- I was a candy striper when I was in high school at the old Kanawha Valley Hospital and my father wasn't a doctor. Any girl could apply to be one. It was a wonderful experience.

- I live in a very nice section on the West Side. Now because of the crime news on TV, two of my three grandchildren are now afraid to stay all night at my house. Mayor Jones surely knows how infested the West Side is with crime and if he had grandchildren, he'd be so furious and hurt if he lived over here. But he doesn't live over here so he doesn't worry like we do.

- You would think with all of John McCain's wife's money that he could afford to use a self tanner. His face looks like it is made out of paste.

- The atmosphere in China is a grim reminder of what happens if we are not responsible tenants of our earth. Several greedy tenants that pollute use jobs as an excuse for not being responsible, leaving a burden of poor health and cleanup for the next generation. Keep it clean, America.

- The loss of hundreds of millions of dollars by our Investment Management Board in the stock market is exactly why risking our Social Security money on the stock market is an absolutely abysmal idea.

- In response to the venter who mentioned that basketball and football games should be cut before they cut trips to cultural and art events: Sporting events actually earn money for the schools and cultural and art events do nothing to reduce the number of obese children in this state. What a great way to burn a few calories. Go sit and watch a ballet.

- I am one of those crazy people that likes Joe Lieberman. I admire anyone that votes for and supports their beliefs regardless of their party's politics. I was a lifelong Democrat as my parents were. But when I looked at my beliefs and values I could no longer be associated with that party so I switched. My parents even switched. We switched over morals, values and beliefs.

- How can any coal miner vote for a national Democrat? They are controlled by environmentalists and would put the miners out of work in a heartbeat. I do vote on a state and local level strictly for the person, but nationally I have real trouble finding any Democrat that shares my beliefs. They are all liberal. I'm a Republican but I like and vote for Gov. Manchin. He has morals and goes with his beliefs, not party politics. 

- I quit smoking. Best move I ever made. But I don't understand how the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department can force businesses to ban smoking. Why can't business owners designate their establishment as smoking or non-smoking and let their customers decide if they want to patronize them or not?

- When I remember the Regatta in the 1980s when 100,000 people showed up to see Miami Sound Machine or the Beach Boys, it makes me very sad to see how we have let it slip away to nothing. It is really very sad to see such a great summer ending celebration come to such a sorry state.

- If the so-called Clinton Democrats decide to vote for McCain, then they're not real Democrats anyway, they're closet Republicans.

- Every person who has a drink does not end up as a drunken driver, but every person who lights up does create secondhand smoke. Both things can kill, but they are not the same and should not be compared.

- I live in a very nice section on the West Side. Now because of the crime news on TV, two of my three grandchildren are now afraid to stay all night at my house. Mayor Jones surely knows how infested the West Side is with crime and if he had grandchildren, he'd be so furious and hurt if he lived over here. But he doesn't live over here so he doesn't worry like we do.

- You would think with all of John McCain's wife's money that he could afford to use a self tanner. His face looks like it is made out of paste.

- The atmosphere in China is a grim reminder of what happens if we are not responsible tenants of our earth. Several greedy tenants that pollute use jobs as an excuse for not being responsible, leaving a burden of poor health and cleanup for the next generation. Keep it clean, America.

- The loss of hundreds of millions of dollars by our Investment Management Board in the stock market is exactly why risking our Social Security money on the stock market is an absolutely abysmal idea.

- In response to the venter who mentioned that basketball and football games should be cut before they cut trips to cultural and art events: Sporting events actually earn money for the schools and cultural and art events do nothing to reduce the number of obese children in this state. What a great way to burn a few calories. Go sit and watch a ballet.

- I am one of those crazy people that likes Joe Lieberman. I admire anyone that votes for and supports their beliefs regardless of their party's politics. I was a lifelong Democrat as my parents were. But when I looked at my beliefs and values I could no longer be associated with that party so I switched. My parents even switched. We switched over morals, values and beliefs.

- How can any coal miner vote for a national Democrat? They are controlled by environmentalists and would put the miners out of work in a heartbeat. I do vote on a state and local level strictly for the person, but nationally I have real trouble finding any Democrat that shares my beliefs. They are all liberal. I'm a Republican but I like and vote for Gov. Manchin. He has morals and goes with his beliefs, not party politics. 

- I quit smoking. Best move I ever made. But I don't understand how the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department can force businesses to ban smoking. Why can't business owners designate their establishment as smoking or non-smoking and let their customers decide if they want to patronize them or not?

- When I remember the Regatta in the 1980s when 100,000 people showed up to see Miami Sound Machine or the Beach Boys, it makes me very sad to see how we have let it slip away to nothing. It is really very sad to see such a great summer ending celebration come to such a sorry state.

- If the so-called Clinton Democrats decide to vote for McCain, then they're not real Democrats anyway, they're closet Republicans.

- Every person who has a drink does not end up as a drunken driver, but every person who lights up does create secondhand smoke. Both things can kill, but they are not the same and should not be compared.