A barb to Tommy Thompson: I am responding to the article by Scott Bauer, Associated Press, dated Thursday, Feb. 2. It seems that it is politics as usual. I am a retired federal worker and have to say that the general term of federal worker is just like including all workers in the private sector in one group. In every area of the private sector, there are different benefit packages depending on employers. As a former federal worker and a private sector worker, I beg to differ with Tommy Thompson. I paid into my retirement and towards my health benefits during my 22 years as a federal worker and my 28 years in the military. I also paid into Social Security and Medicare. When he says that "federal employee pay and benefits exceed what the taxpayers earn," I am also a taxpayer with no special rate and which taxpayer is he referring to? I am a retired federal worker and am still paying into the health insurance plan. As a federal worker, there was a stipulation that I had to be on military status to hold this federal job. Lose your status in the military and lose your federal Job. Maybe the elected officials should look hard at their benefit packages and start making changes there. Why, after serving a term or two, do they walk away with a pension for life? What do they pay into their health benefits? Maybe the elected officials should be required to be in the military or lose their federal job. I have interviewed for positions of equal job descriptions with better benefit packages. But I chose the career field that I did because I was proud of my country and wanted to serve it. Why slam the people who are working and paying their way? - Jerry Gerber, Argyle
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A barb to The Monroe Times for constantly publishing the weekly gripe-o-grams from Dave Searles in Brodhead. We all get it, Dave is angry about everyone and everything. Enough already! We don't need a weekly reminder. And Dave, go find a hobby. -Anonymous
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I want to send a bouquet to The Monroe Times for the interesting article in the Monday, Feb. 6 issue titled "Residents Give Modest Totals to 'Super PACs'" written by Kate Goldin of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. This web site is www.wisconsinwatch.org/viz/superpacl/. It's interesting to know who the largest contributors are - individual or corporate and who they're giving the money to run for office. One hundred dollars should be the maximum, which sounds realistic. When it comes to more than $200,000 given to Gov. Scott Walker or anybody, it sounds real fishy. We should have public financing of all campaigns with a limited amount of money they can spend and a set amount of time they can spend it in. After all, they're supposed to be working for the voters, not collecting more money from the Super PACs solely to get elected. - LaVern Isely
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A barb to The Monroe Clinic. Five years ago, after being dissatisfied with the care I was receiving at Monroe Clinic, I switched to a different healthcare provider. Lured back to Monroe Clinic by the promise of new doctors, new technology and a new building, I decided to give them another try. Well, I quickly found "the more things change, the more they stay the same." Going forward, I will continue my healthcare needs elsewhere as I found a better patient experience is worth the drive. Keep trying Monroe Clinic, someday you will change the status quo on a deeper level at your organization. - Anonymous
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A huge blossom to all of the men and women who worked so very hard again this year to make the Shriner's pancake breakfast so wonderful. It is an incredible event that is near and dear to my family and everyone who is involved always makes sure that every person who walks through those doors has not only a great meal, but a truly enjoyable time. There should be more people like all of you. Thank you so very much. - Tami Opie
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A barb to The Monroe Times for printing the Phil Hands comic about wolf hunting that appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 7 edition. As a hunter, I find the comic to be offensive and insensitive, and was obviously written by someone who has no clue about hunting. I am a deer hunter, and do not personally do any predator hunting, but see the need for it. The truth is that in many areas of the state, the wolf population has grown rapidly, and has severely hurt the deer population and local farmers. It is time that we looked at the idea of managing the wolf population. For the record, I do not enjoy killing, and I do not know any fellow hunter who believes that "Killing Things is Fun." In the future, kindly review the content of your material before blindly pulling it off the wire and slapping it in your paper. - Adam Burdick
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This is a barb to the Monroe Times on the death of my husband Dar Menehan. He passed away Jan. 11 and we had it put in the newspaper and it appeared on Saturday, Jan. 14 but it took your paper six more days to put it on the internet. The death notice wasn't even listed there and I had to call just to have you put it online. My husband was well known in Monroe and other areas but you just didn't seem to care that maybe people like to know information on the visitation and service. It cost me $114 and I feel if you don't want to keep the internet up-to-date then take it off the computer. I have heard that I am not the only one who feels this way. - Barb
