BELLA VISTA — Bella Vista comes through

Once again you have come through for the Alzheimer's Association.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in achieving our vision: "A World Without Alzheimer's". Three of the top six Memory Walk teams this year were from Bella Vista. It was a great event at Arvest Ballpark on September 12.

We are appreciative of all 1,001 attendees; but specifically for those team members and volunteers who made the drive south to exit 72, early on a cloudy Saturday morning. We also want to thank each Bella Vista business, organization, church, and individual who made a donation to the association in the form of sponsorship, being a vendor, purchasing a forget-me-not at Allens, or supporting a team/member. You all have a very special place in our hearts.

Thank you for understanding and supporting the financial and logistic necessity of moving our 14 year office location in Bella Vista to an area more central to the nine counties that we serve. While we continue to provide the same services to Bella Vista; we have now been able to broaden our service area. This means that we are helping more people than ever before. And that's what it is really all about, isn't it?

We hope to see you next year on Saturday, September 11th; when, once again, we will be "on the MOVE to end Alzheimer's." Sandra Warmack State Director Alzheimer's Association 479-273-5559 Be what you say you are

At a recent civic function that was held at the Ambassadors for Christ Academy, I witnessed an unfortunate situation.

A group that called themselves the "Bella Vista Patriots" had sponsored this meeting. However, some people's actions contradicted the purpose of the meeting.When the Pledge of Alle

giance to the American Flag wasrecited, some of those in attendance were disrespectingthe flag.

These people who showed up to be patriotic were either too lazy to even stand up, or were too busy talking to someone to honor the flag.

Some of them were standing, but either did not take their hat off, or did not put their handover their heart.

I understand that it is not required by law to honor the flag, but if they want to call themselves patriotic then they need to act like patriots!

What upset me the most was that a few were too busy holding a political sign to respect the flag. That seems kind of ironic to me.

"Fix the Government!" I understand that, but does that require dishonoring the flag?

Then later, during the National Anthem, many did the same thing!

That's not patriotism, it's hypocrisy!

I have no quarrel with what many of you stand for, but either act like a patriot or don't attend these meetings!

Daniel Golaway 10th grader Ambassadors for Christ Academy They will receive our message

It has been eight years since our county sustained the most sinister attack in American history.

I was on active duty in the U. S. Navy that day when all hell broke loose.

Aircraft loaded with live ordinance took to the sky. Heavily armed soldiers patrolled the base. Fear for the safety of our families abroad ran rampid.

That fear is back and I will fight for my country and my family.

Without a reasonable approach to healthcare reform, and the stimulus, President Obama has managed to set us up to pay the piper.

Our tax money is being skirted for so many pork projects and nobody has asked for an audit that would include a line-byline accounting as to where our money has gone. What about the money that is sitting there unspoken for? Blueberry research in Taiwan? Good call...

Government healthcare is being forced upon us.

He says no taxes, lower medical spending with cuts, no illegal aliens, you will keep your private insurance and doctor, no death panels.

While he says that this is what the American people want, we are protesting this radical healthcare bill that would absolutely cripple our system.

Why do foreigners come to this country for medical care? We have the best care and technology.

Annual budget cuts - Aunt Martha dies.

In grocery stores, gas stations, and even at the Department of Finance and Administration we are talking about this. We are uniting.

We hold TEA parties, demonstrate, and yet Washington refuses to listen.

Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi called our fellow Patriots "swastika-carrying radicals." Some call us racist. Our voices will be heard at the polls. They will receive our message loud and clear.

As the White House continues irresponsible spending, the Justice Department is trying to nail down the CIA for illegal interrogation techniques. Pelosi is all over this one.

On the other hand, ACORN has been exposed for voter fraud, covering up child pornography, and tax evasion in Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Brooklyn. No investigation as of yet.

Anyone who thinks that a trigger will not force a government-run plan into effect is not paying attention.

The private sector must fail and they will see to it by refusing to pass tort reform and fining those who have no medical insurance.

As an American patriot, it is our duty to rise up against the perils of evil once again. It's time to educate and mentor our non-voter family and friends. We must teach our young to get involved, and prepare them to fight -the-fight for when we can no longer. Remind them of their duty to vote.

Madame Speaker, our colors don't run. Neither will we, no matter what you call us. We are American patriots.

If this plan passes, here is your daytime soap lineup; "As the Government Spends," "How many Days of Our Lives do we have left?," "Stalag Hospital," "One life to live until they cut funding for triple by-pass." Mike Leimkuler Bella Vista It's all in the presentation

Updating the POA Declarations is perhaps the single most important undertaking the Board faces.

Unless someone has discovered or can think of some legal loophole to avoid requiring 2/3 of the membership to vote, it is gong to be very difficult to get 26,000 people to vote for the changes (apathy is alive and well).

