Letter writers sound off about police staffing, recycling bins, guns and more

Todd Fettig | By Todd Fettig | The Grand Rapids Press
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on September 13, 2012 at 5:30 PM
G0210OFFICERAWARD7Our letter writer has advice for Grand Rapids leaders considering cutting the number of police officers: Don't do it.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Johnny Brann Sr. says Grand Rapids leaders shouldn't even think about cutting the police force.

"Our police officers risk their lives daily for compensation that is not in line with the importance of their jobs, and you are looking to make our city and our police officers less safe?" writes Brann in a letter to the editor, published below.

RELATED: Consultant calls for 29 fewer Grand Rapids cops

Also on letter writers' minds:

• Out-of-place recycling and trash bins.

• A Senate bill about coal ash.

• Guns.

• Capitalism.

• President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney.

• Teachers in Chicago.

• And saluting our nation.



No good outcome if city reduces number of police officers
The recent articles in The Grand Rapids Press in regards to reducing the number of Grand Rapids police officers in the field protecting the residents of our city are absurd. A research firm was even hired to weigh whether fewer officers on the streets would make our city less safe. Pay me; I can give you the answer. Yes, our city would be less safe.

RELATED: Editorial: No easy answers when evaluating police and fire services

In my opinion, competency research should be done — assessing the ability of city officials that would even consider this.

I ask the city officials supporting this research: What would you do if you had an intruder breaking into your home late at night? I believe I know the answer. You would call 911, and the police would respond as fast as possible — with every second seeming like 15 minutes to you and your loved ones.

You would hear the sirens, and when you saw the officers and you and your family were safe, you would then look at the idea of reducing Grand Rapids officers differently.

A life could be lost, slowing down response time. Our police officers risk their lives daily for compensation that is not in line with the importance of their jobs, and you are looking to make our city and our police officers less safe?

Brilliant? No. Asinine? Yes.

City must spell out rules for trash and recycling bins
I was wondering why the city of Grand Rapids has done nothing about the recycling containers left out after collections for days on end, and some that are never returned to the homeowner's property week after week? The containers sit on the curb and are even being used to hold parking spots on the street for tenants who are not provided off-street parking.

What are we going to do when we have to have actual trash containers for our regular trash pickups? The city has provided us with a great recycling program, and people do not take care of the containers now. When the new trash rule starts, heaven help us.


I was under the impression that containers are to be put out of view until collections and not left on the sidewalk or parked on the front lawns of homes. The downtown, the Heritage Hill, East Hills and Eastown areas are starting to looks like trash dumps lately.

I hope the rules are spelled out better in the future. People need to be held more responsible when provided such services. Absentee landlords should also have rules for their tenants regarding this. The city could make a fortune in fines on this if it were enforced.
GENE MAZUR/Grand Rapids

Coal ash bill would expose communities to toxins
A terrible bill is nearing action in the Senate. The Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act would leave hundreds of communities unprotected from the toxins of coal ash.

In Michigan, there are 46 holding ponds for residue of our coal industry. The bill would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from providing protections from the toxic effects of coal ash dumps. This is part of the federal transportation bill, on the verge of becoming law.

It is urgent that Congress understand the dangers of coal ash dumps.

Don't emotionalize gun debate by calling them assault rifles
The Aug. 30 Grand Rapids Press contained almost a full page of discussion of gun issues. It repeated, over and over, inaccurate information. Those are NOT assualt rifles any more than your family car is a NASCAR race car just because they cosmetically look the same.

You cannot purchase an assualt rifle in this country — even if you are a law enforcement agency. Understand: Automatic weapons have not been legal to manufacture, own or sell in this country since the 1930s. Pictured are cosmetic look-a-likes.

Go to any gun store that you can reach, in any state, and try to buy an automatic weapon. Just try. Hunters used repeating rifles and self-loading rifles for 50 years before the military adopted the M1 Garand. Would you — and be honest — want to hunt a grizzly bear with only one shot?