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A big barb to the discount grocery store on 30th Street for their poor customer service. My family and I have been good customers since they opened and we get repaid by clerks who are rude as can be. Most stores you would think want business, but not this one apparently. Because I was kicked out of the store for being there too much (once or twice a week) checking prices, not buying stuff a couple times, and being suspicious. Most stores would welcome the business and want customers to come back often. Most people I know go to the store at least once a week, and with products changing at this store every week, it does take time to look through stuff and also check expiration dates. Also most people I know do check prices also to find the best value. And I'm sure there are other people who don't buy stuff every single time they go to a store, but my family and I have spent a lot of money there and gave them good business. They clearly have nothing better to do than single out good loyal customers for doing absolutely nothing wrong except to take time and shop carefully. I also had a family member with me when I got kicked out who was there for the first time to see what the store was like and this is how he was welcomed. The clerk was rude to him as well - when he was just sticking up for me, she said "I wasn't talking to you." What kind of customer service is that to treat loyal customers the way I was treated, and new customers as my family member with an attitude like that? I could see if I was a shoplifter or something stealing from them or doing illegal things in the store then I would deserve that, but what I was kicked out for is just ridiculous and uncalled for. They lost the business of me and my whole family. - Anonymous
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A barb to the person who should be updating The Monroe Times web page. As we search the web, it seems the page is not updated for days. I'm looking through the page on Wednesday, Feb. 8 and the latest new is from the 2nd and very little from the 4th. Why have the page if it's not going to be updated? - Anonymous
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A huge barb to the Woodford Bank board members and shareholders for what you have done to the Woodford branch. This was the original bank that started it all and you are ruining this branch. How can you call it a full-service bank when you first take away the loan officer and now close it two days a week? Many of us customers have called (some without return phone calls), come in person, or written letters (have you seen the one from the Town of Wiota?) and still you ignore our concerns. You have stated that for "our convenience" we can go to another branch on these days. How is that convenient for us? Let me give you an example of your convenience - on a Tuesday, I drove to Monroe the extra miles (not to mention time) where I then stood in line for 15 minutes. Yep, that was real convenient. Have you forgotten the Argyle has another bank, Monroe has many other banks, and Gratiot isn't that much further than South Wayne? The only reason that I haven't switched is fear that you then will completely close down the Woodford branch. Maybe you should switch your logo to "we'll do what we want whether you like it or not." Shame on you all. - An unhappy customer of Woodford Bank
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A big blossom to Washington Center 4-H for helping with Family Promise at Washington Reformation Church. They were great. - Family Promise Committee
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A barb to The Monroe Times for constantly publishing the weekly gripe-o-grams from Dave Searles in Brodhead. We all get it, Dave is angry about everyone and everything. Enough already! We don't need a weekly reminder. And Dave, go find a hobby. -Anonymous
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I want to send a bouquet to The Monroe Times for the interesting article in the Monday, Feb. 6 issue titled "Residents Give Modest Totals to 'Super PACs'" written by Kate Goldin of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. This web site is www.wisconsinwatch.org/viz/superpacl/. It's interesting to know who the largest contributors are - individual or corporate and who they're giving the money to run for office. One hundred dollars should be the maximum, which sounds realistic. When it comes to more than $200,000 given to Gov. Scott Walker or anybody, it sounds real fishy. We should have public financing of all campaigns with a limited amount of money they can spend and a set amount of time they can spend it in. After all, they're supposed to be working for the voters, not collecting more money from the Super PACs solely to get elected. - LaVern Isely
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A barb to The Monroe Clinic. Five years ago, after being dissatisfied with the care I was receiving at Monroe Clinic, I switched to a different healthcare provider. Lured back to Monroe Clinic by the promise of new doctors, new technology and a new building, I decided to give them another try. Well, I quickly found "the more things change, the more they stay the same." Going forward, I will continue my healthcare needs elsewhere as I found a better patient experience is worth the drive. Keep trying Monroe Clinic, someday you will change the status quo on a deeper level at your organization. - Anonymous
