A huge barb to The Monroe Times. I used to think that you were an open paper. But with all the liberal "opinion" pieces in the "view" section, you're no better than the Madison left-wing papers. You constantly have comics from Phil Hands of the Wisconsin State Journal, from the People's Republic of Madison and Capitol Times pieces which are even more one-sided. At least give the conservative side of things equal print, since we are the majority of people. The left keeps yelling "shame, shame, shame" but it's newspapers like T.M.T. that should be ashamed of themselves for terrible journalism! - Very disappointed reader
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To whom it may concern, this barb is addressed to the person or persons who are stealing off of my daughter's grave in Greenwood Cemetery. I try very hard to keep things nice for a beautiful young girl who was tragically lost seven years ago. If you want to steal, come steal from me and leave her alone. She deserves to rest in peace surrounded by beautiful things. As far as I'm concerned, stealing stuff off of graves is the lowest form of life there is. It makes me wonder how you were raised. Let my daughter rest in peace with special things from family and friends. Please know this, I am watching and I want you to pay for this sin. Thou shalt not steal! - Lynn Bowers
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A huge bouquet of blossoms to all of the wonderful volunteers and sponsors who helped make Brat Bash 2011 a huge success. A special thank you to area businesses and organizations that made donations and to Wes and Gwen Krupke and Maggie Parmer for their continued hard work with this event. Through the communities support we are proud to donate proceeds to Monroe Clinic Hospice for a third year in a row. Thank You. - Twining Valley Retirement Community, Monroe Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Harbor House and Serenity Haven
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A barb to the Monroe City Council for considering at-large aldermen and not saying the reason why. If it's the fact that they can't get people to run for the job, maybe they should pay them more and not put all their money in the City Administrator. I'd like to have my aldermen spread evenly throughout the city for easy access if one had a problem, and I'd even like somebody from the police department living in my community. For that reason, I believe we should keep the current system and look at each ward as a neighborhood that deserves representation on the council. - Mr. and Mrs. LaVern Isely
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Well, it's not even fair time yet and the Green County Fair is going to be getting a big barb. Upon calling to reserve a booth for this year's fair, a local business here in Monroe in which I am the manager of gets told no, you can't have a booth because a guy from Chicago sells the same thing you offer. Whatever happened to supporting local business in Monroe - heck, not even Monroe but Green County? How are people these local businesses supposed to advertise if they can't even participate in there local fair? Then they have to look at going to other fairs such as Lafayette or Rock counties. I feel this is wrong in so many ways. - Anonymous
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I want to send a big blossom to Rita Koning and the other worker for helping me Friday night at the Balloon Rally. As we were leaving the fairgrounds, my daughter fell out of the wagon and cracked her head on the pavement. We couldn't get the area cleaned off with the thin toilet paper in the bathroom so I went in search of some napkins. When I asked the people at Koning's trailer for help, they did not hesitate and sent me with a roll of paper towel and a bag of ice. It may not seem like a big deal but for a panicked mother with a bleeding 2-year-old, it was the greatest gift I could have asked for. Thank You! - Anonymous
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A huge barb to the nasty little creeps who went up and down our street last Friday night damaging and stealing items from the front yards of many homes ... a gazing ball, iron sun plant holder (6 feet tall and heavy) and much more. And a huge barb to the parents of these kids ... they had no business out roaming the streets stealing from hard-working people who just want their homes to look nice. Shame on you. And shame on those little thieves - Anonymous
