I have been with the Postal Service for 41 years. Let’s get rid of all these light duty workers. They know how to use the system and abuse the system. I am disgusted. I have carried mail bags that felt like a millstone around my neck. I am fed up with those on light duty.

Trudge

Isn’t light duty reserved for those who can’t handle the grind? I mean, don’t we need people on light duty anyway?— Ed. Note

I am a parent. This is a note to thank a school bus driver from Little Hearts Academy. Whoever your supervisor is, young lady, she should compensate you for all of the hard work and effort you put into your job. Thank you for being the person you are. There should be more people like you out there. You are well-mannered and courteous and I appreciate the way you carefully transport the little children to and from school.

Mom

My heart is singing right now. Feels good.— Ed. Note

I am going to have to buy a meat grinder. In one store I went to recently the ground beef was an orange color indicating an improper percentage of fat to meat ratio. At another store the meat looked good on the outside but when I got it home the package smelled funny and the meat was browngrey on the inside. It’s a waste of my money. These stores are trying to put one over on us.

Ground Chuck

I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.— Ed. Note

It’s Mary from the Tender Hearts. This is for any readers that may have been wondering. Yes, the shop was closed for a few days but we are open again. I will be taking it a bit easy. I just got home from the hospital after suffering a heart attack. I badgered the doctor to get me out of the hospital ASAP. I am much better now. I hope to assist with assembling the Easter baskets very soon. In the meantime my friends and helpers will be hard at work. We are open to accept your much needed donations with appreciation.

Mary

Get well soon, Mary, and thanks for all you do.— Ed. Note

I was sitting at a red light. I didn’t have a big gap between my car and the car in front of me. I got hit by the car behind me and pushed into the car in front of me. The insurance company only paid to repair the back of my car because they said I couldn’t prove that I did not drive into the car in front of me. So, mind the gap.

Gappy

A) Insurance companies suck. B) Another reason to gap it.— Ed. Note

This is Mike from Lambertville. If they want to get rid of the deficit in the state of New Jersey and the country they should tax everyone. Everyone who comes here should be taxed. You get a job, you are are taxed from day one, no exceptions.

Taxed

Are we not doing that already? Can we get some clarification here?— Ed. Note

Most of your opinions are pretty good but when you suggest legalizing marijuana I disagree. You would just be having more impaired drivers on the road. When people drink it only goes into their own stomachs. When people smoke it goes all over the room and might injure other people. The smoke makes other people get high. You could have people falling down from standing in a room with a marijuana smoker. We already have enough dopey people who are incapable of doing their jobs.

Doped

Well, I see your point, but it’s a rare day when you hear of someone getting into an accident because they smoked a little marijuana. Maybe they fall asleep on the couch, but you don’t have to worry about them doing 100 MPH in the wrong lane.— Ed. Note

To the person who asked if there was a surplus when George Bush Jr. took over. Yes, there was a surplus. Here is why, Clinton got rid of most of the military and that is the reason we ended up with a surplus. When 9/11 and Iraq happened they had to buy a bunch of new weapons and supplies and train new troops. Basically you can blame Clinton for the long term war.

War

Um, I’m going to disagree with you on that one. Seems a little too pat for my tastes.— Ed. Note

I am calling about this bill on age restricted housing that is going on. I am asking Gov. Corzine to veto this bill. I live in Hamilton Township. We have had a bill shoved down our throats. I am talking about the American Standard building project. They say that 500 families are coming in and they claim only 25 to 30 children will be coming with those families. They must think we are stupid. We don’t have the room in our schools now to accommodate the students already there. I live three blocks from the American Standard project. Somebody has to stop this project and especially the number of people being allowed to come in.

Worried

Not going to happen. I’d be shocked if our lawmakers did anything to upset the over-55 crowd. I honestly would be shocked. Stunned, even.— Ed. Note

I brought my son to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Trenton, and was appalled by the amount of alcohol in the street, everywhere. What are they teaching these people? I hope they never bring this parade to Hamilton.

O’Douls

Yeah, you will get booze in the streets on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s, um, tradition?— Ed. Note

Impeach Corzine

Quickie

But how do you really feel, sir?— Ed. Note

Waiting
We don’t have universal health care in the United States, but people get put on waiting lists for heart transplants, lungs, livers, kidneys, and whatnot. So what’s the big deal about having to wait for a heart transplant in Canada? It’s the same here.