Aside from the acutal language changes in the Declaration, how the ballot is presented to the membership is critical to mustering the votes.

I am not a big proponent of hiring consultants, but in this case it might be prudent to hire a public relations firm to craft the ballot language. Advanced publicity prior to ballot mailing willhopefully dispel any negative rumors.

I definitely do not think the ballot should be crafted by POA staff.

Bottom-line ... get professional help to craft the ballot. It should clearly spell out the benefits that each POA member will receive as a result of the Declaration changes.

As I understand it, changes need to be made in the Declaration before any transfer of the water system (to the city) can happen. That alone might be the prime selling point for current residents, but some benefit will also have to accrue to absentee land owners, which I believe make up the majority of voters.

I can't think of a benefit to absentee land owners, but that does not mean it doesn't exist.

The explanation and language of the ballot has to be short and sweet, and not bogged down in a morass of legalease. Take your attorney(s) out to lunch and leave them there.

Thanks for listening.

John Blair Bella Vista A stinky dilemna

This is not a complaint. I'm just looking for information. We have a small skunk problem in our Metfield area.

We don't trip on them, but even one can ruin a quiet evening on the deck.

When I called the animal control people a while back, they said they would bring a trap to me but that I would have to catch the skunk and dispose of it. I declined.

The problem persisted so a neighbor called. They were told it would cost $50 to have someone come out and set a trap and another $50 for each animal caught and disposed of.

Question: is this the only source of income for animal control? If so, why? If not, why must we pay a second time for this service?

Joseph V. Critelli Bella Vista Visitor takes issue with signs

I spent this past Labor Day visiting friends in beautiful Bella Vista. Please first allow me to compliment you on all that it has to offer, including but not limited to golf, hiking, socialization, dining and the incredible scenery of Arkansas. I am pleased that our friends were able to find such a great retirement community, and I will, without question, recommend this place to others going forward.

I am writing today regarding the one downside I noticed. I wouldlike to comment on the real-estate-related billboards present around Bella Vista, at times in unseemly areas. I do not understand how the community allows for such pristine surroundings to be tainted by real-estate promotion. Though I am an advocate of commerce, I do feel that it has a time and place.

In my opinion, the large placards promoting agents peppered around Bella Vista take away from its value and beauty. Additionally, I noticed that most billboards were repeats that referenced just one agent. I found that the billboards on the main highway were enough and that anyone seeking more information on properties in the area would search for details through either the phone book or the Internet; the over promotion is just not necessary.

I can't help but think that others who have come through the area have felt this way and wanted to contribute my personal stance.

Overall, I had an unforgettable experience to the area and will hopefully return in the near future. I would like to thank you for your time. Lauren M. Dittrich New York, N.Y. It was a fundraiser

This is a correctional response to the opinion letter on the Sept. 9 opinion page.

What Jim Parsons wrote about the event of Aug. 15 at Blowing Springs, Bella Vista is 100 percent wrong. I wonder where Mr. Parsons got his information.

First off, it was not a healthcare-reform rally organized by Sen. (Blanche) Lincoln. It was a Benton County Democratic Central Committee fundraiser picnic/dinner originally scheduled at The Samaritan House in Rogers. Lincoln had been invited by us to come and speak to us, not specifically about healthcare reform, but also about energy, and had accepted our invitation. This was published in the paper several times and several days before the event.

The venue was changed at the last moment, not to try to escape anything, but because it became clear that too many people were planning to attend and the Samaritan House would not be able to accommodate that many people. We, the BCDCC members, held an emergency session on Friday evening to try to rescue the event. After all, lots of food was to be catered and couldn't be canceled, etc., etc. We managed to get the reservation atBlowing Springs Park because they had just had a cancellation.

This fundraiser dinner event has been our yearly event for many years, at Little Flock, and used to be called a picnic. Because it was going to be indoors at the Samaritan House "picnic" was changed to "rally." Sen. Lincoln had it on her agenda as "Democratic Rally," not "Healthcare reform rally!" It was not her event!

That word rally had morphed into Healthcare reform rally because of the many town hall meetings being held all over the country - unfortunate. So, it was not a Sen. Lincoln event, but a BCDCC (Democratic) event and a fundraiser dinner to boot. Ever heard about a town meeting with dinner being served?

The $5 to be paid upon entry was just that - a general entry fee, which would not include dinner and would pay for water melon for those Democrats who did not wish to eat a complete meal. A full dinner was $12 and those tickets were already sold by that time and we had exhausted the capacity of the food supplier. That is why the protesters outside the event area did not want to pay the $5 as it was money for the Democrats (fundraiser!) and the protesters were Republicans. Duh!

One other point, Sen. Lincoln came through the front gate, like everyone else that attended.

Vivian Michaels Bella Vista

Opinion, Pages 6 on 09/23/2009

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