en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/512639 Comments by blackwolf http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Flooding-Puts-Prairie-du-Chien-in-a-State-of-Emergency-119879474.html#IDComment142979374 If I need flood insurance and my house floods ya'll have much bigger problems. Like world inundation. Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:12:08 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Flooding-Puts-Prairie-du-Chien-in-a-State-of-Emergency-119879474.html#IDComment142979374 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Accident-Leads-to-End-of-Humans-vs-Zombies-Game-119788779.html#IDComment142674236 I am truely amazed that more ped vs auto accidents don't occur in IC. I have tried to drive there many times and people just don't have much respect for 2000+lb hunks of metal hurtling at them. They just know you are supposed to stop and take it for granted that you see them and will. As hard as it can be to navigate downtown and the number of out-of-towners there are, you would think they would watch out better when crossing streets. Then again, it is a college town and attracts many people that are obviously needing more education. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:17:50 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Accident-Leads-to-End-of-Humans-vs-Zombies-Game-119788779.html#IDComment142674236 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Accident-Leads-to-End-of-Humans-vs-Zombies-Game-119788779.html#IDComment142671825 That was top secret information and you will be dealt with harshly by the pack. We do not appreciate humans meddling in our affairs. Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:10:38 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Accident-Leads-to-End-of-Humans-vs-Zombies-Game-119788779.html#IDComment142671825 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/If-Cedar-Rapids-Voters-Turn-Down-Option-Tax-What-Next-119730859.html#IDComment142369220 They called it a five hundred year flood. So i think we have plenty of time to make changes before the next one if there even is one. We definitely don't need more taxes right now. Can't they see what is going on in other tax and spend communities and how badly they are doing? We all need to tighten our belts and be more responsible with spending for the next several years. That especially goes for government. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:12:44 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/If-Cedar-Rapids-Voters-Turn-Down-Option-Tax-What-Next-119730859.html#IDComment142369220 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Signs-Opinions-Coming-Out-On-LOST-Vote-119373424.html#IDComment142071514 This ballot is far too vague. They need to make very clear-cut and restrictive plans in place before the vote to as-sure that the funds are used as intended. Make sure there is no way to "interpret" the language for any other means. 10% property tax relief should mean that the amounts due drop 10% immediately if approved. Also, there should be a limitation of increase for property taxes for the duration of the LOST. say a max of 5-10% over the twenty years and no jump over 2% in any one year. I still don't understand why properties that have claims paid by FEMA are eligible for funds if they are damaged again. They should be required to have flood insurance or be out of luck the next time. FEMA and any government funding should only be paid ONCE. There should then be a rider on that property that excludes it from any further payments even for new owners. I think all of the properties that suffered more than 60-70% value damage should have been bought out and owned by the federal government for parks/flood plains if the owners decide to take FEMA money (including city/county/state owned). Tue, 12 Apr 2011 02:31:14 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Signs-Opinions-Coming-Out-On-LOST-Vote-119373424.html#IDComment142071514 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Cedar-Rapids-Holds-First-Public-Meeting-on-LOST-Extension-119103444.html#IDComment139301699 Irony? What a perfect day to hold the first meeting. April fools' day! At least they aren't trying to disguise things so much for what they really are. I hope that if for some reason the flood wall gets built, we get a decent flood and some people downstream successfully sue and win huge money under the Iowa drainage laws. It is obvious that the walls would increase flooding downstream and actually upstream as well. From the little I understand you still can't cause excess drainage or impounding of water that exceeds your property line and intrudes onto neighboring property which causes flooding. That is the law most use against property owners that wish to try to restore some of the wetlands that would HELP in floods. Dams also don't work for flood control other than somewhat minor flooding. Large rainfalls produce vast amounts of water and require huge impoundment areas. Our outdated methods of dealing with storm drainage from buildings and lots in urban areas also add to the headache. It is one of the biggest cuts developers make. Not slowing down storm drainage from their developments. Some progress has been made in recent years but only through imposing standards and requirements on developers. Few to none have done any of this work voluntarily, most were drug there kicking and screaming about the cost. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 05:00:31 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Cedar-Rapids-Holds-First-Public-Meeting-on-LOST-Extension-119103444.html#IDComment139301699 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Dubuque-Lawyers-Consider-Suing-the-State-118953634.html#IDComment138751497 Hey, we could sell all state buildings and then lease them back from the new owners. Its been done once already. Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:09:56 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Dubuque-Lawyers-Consider-Suing-the-State-118953634.html#IDComment138751497 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Second-Lawsuit-Filed-in-Last-Years-4th-of-July-Bellevue-Parade-118609389.html#IDComment137347606 Maybe we should ban parades and animals. Hey what about cars? They kill and injure many more people each year than horses. This countries' get-rich-quick sue happy culture is pathetic and out of control. Sure there should be some monies for injury treatment and such of a reasonable amount. But there also should be a balancing amount of consideration for taking on personal risk. You went to enjoy a parade in public with moving equipment. Something can always go wrong. There is no safety barrier. You take the risk therefore when you attend and watch. I am surprised no one has sued God for falling off a cliff or something. Heck, I've heard hes got lots of gold and wealth. I guess they don't sue because he has this image of always winning. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:46:14 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Second-Lawsuit-Filed-in-Last-Years-4th-of-July-Bellevue-Parade-118609389.html#IDComment137347606 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/New-Weapons-Policy-In-Place-For-Linn-County-118381239.html#IDComment136643892 I don't know why this is such a big deal anyway. Very little has changed except to make the process consistent across the state. You can still carry in most of the places you could carry before and it was no problem then. Why is it such a big deal now? (media hype) Other than a few people that probably have no business carrying guns, or driving for that matter, the majority of those who go through the process are very law abiding, responsible citizens. No criminal that carries illegally to commit a crime is gonna give a rip about some policy or sign stating guns are not permitted on the premises. In fact, that is an open invitation to them that they are safe to commit their crime and will most likely hold an upper hand against the law abiding victims inside. No guns allowed does NOT make your business safer, period. The people against the right to responsibly carry are naive, fearful and irresponsible in my opinion. This does not include those who chose not to carry themselves. They are making a personal choice, not trying to impose their lifestyle on others. Do not strive to take away my ability to defend my family from violence just because you want to stick your head in the sand and pretend everything is okey-dokey if we have rules. Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:13:14 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/New-Weapons-Policy-In-Place-For-Linn-County-118381239.html#IDComment136643892 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/20-Year-Local-Option-Tax-Extension-Endorsed-By-Chamber-118377064.html#IDComment136614716 Hey, if they think this is a good idea, great. They are willing to support the flood wall funding. Hike business property taxes instead. They have more money anyway, considering what the average business pays their employees around here. They want it so bad, give em the tab. Otherwise move out of flood prone areas. There are plenty of alternatives around. Or at least rebuild smarter and be more proactive when there is a threat. Tue, 22 Mar 2011 01:09:42 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/20-Year-Local-Option-Tax-Extension-Endorsed-By-Chamber-118377064.html#IDComment136614716 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/New-Weapons-Policy-In-Place-For-Linn-County-118381239.html#IDComment136613745 How often do the police use their guns? I'm sure they don't need them to make it through their busy day either. But does that mean they should have them unloaded in transport mode in the trunks of their cars until needed? I think not. Give us much tougher punishment on the criminals, quick death sentences and hard labor that will be a real deterrent to crime. Then maybe we won't have as much of a need to protect ourselves. Until then, I will try to protect my family as best I can. Tue, 22 Mar 2011 01:04:03 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/New-Weapons-Policy-In-Place-For-Linn-County-118381239.html#IDComment136613745 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Cedar-Rapids-Council-Quietly-Passes-New-Budget-Property-Taxes-Going-up-for-Homeowners-117630013.html#IDComment133628998 Just more good news that reinforces the reason I am on my way out of this (sarcasm)Fine city. I can't wait. Hopefully you all can clean this up at election time but I have my doubts. Wed, 9 Mar 2011 16:33:39 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Cedar-Rapids-Council-Quietly-Passes-New-Budget-Property-Taxes-Going-up-for-Homeowners-117630013.html#IDComment133628998 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Gun-Ban-Letters-Draw-Criticism-in-Marion-115514049.html#IDComment126573666 With all the applications for permits there is clearly a strong desire by the people to be able to defend themselves. I guess I don't understand the politicians and business owners that would try to exclude such a large portion of their constituency and customer base. Criminals don't usually carry openly to begin with and most of people with permits will conceal so this is all about scare tactics by law enforcement heads who have lost a little more of their power and are trying to get it back. Most of the officers I have talked to think the new law is a good thing and moves us in the right direction. Tue, 8 Feb 2011 00:08:39 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Gun-Ban-Letters-Draw-Criticism-in-Marion-115514049.html#IDComment126573666 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Gun-Ban-Letters-Draw-Criticism-in-Marion-115514049.html#IDComment126571817 Something serious should be done in dealing with Chief Daugherty. Not only has he gone out on his own and spent public funds to push a personal agenda, but he has done so behind the backs of and against the wishes of the Marion city council. He has opened the city up to a lawsuit that they