There are things we need to do about guns, but we aren't going to make any progress so long as the people who control the media and public opinion continue to distort and emotionalize the issue.

Assault rifle is ineffective against oppressive governments
Just ask any rebel in Syria how effective an assault rifle is against a military canon firing exploding missiles from a mile or two away. A fighter jet being shot down from anything other than a Stinger Missile or another jet fighter is extremely rare.

Spraying machine gun fire at the army of a rogue government that is out to kill you is sure to get you only one thing: quickly in the cross hairs of a few army snipers, who would surely survive random machine gun fire. The most effective killers in the Balkans around Sarajevo were hidden snipers.

The assault rifle as an effective self-defense weapon, as stated by letter writer Rick Dolphin in The Grand Rapids Press, is not based on fact and history. It is fantasy.

Spraying bullets is a poor excuse for anyone who can't see their target and has not taken the time and effort to sight-in a scope on a deer rifle and make each bullet count. The machine gun is the weapon of choice of “people” like James Holmes.

The recent Republican platform, which supports the possession of assault weapons and their unlimited capacity magazines, was influenced by a gun lobby that lives in a fantasy world.

Capitalism has too much control
It is unfair that our fellow Americans involved to change this nation with the Occupy Wall Street movement got so little response from the top 1 percent.

The uncertainty in the economy comes from the 1 percent itself. If the 1 percent controls 40 percent of the nation’s wealth and it is not being invested, the economy will remain stagnant. Giving them tax cuts add fuel to the fire.

I believe the total currency of the nation was for each of us to have our needs met and work at that wage. The economy is so controlled by total capitalism that never could have been imagined at its start. Also, the wealthy do no work hard. Computers of high sophistication practically give investors the answer. Get real. It is 2012.

Nation's laws should not be optional
The Obama adminstration announced it would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act.

If this precedent is allowed to stand for this administration and for succeeding administrations, we are on the road to legal chaos and eventual anarchy.

President Reagan said, "We are a nation of laws." These laws established by our founders are based on Judeo-Christian ethics and the 10 Commandments.

If defense of properly established laws is optional based on the wishes of a president, we are no longer a nation of laws.

"Elections have consequences," says President Obama. Let’s prayerfully and carefully vote this November!
RAY DYKSTRA/Georgetown Township

Obama is clear choice for middle class
Voters must decide in November whether they believe in investment in America or a slash-and-burn approach to handling the progress we have attained as a middle class.

President Barack Obama trusts investment in our country as the path for prosperity for all. He is fighting for job development here and a return of jobs from abroad, for expansion of health care and protection for those dependent on Medicare and Medicaid, for Social Security, for improving our infrastructure and utilizing new clean energy. Obama wants young people to be able to afford a college education.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, would cut what he views as unnecessary: assistance for domestic industries, living wages, collective bargaining, Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, road and bridge projects, clean energy, college scholarships and more.

President Obama is clearly the correct choice for the middle class in November.

Chicago teachers set bad example for students
The Chicago teachers strike is a classic example of a bunch of spoiled brats trying to get their parents (the taxpayers) to give them more than they deserve or what the parents can afford.

They can hide in numbers and run around like jerks — but at the end of day, while their union leaders laugh all the way to the bank — the kids are learning a wonderful lesson: If you don't get what you want, just scream.
CARLTON DYKSTRA/Georgetown Township

An invitation to veterans: Stand and salute
This is in response to Tom Basarabski's letter letter to the editor.

I just want to let you know there is at least one high school sports announcer that invites the military veterans to render the hand salute at their sporting events. I dont know his name, but he announces the game at Cedar Springs High School. I thank him very much for doing that.

I am a Vietnam veteran and I am very proud to render the hand salute at ALL sporting events when our national anthem is played. Not very many people comment about me doing that, but they do know I am a veteran and proud to let them know that.

I invite and encourage ALL veterans to do the same at sporting events. I see maybe one or two veterans render the salute, and I am quite certain there are more in attendance.

Please join in with the rest of us and honor our nation, our flag and our national anthem.
BOB WASOSKI/Grand Rapids