Get rid of those rumble strips

Do highway rumble strips cause head-on collisions?

Most drivers and riders are probably highly irritated when rolling over those grooves on the edges of our roads. Possibly so irritated that we "subconsciously" ALL drive closer to the center line in order to avoid those rumble strips. Are these rumble strip grooves causing more head-on collisions?

My suggestion is, do not put these strips on the shoulders of our roads any more. They may be OK for the center lines of no-passing zones, only if they help drivers keep a larger margin of safety.

-- Mark Stynsberg

Nikiski

This bud's not for Bud

I used to support Barack Obama until I learned he drinks Bud Lite.

-- Adrian Baer

Sutton

Give taxpayers' money back

I am deeply angered by the fact that Congress has chosen to take money from me by threat of force (tax) to give to my neighbor so he can buy a new car. If Congress would stop paying my neighbor's bills with my money, I'd be able to pay my own bills and even buy a new car with my own money.

Congress must immediately abandon the "cash for clunkers" scheme and rescind everything else in the so-called "stimulus" bills and return that money to the taxpayers in the form of a full and immediate refund. Then Congress must go into recess until the next election so it can do no more harm to the nation and the global economy.

-- Blaine Nay

Big Lake

Road work a waste of money

I am glad the workers on the Strawberry Road project were so nice ("Thanks to workers who made Strawberry Road look great," July 26). I think the project was about an 80 percent waste of money.

What is with all those stone sitting places? Lots of trees were cut down and are now being replaced with new ones, extremely heavy maintenance is going to be needed and I don't see where it has done anything to improve driving on that street.

Huge sidewalks have been added and now who is going to plow them? There are lots of pretty wood fences there too now. Wonderful; we really needed those!

I very rarely see anyone walking on Strawberry and I personally think there could have been much better use of the money. Lots of the side roads need work with the potholes and such, but my, do we have a big-town street in Strawberry! Aren't we the lucky ones?

-- Pauline Potter

Anchorage

Include all in health reform

A health care reform package should be for all Americans. We need to be suspicious of any health care reform proposal that exempts participation of the president and members of Congress -- Americans all.

-- Sue Byrd

Anchorage

Who's the problem here?

It's amazing how people never see themselves as part of the problem. The letter in Thursday's paper on the subject of the carnage on the Seward Highway containing the line "... we were pulling a travel trailer and we too had a line of cars behind us" is the perfect example ("Pickup could've caused accident," July 30).

-- John Stuart Jr.

Palmer

Shun the limelight, governor

Welcome, Gov. and First Lady Parnell,

I hope that you are well prepared to lead our state. Ride quietly on the coattails of Sarah, and do not take example of her ways. We Alaskans look forward to a governed state that is in our best interests -- NOT in the limelight.

Goodbye, Sarah, and may you find peace now that you are in the audience. Please do not compromise your garden of Eden. We still love you, so don't mess it up ... FISH ON!

-- Kim Maffei

Sutton

Road crews bust the ruts

Huge thanks to Alaska road repair crews. My dread of driving Minnesota turned to delight when I saw it was resurfaced, and the highway from Eagle River to Eklutna is being ground down and resurfaced. It's SO nice not being thrown all over the road by the ruts. And Eagle River Loop is beautiful. Thank you!

-- Patti Foncree

Eagle River

Democracy needs truth

To the many who came out to honor Sarah Palin in Fairbanks during the inauguration, I would say this: Democracy, and all that it stands for, is ill served when a noncritical audience prefers celebrity over truth.

-- Richard Gumm

Ester

Sales tax is fairer method

Everybody squawks about property taxes in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. There isn't a service they don't want or a tax they want to pay for it.

Five bold members of the Assembly are giving residents a chance to vote on the Oct. 6 ballot to roll back the mill rate to the lowest in the last 20 years by levying a modest 3 percent sales tax. On an average assessed home of $209,000, this amounts to a $707 reduction in yearly property taxes.

This is the Valley's chance to diversify the tax base and move to a more fair and equitable way to operate our borough. Putting the burden of a growing borough on one sector of its citizens -- its property owners -- is unreasonable and limiting. A sales tax is easy to collect and hard to avoid.

Mat-Su Borough residents need a chance to weigh in on Oct. 6 at the ballot box. A mayoral veto should not stop that process.

-- Terry Snyder

Big Lake

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