en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/788183 Comments by civilengineer http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/14/mail-scam-using-mediacoms-name-on-checks#IDComment98913571 Well golly gee, I must be an idiot. There's no way that mentioning our "Chi-town friends" or "Illinois sistas" had any racial implications. Obviously I must be mistaken (sarcasm). Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:18:28 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/14/mail-scam-using-mediacoms-name-on-checks#IDComment98913571 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/14/car-pickup-collide-near-marion-business-no-one-hurt#IDComment98786313 I hope the driver was okay, but I wish it had been due to a vision problem. Then I could have said, "Oh, the EYE-rony". Double pun for the win! Seriously though, I'm very glad that nobody got hurt. Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:29:01 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/14/car-pickup-collide-near-marion-business-no-one-hurt#IDComment98786313 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/14/mail-scam-using-mediacoms-name-on-checks#IDComment98785897 Wow, and the racist (or at least ludricous) award of the day goes to... Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:25:49 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/14/mail-scam-using-mediacoms-name-on-checks#IDComment98785897 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/14/mail-scam-using-mediacoms-name-on-checks#IDComment98785798 Too true! Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:25:06 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/14/mail-scam-using-mediacoms-name-on-checks#IDComment98785798 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/government/2010/09/14/city-seeks-fund-for-underpass-for-collins-road-ne-at-lindale-mall#IDComment98785584 And then as soon as you had to cross Collins Road once on foot (or maybe you're one of those who drives their car if you have to go half a block down the street), I bet you'd complain that the city nevers gives thought to making the commercial areas more pedestrian friendly. I for one am very happy to see the city engineering staff giving consideration to multiple modes of travel, so do us all a favor and keep your close-minded opinions to yourself. Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:23:23 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/government/2010/09/14/city-seeks-fund-for-underpass-for-collins-road-ne-at-lindale-mall#IDComment98785584 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/13/car-rolls-over-near-interstate-380-and-wilson-avenue#IDComment98720072 21 1/2 hours later, still no update. Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:25:12 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/13/car-rolls-over-near-interstate-380-and-wilson-avenue#IDComment98720072 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2010/09/14/could-a-natural-gas-pipeline-explosion-happen-here-not-likely#IDComment98719944 Pipeline Integrity Management Program = P.I.M.P. Too funny. Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:24:12 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2010/09/14/could-a-natural-gas-pipeline-explosion-happen-here-not-likely#IDComment98719944 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/10/last-count-against-former-uni-professor-dismissed#IDComment98222972 Dude, I wasn't really that upset. I'm just saying, let's not take this back to the Catholic church. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:33:25 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/10/last-count-against-former-uni-professor-dismissed#IDComment98222972 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2010/09/10/vander-plaats-iowa-voters-likely-wont-retain-justices-over-same-sex-marriage-issue#IDComment98207548 I think it's just largely back-country ignorance. My dad came from a small town in western Iowa, and he admits to me that he never even saw an African American in person until he moved to Cedar Rapids in the 1980s (to any African Americans reading this, please take no offense at this statement - I don't mean to refer to anyone as a spectacle to be observed). Vander Plaats is just another Republican who's scared that his dream world of heterosexuality is going to be violated. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:46:54 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2010/09/10/vander-plaats-iowa-voters-likely-wont-retain-justices-over-same-sex-marriage-issue#IDComment98207548 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2010/09/10/vander-plaats-iowa-voters-likely-wont-retain-justices-over-same-sex-marriage-issue#IDComment98207279 I just love the conservative views of these Republicans. I think they'd be happy if we all went back to the 1950s. Oh wait - homosexuality still existed then as well, as did abortion and other GOP "no-no"s, but because it was viewed as immoral, people with this sexual orientation were forced to express their feelings in secret. When are people going to learn that even if a law outright bans gay marriage, it will do nothing to homosexuality? I think Republicans only want these laws so that they can pretend that they live in a heterosexual fantasy world. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:44:14 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2010/09/10/vander-plaats-iowa-voters-likely-wont-retain-justices-over-same-sex-marriage-issue#IDComment98207279 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/10/last-count-against-former-uni-professor-dismissed#IDComment98206740 What the heck is it with this guy posting these links all over the website. Mods, how come you haven't blocked him? Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:39:10 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/10/last-count-against-former-uni-professor-dismissed#IDComment98206740 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/10/last-count-against-former-uni-professor-dismissed#IDComment98206672 Hey now, come on - I'm Catholic, and I resent that. Only a small percentage of priests ever engaged in that sort of activity. Personally, if the lawsuits were only dismissed because of a statute of limitations (which I think is ridiculous), this guy's still pretty sick in my eyes. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:38:30 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/public-safety/2010/09/10/last-count-against-former-uni-professor-dismissed#IDComment98206672 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/a-marion-house-divided-between-hawkeyes-and-cyclones#IDComment98206434 No joke - I would bet there's hundreds, if not thousands of families like this across the metro. Personally, I'm a graduate of ISU, so GO CYCLONES!!!! Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:36:19 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/a-marion-house-divided-between-hawkeyes-and-cyclones#IDComment98206434 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/government/2010/09/10/culver-stem-cell-research-key-to-election-victory#IDComment98206297 I agree. And Branstad's argument that Iowa has lost jobs despite Culver's job-creation efforts. Well...in case Terry hasn't noticed, we just went through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. No policy in the world could have kept our state from losing at least some jobs, geez. Personally, I don't really like either of the candidates, but I'm going to vote for culver because I have a father with Parkinson's (for which embryonic stem cell research is his only hope), Branstad wants to get rid of the IJOBS program (which is funded by gambling money, not taxes), and I just in general don't like to conservative, close-mindedness of most Republicans. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:34:53 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/government/2010/09/10/culver-stem-cell-research-key-to-election-victory#IDComment98206297 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/government/2010/09/10/fema-first-street-parkade-has-historic-significance-that-could-delay-wrecking-ball#IDComment98205489 Well, I don't think they really cared about historical preservation as much back in the 60s. That's not to say I'm for designating this a historical place - I think it's ridiculous. If they want spiral ramps on the river, just build a new ramp with spiral exits. Although it sounds like this is out of CR's hands, so we'll see. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:27:12 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/government/2010/09/10/fema-first-street-parkade-has-historic-significance-that-could-delay-wrecking-ball#IDComment98205489 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/neighbors-city-officials-face-off-again-over-cemar-trail-segment#IDComment98204967 You are right on all counts. There are no negative side effects, it's just that a disproportionate amount of people who comment on these forums complain about any and all government-sponsored improvements to the community. They make up wild exaggerations, and sometimes outright lies to try and convince others that the people that work for the city are on some hell-bent conspiracy to defraud hundreds of thousands of individuals. I worked with Mike Dufoe, and all I can say is that he only has the interests of the citizenry at heart, so to everyone else, just deal with the trail - it's happening, and while Mike would love to get your feedback, he is not going to halt a major project because of a bunch of imagined fears. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:22:19 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/neighbors-city-officials-face-off-again-over-cemar-trail-segment#IDComment98204967 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/neighbors-city-officials-face-off-again-over-cemar-trail-segment#IDComment98204623 People complain now about officers using their time to review speed camera footage. Imagine how it would be if officers started spending their time checking trail permits. What a joke. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:18:56 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/neighbors-city-officials-face-off-again-over-cemar-trail-segment#IDComment98204623 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/neighbors-city-officials-face-off-again-over-cemar-trail-segment#IDComment98204507 Really? Do you honestly and truly believe that the city will bill you to plow a square foot of snow on a 120 ft right of way? Quit trying to spread your scare tactics here - if there's anything I hate more, it's when people resort to ridiculous exaggerations to try and sway others. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:17:53 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/neighbors-city-officials-face-off-again-over-cemar-trail-segment#IDComment98204507 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/neighbors-city-officials-face-off-again-over-cemar-trail-segment#IDComment98204327 Yes, because people like you are apparently resistant to any and all government activity. You can sit here and talk about these "bigger problems" all you want - which you still haven't actually mentioned any of these problems - but the fact is that this project has been planned for years, has no negative sife effects (dozens of studies have shown that these imagined increases in crime and other things are just that, imagined). I seriously doubt you'd be in favor of anything the city ever does. The reason Cedar Rapids is falling behind is because other cities did this kind of stuff a decade ago, because they didn't have people who complain about every little thing without any sort of justification to back them up. It really frightens me about the future of our city, knowing that people like you are on the voting registers, because I think if you had your way, we would be some ghost town with no parks or trails. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:16:05 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/2010/09/10/neighbors-city-officials-face-off-again-over-cemar-trail-segment#IDComment98204327 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/government/2010/09/02/i-jobs-awards-funds-for-two-fire-stations-riverfront-amphitheater#IDComment96645286 The IJOBS Program is funded by gambling money - thank god for those gamblers! Your argument makes no sense, literally and figuratively. Learn to spell. Thu, 2 Sep 2010 20:09:44 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/government/2010/09/02/i-jobs-awards-funds-for-two-fire-stations-riverfront-amphitheater#IDComment96645286