Meade County Messenger


Vol. 119. No.24	JUNE 16 , 2010

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OPINION

To the Messenger:

Our family would like to acknowledge this community for the way you have reached out to us during the loss of our home.

I want to commend all the firefighters for their efforts to save our home. They did a great job under difficult circumstances. We appreciate the commitment you have given this community.

The DCBS workers, foster parents, schools, and local churches have all reached out with love to help someone most of them have never met. Because of all of you, our loss has turned into many blessings.

This community has always been special because you help your neighbors when they need it most. As we rebuild our lives here, your blessings are making this a positive experience and is making our family stronger. May

God bless each and everyone who has sent blessings and prayers our way, for we know God has answered them.

The McChesney family
Brandenburg

To the Messenger:

We are nearing the time where many young people will celebrate a lifetime of accomplishments as they graduate from high school and move toward their life goals. Family and friends will gather together for a festive occasion to commemorate this awesome milestone.

Traditionally, this is also a time when alcohol enters into the mix and brings tragic results for all involved. Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among American youth and it kills 5,000 teens every year.

Some consider underage drinking a “Rite of Passage.” In Kentucky, we consider it against the law. Last year 4,014 teenagers under the age of 20 were arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and 22 of those were under the age of 14.

750 million dollars. That’s a lot of money. It’s the amount that was offered to purchase the ‘Facebook’ Internet domain. It is the amount of funding NASA requested to send a solar probe to the sun. It is the gross domestic product of Turkey.

It is also how much underage drinking costs Kentucky taxpayers every year.

With the continued emphasis on our state budget to conserve every dollar, it is more important than ever to reduce the financial burden that underage drinking places on our stretched-thin state.

As a trooper, I have seen first-hand the consequences that result from youth alcohol-related incidents, including driving under the influence, underage drinking parties and alcohol poisoning. Any law enforcement officer will tell you that notifying a parent that their child has been killed in a senseless accident is one of the hardest things we must do.

As a father, I implore parents to talk to children about the dangers of underage drinking. Sixty-five percent of kids who drink alcohol say they get it from their own home. As parents, we are the greatest influence in our children’s lives. The more you connect with them, the less likely they will be to give in to peer pressure.

It is my sincere hope that we all will celebrate the achievements of our Kentucky youth during Graduation 2010. Please join with me in making every effort to let our children know the dangers of underage drinking and where we stand on this important issue.

Lt. David P. Jude
Kentucky State Police Headquarters
Frankfort

To the Messenger:

This year, when you go to your voting location on Election Day, you will see a new voting machine which uses a paper ballot called the eScan voting machine. This voting machine has replaced the old stand-up Model 1242. When it is your turn to vote, you will be asked if you want a paper ballot or want to vote on the sit-down eSlate voting machine. If you select the paper ballot, you will be handed a ballot and sent to a privacy booth to vote.

While in your privacy booth, you can either put an “X” by your choice or blacken in the square. When you are done, you then proceed to the eScan machine and insert the ballot yourself. Once that is done, you will get a message saying “Thank you for voting” and you are done – it’s that simple.

As I have mentioned, your other option is the sit-down eSlate voting machine we have been using since 2006, and nothing has changed on that machine.

Both of these voting machines are on display here in my office during regular business hours, if you would like to stop by and have a demonstration on either machine.

If you have any election questions, please feel free to call me at (270) 422-2152. Our office hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon.

Katrina Fitzgerald
Meade County Clerk
Brandenburg

GUIDELINES FOR LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Mail Letters to the Editor to P.O. Box 678, Brandenburg, Ky 40108; FAX to (270) 422-2110; E-mail to messenger@bbtel.com; hand deliver to 138 Broadway, Suite A, Brandenburg; or use the drop box by the front door after business hours.

Letters should be 300 words or less and concern an issue of public interest. Longer letters MAY be run at the discretion of the editorial staff or may be edited to fit.

They must be typed or printed legibly. The Messenger limits the frequency of Letters to the Editor to one per person within a 30-day period.

Letters may not contain slanderous remarks and all letters are printed at the discretion of the editor.

The writer's name, address and telephone number must be included.
We will, however, withhold the writer's name on request. A file of all letters to the editor will be kept for public inspection at the Messenger.

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