Conditions acceptable
This letter is in response to a recent letter about the conditions at Interlochen State Park.
As owners of the park store, my husband and I are enjoying our third summer on this beautiful lake.
Lake Michigan and the bays are a wonderful recreation spot. However, they are not free of naturally-occurring problems.
The fly condition that was mentioned was a natural mayfly hatch. This year's hatch was heavier than years past, as has been the recent bird die-off along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The bad smell cannot be pinpointed. Dying tent caterpillars may have been the problem. Alewives and their biting flies seem to be more disturbing. The recent pollen was also pretty unappealing.
Unfortunately, swimmers' itch is prevelant in any lake that has waterfowl and snails. It is not fatal and is much less of a nusiance than the high E. coli bacteria levels that have shut down other beaches.
Every comment we have heard is positive. After 92 years and 200,000 plus visitors every year, others must find the conditions more acceptable.
We want to thank all the visitors who have shared their enjoyment with us. You are the reason we are happy to be here.
Jody and Gary Riddle
Interlochen
The writers own the Beach Bites Cafe & Camp Store at Interlochen State Park.
\
Serious national issue
The opinion by Sarah Longwell of the "drinking lobby" (July 2 forum) needs a response.
First the statement that driving under the influence is no more dangerous than driving while on the cell phone is actually the reverse of the original statement, which was, "Your reaction time talking on the cell while driving is as bad as if you were driving drunk."
Second, studies by University of Florida showed, on average, people drive drunk 50 to 200 times before getting caught. Drunk drivers continue to drive drunk even after being convicted. Just read the cases reported in this paper of arrests after multiple DUI convictions.
Ignition interlocks may or may not be the solution; however, erroneous opinions do not help the process of addressing a serious national issue.
Ed Marin
Bay View
The writer is an instructor in an AARP Driver Safety Program.
\
Freedom taken away
I am an adult, 73 years old, intelligent enough to draw my "own" conclusions. So why is it that I still cannot see the movie "Shooting Michael Moore" in Traverse City in spite of the director's offer to change the title of the movie?
Moore's movies are not only available to be seen at your theaters but are also available at public libraries, yet we cannot see a movie that offers an opposing position regarding a man who is "joyful" because General Motors went down.
How anyone can be "joyful" with the suffering that many companies and individuals are going through because of the loss of a business that provided both "him" and his family before that with a good, steady income?
Yes, Traverse City, Michael Moore has done a lot for you, but he has also allowed some of your freedom to be taken away by not standing up to his followers and demanding that "Shooting Michael Moore" be played in the Traverse City theaters.
This is not Tehran, we do not tell people what to see and what not to see.
Mary Skarnulis
Rapid City
\
Wake up, America
Two recent articles, one on the front page in big headlines (June 11) and the other in Section B (June 16), prompted me to write these comments:
The first showed a picture of people huddled together, supposedly crying, because the Red Wings lost the Stanley Cup. Well, people, we have a lot more to cry about than losing a hockey game. How about the government taking over the car companies and banks?
How about a bill in congress, House HR 2454 (Cap-and-Trade), that will determine how far and when you can drive your car or turn on the lights in your house? And to pay for losing our freedom, Congress is proposing the biggest tax hike ever. Well, wake up, people. We are on our way to socialism (or fascism) big time, and fast.
The second article was sub-titled "Military-backed public schools are on the rise." Sounds familiar. For those of you who remember the 1940s, I'm sure "Hitler Youth Group" might come to mind. School-age children were recruited military style and indoctrinated in fascism and ordered to obey the government without question.
Scary, huh? Again, wake up, America, and I don't mean "and smell the roses!"
Jean Vogler
Honor
\
Fee isn't 'convenient'
For more than a decade I've had to mail a paper check twice annually to Garfield Township to pay my property taxes. I was glad to see that the township now offers an online credit card payment option, but only through www.
officialpayments.com, which is owned by a company in Reston, Va. A "convenience fee" is charged for this service. That is a disappointment, as my own online bill-payment service through a local bank is free.
Using the Web site's online calculator, I found the "convenience fee" on a $1,500 tax bill to be $45.00. This fee is for a one-time payment.
Perhaps Garfield Township officials feel the "convenience fee" is a good value in exchange for the convenience (to them) of not having to manually process a large volume of "snail mail" and paper checks.
I decided to continue to mail a paper check to Garfield Township. I'll use the money I save by not paying the "convenience fee" to help the local economy and buy a good dinner at one of our finer local restaurants.
I'm wondering how many other Garfield Township taxpayers will prefer not to have this "convenient" online service eat their lunch.
Hillar Bergman
Traverse City
Print this story
E-mail this story
