I don't read a fourth of the newspaper but most of what I read seems to be bad news.

The smoking issue is not a health issue, not about saving one life. It's a control issue, loss of freedom. It is not the city, state or any government's job to look after anybody's health but their own. I don't smoke, never have, but if people don't like smoke, stay away from smokers and go to another restaurant, there's a million in town. Who's kidding who, it's for my health? I'll look after and take care of my own health, thank you. Senator Aguilar wants to control smokers but doesn't want the governor controlling lobbyists. What's the difference? Who gets the thanks for the nice, new football stadium in Lincoln? Right?

I don't see anyone trying to control that which is probably the biggest contribution, not only to health, but to crime in this country. There was an article in the paper how obese people that are sick are a problem for emergency personnel. Maybe it's the city's business to help them with their health problem. Let's be fair. Let's control all kinds of health problems. Find out why every other person gets cancer. There must be other health issues to address.

If the handful of people that think they know best what's good for you and me, would listen to the 87 per cent of the people that don't want to finance schools or spend taxes on anything else for illegals or new immigrants in this town or listen to the business people that don't want their businesses destroyed by an unnecessary underpass, everyone in town would be happier.

L.M. Miller

1104 W. Charles St.

Aguilar votes against constituents

Our form of government is not a true democracy. We elect representatives who are supposed to be ambassadors for those who put them into office. When that doesn't happen, something is wrong.

In 2007, Senator Annette Dubas introduced LB676, which was intended to reduce the blockages of public roads by the railroads. In hearings held at the State Capitol and later in Grand Island and Broken Bow, it was very apparent that LB676 did represent the will of the people. Police, sheriff and fire departments, ambulance and rescue squads, business organizations and development promoters, farmers, commuters and ordinary citizens all testified in favor of this bill. In fact, the only ones who testified against the bill were paid representatives of the railroads. The will of the people could not have been more clear and evident.

What did the members of the Transportation Committee do? They killed it. Senator Ray Aguilar, as a member of the committee, voted to kill it. Does that represent the will of his constituents?

The railroads continue to block crossings, with the complete indifference to citizens' expense and delays or emergency vehicles responses to those in need. Their promises at the hearings to limit blockages to 10 minutes were never implemented.

Senator Dubas, reflecting the will of those who voted her into office, introduced LB1069, a bill similar to LB676. It is scheduled to go before the Transportation Committee on Feb. 26 at 1:30 p.m. in the State Capitol. I wonder if it will do any good to testify for it against the same committee members, or if we will have to wait for term limits to cleanse that committee of members who voted for private entities with deep pockets instead of the will of the people they are supposed to represent.

Leon Cederlind

4706 Gunbarrel Place

Kudos to workers, boo on spending

Before I start to voice my complaint, I would like to thank the city employees who were busy on Thursday, Feb. 14, scraping, loading and hauling the snow and ice away. They scraped our streets on East 18th Street. They did an excellent job.

Now, the complaining starts. As a taxpayer, my wife and I pay over $1,200 a year in property tax. None of us really has a say on how it's used or should be used.

We now have a new library and humane society, which my family and I enjoy greatly. There is a new jail, which is good but I have no desire to use myself, and I know this was a great expense to the city of Grand Island. I'm smart enough to know funds had to be diverted from other areas, but to neglect our city side streets was too much. I understand with the cost of fuel and man hours, it is not feasible to do all the streets every time it snows; but to wait until people are sliding and tearing their autos up is ridiculous.

Again, thanks to our city workers for a job well done. However, if we can have a maintainer down these streets more than once or twice a season, it would be greatly appreciated by the good tax-paying homeowners of Grand Island.

Walter "Rocky" Tolson

315 E. 18th

Editor's note: The Humane Society building was privately funded and the jail is owned and operated by Hall County, not the city.