Ribs

Good point. Anyone who thinks our health care system is fine is crazy. We don’t live as long as other countries, our infant mortality rate stinks, the list goes on. We get universal health, I bet no one knows the difference. Plus, it’s a major worry eliminated.— Ed. Note

For all the people who think Barack Obama isn’t changing anything, let me tell you what he really represents, which is that someone is finally trying in Washington to change things. Someone is finally standing up for what’s right. I don’t think Bush was a bad man, I just think he was a bad president. I think the president should be honest, have integrity, and be for the people. I’m proud to be an American, because we now have a president who stands up for what he believes, and what he believes is usually the right thing.

Obama fan

I think it’s nuts to either be a huge supporter or a huge hater of Obama. It’s too early. You have to wait it out before deciding.— Ed. Note

I don’t get it. All these people who live Society Hill II that are “supposedly” handicapped, have their stickers, park right next to where they can walk up the steps? I don’t understand how you can be handicapped and walk up three flights of stairs.

Able

I’ll just post a “no comment” and move on.— Ed. Note

On Quakerbridge Road by the park, there was a big heavy-duty dump truck, and a medium-sized truck, two guys picking up paper. One guy was holding a bag, the other guy picking up trash. And they talk about how the county is short on money. I wonder why.

Poke

At least the supervisor wasn’t out there making sure all the trash was picked up.— Ed Note

Gov. Corzine I’d like to congratulate you on the brand-new, Suburban LTZ you guys got. I met a couple of your state trooper detail guys at the car wash. That is one sweet truck. Alloy wheels, $1,200. Nice job on the windows. I hope you enjoy it.

Driver

So what you’re saying is the governor has a new car? I have no problem with that, as long as he paid for it. He did pay for it, right? — Ed Note

Hi. I love it. I’m not saying anything different today or yesterday than I said in 1999. I am not saying anything different today than I said yesterday and the day before that day than I said in 1999. Like I said, those who know, understand everything, and those who don’t ... oh well.

Mmm-hmm

Just wanted to give you a little insight as to what some BackTalk callers who normally don’t make the final cut sound like. Just an FYI.— Ed Note

Even though I’m a Democrat, I’ve had it with Nancy Pelosi. She wants to tax us, she supports illegals, is she out of her mind? I didn’t work all my life to get taxed by her.

No Pelosi

She does come across as a tad shrill, no? Remember when Tip O’Neill was the speaker of the house? Now he was a speaker of the house. Loved that guy.— Ed Note

Gov. Corzine, you want to balance the budget, how about taxing all the illegals. Our state is overrun with them. Go after the people that are hiring them. What’s wrong with this state? We need to wake up.

Worker

Many of the “illegals” are taxed. In fact, the illegals that are trying to get citizenship are indeed taxed. And as far as businesses and people who hire illegals, well, they should be dealt with. We’ll worry about the economy later.— Ed Note

Isn’t there a state law that would override Mayor Palmer’s threat to raise the city’s property taxes by 67 percent if the water sale doesn’t go through? If I’m not mistaken, there is a state law that prohibits raising the property tax that much each year.

Lawyer

Well it’s a moot point, as it turns out. The water sale is going through, which means ... well, what exactly does it mean?— Ed Note

Help me! Why do renters get homestead rebates? I don’t understand it. Especially now, when they’re cutting rebates for everyone who isn’t senior.

Curious

Because the costs of the owner are passed along to the renter in the form of rent. — Ed Note

This president thinks he’s going to tax all the rich people to pay for all these programs? It’s a bunch of BS. The reason rich people are rich are because they know how to get around everything. All they’re going to do is raise prices on the things us little people buy.

Expensive

Well, maybe. You’re probably right. Taxing the rich probably isn’t going to help anyone. How about a flat tax?— Ed Note

Tell Gov. Corzine the only people that should get a homestead tax rebate are people that have no children. Let the bums pay for their own kids.

Single

All parents are bums. Quite a statement. — Ed Note

Tell those people to pull up to the traffic light. First of all, it’s not a safety issue. If someone did pull a gun on you, you’re not going to have time to react anyway, so all you’re doing is leaving gaps and causing traffic jams.

