Thank You's are in order

And a big thank you to the taxpayers of Elmore County! Without them, you would be out of luck.

Thank you Melodie for your very gracious letter of appreciation. I was very pleased to read it, and I personally appreciate that you had the thoughtfulness to take the time to sit down and write it. You never know how far those letters of thanks will carry you in the future, if you ever have a need to ask for a favor again.

I saw alot of the Homecoming week, and I too thank everyone that had a hand in assisting you and the entire school body.

As far as being a taxpayer in Elmore County, You are very welcome from me personally for my contribution.

I also want to offer an apology that your letter was not recieved as graciously as you offered it.

I am personally embarrassed by the previous post,

Jessie

I would like to invite everyone to check out our first paper. Physical copies are available at the MHHS office or you can read it online at tigertribune.org.

Thank you for your kind words Ms. Miller.

Jessie:

Please do not be "embarrassed" for me or offer an apology for me.

This is one of the young people who fought so hard to have a levy approved based on false or misleading information.

I said just what I meant and I do not expect you to understand as you work (or maybe by now worked) for the MHSD. I do not expect you to have an unbiased opinion on what I stated.

If it was not for the taxpayers---well, you got my point. If she does not like public comment then perhaps she should not blog on a public forum. Save your "embarrassment" for some of your own actions. Thank you!

Well, I knew exactly how my comment would be recieved, and could have pretty much said what would be replied. I was right.

Melodie's blog was a thank you, and very well written. She really didn't have any other agenda than that. Staying "on topic" would simply have been a common courtesy.

I've agreed and disagreed with some of both of sides of the school levy. And I think some of the kids were confused about alot of what they thought. I think it's a hard situation to work thru. Those kids will/might go off and learn more and change their position, but right now, they feel passionately about it, and that is to be commended. Some have been particularly eloquent, and that is to be commended.

I don't need to be unbiased to be polite. I've never EVER been rude or disrespectful on this blog or banter box, and I never will be. I thought long and hard before I posted anything. I still apologize that her thanks was not initially recieved in the manner it was offered.

I thank you again, Melodie, and apologize that your thanks has gone off in this unpleasant tangent. I will not encourage it any longer.

Jessie

Thank you Melodie for writing your "Thank You" Blog Its very heart warming when you see a young teen take the time to thank Teachers, Mentors and Parents :)

Thanks for your efforts and recognition of others. Very nice to see...

Thank you all for your support of my daughter. She worked very hard on this and spent many nights up late trying to make sure they put out a good product. I, too, on behalf of my daughter, thank all of those who helped her and the other students out with this project. It's a fantastic way to learn, by doing, and I fully support the entire endeavor. I was a writer for my school paper too when I was a student, and I know how big a job it is, and how much effort it takes, not just by the students, but by everyone involved.

Opinion Missy, I suggest if you don't like where your tax dollars are going, that maybe you should consider moving elsewhere. And just so you know, the students sold ads to businesses to help fund the newspaper. So, please keep your unkind comments to yourself. It makes you look foolish to pick on a child, and it angers me that you pick on mine so much. While you may disagree with her on some issues/topics, I think as an adult you should respect the fact that she and some of the other students get involved at all. These are our future leaders. They don't have all the answers, but they try, and try hard, and I just cannot fathom why you have to be so hateful all the time. Please take the advice you so freely give constantly before you begin throwing out the insults: if you don't agree with or like what my daughter says, don't read her blogs.

Melodie, I was very impressed by your words and how you so eloquently thanked those who contributed to the success of your journalism class. Your dad and I are very proud of you-you are a very talented young lady, a strong leader, and compassionate friend, and your passion for what you do is infectious. I feel privileged to be the mom of such a beautiful girl, inside and out. I love you

Once again, if you do not want public opinion, do not do a blog on a public forum. While you may think of me as Typhoid Mary or the Anti-Christ, my opinions are still on point and fact based.

As far as who pays for all of this stuff---it is still the taxpayers as they pay for the teachers time, etc. That was my point. The venom being spread is the rest of you.

The children formed an alliance to get a levy passed. It was passed based on false information and promises. While members of this forum can sit there and say well, they are young adults and they really did not fully understand everything, the fact remains that some of the young adults voted and now we ALL get to pay as a result of that election. That was the point.

