Many thanks to the street department workers for filling a pothole near 13th Street and Hermosa Avenue. Much appreciated!

This man-made global warming hoax is about two things: empowering government to run more of the private sector and turning carbon dioxide into gold as in “carbon credits.”

To all who complain and say the soil is being ruined, please go back to school and take a good earth science class. You will find that burning regenerates the soil and adds nutrition. Remember the Yellowstone fire and all the green that came up after the burn? I guess since you don’t have to take care of fields or ditches, you don’t need to know these things.

We now mark more than 4,000 U.S. troops dead in Iraq after five years of occupation. No one mentions how many Iraqi soldiers or civilians have died since the beginning of the war. Iran is nearly three times greater in size and population than Iraq. I do not want to hear cries for more war when we do not face the death toll we have already created.

Being a respected veteran and POW and visiting the region does not make one an expert in Middle Eastern foreign policy, as John McCain has repeatedly shown. Knowledge of al-Qaida, Sunni and Shiites is a must for anyone who votes, and it’s certainly imperative for our next president. An in-depth knowledge, intelligence and the ability to communicate effectively are important attributes for the next leader of the free world. Have we learned nothing in eight years?

Thank you Delta and Fruita, for having convenient RV waste dumps in your small towns. Here in Grand Junction we have to spend $15 to $40 in fuel costs to drive to your sites and return because there are no such facilities in our big city. We also stop and spend Grand Junction money in your towns while there.

To dismayed: You seem to forget that the cost of the war in Iraq is negligible compared with the cost of benefits to illegal immigrants that are not available to native born Americans.  You forget that our politicians are more interested in the votes they can buy from the illegals than for those of us that have paid into Social Security for our entire working lives. Our numbers are too small compared with our competitors to really matter to them.

For those who complain about all the burning in the valley: Farmers and ranchers have burnt their fields for hundreds of years. It’s not just “hicks” in the valley. It helps the soil rather than harm it. Burning also gets rid of unwanted weeds, etc., without chemicals. Do your research before complaining.

Because the school district is afraid that the sanitizing hand gel will spontaneously ignite and does not provide proper hand washing stations near the cafeteria, say hello to stomach ailments, the never-ending cold and, possibly, hepatitis.