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PressTalk
- Thu, Mar, 25, 2004
• Our country has been exporting jobs, it’s been exporting our surplus and exporting our good faith in the world community. It was not long ago that we said we’d come in peace for all mankind. That just seems like a joke these days. I am so thankful for (U.S. Rep.) Jimmy Duncan’s vote against the war. I wish more people would have spoken out. I can’t believe that our president would promote government interference into marriage. I think what we need to do is focus on exercising our First Amendment rights and speaking out against our government and speaking out against our wrong policies and trampling on civil rights. It wasn’t long ago that there was surplus and peace. George Bush has wasted it all away.
• I am thankful that our citizens have spoken out and encouraged our school board to finally do something about this long overdue, overcrowded situation in Farragut. Way to go people, you have spoken, and finally the school board has heard you. Now, what the school board presents is a part-time, halfway band-aid. We need a full school, we don’t need a huge mega-high school. What we need are neighborhood schools and we need a new west high school. The steps they’ve proposed are OK but they need to do more, it’s not enough.
• I want to say that I was involved in an accident in 1988 on a section of (Kingston) Pike that did not have this merge, or turn lane. My trunk was put into my back seat and my car was totaled. I was waiting to turn into my subdivision on Kingston Pike, and because there was no lane for me to be in to turn, this accident happened when someone wasn’t paying close attention. I just wanted to say that I’m against removing this lane, I think it’s a safety feature that drivers need.
• I’m calling in regard to the Kingston Pike Commission workshop. Three suggestions: one, make Kingston Pike one way, and Parkside (Drive) one way in the opposite direction; second suggestion, no left turns onto or from Kingston Pike, except at stop signs or stop lights; and third suggestion, no right turn on red onto Kingston Pike.
• Commenting on removing the turning lane on Kingston Pike, I personally think it would cause more accidents, particularly rear end accidents. I think a turning lane is valuable to prevent these kinds of accidents.
• I’m calling about the turn lanes being removed from Kingston Pike. I think that would be a very big mistake. Traffic is bad. If people would just use their blinker and know if they were going to take a left or a right and do it, and allow that to happen, I think that would be sufficient enough. It would be a big mistake to remove the lane.
• Concerning removing the middle lane on Kingston Pike, that is a terrible idea. People need to teach people how to use it properly. It’ll cause more wrecks if they do take it out. Just a thought.
• I was wondering if anybody in the government in Farragut has looked at the metro insurance or fire protection increases over the last three years? They’ve raised our rates about $10 a year for the last three or four years, and I don’t think that’s justified.
• This is to all those people out there who have their say about the (Loudon Co. deputy) being shot, and the young boy being sick and whatever. You know, you all need to not take sides and pray for both. Two lives have been taken, two families are in torment right now. I think each and everyone should pray for these people and not judge either one. This child needed help, and we, all the people in the public, should have reached out and helped the community. But there’s people like you, who like to condemn this poor young boy at a young age who was having problems. And the officer who lost his life, we all need to pray for each of these families. This is the cold-heartedness in this world today, why everybody takes sides and condemns others for doing wrong. We need to be strong and pray for them ... to help them through this difficult time. I think it’s awful(ly) cruel that people can speak harsh(ly) and not think, ‘this could be you, this could be your child.’ Today you may think, ‘oh, no, it’ll never happen.’ But it could happen to you or your child or myself. Therefore God says: ‘you shall not judge, for he will judge you ever harder.’ I pray for the families who lost their precious loved ones, and I just hope and I pray for the people out there who have cruel, unkind words and (are) judgmental. I pray for each and every one of you ... this officer seemed like he was a very loved person, very sweet, and it seemed like he had great values in life. And I really don’t think that this officer would want you all to be sitting there condemning this poor child ... people like you are just adding fuel to the fire. These families need to heel.
• I’m calling in response to your (throughthelens) question in the March 18 edition about somebody’s comment about removing the merge lanes in Kingston Pike. Please, please, please do not do that. I moved here from Connecticut where there was a similar road without a merge lane and driving on that road was almost impossible. The merge lane here is one of the best things about Knoxville, please don’t take it out.
( Editor’s Note: The above presstalk expresses one of the issues. The center lane is not a merge lane. It is a turn only lane and to merge or stage from that lane is a law violation of which the driver can be ticketed.)
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