I never said this was not a good project or that the school should not have such a thing. What you people CHOOSE to read into things is your own deal---which is just what you did.

I support education 100%. I was, for the most part, educated in public schools. I went on to college and obtained my degrees. I know how important education is and that these are our future leaders. If these "future leaders" do not learn fiscal responsibility there will not be much of a future. If they do not learn critical thinking, there is not much of a future. If they do not learn to research data and obtain the facts, there is not much of a future.

Ms. Lettkeman, very nice job to you and all of the students who worked on this. It is a great way to not only keep students and parents informed but also the taxpaying public. I hope that it all represents both sides of the coin and not just the one the MHSD presents/represents to you. In this world, you have to be able to see both sides and dig for the facts as sometimes, things are not as they would seem. I wish all of you luck. I am sure that a lot of really hard work went into this project. Congratulations on completing the task and having a really great end product. As for delays, those will normally just make a project better.

Some of you on here may as well eat your own. See the forest for the trees instead of all the bear poop. As for me departing Lil Mom/JYD, not likely but nice try. Take a good look in the mirror before you cast the next stone. Just sayin---people in glass houses should not throw stones. Enjoy your weekends.

Just so you know Mrs. Lauric, most of the kids who argued about the levy on here were not of voting age, and many of the young people who were old enough to vote did not. Also, you are not the only tax payer here, yet you seem to act as though you are. What mine and your tax dollars are spent on affects all of us. Just because we have different opinions from you of how the tax dollars should be spent does not mean that we were misinformed or did not do research. I fully understood the implications the levy could pose on ALL of us; and yes, it's a struggle for many of us, and Melodie and the other young people on here have been informed of that. Yet, we do what we can to make sure our children are taken care of. It's just a responsibility I accept and wish others did too. But when you're against every ounce of change and improvement if it does not directly or immediately benefit you, that's a pretty selfish attitude to have. I'm sure you've heard the old African proverb "It takes a village to raise a child"? As a citizen of this town, whether you like it or not, you have an obligation to help raise the children of this town, and if hiring additional teachers to help with overcrowded classrooms,buying new textbooks, fixing leaky buildings and fixing the aesthetics of the school to make it more appealing is what it takes to keep these kids in school and off the streets being bums, criminals, drug addicts, etc (who will take up even MORE of your tax dollars) then who are you to decide that everyone who agrees with it is so wrong, stupid, uninformed, uneducated, etc? I'm not against you having a difference of opinion from some of us; I'm like my daughter, I enjoy a good debate. But you often become very disrespectful and make personal attacks against those who do not agree with you, and that's just plain wrong. That's what I, JYD, and a few others dislike about you. If you could act responsibly and respectfully and speak with informed intelligence rather than lashing out with insults to people you don't even know, we could enjoy an adult conversation and you could help us help our children be more informed and see both sides of the debate, rather than trying to crush their spirits for speaking their minds. They have every right to speak their minds on this blog, just like you do, but NO ONE has the right to throw out insults and expect to not receive the same back. It's very difficult to avoid getting into petty arguments with you, especially when it's because yet again, you've launched an attack on my beloved child; not sure if you're a mom, you don't seem to be since you so easily try to hurt children with your harsh words, but if you were, you'd understand why a mom will be so quick to jump to the defense of her child, especially when it's an adult that's trying to cause the harm. I'd never blogged on here before, and reprimanded Melodie the few times she said something that was just flat out wrong, until you called her a twit. That was just uncalled for, and that's precisely when I lost all respect for you and anything you have to say. I really hope I never find myself in a position to have to help you, I'd struggle with a choice of either doing the right thing, or just walking away. That's a really bad way to feel, against all I was taught as a child, and my personal values and morals, but I'm sad to say I just really don't like you. I'm sure you could care less, but I have to pray every time I'm on here, or hear Melodie being upset about yet another insult, for God to give me strength to keep loving you as a human and sister in Christ. May God bless you regardless of any of this.

JYD,

I think you went too far telling her she should kill herself. That's not something you should ever say or suggest, even in jest. Please try to be respectful, even when others are not.

