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Mailbag (11/12)
City's pet ordinance needs to be fair to families This letter is about Alderwoman Elizabeth Brickl's comment, "you're going to penalize families that actually stay together and are not blended." Get off your moral high horse. Blended families are not always caused by divorce. What if it comes about because two people meet and they have the pet limit and neither wants to give up a pet that they love like family? Is it fair to punish children that have grown to love these pets just because there has been a change in their living conditions? Cut these people some slack and let them keep their pets, knowing that when they pass, they cannot replace them with another. Carol Harris, Baraboo Records fee increase doesn't make sense I agree with your editorial regarding the Sheriff's Department increasing their photocopy fees. I am curious why the Sheriff's Department needs to increase their fees and the courthouse doesn't? The courthouse probably does many more open records requests then the Sheriff's Department does. And with the number of clerks and administrative assistants, and the computer system at the Sheriff's Department, I can't imagine why it would take excessive time to make copies. Why is the sheriff, and in particular the jail, so scared of releasing open records? One might wonder what they have to hide? It doesn't seem that the county cares about lawsuits. They already have two ongoing, one in regard to open records and one with the Equal Rights Division. Apparently they don't mind wasting the taxpayers' money on attorney fees instead of doing the right thing. And not only does the county have their own attorney (Corporation Counsel), they hire outside attorneys for lawsuits. I would suggest people contact their County Board members and tell them you want some answers. Janice Boettcher, Sauk City Today's your chance to fight for library funding The Sauk County Board is set to cut funding to the libraries of Sauk County by nearly $29,000 for the 2009 budget. This means that costs incurred by county library patrons during 2007 will not be fully paid. To make up for the shortfall, either those libraries will have to ask their already stressed municipalities for increased funds to cover the costs, or those libraries will have to cut services. The 2009 Sauk County budget is not yet finalized. There are still a couple of ways for library patrons to tell the County Board that investing in libraries is valuable to taxpayers. Please contact your County Board supervisor to tell him or her how you feel. The second way you can express your views to the County Board is by attending the 2009 Budget Hearing at the next meeting of the Sauk County Board of Supervisors. This will be at 6 p.m. today. Upon arriving at the County Board Gallery on the third floor of the West Square Building, 505 Broadway, Baraboo, you can sign up to speak during the public comment portion of the hearing. Your speaking time will probably be about two minutes long. Be brief, succinct, and let them know that you value investing in the future of our citizens through libraries. Joan Wheeler, Baraboo Honor veterans by serving your community On Nov. 7, 2008 my father, Virgil D. Petty, received full military honors at his funeral. He served with the U.S. Army 32nd Red Arrow Infantry Division for 30 months in the Philippine Islands. As with most combat veterans, my father spoke little of his experiences. As my father approached the final years of his life, he shared some of his experiences with our family. I knew he had been proud of his military service as he was a lifetime member of our local VFW and American Legion. It seemed fitting he passed away so close to Veterans Day. My father was 17 years old when he first entered the National Guard at Jefferson, Wis. He did so to support his mother and younger siblings as his mother had been previously widowed. He was 19 when World War II began and training initiated for deployment to the Pacific Theater. While on the island of Luzon, he received the Bronze Star for rescuing wounded fellow soldiers during heavy combat. He originally was recommended for the Silver Star but his commander was outvoted by other officers from another state. It was awarded to their soldier instead. He wasn't bitter, only stating "we lost a lot of good men on that island." Twice he was rendered unconscious by mortar fire and was eligible for the Purple Heart. He refused to be submitted, stating "other guys deserved it a lot more then I did." He developed malaria when he returned to the U.S. after completing his service in Japan proceeding the atomic bombs. He was hospitalized at the Milwaukee VA Hospital and was placed in the hallway for several days due to a lack of available hospital rooms. No complaints, only his willingness to serve for others. This Veterans Day we will display our flags, observe various ceremonies presented by our schools, places of worship, veterans organizations, review media articles, remember our friends and loved ones whom served in the military. Let us all demonstrate our gratitude and honor our veterans by enlisting ourselves as volunteers to support our communities in any fashion possible. Many of our community members have already served in this capacity, but more are needed. Let us all consider the possibility of serving humbly, unselfishly and unified for the benefit all and not for our own notoriety. That is what many veterans have done historically, whether they are alive today or deceased. Joel D. Petty, Baraboo
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