Here are featured comments from our Speak Out hotline, discussions on www.srpressgazette.com and its sister websites.
THIS ROAD IS TOO NARROW
My name is Joy. And I recently saw in the Press Gazette roads that were to be resurfaced. One was 182 from Highway 87 to Central School. Allentown Road is the other name for it. This does need to be done but it also needs to be widened. If two school buses are meeting each other, one needs to go off of the road to safely pass; the same for dump trucks, peanut trucks, log trucks, and the list goes on. There is a lot of traffic on this road at different times of the year. The main thing is the safety of the children riding on these buses. This road is too narrow.
GOD IS THE JUDGE
This is Bob Bailey. I see again where you're allowing [a frequent letter writer] to judge and demean other people. I thought this was against your policy but evidently, it's not. Please remind her she is not the judge. God is the judge. (Editor's Note: The Press Gazette avoids publishing opinion items that negatively single out individual, named local residents. The letter writer in question has not done that.)
THOUGHTS ON ENERGY JOBS, HEALTH CARE
I was calling regarding another diatribe by Dan Stewart. First of all, the Republicans are not trying to ruin the Earth. They're not trying to get rid of all the jobs in clean energy.
Their feeling is that the United States shouldn't have to pay the rest of the world to cut back on pollution and he's made a statement in there that China and India are moving forward as leaders in renewable energy. Well, part of the agreement they signed in Paris was that they can increase their pollution for the next 10 years while we have to cut ours back and we're already way lower than they are. So, we should be on equal footing if we sign an agreement.
The Republican leadership is not saying they're going to cut down and do away with renewable energy. They're just not going to have to sign an agreement that costs us more jobs and such. We should be able to produce the cheapest energy so we can compete with China and India. So just the fact that he says something doesn't mean it's really true. It's just like the next thing Trump should do is to do something about the United Nations. We pay most of the money for the United Nations and then all these little jackleg countries go up there and vote against us on everything. That's not right either.
If we're going to be equal, then they should all pay equal.
[Also … about health care:] I don't have Obamacare. I have some [insurance] through an employer that I've had for years. You hear the Democrats say how many million more people are covered and you hear the Republicans talk about how much it cost and some of the people there, too.
If it costs so much like they're saying and it’s a $6,000 deductible or something, that's not covered.
I'd like to know if it’s true that if you spend all your money on insurance that you can't use because of the deductible and you don't have the money to go to the doctor because you spend all your money on insurance that you can't use.
I keep getting the feeling that all these millions of people that are happy with it are people that don't make much money or they are subsidized or put on Medicaid and I just like to know if any of that's true. —Bobby Andrews
LET TRUMP LEAD; THOUGHTS ON THE BAYVIEW CROSS
This is Mary King. I am just awfully disturbed about the way the country is because the people that are continually making bad threats against the president and getting away with it.
When you have a riot, you have a leader and there is a leader in that bunch, more than one, and they need to stop it. Matthew 12:25 says Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them every kingdom divided against itself is brought to devastation, desolation and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
Our nation is a nation that is supposed to be all the people for the people and by the people not for a certain party or group. It's for everybody. It's a democratic nation and they’re using the amendment that says freedom of speech to tear things apart for the president.
The president is a fine man and he's trying his best to do what's right. So I imagine if they want to see the country stand it would be a good idea if they would shut their mouth and let the president tend to his business.
He's the president and not them and we have to respect our leaders and pray for them.
[Also:] How can four people object and have a cross removed that has been a historical monument in Pensacola when the Constitution does say that the state is supposed to stay out of the church, not the church out of the state? They've got it opposite. Somebody needs to go and reread the Constitution. That's very unfair.
CHRISTIANS NEED A BACKBONE
This is Jorge De. I'm calling about the cross the judge says has to come up in Pensacola because it offends four people over there. Where are the Christians, so-called Christians in this country, particularly in Santa Rosa and Escambia County? Why can't they go down there and protest?
It offends four people, so they're going to take it down.
Well, it offends thousands of people because they're going to take it down, so where are the strong Christians? They do not have a backbone anymore. They should go down there … to keep them from taking it down.
This is our country. These idiots come from other countries and come over here and try to change it… It's just like grass growing. You can't see it growing and they're taking over our country and you can't see it, just a little bit at a time.
Next thing we’ll have to take the crosses off the churches then they're going to have to move the churches.
It's coming to that — unless the so-called Christians stand up and show some backbone, that they really are Christians and this is a Christian country.
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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: SPEAK OUT: Thoughts on dangerous road, health care and the Bayview cross