Coaching
Reality check and coaching, you're exactly right. When in varsity, these kids should earn it, and as far as coaching, on the most part they are paid. They need to find some better coaches and those that know what they are trying to teach, because they can't teach it. And again, so glad it will end soon. The talent is there, and they don't use it. Change it up coaches. Stop using your favorites that can't do anything. Give others a chance to show what they have.

Food stamps
How do college students get food-stamp cards to buy soda, candy, chips while they are wearing designer jeans, boots and purses, and talking on iTouch apple phones? Then turn around and buy non-essential items like DVD's and DVD players with cash?

Project
Get ready, "taxpayers" in the Town of Dannemora, Lyon Mountain and Chazy Lake. The town has proposed a new building project at the Town Garage (former missile site) in Chazy Lake. A 10,800-square-foot building is in the works. Last year, your taxes were raised over 11 percent. How much do you think will be needed for this project? It was projected to "start" at around $500,000, and they were hoping for stimulus money to cover it. The last I heard, that was going broke. Start digging in those piggy banks.

Undone
Recently, it seems that the front page of the newspaper has been covering stories of lives cut short by accidents. What if today was not the first day of the rest of your life, but the last day? Along with facing the unknown, what other uns would you have left un-done? How much forgiveness un-given (or not asked for)? Apologies un-accepted (or not offered)? Children and grandchildren's events un-attended? Compliments and praise un-spoken? Last will un-written? Maybe this is the time to un-do those wrongs and deal with what has been left undone while you still can.

Mr. McGovern
I had Mr. McGovern in elementary school and will always remember watching Flash Gordon when we were good, his paper-bag people and his amazing sense of humor. Thanks for such a wonderful article on such a fantastic man — and Mr. McGovern, please don't ever change! I graduated in 2006 and will always keep my fond memories of you.

Handguns
The fact is that yes, even in the 21st century, guns, particularly handguns, still provide personal protection to tens of millions of Americans who reside in places where the Second Amendment is still respected. What is a rare event is when biased, urban-centered, anti-gun national media organizations report these incidents. Regional violent-crime statistics are consistently inversely related to legal gun ownership. Each month, American Rifleman reprints some local newspaper reports where bloodshed had been averted because of the presence of an armed citizen.

Vaccine
I am very disappointed in the way a local pediatrician office is handling the H1N1 epidemic. It came to my attention in recent days that they had finally obtained the long-awaited vaccine, but upon scheduling my children's appointments, I was told that they had no appointments until the end of November. This is ridiculous. I understand how busy everyone is, but they could easily arrange a nurse to hold a clinic at the office one day to administer these doses to help better protect children. I wonder if they have ever heard of the word triage?

Obesity
Our governor is once again pushing for a tax on soda for our own good health, and the Congress likes the idea, too. Both levels in government smell great possibilities in the future of additional taxes on items that are "bad" for us (meat, beer, candy, chips, etc). This is not big brother, and health is not really the issue. Why should thin, healthy people pay a so-called obesity tax? The real issue is acquiring more play money for the politicians, who in spite of their unquestioned inability to govern rationally, believe they deserve our money more than we do.