will probably have to defend against at unnecessary expense. I have read the letter that he sent out and saw the signs that he enclosed with them. They were designed very purposefully to deceive the recipients and used scare tactics to create a problem that doesn't exist. Any business owner that posts one of these signs is also treading on very thin and dangerous ground. They could very well open themselves to legal problems and liabilities should someone get injured or worse in a robbery or other situation. The signs do send a message to criminals that make the business more likely to be targeted which in turn endangers customers and employees. This is something that could successfully be argued in court and go against the owner. As a customer with a wife and child to protect, I would have to think twice about entering a business with one of these signs because of the potential for increased risk. Also, if law-abiding citizens have to disarm before entering, the gun is available to thieves while the owner is in the store. This puts another untraceable weapon on the streets and in the hands of someone who would be much more likely to shoot someone. In my experience, 99% of people will conceal carry because there is a tactical advantage. There is also a small advantage to open carry since a criminal would know not to mess around. Vermont and other states have open carry and no permit system and there is very little trouble there with crime and guns compared to places like Chicago and New York which have bans and very tough laws. They also have very high crime rates because the criminals have huge advantage over law abiding citizens. Signs and laws only hurt those who abide by them in the first place. They only help those who ignore them. Who do you want to help really? The good guys that can help you should you personally choose not to carry, or the bad guys who don't want anyone to carry. Remember too, when seconds count the police are only minutes away. Mon, 7 Feb 2011 23:55:34 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Gun-Ban-Letters-Draw-Criticism-in-Marion-115514049.html#IDComment126571817 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Blizzard-Baby-Deliveries-Make-for-Eventful-Night-115143534.html#IDComment125593872 Congratulations to Mich_elle and the guy. Glad that everything went well. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 04:27:47 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Blizzard-Baby-Deliveries-Make-for-Eventful-Night-115143534.html#IDComment125593872 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/FEMA-Denies-21-Million-Disaster-Claim-for-Sinclair-Plant-115128804.html#IDComment125590962 Of course the politicians in the federal government wanted to look good in an election year. Election is over, not so much focus as the flood is farther in the past. Time to pull the funding and put up the wall of "incorrectly filed for" and other loop holes so they never have to pay. Not that they should have to for some of the cities' claims. What happened to being able to trust your neighbor/community for help and trying to get through hardship and recovery through your own hard work? Now we all expect a hand out and for them to make it better than it was when it was lost to boot. Many years ago there were far greater disasters and people just picked themselves up and started back at it. No help from the government. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 04:20:14 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/FEMA-Denies-21-Million-Disaster-Claim-for-Sinclair-Plant-115128804.html#IDComment125590962 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/FEMA-Denies-21-Million-Disaster-Claim-for-Sinclair-Plant-115128804.html#IDComment125585111 Hey, the city has treated its citizens in this manner for years. Reap the whirlwind. Thu, 3 Feb 2011 04:06:24 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/FEMA-Denies-21-Million-Disaster-Claim-for-Sinclair-Plant-115128804.html#IDComment125585111 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/To-Clarify-Weapons-Not-Allowed-At-Cedar-Rapids-Hospitals-115019274.html#IDComment125298244 I would rather that people have their guns under their control on their person than to make them take them off to go into the hospital to conduct their business and leave the opportunity for the wrong person to steal it from their car and then commit crimes with it. This is just a bunch of knee-jerk stu-pid-ity. Wed, 2 Feb 2011 00:42:14 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/To-Clarify-Weapons-Not-Allowed-At-Cedar-Rapids-Hospitals-115019274.html#IDComment125298244 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Iowa-Local-Governments-Debating-Gun-Bans-114477169.html#IDComment123452471 --Pulling a card from the media-- Doesn't look like a gun ban would have prevented the tragedy in Detroit this weekend. Just goes to show that criminals and unstable people will continue to cause problems regardless of the law. Thankfully the police were armed and were able to regroup quickly and take out the as_sailant. This could have been much worse if he had attacked an unarmed target. And he used a shotgun, not an as_sault rifle or handgun. Not even a gun considered for banning. Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:36:51 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Iowa-Local-Governments-Debating-Gun-Bans-114477169.html#IDComment123452471 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Iowa-Local-Governments-Debating-Gun-Bans-114477169.html#IDComment123450952 Remember, politicians and lawyers are closely related. This is a great way to get more money to the politicians lawyer friends as it will open up a huge number of lawsuits for them to take on. Unfortunately it will also tie up our legal system at a time when we should be worrying about prosecuting CRIMINALS. Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:25:34 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Iowa-Local-Governments-Debating-Gun-Bans-114477169.html#IDComment123450952