The Gap

I’ll tell you this much: I’m leaving a gap. I am a gapper. I want to know I can get out of there if I want to get out of there. I will always gap. That’s just me.— Ed Note

I’m very greatful for the article in BackTalk. It’s a shame people don’t realize that firemen, EMTs and ambulance drivers always sit at the firehouse during a bad snowstorm in case there is an emergency. The pickup truck goes out first with the plow and then the ambulances come after them. Let’s take our hats off to those people for doing this for us during weather emergencies. I’m glad to hear that the man’s mother got to the hospital in time.

Siren

They’re the best, no questions asked.— Ed Note

The pound lady pit bull attack in Ewing ... well, this is the owner of the pit bull, and I want to respond to all the rude, ignorant people who think I’m irresponsible with my dog. Well, I’m not irresponsible. My dog is up-to-date on all of its shots, it is neutered, and it is not a vicious dog. The dog lives in a house with children, and there are children in my house every day with no problem. Get your facts straight.

Pit Bull

Nope. The dog doesn’t sound vicious at all, chasing down and trying to kill two other dogs. Nope. Not vicious in the least. You got it. By the way, I hope those kids wear armor.— Ed Note

About the “Decaying Water World” article. I can’t believe that taking fluoride out of the water is being blamed for tooth decay. I personally have filtered the fluoride out of my water for the past 16 years and have not had a cavity. Flouride damages arterial walls, which allows cholesterol to build up. Brush and floss your teeth and you will be fine.

Toothy

I’ve had enough fluoride for one lifetime. Thank you very much.— Ed. Note

A message from the “Tooth Scary.” The fluoridation of the water scare is so ridiculous. There are other ways to get fluoride if you are worried; have your child get a fluoride treatment once a year at the dentist. Many vegetables contain fluoride, one is spinach. People should not worry about not having fluoride in the water, there is no harm done, no reason to be scared. Hang in there and have a bowl of spinach.

Popeye

This message was brought to you by the Spinach Growers of America.— Ed. Note

We shouldn’t be paying the inmates one red cent. They should be paying us rent. They should get three bologna sandwiches a day and no hot meals. We shouldn’t even be turning on the ovens for them.

Busted

No arguments here.— Ed. Note

Could you please tell me who is responsible for making the bingo cards using paper cards instead of the cardboard cards? It creates more expense for the bingo sponsors, therefore it costs more for me to play. It also make for so much more trash. I can’t see a good reason for doing this except making a lot of money for the company who prints these paper cards.

O64

Such problems we face in today’s world. Such problems.— Ed. Note

This is Vinnie Capodanno. This is in response to Mike Angarone. It was the previous administration and the council that OK’d the purchase of the SUV. My term as a councilman was from 2000 to 2004. I did not OK the purchase. Mayor Gilmore and I had many debates and it caused me not to get the nomination for the Democrats. I think Mr. Angarone should get his facts straight. He is trying to defend the three Republicans up on council that purchased the SUV for Gilmore’s director of planning.

Vinnie

Always nice to hear from you, Vin. Looking forward to your run for council.— Ed. Note

I need a clarification. When George W. Bush took office in his first term was there a surplus in his national budget or did he come into a negative surplus? That is what I would like to know.

Cash

Bush came in with a $127 billion surplus left by Clinton. How ’bout that?— Ed. Note

Some of the players involved with the play “Footloose” were not given a writeup in the school program recently. Their names were listed, but no blurb to go with it. I wanted to let some of the seniors at Nottingham High School know that we appreciate their performing for all four years. Some were performers, some stage crew, some orchestra members. Those I would like to single out are Elizabeth Adams, Cindy Malesko, Mary Rose Henry and Judy Henry. Thank you.

Thanks

And there ya go.— Ed Note

I am thankful to the Colonial volunteer fire company for plowing out the driveway at Pond Run housing complex during the snow storm so an ambulance could get in and take my mother to the hospital at 1:30 a.m. last week. I am very grateful to them, and also to the EMS personnel who helped my mother.

