I think they should purchase cars from Kia. lol (kidding)

It doesn't matter to me how pretty or magnificent the gateway signs are, my impression of Cedar Rapids ALWAYS goes downhill really fast once I see and smell ADM. So I think it's pointless even putting a sign up on the south side.

Until the day comes that ADM is finally razed to the ground, Cedar Rapids will never be able to create a positive first impression on the south side regardless of what they try to do otherwise.

Thanks for the info, Jim. I think when you get your own private jet someday, there should be a picture of you on the tail wing. Wouldn't that be great? :-D (David Adams)

Yes, and some cookies, too! :-D

If you allow Capitalism to run on it's own, it will utterly fail. The same with Socialism, Communism, or any "ism". Without certain aspects of "Socialism" (which has existed in the U.S. for many, many decades already, under Republican or Democrat rule.), Capitalism and this country will fall apart.

One needs the other to exist, but how much of each other, I don't know. All I know is that you can't have a healthy economy using an extreme, just like how you can't have a healthy diet eating only certain foods. It needs balance, but that's where the debate comes in..... how do you balance it and how much?

People scream that Socialism is "evil", but technically it's not. It's certain leaders in the past who made Socialism look bad, not so much the system itself.

Numerous studies and research have shown that the happiest people in the world live in Socialist countries, not Capitalist countries, but even those Socialist countries have Capitalism within it's economy as well, so again...... one is not without the other.

That's just my two cents, and a bag of chips.

I agree with Mookah. This country is trying to get away from coal. There's no such thing as "clean" coal. It's all dirty and polluting no matter how you look at it because the particles from coal do not disappear. We have enough pollution in the area as it is.

The happiest people in the world live in Socialist countries, NOT capitalist countries. No, I'm not just saying that, but it's a proven fact, based upon numerous studies. Does the title of Socialism make such countries by default, evil or mass murderers like the sign is trying to imply about President Obama? Umm... hmmm.......

Socialism and Capitalism are no better or worse than the other. They both have their own evils, but ever government has their own twist of how they implement either. Unfortunately, extremists like the Republican and Tea parties only see things black or white about issues, thus completely distorting things for what they really are. The fact of the matter is that Socialism, Capitalism, Communism, "Anything-ism" is evil if abused or implemented in it's extremity.

So if you really want to be honest about this....... Capitalism is technically just as evil as Socialism in it's purist form, because then the mega corporations will run our lives freely without government control. As a result of pure Capitalism, we would have no freedom. The same can be said of any other form of government.

Technically, we already live in a Socialist country. That's what Social Security is, Medicare, Medicaid, funding for K-12 schools, farm subsidies, funding for our highways/transportation, and the list is very long. Interesting that the very people who hate Socialism, actually take part and and support in it in some way.

And what makes you think your doctor, or a sworn police officer, or a judge, a clergy member, or a nurse, or anybody in the professional field whose job specifically requires them to maintain privacy doesn't tell their spouse some juicy gossip already as it is? I have seen people in your everyday business fields gossip and make comments about applicants! So it doesn't matter if you're "properly" sworn in or not, because if you're the type who's going to gossip before being sworn in, then you're going to gossip after being sworn in!

You forget to realize the fact that future tenants knowing sign over the authority for their information to be researched. They don't HAVE to allow this to happen if they don't want. Secondly, the volunteers are no less prone to violating "privacy laws" than landlords, or any other company that performs such functions.

Access to such information about a person's criminal background is technically a public record......... NOT a private record. So there's NO PRIVACY BEING INVADED. You can easily go online and pull up anyone's criminal record if you wanted to. Just like how a person would want that right to see if someone is a sex offender. We ALL have the right to know such information as to whether or not they have the potential to commit a crime against us. It's our RIGHT to safety and protection.

So speaking of ignorance........ you might want to look at your own mirror.

I was thinking the same thing, and I'm sure they get paid great money for it. So I think I'll go apply for their job. Anyone can do it if they have at least a GED. :-)