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A huge blossom to all of the men and women who worked so very hard again this year to make the Shriner's pancake breakfast so wonderful. It is an incredible event that is near and dear to my family and everyone who is involved always makes sure that every person who walks through those doors has not only a great meal, but a truly enjoyable time. There should be more people like all of you. Thank you so very much. - Tami Opie
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A barb to The Monroe Times for printing the Phil Hands comic about wolf hunting that appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 7 edition. As a hunter, I find the comic to be offensive and insensitive, and was obviously written by someone who has no clue about hunting. I am a deer hunter, and do not personally do any predator hunting, but see the need for it. The truth is that in many areas of the state, the wolf population has grown rapidly, and has severely hurt the deer population and local farmers. It is time that we looked at the idea of managing the wolf population. For the record, I do not enjoy killing, and I do not know any fellow hunter who believes that "Killing Things is Fun." In the future, kindly review the content of your material before blindly pulling it off the wire and slapping it in your paper. - Adam Burdick
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This is a barb to the Monroe Times on the death of my husband Dar Menehan. He passed away Jan. 11 and we had it put in the newspaper and it appeared on Saturday, Jan. 14 but it took your paper six more days to put it on the internet. The death notice wasn't even listed there and I had to call just to have you put it online. My husband was well known in Monroe and other areas but you just didn't seem to care that maybe people like to know information on the visitation and service. It cost me $114 and I feel if you don't want to keep the internet up-to-date then take it off the computer. I have heard that I am not the only one who feels this way. - Barb
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A big barb to the discount grocery store on 30th Street for their poor customer service. My family and I have been good customers since they opened and we get repaid by clerks who are rude as can be. Most stores you would think want business, but not this one apparently. Because I was kicked out of the store for being there too much (once or twice a week) checking prices, not buying stuff a couple times, and being suspicious. Most stores would welcome the business and want customers to come back often. Most people I know go to the store at least once a week, and with products changing at this store every week, it does take time to look through stuff and also check expiration dates. Also most people I know do check prices also to find the best value. And I'm sure there are other people who don't buy stuff every single time they go to a store, but my family and I have spent a lot of money there and gave them good business. They clearly have nothing better to do than single out good loyal customers for doing absolutely nothing wrong except to take time and shop carefully. I also had a family member with me when I got kicked out who was there for the first time to see what the store was like and this is how he was welcomed. The clerk was rude to him as well - when he was just sticking up for me, she said "I wasn't talking to you." What kind of customer service is that to treat loyal customers the way I was treated, and new customers as my family member with an attitude like that? I could see if I was a shoplifter or something stealing from them or doing illegal things in the store then I would deserve that, but what I was kicked out for is just ridiculous and uncalled for. They lost the business of me and my whole family. - Anonymous
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A barb to the person who should be updating The Monroe Times web page. As we search the web, it seems the page is not updated for days. I'm looking through the page on Wednesday, Feb. 8 and the latest new is from the 2nd and very little from the 4th. Why have the page if it's not going to be updated? - Anonymous
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A huge barb to the Woodford Bank board members and shareholders for what you have done to the Woodford branch. This was the original bank that started it all and you are ruining this branch. How can you call it a full-service bank when you first take away the loan officer and now close it two days a week? Many of us customers have called (some without return phone calls), come in person, or written letters (have you seen the one from the Town of Wiota?) and still you ignore our concerns. You have stated that for "our convenience" we can go to another branch on these days. How is that convenient for us? Let me give you an example of your convenience - on a Tuesday, I drove to Monroe the extra miles (not to mention time) where I then stood in line for 15 minutes. Yep, that was real convenient. Have you forgotten the Argyle has another bank, Monroe has many other banks, and Gratiot isn't that much further than South Wayne? The only reason that I haven't switched is fear that you then will completely close down the Woodford branch. Maybe you should switch your logo to "we'll do what we want whether you like it or not." Shame on you all. - An unhappy customer of Woodford Bank
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A big blossom to Washington Center 4-H for helping with Family Promise at Washington Reformation Church. They were great. - Family Promise Committee
