Generally Speaking – Letters to the Editor

I want to know what gave you the right to take a friend away from us. Walter, our little Chihuahua, was lost on the 4th of July. It was my fault. I let him out to run in the front yard and he snuck away. Wally was always a curious little guy. I found Walter on the side of the road (Co. Rd. 14) a half mile from Sathers. Whoever hit him had to leave the road and hit him on the side of the road. Yes, Walter was a dog, and you can never place the same value as a human being, but Walter was part of our family. Walter traveled the country with us. he had camped in over 40 states. He either rode on the dash of our RV or in our laps as we drove to each adventure. He was there every day I came home. He had to get his belly scratched before anything else could happen. He was my wife’s special reading partner. He had to be in his fleece during reading time. He loved the quiet reading time in his warm blanket with her. He slept in our bed every night for the past six years. The nights seem very empty. Walter and my daughter had a relationshop that is so hard to explain; when those two were together, it was anyone’s guess what would happen. And my big strong son who held Wally in his arms with the softest touch is struggling with this loss. Walter, all eight pounds of him, thought he was the toughest dog in the neighborhood, yet he was the gentlest of friends. Walter was so much to us. He was part of our every day and night, and I will miss him to a level that a person like you will never know.

We have gone up to McGregor for the past 20 years on the fourth of July. That is where we got Walter six years ago on the 4th, and that is where we lost him. My heart is broken. I am sure that when you left the road to hit him, that you thought it was a big joke. I am angry and sad. But most of all, I am confused as to what type of person could do this. I pray that you have a conscience, I pray that anyone who would even think about something like this would pull back the wheel and remember that the pet you are about to hit could be another Walter – a friend and loving companion.

— Randy D. Jones
Shakoppe, Minnesota

What a wonderful article in the May 6th issue of the paper paying tribute to Judy Perrine and her fairly large family – by today’s standards, but quite common a few years ago.

It was very evident that there’s a lot of love in that family, love for God and love for one another with everyone pitching in to help out. Great. That’s how families are supposed to operate.

Daughter Sarah’s tribute to her mother, written a couple years ago, was down to earth, and how mature she sounded at only 19 years old.

In John’s second paragraph something jumped out at me and gave me a flashback to Mrs. Brown’s Sunday school class for teenage boys at the Methodist church.

Mrs. Brown would be Lorena Kelley’s grandmother, a very dear Christian lady who lived for 100 years and 2 months. Lorena and her sister Estrid sang at her funeral. I believe that was Lorena’s first funeral to sing at – about 1958 or 1959. I would guess since then she has sung at about a hundred funerals.

I can still hear Mrs. Brown explaining to us boys that you raise cattle, you raise horses, you raise hogs, but children – you bring them up. There’s quite a difference if you stop and think about it.

You raise livestock – you bring up children.

– George Amundson
McGregor, Minnesota

Do you ever wonder when reading the newspaper what is going on with the kids that beat up folks and steal their money to by drugs? Some of these kids are only twelve and thirteen years old!

It seems to me that the newspapers should print more about the good things that a lot of our young kids do because not all kids do bad things.

As a parent of four kids that are all adults now with children of their own, I am happy that they grew up respecting adults and taught their children the same set of values.

I retired in Aitkin County eight years ago and have neighbors across the road that have two boys ages sixteen and twelve. They moved here from Alaska a few years ago, and I have had a chance get to know the family well. The boys are the type that are always willing to help out a neighbor in need and never ask for anything in return. I have hired both of the boys over the years to split and stack wood, weed whip on my eleven acres, or work with rocks on our shoreline.

One of our neighbors has been fighting cancer for the past few years, and she needed a little help getting the straw from her septic mound this spring, and I mentioned this to the youngest boy, and he volunteered to do it for her.

I know he is only twelve years old, but he has more experience with equipment than most kids his age as he helps his dad on the tractor at their farm, and I had no problems with him using my ATV and trailer to help her out as she live only a few blocks away. I was gone from home for awhile and when I returned, my wife informed me that a DNR officer had followed the neighbor boy to our driveway.

My wife explained to the DNR officer that he was working for us in our yard, and we let him use our ATV to help out our neighbor lady. The officer drove to the boy’s parents’ farm and issued a ticket for $125.00 for their son driving an ATV under age.

I do understand the rules with kids and ATVs, but due to the fact the neighbor lady lived only a few blocks away, I thought having the neighbor boy use the ATV for a short time was a good thing to do to help someone who volunteered to do something good for someone else.

