gun right advocates

If gun individuals have the RIGHT to keep and bear arms as it says in the Constitution then this can and should be the results. You'll notice that the killing spree stopped once Jeanne Assam dropped the gunman in his tracks.

Given the apathy of many and knowing that very few people have read or even understand the Constitution the results will more than likely end up in this manner. You'll notice that police nor any well intended citizen stopped this from continuing, the gunman himself ended it mercifully.

Many will attribute this to having too many guns in society, however very few people that are actually gun toting 2nd Amendment types will go into a mall and shot the place up. I would much rather have NO security then to have my government disarm innocent people.

"when seconds are critical the police are always minutes away"

I would like to point out that our police agencies aren't designed to stop this type of action, only to mop up after the event happened. A well armed citizenry is the ONLY means to bring these types of events to a stop, well that and government agencies getting out of the way.

From a previous council meeting

I must thank "Life of Jason" for this entry

"Councilman Chiles said the land was taken via eminent domain and used for a greater public purpose and asked how this is meeting that goal. Ms. Smith deferred to an attorney. The attorney who answered said the purpose for eminent domain during the actual eminent domain process was public use and that once the arena fell through the reason for public use doesn’t even factor into the situation. Councilman Chiles asked Ms. Smith to address the News-Leader editorial about the process. Ms. Smith said when she did official requests for proposals she said they asked for best proposals with no anticipation as to the proposals. She said they had it became clear keeping BKD downtown and a hotel to enhance the Expo center and said they were “community priorities.” (How is an office building and a hotel really a priority for the average Springfield resident? I don’t see where it is. It seems the citizens really lost out on this deal because the average Springfield resident doesn’t get anything from this other than lower debt on the city. Will we get lower taxes out of it? I guess if the hotel actually pays decent wages a very small part of the community gains something.)

I must wonder if Mr. Chiles had his property blighted then eminent domained to build something that really isn't for the greater public good if his feeling would change

you lived in a city that have NO regard for taxpayer funds

Silly me I do live in one of those cities.

The results are in and most of our suspicions have been proven out. City leaders nor the upper echelon of city management have any clue of how to run a fiscally responsible city. The sytem of checks and balances has been thrown out of the window along with the balance sheets to determine how money is spent.

Mr. Burlison the city owes you a debt of gratitude for having the bravado to get this started and to see it through. Much thanks to those that gathered signatures(libertarian party members, individual members of the police and fire fighters) which required you to be away from family doing something that you felt was important. To those that attached your signatures to the petition now is the time for you to become active instead of proactive and help us bring about change to the city.