and time: 3 p.m. May 18.

Closer scrutiny

HABITAT FOR Humanity has skirted zoning and building codes before. This time it got caught. I agree with the property owners in the Country Club Drive area. The project was not welcome, but Habitat does what it wants. A positive thing, however, is that Habitat for Humanity will be closely scrutinized no matter where it goes now.

Sharing the road

IT IS unbelievable that disparaging remarks are again made toward bicyclists who are rightful users of the roadway. If a cyclist, or anyone else for that matter, is struck by a motorist driving too fast for conditions at the crest of hill or while sleepy, quite simply the motorist is at fault. Motorists have a responsibility to maintain control of their vehicle at all times. Is the caller implying he condones the threat of physical harm to cyclists to get them off the road? Aggressive, self-centered, egocentric motorists are a clear and present danger to all on our roadways and should not be allowed to operate a motorized vehicle.

Biking benefits

"SLEEPY MOTORISTS" who run over bikers kill people. Respect the fact that the person pedaling is saving you money by lowering your medical insurance premiums by being fit. Furthermore, the biker is not using oil, so the decrease in gasoline supply is not bending the demand to steeper prices.

Not safe anywhere

I JUST read this comment: "Two bikes have made their cases, and I'm sure they are right. The only problem is that convincing everyone they are right will not bring them back to life when hit in the dark at the crest of a hill or mend bones when hit by a sleepy motorist." That's such an excellent point that I have decided I will no longer let my children out of the house. Of course, they have the right to walk down the sidewalk, but that right won't bring them back to life when a drunk motorist hops the curb and runs them over. They have the right to cross the street at a light, but that right won't mend their severed spinal cords when a tired motorist thoughtlessly runs a red. From now on the kids are housebound. I thought about driving them places, because they have the right to sit safely seat-belted in the back seat of my car, but that right won't help the brain damage they could incur when some cell-phone addict in an SUV plows into us broadside. The only alternative is to expect others to drive safely and considerately, and what I have learned from reading comments here is that this expectation is absurd.