Hard numbers
Dear editor:
In reply to Mr. Fleming, the "issue" re: the fire district proposals is absolutely about the firefighters. The recent letter writers opposed to the proposals are apparently uncaring about the safety and welfare of these brave volunteers. They have no concern about the quality and condition of their equipment, which does wear out after decades of use. This equipment must be maintained and also replaced when repairs are not possible or feasible. Cars wear out, air conditioners, water heaters, clothes -- they all have a finite life and must be replaced at the end of their life cycle. Would we send a soldier out with a musket?
This process costs money. Regardless of what the government says about inflation, it is a fact of life. HSFD is asking for a new ladder truck at an estimated cost of $2 million -- if the naysayers have a better idea on how to pay for these items, they should step forward to the board where they reside and share their wisdom.
And under the voluntary dues structure, the volunteer fire departments have absolutely no recourse when a resident refuses to pay their dues. Suggesting that more of an effort be made to collect these dues is wishful childish thinking. The bills are sent out -- the residents can ignore them and there is no legal way for any more pressure to be brought on the non-payers.
Another recent letter stated, "they say that they provide much more than fire structural protection, etc." These are facts, verifiable through call reports from the 911 dispatchers, activity logs showing responses and time on scene, and after action investigative reports. On April 10, 70 West fought an 8-acre brush fire that included aerial water drops. There are no claims, just verifiable facts that are available to anybody who would like to review them. In 2018, the department answered 801 calls. They are not just saying it -- these are hard numbers.
If a property is rented to a third party, the owner is ultimately responsible for the property. As a business owner, the landlord chooses how much rent to charge in order to cover the expenses and assure a profit. Business entails risks and rewards -- the American way.
Under the new proposals, the payment process will be simplified as residents will have one less payment to make, one less envelope to mail or one less trip to pay a bill. The county collector cannot send funds out until the districts' annual report is filed at the end of each year, detailing revenues and expenses.
All of these protests are for rates that vary between FD districts but are anywhere from $50 to less than $100 for an average size home, annually. For this amount, every resident in the county gets fire response, medical response by trained first responders and accident responses ranging from traffic control to extrication and help for the injured. Even at the high range, this is less than $10 a month.
Tony Dzianott
Hot Springs
Voters smarter than that
Dear editor:
Once again, Larry Bauer has shown he has the pulse of the American electorate. In today's submission, Larry succinctly points out how the strange mannerisms and behavior of Joe Biden will sink his electoral chances to hold the highest office in the United States. After all, what kind of country would elect "touchy-feely" Joe, as Larry calls him? Only a country naive enough to elect an orange-haired reality television clown who has paid off both a porn star and a Playboy centerfold for silence on adulterous affairs would be dumb enough to elect Joe Biden, with all that baggage. We certainly don't live in that country. Give the voters a little more credit than Denny Bosch does.
Only a country gullible enough to elect an individual who has been married three times and who was caught on video and audio boasting about being able to grab women in the genital area and get away with it would be so foolhardy as to elect ol'' creepy Joe Biden. The voters of the United States are not that stupid, sorry Denny.
No, Larry is right. There is no way you can fool the voters of the United States with Joe Biden, and his apparent lack of familiarity with what is an appropriate amount of space to give people in close proximity. If you believe voters will fall for that, Lord, you'd think they would be dumb enough to elect a president who has filed for bankruptcy on over a dozen occasions in private business, won't release his tax returns, and got out of military service by claiming bone spurs.
We the People, no, no, we're smarter than that, and I thank Larry for pointing it out.
Casey Alexander
Mount Ida
Best interests
Dear editor:
This is in response to Noah Little's letter of March 30. I believe I speak on behalf of my sister and brother in Christ, Mary Robinson and Lloyd Hoffman, when I say "Thank You" for your letter. I am sure you will hear from them soon to express their views and to assure you and other readers that our belief in Jesus Christ and the offer of salvation through Him is the only way to eternal life in heaven.