Art

It’s just what we do, sir. And by “we,” I mean them.— Ed. Note

I can tell you that you would get a lot more people showing up at the funeral service if you would stop putting outdated pictures of the deceased in the obituaries. We might have a chance of recognizing and paying attention to the text of the obit if the photo was current. The people in their 80s do not look the same as when they were in their 20s. We do change as we get older.

Pics

We’re not the ones picking out the pictures. We get them from the funeral home, which gets them from family members, who have a right to memorialize their loved ones however they want.— Ed. Note

My wife and I were fishing for herring last year on the Delaware River by the marina in Trenton. I dropped a handmade, custom fishing pole made by a good friend in the water. Did anyone hook on to it and reel it in? My name is on the pole and I am listed in the Burlington County phone book in Florence, N.J. It was just a little trout pole, but it would mean a lot to me to get it back.

PoledAnyone?

Anyone? And if you get the pole back, it would probably make a decent story for us. Let us know.— Ed. Note

Red Sox Nation calling. What do A-Rod and Madonna have in common? Neither one of them seems to produce that big a hit anymore. Go Red Sox!

Teddy Ballgame

Stick to beating the Yankees on the field, and not in the humor department. Please.— Ed. Note

I am glad that President Obama is cutting my taxes; not that I am having a hard time paying them, but he is going to raise taxes on businesses, which means that I will have to pay more for whatever I buy. He is also raising taxes for my boss, who will probably not give me a raise, or he’ll cut my pay. That’s really great, thanks a lot.

Taxed

It will all work out in the end. Fingers crossed.— Ed. Note

When is the Princeton Day School going to wake up and help their varsity athletic teams enter the 21st century. With the money they charge for tuition I would think they would want the varsity teams to be much more competitive. The athletic director has done a terrible job except for the hockey team, and we all know where their funding comes from.

Athletic Supporter

Not for nothing, but if this is your current biggest concern, I’d say you don’t have much to worry about.— Ed. Note

I get tired of these old people who leave a car and a half-gap between their car and the car in front of them when they pull up at a stop light. You don’t need any space between you and the car in front of you.

Driver

Wow. Little stressed out? Relax, man, relax. You will get to your destination.— Ed. Note

Is the governor aware of the fact that the state employees at the justice complex in Trenton worked Lincoln’s Birthday and Washington’s Birthday and President’s Day and they got time and one-half. I’m just a little concerned about how this money is going to come out of the budget.

Moolah

You have a right to be concerned. Politicians simply can’t be trusted with our money. We learned that lesson time and again. Of course, we don’t have much of a choice, do we?— Ed. Note

I am calling to reply to the woman shopper at Hamilton ShopRite Marketplace who had to deal with rude fellow shoppers. Just think how it is for those of us who work here.

Cashed

Can’t we all get along? I mean, seriously. Can’t we be civil towards each other? Is this so hard?— Ed. Note

A complaint that the police department is using an auto dial machine. I don’t mind getting a call at dinner time, but waking me at 4:30 a.m. with a call about a little girl this is missing. I think that is a little out of whack. I get a call at that hour and I think my own daughter’s in trouble or somebody in my family is hurt. Maybe they shouldn’t use the auto dial when people are sleeping.

Wake Up

No argument here. My phone rings at 4:30 a.m., someone near and dear to me better be in some big trouble. Anything else is going to anger me, and probably cause me to call BackTalk and complain. Hey Trenton police — easy on the autodial, eh?— Ed. Note

All the taxpayers of the United States are going to have to pay for this crazy lady’s eight children, her hospital bills, pay for these kids to the day they turn of age. Why does she think we want to pay for her kids?

Paid

We don’t. Talk about someone gaming the system. The woman obviously needs some serious mental health professionals.— Ed. Note

The state is going to get all this money from the federal stimulus package. The state and Mercer County wants all these workers to go on furloughs. That’s fine for those who make $75K and above. But those of us who make under $50K and have families to support, bills to pay, etc., it’s just not fair.

Lough and Behold

It’s not “fair,” of course. But it is what it is. Times are tight, and everyone is going to pay.— Ed. Note

I’m a state worker. How much do these union reps make? Is this public knowledge? Maybe they should give back a little money to the state since they have been riding on our coattails all this time. Is there somewhere we can find out what they make?

Curious

Great question. Love to know the answer. Anyone know where we can easily get hold of this information to share with everyone?— Ed. Note