Altoona joined 22 other communities statewide in voting a strong “yes” on the health care referendum.
   Seventy-two percent of residents in Altoona believe that health insurance companies are scamming people. Seventy-two percent of residents think that the state legislature should crack down on these insurance corporations because they are inefficient and are taking more than $1.5 billion every year out of our wallets due to waste. Seventy-two percent of residents think it is immoral that corporations should be able to profit off of us just because we are sick. Seventy-two percent of residents think that failure from our state legislature is not an option, and that area representatives like Kristen Dexter and Jeff Smith should stand up strong for real reform.
   And most importantly, 72 percent of Altoona residents voted “yes” on Election Day for the legislature to enact a plan that would provide everyone in the state the ability to freely purchase quality, affordable health care as good as what is provided to state legislators.
   We need that security; we deserve that opportunity and action by the legislature will ensure our prosperity. The referendum is a mandate to change our broken health care system – inaction and more of the same is not (and never will be) an option. 

-Andrew Werthmann, Northwest Community Organizer, Citizen Action of Wisconsin

  Veterans Day is upon us again, and that means it is time for the Altoona Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) to sell Buddy Poppies at local establishments. Doing so helps us live up to the VFW motto, “Honor the dead by helping the living.” 

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   To the Editor:
   After watching an incredibly dull Vikings-Lions NFL game a couple of weeks ago, I got to wondering.
   Can and should NFL games be improved? If so, how?”
   While I have some ideas, I’d be most interested in hearing what your other readers think.
   I’ll state my suggestions succinctly at this time. I’ll be happy to amplify and defend the reasoning behind them at the drop of a hat.
   1. Elimination of the kick-off. An exciting return is a rarity. A lot of injuries occur. The ball usually ends up on the 20- to 25-yard line thus setting the stage for conservative, dull play. Let’s just toss the coin. The winner gets the ball on the 40-yard line and can play more imaginatively right away.
   2. Field goals are dull but are imbedded in the game. Change the scoring. A 52-yarder should get more points, maybe six, than a 10-yard chip shot (one point). This change would have great impact upon strategy during the game and make it much more interesting.
   3. Eliminate the “excessive celebration” penalty. It’s only a game, not High Mass. It’s fun to see players having fun.
   4. Use the college overtime rules for the NFL.
   5. Push the “off button” on commentators. Only John Madden and a few others rise above the endless prattle that most commentators provide. Spectators at the game simply sit back and watch without any such incessant chatter.
   NFL team owners are the entrenched obstacles in the face of any change. But we, the viewers, are the consumers of the product that they supply. We are entitled to have substantial say in the matter. We lay out a lot of money in support of this enterprise.

 - John R. Thurston, Eau Claire

Greetings! I hope you are all getting outside to enjoy the beautiful fall weather before winter sets in. I look forward to continuing to use this column to inform the citizens of Altoona on city business matters and to answer questions I’ve heard from many of you. Read the rest of this entry »

   Republican presidential nominee John McCain is hopelessly out-of-touch with the economic realities Americans face. Despite the GOP’s claims of a “biased liberal media,” the media has been ignoring McCain’s flawed grasp of economics for too long.

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It was the middle of a hectic workday when my good friend Laurie Forcier called me from the Republican Convention in St. Paul: “Hey, Brian, how’d you like to come hear John speak tonight?” I knew my schedule for the day was shot. I threw on my sport coat, replete with flag lapel pin, and headed to the Cities.  

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   After reading the “Primary Candidate Q&A” in last week’s Star, I just had to respond to the answers given by the Republican challengers to Representative Jeff Smith’s seat for the 93rd Assembly District.

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   I agree with Ray Henning that the new businesses in the city of Altoona should have Altoona addresses.
   They have requested to be a part of Altoona, and printing costs for address changes should be considered as part of the price they need to pay.
   Having two Eau Claire addresses in the midst of all the other Altoona business addresses is certainly confusing, without even mentioning the precedent this will set.
- Carol F. Gutsch, Altoona resident

   Editor’s Note: The following Letter to the Editor is referring to the recap of the July 31 Altoona City Council meeting, which was published in the August 1 issue of the Altoona Star.
   The Altoona Star did not mention that I did not vote for the Eau Claire address in our fine city of Altoona. After the two new businesses asked to annex to Altoona, they asked the city administrator if they would have to have Altoona addresses. Mike Golat, as a personal favor, told them no when they explained the cost of new stationery, business cards, catalogs, and etc. When I challenged his authority to make that decision, instead of admitting his error, he put it on the agenda of the city council.
   I presented copies of all of the addresses that were annexed to Altoona since 1984, showing they all had to change to an Altoona address. One list was all of the addresses on U.S. Highway 12, from Draganetti’s east to the city limits. Our grid system was followed in all cases.
   The address of J&D Manufacturing is 6200 U.S. Highway 12 and the opposite side of the highway would be in the 400 or 500 block of Altoona. This is not the correct thing to do.
   The other five members of the city council felt sorry for these two businesses that would incur expenses with a new address, as all of the others have had to do. They didn’t want them to have to spend money.
   The council’s vote to allow them to keep their old address amounts to a personal favor by the city administrator. That may be legal, but I was elected to represent the city of Altoona, not to sell out our identity and disrupt our grid system.
   I am proud to be a lifelong resident of Altoona and a businessman since 1966.
- Ray L. Henning, Altoona City Council Person

   Memories, like ice cream, soon melt away unless they are nurtured periodically by repetition. Without retelling or recalling, old memories may begin to fade from our memory bank. One of the problems with our memories is that they can play games with each other and with us.

-AHS alumnus Roger Rasmussen, White Bear Lake, Minn.

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