Published: February 05, 2008 12:55 am            

Letters to the editor - Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008

Criticizing foreign-car owners is hypocritical

I am getting tired of hearing all of the griping about people like myself who choose to drive foreign cars. I happen to believe that the Japanese produce a superior automobile in terms of quality, longevity, and especially styling, and I was always taught to be a good steward of my money.

I just have one question for all you who would criticize me for driving my Honda or Subaru: Do you own or use any products manufactured by the following Japanese companies?

Alpine, Bridgestone, Brother, BMX, Canon, Casio, Citizen, Denon, Epson, Fuji, Fujitsu, Hitachi, JVC, Kawasaki, Kenwood, Korg, Konica, Minolta, Makita, Mitsubishi, NEC, Nintendo, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Pentel, Pilot Pen, Roland, Sanyo, Sega, Seiko, Sharp, Shimano, Sony, Stanley, TDK, Teac, Toshiba, Uniden or Yamaha?

Trust me, your homes and offices are full of them, and I say you’re just as guilty as I am!

Yes, my grandfather was a radio operator on a B29 in World War II. Yes, he helped defeat the Japanese. However, I assume you either have or once had a job at Chrysler, and I suspect your irritation is not really about what kind of car I drive, rather, it comes from the fact that you have become accustomed to “freebies” I do not have the privilege of: free health care, free glasses/hearing aids, free legal counsel, free child care, discounted cars, months of vacation, etc.

My family and I work very hard to earn the relatively small amount of money we earn and yet we somehow find a way to pay for these things that are handouts to you.

Also, before you get too selfish you might recall that foreign auto companies provide lots of jobs for Hoosiers: Honda in Greensburg, Toyota in Princeton, and Subaru in Lafayette.

Let’s be careful about pointing fingers. Remember that there are always four pointing back at you.

Jason Montgomery, Kokomo

Tourist destination or commercial development?

On the subject of the new proposal for the Continental Steel site ... I don’t get the connection between “a commercial development as well as locations for two nonprofit agencies” and “a destination for tourists.”

Neil Laymon, Kokomo

‘No Butts Allowed’ in all of our towns?

Nothing bothers me more than being on a vacation at the beach or a state park and seeing cigarette butts everywhere.

Unstoppable forest fires caused by sparking cigarette butts sweep across the countryside, leaving people homeless and charring thousands of acres of land. The fires destroy companies and factories, leaving people jobless.

Innocent toddlers and babies will put anything in their mouths from bugs to dog food. Some things such as cigarette butts are exceedingly hazardous to them if ingested. Toxins that accumulate in the filter of the butt can cause convulsions and death.

Cigarette butts are a nightmare for people doing community service by cleaning up the sides of roads. They are tough to clean up because they are so small. Because of this, the majority of volunteers do not even bother to pick them up. An apple core or a napkin will decompose over a short period of time, but a cigarette butt will not decay for quite a few years. This causes a build up of them ensuring an even larger problem.

Like all littering, throwing cigarette butts on the ground is illegal. Anyone who does this is liable for a fine amounting to several hundred dollars.

Any person that throws cigarette butts on the ground is thoughtless. They are not thinking about children, people’s homes, natural resources and their community.

It is difficult to find a solution to the problem of cigarette butts. A dilemma like this cannot be entirely solved because it requires active participation of inconsiderate smokers. Additional ashtrays should be placed in key places such as cars, malls and parks. There could be public service announcements on TV and radio to remind smokers of the dangers of leaving cigarette butts behind. Store owners could offer a small sum of money off the smoker’s next pack of cigarettes if the smoker brings in the butts of his last pack.

Countless good citizens would like to get rid of cigarette butt litter. This can only be accomplished by people working together to create a “No Butts Allowed” town.

J. Hinze, Kokomo

        

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