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A barb to Rep Janis Ringhand's guest column. Since the budget hasn't been widely publicized yet, it is hard to determine how much is fact and is rhetoric in her column. She does state that, and I quote, "Changes to the Homestead Tax Credit (HTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) will result in our most vulnerable paying nearly $70 million more in taxes," which is a false statement. The HTC is refundable credit - that means if the credit is more than the tax liability, the filer not only gets a check from the state covering their tax payment, they get a check for the difference. The current budget freezes the HTC at the current level. As for the EITC, it gives rebates (state pays the filers) to qualifying taxpayers earning up to $48,362 a year or less. Many filers pay no state income taxes, but receive a check for the EITC. The budget puts the program back to the 2009 level. Rep. Ringhand states that the most vulnerable will pay more in taxes with the changes to these programs, when in reality the most vulnerable will continue to receive credits, meaning they get back any taxes that they paid as well as checks paid to them for the difference between the rebate and the taxes they paid. The only change that I can see is the level of the rebates, which is not going up. These credits are a redistribution of taxpayer money to those who pay limited taxes and actually receive checks for taxes they never paid. I agree with helping our most vulnerable, but be truthful about it. These programs redistribute tax money to those that need it, and this budget doesn't increase taxes to them, but it limits the amount of tax dollars paid out to the most vulnerable to current levels. I don't know how much of the other parts of Rep. Ringhand's column are rhetoric, but it would be nice if our representatives could state facts in their statements to the taxpayers so we could make reasoned conclusions to what is happening in our state. - A taxpayer
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A barb against those state legislators that voted to allow paranoid pro-handgun nuts to carry concealed handguns. This is despite the fact the latest poll or study showed that over 70 percent of Wisconsinites opposes this legislation. The U.S. Constitution does not give paranoid pro-handgun nuts the right to carry, period.
A blossom to all businesses and other entities open to the public that prominently displays the anti-handgun (a handgun with a red circle and slash over it) sign.
A barb to all businesses and other entities open to the public that do not prominently display the anti-handgun sign. These need to be boycotted. - Dave Searles
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A blossom to Whitney Tree Service for transporting all the zoo animals downtown free of charge. They used their largest truck with a crane and took a lot of time and care doing it. - Monroe Main Street
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A barb to the Green County Fairgrounds. First you up the rent 65 percent on the Green County Fall Nationals and now it's $13 plus parking to watch the pull at the fair? For two hours? I'll wait till September to go. I will get six-plus hours for less money. Atleast they give the money back to the community instead of robbing them. Hope the stands are empty come fairtime. Time to get new blood on the board before the gates are closed! - Anonymous
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To whom it may concern, this barb is addressed to the person or persons who are stealing off of my daughter's grave in Greenwood Cemetery. I try very hard to keep things nice for a beautiful young girl who was tragically lost seven years ago. If you want to steal, come steal from me and leave her alone. She deserves to rest in peace surrounded by beautiful things. As far as I'm concerned, stealing stuff off of graves is the lowest form of life there is. It makes me wonder how you were raised. Let my daughter rest in peace with special things from family and friends. Please know this, I am watching and I want you to pay for this sin. Thou shalt not steal! - Lynn Bowers
•••
A huge bouquet of blossoms to all of the wonderful volunteers and sponsors who helped make Brat Bash 2011 a huge success. A special thank you to area businesses and organizations that made donations and to Wes and Gwen Krupke and Maggie Parmer for their continued hard work with this event. Through the communities support we are proud to donate proceeds to Monroe Clinic Hospice for a third year in a row. Thank You. - Twining Valley Retirement Community, Monroe Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Harbor House and Serenity Haven
•••
A barb to the Monroe City Council for considering at-large aldermen and not saying the reason why. If it's the fact that they can't get people to run for the job, maybe they should pay them more and not put all their money in the City Administrator. I'd like to have my aldermen spread evenly throughout the city for easy access if one had a problem, and I'd even like somebody from the police department living in my community. For that reason, I believe we should keep the current system and look at each ward as a neighborhood that deserves representation on the council. - Mr. and Mrs. LaVern Isely
•••