We accept that God the Father sent His Son (the Creator of all things -- John 1:1-3) in human form into mankind to preach the way, the truth, and eternal life (John 14:6) through Him, allowed His Son to be nailed to a cross to suffer and die for your sins and mine (Matthew 27:32-50), and sealed that new covenant with His shed blood (Hebrews 13:20), so that those who accept this truth will not die and spend eternal life in hell but in heaven (John 3:16; Mark 1:15; Acts 13:38-39; Hebrews 11:6, etc.). Jesus was buried and rose from the grave to show His power over death (Matthew 28:2-7).
Mr. Little, I believe President Trump has our country's best interests at heart and is trying to carry out his constitutional duties despite the opposition's efforts to tear down all of his accomplishments. However, I do not condone his use of profanity to emphasize his oratories, his egotistic behavior, nor his condemnation of those who have served our country faithfully both militarily and politically. I never had the opportunity to meet John McCain but we both served in the Vietnam conflict, and I admire his faith during his torturous five years in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton."
While the Bible does not give approval of one person condemning another, it does remind us that we are all sinners (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10, 23), We can't save ourselves by going to church, giving our talents and tithes, trying to keep the commandments, or being good to our neighbors. There is only one way a person can be saved from spending an eternity in hell. Jesus has already done the hard part; all that is required of us is admit to ourselves and to Jesus that we are sinners and He is our only hope (Romans 8:24-25), confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus is our Savior (Romans 10:9-10, 13; Philippians 2:11), announcing it before others (Matthew 10:32), then you will be saved.
I cannot answer for the sins of Donald Trump since I'll be answering my own. Romans 14:11-12 says we will all stand before Christ on judgment day to give an account of every thought, word, and deed we've ever committed whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Noah of the global flood listened to God and built a boat to redeem his family from sure death despite ridicule and public opinion. Many need to look to the Redeemer, the only Lifeboat of salvation available today.
Donald Cunningham
Hot Springs
A modern view
Dear editor:
Here's a 1930s quote from the 20th Century man who has most profoundly affected the modern view of existence: Albert Einstein.
"'What I Believe'
"The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I am a devoutly religious man."
When challenged further by a Rabbi as to whether he believed in God, Einstein replied: "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony in all that exists, but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind."
Would we all not do well to consider these musings from this 20th-century genius to be a baseline on which all 21st-century mankind can agree? Is it not time for the dogmatism of most religions to be held circumspect? How does the world's humanity find and bring about peace? Is it not found in the mysterious experience of existence that all educated 21st century humans share?
Bill Wiedmann
Hot Springs
Why the hate?
Dear editor:
I was reading the "Letters to the Editor" and I discovered there still seems to be this ongoing battle over racism, white supremacy, and monument removal. Do people not understand why monuments were built? Yes, they are a historical remembrance of a time gone by, for the good or for the bad, it is America's history, our story. It's like naming an airport after a president -- Reagan National; JFK International; Bill and Hillary Clinton National; etc., etc. It's making a president's home into a museum or what about the Webb Center here in town? Can these be considered a monument to someone important? The list could go on to cover the national parks, and look how beautiful they are, landmarks.
I do believe the time has come to stop the hype over racism, we have too many people intermarrying and their children become the focus of bullying at schools. We end up with great actors and actresses whom we pretend are our friends, yet we just see them on the silver screen at the movies. We hold the point that "anything goes" if you want to be homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual. Doesn't matter if your partner is black, white, red or yellow; it's your right to love them. So why the hate crime?
Why do politicians use this against us during election years? If you were born here, we call you an American, even if your parents came here illegally, you get to be an "anchor baby." We fight over everything, and call that our rights as Americans to do so.
I think for the sake of an argument, I'm going to just go on treating people the way I would like to be treated. I respect your right to disagree. And I'd like to be allowed to cast my vote for a president, governor, senator, etc. as I have decided to do, and if my man/woman doesn't get the office, I'll vote again when their term ends and continue to stay hopeful that God gives me wisdom at the booth. I don't have to like all their character flaws, but mine on display wouldn't make me a good candidate either. I still believe we live in the greatest country in the world, and should I be tested by a foreign invasion, I'll proudly bear arms to defend this nation under God, no matter what color of skin the person standing next to me happens to be.
L.J. Gibson
Hot Springs
Editorial on 04/14/2019