Speak Out – July 27, 2013

Monday — 7:28 p.m.

Hi, this is Ray. And this is to the person driving the white SUV northbound on Avalon on Monday the 22 around 7:15 p.m. When you're diving in excess of the speed limit, especially when it's raining, with your foot on the brake pedal for over two miles.

You ought to think about the billboard on the side of the vehicle where it says on the back glass, Emergency Services with a Santa Rosa emblem. Driving habits like this is what causes Emergency Services to get busy. Thank you.

Tuesday — 11:24 a.m.

Hello, this is Bob. Have we gotten to the point in our country where truth is determined by the color of a person's skin. Why is it when people call a 911 line, the first thing the operator wants to know is the color of a person's skin so they can determine how response to a call will be handled. This George Zimmerman trial, it's a disgrace to white an people or black people or tan people or any kind of people. The question is truth.

This president and the Department of Justice has involved themselves in this case because they're pandering to black people. We need to get back to truth. Not allow it, racism. I'm tired of black people—they try racism just to get their way. Folks, we need to get back to honesty and truth. Thank you for allowing me to express my opinion. Thank you and have a good day.

Tuesday — 11:27 a.m.

Hello, this is Bob. People are ignoring the decision by a legally convened jury. A jury that took a lot of time and expense to put together. People are insisting on continuing to prosecute George Zimmerman. We have a legal system.

When people don't get their way, they holler racism. Now there's a cry going out that maybe the jury is racist. They need to investigate the jury. Folks, when will it ever end. When do we get beyond the color of a person's skin to determine truth.

Tuesday — 5:24 p.m.

It was so sad to see all these cats had to be put down.

If you have a license for a no-kill facility. It should be a law you get a vet in there to check these animals out. I'm sure there are other no-kill facilities out there also. I do sympathize with Allen and them. He just got overwhelmed. Thank you.

Wednesday — 7:30 a.m.

Hello, this is Bob. Detroit's bankruptcy should be an object lesson. It's what happens when liberals are in control. They'll spend a city into bankruptcy. It's what happening with this president in the white house. He's spending this nation into bankruptcy.

Wednesday — 5:05 p.m.

This is A.W. I am thrilled that Mayor Thompson is doing something about the log trucks in the Milton/Pace area. They are driving too fast down the streets he mentioned. They fly down Quintette Road in route to International Paper. Someone is going to be killed if something isn't done. Thank you Mayor Thompson and thank you Press Gazette for letting me Speak Out.

Wednesday — 6:43 p.m.

Yeah, this is Bobby. I was reading the Press Gazette Wednesday about the mayor worried about the log trucks. People are trying to make a living. Sounds like he don't want anything here except restaurants and tourist places. As far as inspecting the log trucks—I come from Harold everyday and the DOT is continuously stopping log trucks. They set up here at the Harold store. They set up here on Highway 87.They inspect them continually. I wouldn't waste the money inspecting them. Thank you.

Wednesday — 7:15 p.m.

This is Patsy. I want to thank Mr. Bledsoe for his letter in Wednesday's paper.

I'm so glad to see there are a few people left that have sense. I'm so glad to see there are a few people left that know what's going on in the world. I wrote a letter about the same event, the common core, but it was ignored. The Press Gazette is so politically correct, they usually don't print my letters. Maybe they will, this one because you deserve a lot of thanks for taking the time. I'll tell you this.

If the parents in the county, and the other counties and the whole state don't wake up—this is pitiful what's happening to our children and it's happening now. They're teaching the common core now. It's not something that's going to happen later. It's being taught now. Thank you.

Wednesday — 7:15 p.m.

Yeah, this is Bobby. I was just wondering why, in Wednesday's paper, they had the picture of the ambulance on it's side and the police said the driver of the ambulance was at fault but wasn't ticketed. I was just wondering why they weren't ticketed. Is that a normal thing, or something special? Everybody else gets ticketed. Thank you.

Wednesday — 9:43 p.m.

Hey, Paul here. It's Wednesday afternoon. I'm watching the channel 3 news. I see where the Santa Rosa County deputies, some have been quitting and all that because of the pay. Don't get me wrong, I support all law enforcement, firemen and everything. I have a volunteer fireman that lives next door. The gentlemen that got up and spoke and said that he sees it everyday. He said there's car payments and house payments and food—blah, blah, blah.

Well, correct me if I'm wrong, and I may be wrong. Don't the Santa Rosa County deputies bring their cruiser home? So, that means they don't have to pay a car note, insurance, upkeep or gas for that vehicle.

Now, if he chooses to have a private vehicle, it doesn't have to be a new one where he makes payments with full coverage insurance.

My truck is a 2000 model. It's 13-years-old, has 170,000 miles on it. It's paid for and I have liability insurance.

I don't feel for someone like that. I mean, you don't have to own a new car. You don't need to have a 2,000 square foot, four bedroom three bath new house. Live in a trailer.

A lot of the things they are complaining about—They choose to live that way. They chose to work for the county. There's excellent insurance, holiday pay, vacation pay and sick pay with the county and state and federal.

I feel for them. I'll vote for the additional tax. It's only what $20 a year. I don't know, I live in a trailer. I think it's worth $50,000.

Don't cry on my shoulder about getting to and from work. Cause I'm paying close to $4 a gallon for gas. Thank you.

Thursday — 8:05 a.m.

Yes, this is Cathy and I'm calling about Bill Bledsoe's opinion letter to the editor in Wednesday's paper. There is not one bit of evidence that common core state standards will increase academic achievement. I think this is a farce. We have spent millions of dollars developing the FCAT.

And now it appears that we're going to throw it out for something that's come down the pipe that we don't need and we're not interested in and we don't need to spend millions of dollars. Let's let the teacher make some decisions in Florida. I think we have educated teachers. Let's let them do what we've already developed. Thank you. 

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Speak Out – July 27, 2013