Comments by flexj66801
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Posted on August 28 at 7:10 p.m.
Its good to see that there are several others that are positive about this. I thought for sure I would be the only one posting. This IS a step forward in helping our dwindling economy. I agree, Its sad that the promoter has to deal with all the problems associated with the White Auditorium. But realistically there will probably never be another arena to hold events. I for one am thrilled there will be something other than an ESU game or musical production. It will nice not to have to drive somewhere or watch something on Tv because it makes me feel like I am disconnected from the rest of the world because I live in Emporia.
Posted on August 28 at 5:23 p.m.
As I was reading this I was thinking to myself that the "good citizens" of Emporia would be up in arms about something like this event coming to town. There are so many people in this town that would enjoy having events like these & then there are the opinionated few that will cry out that our town is to good for something like that.
The MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) events ARE the fastest growing & crowd drawing events in the nation right now thanks to the UFC going to "mainstream" television (Spike Tv). Boxing events have even taken a back seat in ticket sales & tv viewers to MMA events. Topeka & KC both hold an event almost monthly. We should feel honored that someone would even think to bring some kind of entertainment to this little town. You CANNOT compare this sport to dog fighting or cock fighting, Doing so only shows ignorance on your part. It has been proven safer than boxing, which has been promoted in every corner of this nation (I have a family member who is a WBC Champion). I see an A LOT of "Tapout" shirts being worn around here these days. If you don't know, that is a major brand of clothing associated with MMA sports. It seems to me that an event like this would draw in a lot of fans & generate some funds for the auditorium as well. Cities that prosper from entertainment know that you have to provide a range of venues to attract different people. Something you may like your neighbor may not & vise versa. I'm not going to prejudge you or any event that I have no knowledge of just because I feel it is something I personally would not like. I'd rather choose not to attend & let those who enjoy it have their entertainment.
Posted on August 12 at 7:41 p.m.
I am a smoker, But I go out of my way not to infringe on anyone by my choices. When we go out to eat we sit in the non smoking sections. We also frequent establishments that do not offer smoking without any thought of being alienated. We feel that it is a courtesy for those who do not smoke. Its never been thought of as being unfair because after all it is our choice. But, When you tell a group of people they cannot do something, You are infringing on their rights. I feel that what is between the lines of this ban is a hint that some people have lost their connection with common courtesy.
I remember a day when if someone was doing something that bothered you in any way you could ask them to please not do that around you & usually you would get your wish. At the very worst you could always move far enough away not to be bothered by the person or their actions.
It scares me to think that we as a society have lost our sense of common sense. There are so many problems in our world these days. More issues than I care to count that demand peoples attention. And you know what, If people would dedicate themselves on these major problems then a lot of this countries problems would disappear.
It seems like everyone these days needs a "cause" to make themselves feel important. There are activist for this & activist for that, But none of them ever make a dent in any real problems.
You want to fight for clean air? Promote riding a bike, Organize a car pool to do your share to cut down on emmisions! There are a number of things you could do to help with cleaner air. What I am saying is try to eliminate a problem with a solution, Not another problem. The problem with the ban is that you are taking away the rights of the owners of the businesses who serve this little community. If it is smokers they cater to, So be it, If it is non smokers, So be it.... But it is their choice, Not yours or mine.
Posted on July 11 at 6:04 p.m.
Nobody is throwing around sympathy cards! Suggesting I be cautious is kind of like fighting on the internet, It is pointless. There are no assumptions here. I'm sure I know enough about the situation I am a part of. It is my understanding that the dept heads insurance is part of their benefits package & if it is not used that is their option. Yes, The city internally will tell you they are self insured regardless of what they tell the public. I've had it beaten into my head for almost the last decade.
In case you missed my point, I said that the survey that was paid for by tax dollars was a waste. In other words, Every citizen should be concerned about that. That is unless you don't mind your taxes being wasted like they have been on this & many other things. I know that people are concerned because every time the powers that be start talking of raising taxes the public goes crazy with reasons why taxes shouldn't be raised, how the city wastes money & to cut this & that. I'm sure we read the same news & you as well as I know this is true. So how is this any different? I pointed out what the survey that all of us paid for was intended to do & the outcome of said survey. I did this from an internal point of view & yes that means I am directly affected. I am not upset or asking for sympathy from anyone. If you must know, I feel it is my responsibility to right what I feel is wrong in my life. If I do not agree with something then it is up to me to change it & if that means changing employers then so be it. But this does not detract the fact that the people have a right to know when their tax dollars are being carefully spent & recklessly thrown out.
