Cops save lives
I am writing in response to your Guestwork article: “Cops: Why we love ’em and hate ’em,” [by George A.M. Heroux, IT, Feb. 5].
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) more
than 13,000 lives were lost across America in speeding-related traffic crashes
in 2005. Of those lives lost, 24 occurred in Sangamon County.
NHTSA considers a crash to be speeding-related if the driver was charged with a
speeding-related offense, or if the responding officer indicated the driver was
driving too fast for conditions at the time or was exceeding the posted speed
limit. In 2005 speeding was a contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal
traffic crashes nationally.
I am very thankful that none of those lives were lost within my patrol venue. In
2005 the Jerome Police Department handled 51 traffic crashes, 12 of these
crashes were caused by motorists who failed to reduce speed to avoid an
accident and 5 of these crashes were caused by tailgating (following too
closely). These crash numbers are high for a community of 1,400 residents, with
one out of every 27 residents involved in a crash.
The Jerome Police Department is proud to team up with NHTSA, the Illinois
Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety, Illinois State Police, local law enforcement
agencies and highway safety leaders across the nation to remind all drivers to
stay alert, and obey all posted speed limits, especially in our residential and
business areas. The speed limit in our neighborhoods is posted at 25 miles per
hour, while Wabash Ave. is posted at 35 miles per hour.
Our goal is to save lives. Drivers need to remember that there is a reason for
posted speed limits. The roadway can be a dangerous place and the speed limits
are designed to protect everyone — drivers, passengers, pedestrians — everyone! Please remember to stop speeding before it stops you.
As far as being a gallant knight, authoritative villain, or part-time cop, as
the writer of “Cops: Why we love ’em and hate ’em” suggests, I am none of the aforementioned. I am just your average cop who took
an oath of office as a full-time police officer to protect and serve the
community, and have done so for over 20 years.
How about the presiding judge that found the writer of “love ’em and hate ’em” guilty of speeding at 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in a
residential area?
Obey the sign or pay the fine.
Sergeant D. Skaggs
Jerome Police Department
LaHood is no change
The appointment of Ray LaHood to become Secretary of Transportation is not a
commitment to bringing change to Washington. Rather, it is a recommitment to
the old and current way of doing business in Washington.
Former Congressman LaHood acquired the House seat warmed by his mentor and boss
of many years, Bob Michel. He ran in a district made “safe” by incumbents who gerrymander district lines to assure their periodic
retention. He inherited a network of special interest group support primed by
years of pork barrel “earmarks” which Congressman LaHood steadfastly continued to provide and defend, thus
furthering the practice of bribing the people with their own money. He attained
some notoriety by promoting his bipartisan civility retreats. While that worked
as a gimmick to garner press attention, there is no evidence that the retreats
have had any impact on the workings of Congress.
The LaHood appointment will not be likely to facilitate change in Washington.
LaHood’s experience and ideology are tied to the Washington that finds the Constitution
an inconvenient barrier to doing whatever those in Washington find most
expedient to foster their own interests.
Joseph J. Goleash, Jr.
Springfield
Eliminate the IRS
Government’s solution to the crises they created in an election year is to spend trillions
of dollars. Increasing taxes to cover out-of-control spending will only make
the economy worse. They cannot pay for this idiotic spending, so their plan is
to print more money, and the money printing machines have recently been running
24/7. Uncontainable inflation will be the result. Printing money is not the
solution, but that is what our government is doing because it does not have the
will to make hard choices.
It is time to eliminate the IRS and go to the Fair Tax. Some say this would
bring at least $10 trillion home from foreign countries to kindle our recovery.
This makes far more sense than spending money we do not have.
Career politicians will not consider eliminating the IRS because it is their
source of power, and they also will not consider term limits because that is
not in their best interest.
The people wanted change, but are getting the same old party politics. It does
not pass the sanity test, and it will fail.
Bob Ruble
Springfield
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2009.
