Letters to the editor: city restoration, toxic burning, RMU, climate change, health care

Restoration is good news for Rolla
How wonderful to learn that Polly the Parrot's home at 504 Walnut is being restored. 
Polly did live there in the 1930s and was the pet of Rolla's one and only policeman.  His name was very Irish — Captain O'Brien — to the my best remembrance. 
Every year the Captain would bring Polly to visit Miss Irene Heimburger's 1st grade class. What a total thrill this was because not many of us were able to go to a zoo what with the ongoing depression, you know.  Polly was so great and she really did say “Polly wants a cracker.”
The child who read the Dick & Jane story the best and the child who could identify the various colors and spell them, got to give Polly a cracker.
Rolla has always been a unique and great place to call home. 
In the past, lack of foresight has lost Rolla some significant historic sights.
Now, Rolla is very fortunate that area of Benton Square is being developed by two men with wonderful dreams.  I hope that they are very successful in this endeavor and wish them well.

—Patricia “Kelley” Lindgren
Rolla
 

With group’s
sincere apologies
Our apologies to Nathan Wilson and his family for failing to add his name to the list of the players in my recent Letter to the Editor. Nathan and his family made a great contribution to the Mid-MO Stealers successful season. 
What would we have done without Nathan's mom to lead us in our cheers?  Again, thanks to all the Mid-MO Stealers team for a great season.
— Norma Harris


Efforts stopped
illegal, toxic burning
On Sunday, July 25, my neighbors and I discovered a huge dump being started in our neighborhood. I drove to the site where I found a dump truck driver coming out of the property, located at the intersection of State Road A, and State Road E. I asked the driver what was going on. He told me that the owners of the property were tearing down a house in Rolla, and was bringing it out here to their place to burn it.
I contacted one of my neighbors, who said she thought it may be illegal to do that, so we started calling people to find out. Well as it turns out it was VERY illegal to do that.
So we contacted the local DNR office and reported to them what we discovered and he went to the site to check on the contents, and sure enough, it was full of toxic materal. The house was very old.
We, my neighbors, and I kept an eye on the property.
Last Sunday, Aug. 2, the owner’s son started to burn the huge pile of construction trash. I called the fire department, as did a couple of neighbors, and told them there was a illegal fire going. They came out and put out the fire.
The owners are now being notified that they are in violation of several illegal acts, and could face some hefty fines.
Most people out here are unaware that NEW LAWS prohibit burning old houses, due to the contaminants they contain.
— Sherry Richardson


RMU actions unfair, hard to understand
To the editor,
This morning, RMU found it necessary to cut off power to my home.
This would be understandable if the bill wasn't paid for an extended period of time. That is not the case.
As it is, according to RMU, it was only about two weeks late (somehow, the payment didn't make it to them). Furthermore, we (my wife and I) have never had an issue with delinquent bills with RMU.
Either way, RMU cut off our power— with no notice. Not a piece of mail saying, “We didn't receive your July payment" or even a phone call (they do have our phone number on record, after all.
One could only assume they need it so they would call if there are problems with the account, like a missing payment).
Our account was settled about 10 minutes after the lights went out (along with a lovely reconnect fee). I asked why they didn't just use the deposit to pay the bill (that's what it's there for, isn't it?). Apparently, that's not what it's there for and we'll get it back when we move... unless we don't pay our final bill, that is. In which case the deposit returned will be the difference. So it can be used to pay a bill, but only when it's convenient for RMU.
More importantly, I asked why they didn't notify us. “Oh, we did” they said, before telling me it was the Post Office's fault we didn't receive a notice (and that they didn't receive the payment).
And even though the situation was immediately rectified, RMU didn't think it necessary to turn the power immediately back on. No, we had to wait a couple of hours.
They didn't apologize. They didn't explain. And why should they? We (along with every other resident living inside city limits) can't get power from another provider because there's not one. Maybe it's time to move.
— Michael Bostwick,
Rolla


Seeks fair climate
change legislation
To the editor,
Climate change legislation is moving forward in Congress, and Intercounty Electric Cooperative Association, along with other electric cooperatives across the nation, is standing up to fight for fairness. Decisions will be made in the coming weeks that will directly impact our electric bills, and none of us can afford to sit this one out. With our representatives here at home for August recess, now is the perfect time to make our voices heard.
We stepped up early in the debate to fight for fairness and affordability as this legislation — which included a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants — was considered in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Backed by more than 375,000 consumers taking part in the Our Energy, Our Future campaign, electric co-ops had a major impact, securing more than $3 billion in rate relief from initial U.S. House proposals.
But the legislation passed by the U.S. House in June still has major flaws. The debate has now moved to the U.S. Senate, where another version of the bill is being drafted. Here we have another opportunity to fight for more improvements and to minimize the impact this Congressional action may have. Here we all have an opportunity to shape the outcome.
We must urge members of the Senate to keep climate change legislation fair, recognizing regional differences in how electricity is produced. It must be affordable for all Americans.
And its goals must be achievable — when they take effect, the technology needed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions should be commercially viable at each step of the way.
It is time we all step up to the plate and make a stand for the interests of consumers. Your senators as well as members of the U.S. House need to hear from all of us — their voting constituents — for direction.
Let’s meet our elected officials here at town hall meetings, and get our voices to Washington through the Our Energy, Our Future campaign. Visit www.ourenergy.coop to send a message to Capitol Hill about the need for fair, affordable, and achievable climate change legislation.
We must ensure that when they vote on a bill, it’s done with America’s best interests in mind.
— Dwayne Cartwright,
General Manager


Tired of trite
expressions
Are you like, getting fed up with trite expressions?
Well, I mean, you know, about this National Health Care Program, for example, it’s important to get all of the folks on the same page to avoid discrimination due to ethnic or religious differences, also we don’t want to widen the gap between rich and poor which will wipe out our middle-class and cause our national debt to, you know, escalate to astronomical proportions.
I tell you what, democracy is doomed if we don’t contact our ultra-liberal and ultra-conservative politicians and tell them to forget their ideological differences and just do what is best for their constituents, the voters, then we might be able to get some closure on these high-priority agenda items, you know what I’m sayin’?
— Walter Parkinson,
Rolla
(RDN continuous subscriber
since 1952)