I called the local DNR officer the next day asking if he could cut the boy’s parents a little slack as it was my ATV, and if there was poor judgment, it was on me, not his parents and suggested that maybe a warning would be appropriate for the situation.

The DNR officer said that the parents have options to dispute the ticket, and I assume that going to court is one of those options.

This is one of those good things that was done by a young person, even though it ended up with a ticket. The other nice thing was the call I received from my neighbor lady who wanted to tell me how impressed she was when this twelve year old rang her doorbell and asked, “Are you Mrs. Ziemer? I’m here to pick up all of your straw.”

I did pass this compliment on to the parents and to their son and told him regardless what happens on the ticket, I am very proud of him.

— Gary Rognrud,
Palisade, Minnesota

A good friend, coworker and loved one

Cindi was West Virginia raised as you would know from her southern drawl, which will stay with us all forever.

She could tell jokes about herself as well as anyone else, and her friends thought that was a hoot.

She was an RN in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for ten years before she moved here, and she was great at her job.

Cindi was a hard worker, loved to paint and do odd jobs. She loved being around people and was a person that could be trusted with anything; she took care of pets for her friends and helped with anything that needed to be done, no questions asked.

Cindi was loved by many, with her beautiful smile, contagious laughter, and her stories were never ending, we were always in stitches.

She made everyone feel at home when they walked into Whispering Pines where she worked, and on April 6th, Jackie the owner and very good friend set up a gathering at Whispering Pines, so that everyone that loved her could say good-bye. The turnout was amazing. She was loved by so many, and we will all really miss her.

My 11-year-old daughter took it upon herself, after she heard about Cindi, to write a little song for her, and it really tore at our hearts.

Oh she’s a jolly good lady
Oh she’s a jolly good lady
Oh she’s a jolly good lady
Who now lives in the sky
Who’s making the clouds go by
and who’s telling us good-bye.

For all of us who loved her, look up to the sky, the sun, the moon, the clouds, and the stars. She will always be looking down on us and giving us a huge smile.

We love you, Cindi! From all of your friends, see you again someday.

No one denies it: our nation's finances are in terrible shape. In barely over 200 years, we as a nation, have

• Used up just about all of our valuable natural resources.
• Allowed our beloved dollar to depreciate in value worldwide.
• Given countless benefits to millions, including exemptions from filing income tax returns to lower income people.
• Welcomed IMMIGRANTS, legal and illegal, offering free medical services and education, even paying them social security benefits without their having ever worked.
• Offerered tax breaks and perks so that many wealthy people pay no income taxes at all.
• Allowed corporations to establish ownership overseas, so they are exempt from paying income taxes.

So what's the next move? Even while knowing it would adversely affect them financially, two of the world's wealthiest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, have supported increasing the tax rate on the highest levels of personal and corporate wealth.
Without claiming to be any kind of financial expert, may we humbly suggest that this nation follow Gates' and Buffetts' suggestion: increase federal income tax rates by levying a surtax above a certain amount on an upward sliding scale. This surtax is to apply on all forms of personal and corporate income, salaries, bonuses, dividends,"death" taxes, stock options, etc. Then require that a predetermined set percentage of this surtax apply only toward REDUCING OUR NATIONAL DEBT and UPGRADING our highways, airports, bridges, public buildings, sewer and water systems, to name just a few examples.
Where else can this sorely needed money come from while our national debt continues to increase at the rate of 1 2/3 BILLION DOLLARS PER DAY, and our neglected infastructures disintegrate like Minnesota's freeway bridge collapse last August?

— Lee Bennett
McGregor, Minnesota

'I find it my responsibility to call for the question and get an answer that makes sense to me and those most closely affected.

My friends live at the Pioneer Villa, pay rent, and have reserved parking spaces. For many, their enjoyment is singing and playing the piano. I along with many from the community come occasionally and have sing-a-longs. This has proven to uplift the spirits while participating, relaxing and joining in the community.

Just last Friday, December 14, the local women provided a Christmas luncheon, played games and made crafts. We brought in music and a professional pianist for a sing-a-long.

Guess what? There was no piano. The residents were told by their Aitkin County worker that “the piano did not fit in with the decor”; therefore, it had to be removed.

Why? Whoever heard of “not fitting into the decor” when a piece of furniture provides much comfort and enjoyment to people?

I believe any physical therapist would say piano playing and singing provides a therapeutic healing!
What is happening in our community? Who is the dictator and why? Why don’t our senior citizens have a voice? I am frustrated how the residents are and have been treated at the Villa. I believe it is time something is done about this!

— Gayleen Touhey
McGregor, Minnesota