Cash crop
I grew up in Lawrence in the ’70s, when everyone grew marijuana in their backyards. The reason they are against legalizing medical marijuana now is that the people who grow it, and I know people do grow it, will lose money. They are afraid that their customers will get prescriptions and buy it at a lower cost or their insurance will pay for it. There are many who will get prescriptions by fraudulent methods. The law needs a lot of work by Jan. 1 or there will be a lot of marijuana being resold on the streets
Light a fire
Day after day, we read reports concerning a myriad of crimes committed in the Valley and elsewhere. I have wondered why the immigration status of some of these alleged perpetrators is not included in the stories. I understand that, according to Martha Coakley, it is technically not illegal to be illegal in Massachusetts, but I think this information should be included in these news stories. I and many of my fellow Americans encourage and support legal immigration and our dysfunctional government needs to debate and enact a comprehensive immigration policy that allows productive people to earn a place in this great country. Perhaps a more thorough reporting of the status of the people who are committing these crimes might light a fire under folks and get them to call their representatives so we have a chance to get this massive problem under control.
Fleeced again
I would like to thank the city of Methuen for once again raising my property taxes, which is now a yearly guarantee. I can’t wait until they begin step two of fleecing the taxpayers. They just announced they were going to inspect every property in the city so they can get a “fair” assessment of its value. We all know what that means. Any additions, finished rooms, sheds, pools, etc., will add to the value of your property, which will give the money grubbers more tax revenue. The people just can’t afford any more of this. Nobody talks about cutting costs. Maybe we should cut back on some of those $100,000 a year public employee salaries and pensions. That will never happen. The unions keep the mayor in their back pocket.
Warren’s plea
Poor Liz Warren. She spent more than she had and is now asking “her compatriots” to give more. What a joke! She’s as bad as they are, and the rest of you fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
Bad turn
My wife was given a citation on Pelham Street, Methuen, for an illegal left turn, so we put in for a hearing. We got the court date, Jan. 9, 2013. We are due to go on vacation in December and return after the court date. The first thing they put in big red letters is “cannot reschedule.” You think this is fair? You send $25 for a court date, plus this is not a free service. We should have the right to be able to reschedule.
Thanks for nuttin’
Thanks Methuen for the tax increase! Thanks for handing out 10 percent raises! Thanks for turning down the mayor’s money-saving proposal for the IT department. What a nice Christmas present for the citizenry.
Union solidarity
I find it laughable that Methuen’s Mayor Zanni is working hard to privatize its IT department. It looks like a smoke screen to me. He’s acting like he wants to save the city money while giving millions of dollars to his union cronies. Privatizing the IT department would result in the loss of four jobs and a savings of about $100,000 a year. Big deal. It’s also pretty funny how the City Council vote was 7-2 against privatization, just like the 7-2 vote for raising property taxes. The union plants all stick together.
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