Posted on July 11 at 5:28 p.m.
You forgot the fact that the city is "self insured" & that the Dept heads receive free health insurance as do many other "higher ranking" positions. So basically it is ok that the front line workers are making less money when they are barely making ends meet. The idea of spending the money for the wage survey in the first place was to bring the city employees up to market value. They were underpaid just as suspected & have been for a long while. Once it was found out how much underpaid they actually were & therefore how much it would cost (a staggering amount I'm sure) to bring all the employees up to par the idea was to take a look at the benefits package. If this isn't setting the table I don't know what is. What they ironically found was the the insurance fund had been under funded for the last five years. So the wage pool that was set aside for the employees raises were used to replenish the health insurance pool. You can't tell me no one knew that the insurance fund was in a crisis before the wage survey that the city spent thousands & thousands of tax dollars to have done. If by some chance no one knew then someone,or better yet A LOT of someones weren't doing their jobs. All the raises turned out to be was a shuffle of funds on paper with a few people actually receiving extra money. On paper you are making more per hour, But its going right back to the insurance fund hence back to the city. Are you catching on to the scam here? Sorry if I don't get in line to applaud the city for wasting the tax dollars for a survey that ultimately had no positive outcome for the employees for which it was intended.
Let me ask you this justthefacts, Did your health insurance go up 208.50 a month just as you received a supposed raise? Or when was the last time your health insurance jumped that much from one week to the next without making changes to coverage or adding a new family member?
Posted on July 10 at 6:45 p.m.
The wage scale raises came at a price for many city workers. The cost of health insurance went up to rival the raise. In several cases the health insurance increase was higher than the raise received. For example, A city employee with family coverage had an increase of $208.50 a month. As stated in the article, These are hard times. How can someone be expected to make less after receiving a raise & be happy or even content about it. Last I heard, The city employees 257 people, Down from around 300 about the time Commons left. Crews have been working short handed for some time now with words of possibly hiring after the wage scale was completed. They have done an excellent job under demanding circumstances & deserved more than to be given a raise only to have it taken away.
Posted on June 24 at 9:23 p.m.
AlexJohnston, I am happy to know there is some sanity left around here.
Iloveemporia, I'm not sure about riding with the ACs but you can volunteer at the shelter & could see first hand what they do. I'm sure they could use an extra hand with some of their duties or maybe just another person "chillen"!
Posted on June 23 at 6:40 p.m.
The patrol officers won't respond unless it is a emergency plain & simple. That means unless the dog is aggressive or has bit someone the officers have other issues to attend to. How many of you have ever spent time at the Shelter? I would venture to say not many. That phone rings off the hook with loose dog calls. Emporian is right, There is usually one animal control officer on duty at a time. They only have one animal control truck & there in absolutely no way they can respond to each & every call, Especially since the owners of the dogs will probably have found their dogs by the time they can respond anyway. The shelter itself is only open from 11am until 3pm because of being short staffed. I understand the problems, I am not dismissing any of it as trivial but don't blame the already short staffed animal control officers & shelter staff. Its bad enough to be short handed & have more things going on than you can handle without getting the blame for the public not feeling "safe". Emporian is right in the fact that if you want more control officers, More patrols & better services, Then be ready to pay for it. Otherwise it is a mute point.
Posted on June 20 at 2:45 p.m.
I think there is a percentage of people in the town that will complain about anything. For those complaining about noise, Do you live close by the location where the range will be? If not then I don't think you need to worry about it. If you are one of the people worried about someone getting shot, I suggest you never go hunting or hiking in the woods during hunting season.
But the range is intended & designed to be safe so long as people use common sense & follow the rules. As stated, Outdoor ranges are surrounded on three sides by high berms. A bullet has very little chance of escaping unless it is fired over in which case the penalties would be to severe to even think about purposely doing that.
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Posted on August 29 at 3:19 p.m.
I lived in Arizona for sixteen years & for the life of me I can't think of one thing that McCain did that impressed me or stands out in my mind. I truly believe that if he is elected the downward spiral of this nation will continue.
On Obama delivers acceptance speech