Today's Poll

Oh comon...this poll is a waste of time. Don't you think that most of our veterans are fighting/serving for freedom?

I do thank the veterans on this, a very special day to honor their service. I have the utmost respect for veterans. Thank you, thank you so much for devoting your life, family, etc. to our country!

So...why would we insult them by creating a poll that suggests that we remove freedom from those that run businesses? What's next, forcing companies to provide health care for their workers? :(

Let's try a meaningful poll--like whether Mr. Shimanski should support the Luce Line trail or something more creative than this.

Those of you that are voting for this concept...would you like to have the government or others tell you how to spend your money if you owned a business? This could cost some businesses that have a lot of veterans a bunch of money. Or, maybe we should let the businesses decide if they think it is a good idea to CHOOSE to do this?

If we give veterans paid days off, what is next? The Germans get D-Day off? The Christians get holy week off? Hey, maybe we should all have several paid days off beyond the normal holidays? Why not... it doesn't cost the employee anything right?

As mentioned recently in another post, the City of Hutchinson is actually participating with the counties who are studying the feasibility of a consolidated dispatch. More than ever, this is important because of the mandatory communication equipment upgrades that will be required in a few years.

Fiscally, I dont think you do! I understand one thing.... that people like you moan and goran and gripe every time something comes up you do not like.

My husband laid his life on the line for people like you to come on here and you mock my husband. Honestly you think your freedom is being taken away go live in iraq, afghanistan,russia or some country where people like you would be hauled away in the middle of the night for daring to be this way. If it was not for my husband and everyone who ever served or is currently serving, your ungrateful butt would not be able to come on in here make such idiotic posts.

oh and the next time you decide to try and talk sown to someone make sure they are on your level of playing... it wont be too hard...considering how selfish you think.

Raymond, the money is already there for the milti county dispatch. If Hutch stayed with it's own it would be an additional $800,000 for the city of Hutch The cost for hutch to join the multi county dispatch would be way less than that. If cities twice our size can have a county dispatch so can we.

If any of our online readers have ever read the poll results we run each Thursday at the bottom of the print edition's Opinion page you will see the following sentence, "This poll is not a pure scientific sampling of readers' viewers, but rather is intended to create community discussion of issues."

So, from the seeing how quickly this string has grown and how heated the discussion has gotten, I'd say it is probably doing just what we want. So how is that stupid?

And Fis Con, you asked if Christians should get holy week off, too. Don't a lot of people, whether they are Christian or not, already get Christmas as a paid holiday? Seems we've already gone down that road. Even workers in general usually get Labor Day off with pay, unless they are in retail or some services.

(Terry Davis is a Hutchinson Leader staff writer. E-mail him at davis@hutchinsonleader.com.)

Veterans Day

YES - I think it would be a great thing that Veterans have Veterans Day off as a paid holiday. They sure deserve it. I think its unfortunate that many times, veterans end up working on veterans day when many other people, who didn't lift a finger to protect this country, get the day off.

Fisc, I don't understand your opposition. You yourself seem to hold veterans in high regard, so why not do somthing tangible and real rather than just a "thanks pal."

I do understand what you're trying to day about freedom - but this is not a freedom issue. If veterans get a paid holiday, guess what, your still free. How on earth does giving veterans a day off curtail your freedom in any way? You still get to blog, speak out, vote, practice your faith, carry a firearm, peacably assemble, etc. etc. etc.

Are you suggesting your freedom is somehow curtailed on Christmas day? Then what about non-Christians? Thier freedom must REALLY be wiped out then...by your logic then we should get rid of Christmas day too.

I can see where there might be a bit of a cost issue - but I'd simply suggest you pass that miniscule cost on to your customers. Then society as a whole will be contributing to give our veterans a well deserved paid day off as a tangible note of thanks...

This week I received a lot of emails from my former Army buddies bemoaning the fact that they had to work on Veterans Day while all kinds of people, who didn't serve at all, are getting the day off to go hunting or whatever! What's wrong with that picture?!

In spent 21 years in the service, and gave up a lot of "freedom" along the way (as did my family). I'm glad I did it and if I had to do it all over again I would in a second. So Fisc, I don't think its too much to give these folks a MUCH DESERVED paid day off on thier day: Veterans Day.

What Fisc is trying to say is that the poll is asking if employers should be "required" to give veterans a paid day off. I believe he is saying that if it would become a requirement, then his Freedom of choice to give a veteran a day off would be taken from him. It would be a nice gesture for Employers to give their Veteran workers a paid day off, but I do not believe they should be forced to do it. Yes, many people get Christmas day off but it's not a requirement that employers MUST give every employee who is a Christian that day off with pay. Am I even making sense?

Talk is cheap.

I'd have to say that I find the whole discussion rather disappointing.

There shouldn't be any need for mandating that Veteran's Day be a paid holiday for all Vets - people should be falling all over themselves to voluntarily give them the day off. Especially folks like fisc, who claim to revere veterans and the sacrifices they make.

Literally from Day 1, every freedom we have in this country comes courtesey of the service members who WON it 200+ years ago and have kept it safe every day since.

Come on fisc, don't just **SAY** you honor vets, try actually DOING it!! Talk is cheap after all.

The REAL defenders of freedom (soldiers, not bloggers) would appreciate it.

How to Honor Vets

I guess one good place to start would be for all employers to voluntarily give them Veteran's Day as a paid day off. That would be a real tribute I think, and a very tangible one. Everyone else works, Veterans get to go hunting (or whatever). Heaven knows it has been the other way around enough...

I gather that your an employer Fisc - how about making that a policy? If you ever have veteran employees in the future, get a copy of thier DD214 for the file, then every November 11th is a paid day off. Now that would be leading by example!!

Regarding me "putting my money where my mouth is," hey, I've got 21 years of service in. Plenty of weekends and holdiays on duty, called up to active duty three times, fought floods, deployed overseas, chased ist types around, "been all I can be" as the slogan goes: at various times more hungry, more thirsty, more dirty, more tired, more stressed, you name it, than ever in my life. Risked my life more times than I can count...I think that I've "put my money where my mouth is..." I don't need to prove anything to anyone.

A big HOO-AHH for Applebees!!

Now that's the way to really honor those who've served!!

It's ALL about fisc and his money!

Since we've gotten to this point, it's time to close this thread. Thank you to all of those who offered constructive comments.

(Doug Hanneman is editor of the Hutchinson Leader. He may be reached at hanneman@hutchinsonleader.com)