Well, it's not even fair time yet and the Green County Fair is going to be getting a big barb. Upon calling to reserve a booth for this year's fair, a local business here in Monroe in which I am the manager of gets told no, you can't have a booth because a guy from Chicago sells the same thing you offer. Whatever happened to supporting local business in Monroe - heck, not even Monroe but Green County? How are people these local businesses supposed to advertise if they can't even participate in there local fair? Then they have to look at going to other fairs such as Lafayette or Rock counties. I feel this is wrong in so many ways. - Anonymous
•••
I want to send a big blossom to Rita Koning and the other worker for helping me Friday night at the Balloon Rally. As we were leaving the fairgrounds, my daughter fell out of the wagon and cracked her head on the pavement. We couldn't get the area cleaned off with the thin toilet paper in the bathroom so I went in search of some napkins. When I asked the people at Koning's trailer for help, they did not hesitate and sent me with a roll of paper towel and a bag of ice. It may not seem like a big deal but for a panicked mother with a bleeding 2-year-old, it was the greatest gift I could have asked for. Thank You! - Anonymous
•••
A huge barb to the nasty little creeps who went up and down our street last Friday night damaging and stealing items from the front yards of many homes ... a gazing ball, iron sun plant holder (6 feet tall and heavy) and much more. And a huge barb to the parents of these kids ... they had no business out roaming the streets stealing from hard-working people who just want their homes to look nice. Shame on you. And shame on those little thieves - Anonymous
•••
A barb to Rep Janis Ringhand's guest column. Since the budget hasn't been widely publicized yet, it is hard to determine how much is fact and is rhetoric in her column. She does state that, and I quote, "Changes to the Homestead Tax Credit (HTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) will result in our most vulnerable paying nearly $70 million more in taxes," which is a false statement. The HTC is refundable credit - that means if the credit is more than the tax liability, the filer not only gets a check from the state covering their tax payment, they get a check for the difference. The current budget freezes the HTC at the current level. As for the EITC, it gives rebates (state pays the filers) to qualifying taxpayers earning up to $48,362 a year or less. Many filers pay no state income taxes, but receive a check for the EITC. The budget puts the program back to the 2009 level. Rep. Ringhand states that the most vulnerable will pay more in taxes with the changes to these programs, when in reality the most vulnerable will continue to receive credits, meaning they get back any taxes that they paid as well as checks paid to them for the difference between the rebate and the taxes they paid. The only change that I can see is the level of the rebates, which is not going up. These credits are a redistribution of taxpayer money to those who pay limited taxes and actually receive checks for taxes they never paid. I agree with helping our most vulnerable, but be truthful about it. These programs redistribute tax money to those that need it, and this budget doesn't increase taxes to them, but it limits the amount of tax dollars paid out to the most vulnerable to current levels. I don't know how much of the other parts of Rep. Ringhand's column are rhetoric, but it would be nice if our representatives could state facts in their statements to the taxpayers so we could make reasoned conclusions to what is happening in our state. - A taxpayer
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A barb against those state legislators that voted to allow paranoid pro-handgun nuts to carry concealed handguns. This is despite the fact the latest poll or study showed that over 70 percent of Wisconsinites opposes this legislation. The U.S. Constitution does not give paranoid pro-handgun nuts the right to carry, period.
A blossom to all businesses and other entities open to the public that prominently displays the anti-handgun (a handgun with a red circle and slash over it) sign.
A barb to all businesses and other entities open to the public that do not prominently display the anti-handgun sign. These need to be boycotted. - Dave Searles
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A blossom to Whitney Tree Service for transporting all the zoo animals downtown free of charge. They used their largest truck with a crane and took a lot of time and care doing it. - Monroe Main Street
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A barb to the Green County Fairgrounds. First you up the rent 65 percent on the Green County Fall Nationals and now it's $13 plus parking to watch the pull at the fair? For two hours? I'll wait till September to go. I will get six-plus hours for less money. Atleast they give the money back to the community instead of robbing them. Hope the stands are empty come fairtime. Time to get new blood on the board before the gates are closed! - Anonymous