Bazookaman, the reason we made ANY comment on opinionmissy's comment was because it was rude to come on to my thank you letter and start screaming. I didn't appreciate it one bit- I was just trying to show my gratitude and she made a snide comment.

I may have been raised in "this generation" but MY parents raised me on yes ma'am and no sir and a good spanking when I misbehaved.

There's a difference between the "darn liberals" (btw, my parents are VERY republican) trying to silence OM's right to speak- it's about chastising a person for being rude to a person who was just trying to show her gratitude. If she had a problem with me being appreciative, she should have kept it to herself.

LilMissMom:

My comment was ONLY a reminder that in all of the thank yous, your child left out the taxpayers. I did not throw an insult. It is you folks who CHOOSE to read more into my words than what they were that made this "debate" what it is.

And FYI, I am not against positive change for this community---NEVER have been. I am also well aware that I am not "the only taxpayer." I am against the rally for more tax dollars by the MHSD when they misrepresent their intentions time and time again with this time being no different. If you think that levy is going to get more teachers, improved buildings, etc. then you have not done your research and you have not read what Mr. McMurtrey has put in the paper.

Now on to if you had to help me. I was raised to help a person in need regardless of how you felt about a person. A human life is a human life. Most human life has value. I hope that I never have to count on a person like you for help and it makes me uneasy to know that you are raising a child with the mindset that you have and then CHOOSE to pull religion into the mix. You do not have a very Christian outlook with the things that you say.

I volunteer a lot of time in this community and my husband and I donate money to the youth of this community as well. I am not against positive change. However, this change should not cost people their homes. Change should not require people to choose food over fuel for a vehicle so they can get to and from work. Change should not force a senior to choose between much needed medication and making their tax bill. Have you seen all of the people lined up at the church food pantry on American Legion at 6:00 at night? This community has so much to offer but we need to be proactive not reactive.

I have said this before, I do not care what you think of me. I do not care that you do not like me. However, if you base your opinion of me on what goes on here, that is pretty sad but it is, of course, your right. I am fairly sure if I met you I would more than likely like you. I like and value people who are honest and who are thinkers. And if you were injured or needed help, I would help you because that is who I am and how I was raised. And, God forbid your child ran away, or something happened, I would be out on foot and on a horse looking for her/him without a second thought. That is the difference between you and I.

I am not a "birth parent" but I was a step parent. My former husband had 2 kids, 1 of which was hit and killed in a hit and run accident where the driver was never found. While I know that these children were not my children by birth, I did not love them any less and I know what it is like to have a child with a broken heart because someone said something or did something mean. I also worked in the local schools here and got to see first hand what was allowed as far as behavior in our local schools.

As for the remark by JYD---consider the source. I will not lose any sleep over it. It shows you the mentality of some in this community. As for the "twit" comment, I do not recall that. I do recall a remark about someone acting like a spoiled brat over a comment about what they were "entitled" to. Our education system, through laws, explains what these young people are "entitled" to. What they are entitled to and what they want are two very different things. I encouraged (and provided the link) these young people to read the laws. Only a spoiled child would tell a taxpayer to do without McDonalds or other expenses so they could pay more taxes. If the MHSD wanted money for textbooks and computers and would really use it for that, I would have NO problem paying more money. However, the MHSD and their board have a history of being dishonest. That is the part of all of this that is so hard to swallow.

So, we will agree to disagree here. In the wake of the suicide at a college this week because a young man was gay and taped and put on the net, I find that comment in very poor taste. Suicide is an issue in this community and with economics what they are---a very real problem/issue. The comment was in poor taste. But when you hide behind a screen name, it is easy to say such things.

And a big thank you to the taxpayers of Elmore County! Without them, you would be out of luck.

-- Posted by OpinionMissy on Thu, Sep 30, 2010, at 3:09 PM

This is what I said. I was not screaming (which would have been caps) nor was I rude...this time.

It was not meant to be snide. It was just a reminder that without taxes...this would never be. I work hard for the money I make. I expect that money to be well spent and I like the most bang for my buck. If you can get more for less with the same quality then that is what we need.

While I can be very snide/rude, this was not one of those times. You chose to see it that way. Pretty closed minded I think. And FYI, I take my fair share (and then some) of abuse on here. If you cannot take the licks when they come (deserved or not) then a public forum is not the place for you.

