Church/state separation goes both ways

Editor:
Recently, an author of a letter to the editor best excuse against legalized alcohol sales was that “Any city council can undo what a previous city council votes for in an ordinance and all promises made are likely to be broken in the future.”  I particularly liked the part of the promises made and broken, for that is highly indicative of our present mayor and council. As for the undoing of actions of previous councils, this won’t happen, because Hartselle has a strong history of electing “yes men” that fall in lock step with the Hartselle echelon.
The author goes on to critique me and asserts the label of gossip mongering on me. Considering that the overwhelming majority of my letters deal with reported news stories or meetings that I have personally attended, I find his finding somewhat convoluted. If he criticizes me, then is he my number one critic  or is this a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black? Additionally, I don’t have to name names, for something tells me that many of the things I wrote about are well known in Hartselle. It was a nice try on his behalf, though. After reading his letter and his remarks and evaluating his position on the wet/dry referendum, I feel the following should be stated.
In a letter written to Edward Livingston, by James Madison, he wrote that “practical distinction between religion and civil government is essential to the purity of both, and is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.” He added, “We are teaching the world the great truth that governments do better without kings and nobles than with them. The merit will be doubled by the other lesson that religion flourishes in greater purity, without than with the aid of government.”
In 1773, the Rev. Isaac Backus, the most prominent “Baptist” minister in New England, observed that when “church and state are separate, the effects are happy, and they do not at all interfere with each other: but where they have been confounded together, “no tongue nor pen can fully describe the mischiefs that have ensued.”  I  like that!
Separation of church and state should be a two-way street. It shouldn’t just be about restricting what the government can do with religion, but also should include what religious bodies can do with the government.
When any religious body infringes upon any civic governmental body, whether it is an endorsement of a candidate, a referendum such as the upcoming wet/dry vote, or any association whatsoever with any political committee, then and there is where I draw the line and emphatically say that the infringing party should be relieved of their tax exempt status, including the Hartselle Ministerial Association.
Simply put, you cannot have your cake and eat it too!
Lastly. All through he Bible, there are scriptures referencing the drinking of wine. Jesus even referred to wine as his blood during the Last Supper. No where have I read in the Bible where it’s a sin to partake of adult beverages. What I can be assured of is that when the state of drunkenness is involved, then it becomes a sin.
Mike Dowdy
Hartselle

Son thankful for
community support

Editor:
Thanks so much to many, many people in Hartselle who have poured out so much love and caring for my dad (Bill Evans) in the accident he had while videoing a scrimmage at Hartselle High School. It has been amazing to see how many people have reached out to help him and my mom in this time of his recovery.
My dad is doing very well, and is still in the Rehab facility at Summerford’s in Falkville. He is walking, and says that he is not experiencing any pain. His thoughts and reasoning are still a little confused, but the doctors and all of us fully expect a total recovery for him (mentally and physically) in the next couple of months. Feel free to stop by for a visit, especially in the late afternoon and evening.
He will probably be going home at the beginning of October, and may even be able to make it to a Hartselle game by the end of the season.
Again, thanks so much to many people who have expressed their love toward him and my mom in many ways. We appreciate you, and we are very thankful to the Lord that my dad survived the accident and will be 100 percent the same man as he was before the accident.
David Evans
(for Mariann, Julie, Bill, and my mom Sarah Ann)
Charlotte, NC

CNA numbers should be regulated

Editor:
The state of Alabama is one of the states that doesn’t regulate the ratio of CNA’s (Certified Nursing Assistant) per patient in nursing homes. At one time it was a law. We need our House and Legislators to reinstate this law.
Current regulations state the facility must have sufficient staffing to care for the patients yet does not set forth a ratio of patients per CNA.
One CNA cannot adequately care for 12 to 15 patients during day nor evening shifts.
To get proper care, there needs to be a regulation on how many patients a CNA can adequately provide attention to and we recommend the requirement should be:
Day shift: 8 per CNA
Evening shift: 10 per CNA
Night shift: 25 per CNA
We know for a lot of patients this is their last stop so we should make this as comfortable and safe as possible.
Knowing that nursing homes are understaffed with Certified Nursing Assistants this leads to abuse and neglect for our loved ones.
I am urging the people of Alabama to take action by signing the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/daytime8/petition.html or send us an email requesting a written petition at CarolynGrimes81025@gmail.com.
Carolyn Grimes
Hartselle

Plenty of questions about Hartselle

Editor:
I have lived here since March and have a few questions. Why is gas at Wal-Mart some 20-25 cents cheaper than the stations at 36/31 intersection? I have gas cards for nearly all stations and have yet to buy any gas here. It is less than a mile from station to station so why the large difference?
Second, why are the traffic lights downtown so messed up, especially on weekends? It can take sometimes three changes to turn left at one of the intersections.  Third, until the Cracker Barrel arrives, why do we not have a really good sit down restaurant? Not counting Mexican, or Chinese, when will Hartelle get a really good place to eat (I love Mexican and Chinese), but sometime you want a steak or seafood.
I love Hartselle, and will probably live here for the remainder of my time, but something needs to be changed if we want to be considered a “city” and not a spot in the road between Cullman and Decatur. How many times a year do you go to Huntsville or Decatur to eat a meal? Wet issue? If we had more things to do here and more places to spend our money here it would not be an issue.
S.M. Reid
Hartselle

Cell phones aren’t a good invention

Editor:
I want to say I enjoyed the item Ms. Leada Gore had in the Enquirer about cell phones.
That’s the way I feel about people using their cell phones, running all over Wal-Mart and the grocery stores talking on then and loud – like we want to hear their conversations. They have no respect for anyone. It makes we wonder what they did before cell phones came out. In my opinion, they are one of the worst things ever invented.
Ruth C. Smith
Hartselle

Intersection is a
dangerous spot

Editor:
I live off of Garner Road in Hartselle and take the road that follows Sparkman Park up to 31.  As most everyone knows, the intersection of 31 and Hayes is quite different from any other in town.  Traffic wanting to go south must pull into the middle of the intersection and traffic going north must do the same.  Given the amount of traffic wanting to do each it is either a smooth turn or one that requires a driver to be aware of where cars are located and taking proper precautions to make the turn.  Usually this is done with little or no problems.  However, my frustration comes when someone (and usually it is a driver wanting to go south) begins frantically waving the north bound turners to turn in front of them while almost in the intersection themselves.  This causes back up of traffic, questioning whether you should turn in front of them as they might decide to turn and many cars are just stopped, waving that person to turn in front of them.
Added to all this is the timing of the light as it only stays green for approximately 30 or 40 seconds, so at times you have someone waving others on when the light is now green for the 31 traffic which can’t proceed because of the waver in the middle!  If everyone would just follow the procedure of how to turn instead of trying to direct traffic it would go much smoother.   I hope that someday this intersection can be improved as it can be a challenge!
Rita Wise
Hartselle

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