Thank you, Mesa County Landfill for a free day to help clean up Grand Junction.

I feel especially sorry for the Lower Valley Fire Protection District’s extreme loss of revenue at the hands of a dishonest employee who is incapable of returning the $400,000 plus stolen and has just $200 a month available to begin repaying the district. I think a far better solution would be to require her to purchase the largest life insurance policy that her “repayment” dollars can buy and make the district the beneficiary. The district would come much closer to recouping its losses this way.

What is happening in the state Legislature with regard to student testing is typical of the liberal mentality that pervades our state these days. If the students cannot pass the test, you simply eliminate the test. That way everyone looks good. The only problem is that the students are not learning anything.

I don’t like the “controlled” burns in the valley. They can be dangerous, and the smoke burns my eyes and lungs. I dread it every year. Think I’m from California, or New York? Wrong! I’m a Western Slope native and 30-year Happy Valley resident. Just because something’s been done forever doesn’t mean it makes sense. Nobody burns in the mountains. We live in a semi-desert, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt to burn.

We would like to thank the Grand Junction Police Department for sending a motorcycle officer to the corner of South Rim Drive and 23 Road. In the short time he was there, I believe four people were stopped for failing to stop at the stop signs. Of course, as soon as he left, about every other car would ignore these signs. This ongoing problem will only improve if we continue to patrol this area. Maybe the word will get out that the stop signs are there for more than just hanging garage sale signs on.

Cheney seems to like the number five. He’s in Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the senseless Neanderthal war and he had five deferments from the Vietnam War. I believe his explanation of his deferments was something like: “I’ve got more important things to do.”

Honestly folks, I am really trying to understand how all this growth is benefiting me. I know my property taxes cannot go down, thanks to Gov Ritter, only up because my home is rising in value. I also know I am going to help pay for more schools with an upcoming bond issue. Then more roundabouts, more rec centers, more fire stations, police stations and more money out of our pockets, not to mention more traffic, more crime, more pollution, more big city problems.

To the person who is upset with the farmers plowing their fields: The next time you purchase an onion, pepper, or cucumber from your favorite store, remember that some farmer (and one quite possibly here in Grand Junction) had to take the time to plow (yes you must plow to plant), plant, water, harvest and clean that vegetable for your enjoyment.