Why has Melodies blog of saying "thank you" been turned into a Political agenda? It should of only been about thanking the people she wanted to thank not about tax payers or what it used to be like in school 100 years ago and etc etc !

Oh, c'mon now msmarylyn, you really don't see the similarities between this and other blogs? There are those that automatically speak out when something is said or done that they don't agree with. They speak as though they know what is best for us all,not allowing for individual thought. And, boy oh boy, if you disagree with them, look out!

You people are infuriating. Once again, OM, you have twisted words around to make it sound like what you want it to sound like. I didn't say I would not help you, I said that I would, it would just be difficult to do. Just being honest. It's what I was raised to do. I have saved the lives of people who were set out to murder me, and it isn't just because it was my job, it was because of how I was raised. My child is not spoiled, she's just young and made an assumption; once again, something she was corrected on. You win, I'm not getting on here anymore, there's nothing you or Bazookaman have to say that's worth reading anyway; both of you are so cranky. You can have your town and all its troubles and continue to be miserable all you want. I have better things to do and better places to go. Good luck with everything! Here's one piece of advice for you though I'm sure you won't take it, don't even really care, but here it is-find a new project to complain about. The levy passed.

Oh, and JYD, not a sheep, just trying to turn this crap around-it's gotten way out of hand. And while I don't care for OM, or Bazookaman for that matter, I would never, EVER, suggest someone do such a thing. She's right on that-you don't say stuff like that. I won't sink to that level. That's where I draw the line. So, call her whatever you want, call me whatever you want, but what you said was flat out wrong- you went too far and you shouldn't have said it. Enough said about this whole thing. So...how about those Boise Broncos??

And after all that...thank you's are still in order.

"I really hope I never find myself in a position to have to help you, I'd struggle with a choice of either doing the right thing, or just walking away."

LilMissMom-this is what you said. Directly from your post.

Melodie,

I know I'm a little late replying to this but I thought I'd let you know that I think it's great what you're doing with the paper this year. Taking on an editor's position in your second year of journalism is a daunting task I'm sure, but you're handling it wonderfully and I couldn't be more proud of you. I'm sure it's very much appreciated by everyone you thanked and I found it very gracious and mature of you.

As a former editor of the Tiger Tribune, I certainly never took for granted the funds contributed by taxpayers and I'm sure you have not either, especially as print deadlines roll around. I'm also confident that you are working hard to produce outside funds through selling ads and conducting fundraisers.

I know you to be an positive and hardworking person and I doubt you have let speculation on your gratitude put a damper on your spirit. Either way I thought I'd add another positive comment and let you know to keep up the hard work and I'm here for anything you might need!

Nicole

Thank you for your kind words Nicole. And thank you taxpayers (by the way that includes us, as we are property owning taxpayers right along with the rest of you). Melodie and most of the kids in this town are fully aware of the sacrifices the taxpayers have had to make for this levy, and for those that it is hardest on, I am saddened by your burden. It isn't easy for us either. Missy, you quoted me, but where in that quote did I ever say I "would not"? I said "I would struggle with the decision". Big difference. And for the record, never once have I ever shirked my responsibilities as a parent or obligated anyone else to care for my children, other than for routine child care. And they were paid nicely for the job. I said it takes a village, not because I expect anyone to take on my responsibilities, but because these children are our future. We should care about our children, because our livelihood will eventually become dependent on them. And not just my own livelihood. One of my children wants to be a nurse. Another has mentioned being a firefighter, or joining the military. It's called pay it forward. We all as a human race should be taking care of each other, no matter the age. And I'm sorry, Bazookaman, that you suffered with holey sneakers and what-not, and no, no one is asking you to feed, clothe, or house our children. What we are asking for is simply to improve things. What is wrong with making things better than they were for yourself? I understand that there were issues with the levy, and I fully agree that the budget could have and should have been managed better. But must it be brought up with every single post my child chooses to make? Please leave the girl alone and let her express her gratitude in peace.

Some people just have a hard time staying on subject. It's like I say to you "thank you!" and you say "you are welcome" and btw "take out the trash"...a real conversation killer.