Advice on politics and speeding

Just a couple of my pet peeves - this week.

This election has me a bit concerned as I have no idea who I am supposed to vote for! Take for example the race between Jeff Merkley and Gordon Smith. All the ads I have seen, the commercials, have talked negatively about the opposing candidate. Gordon Smith talks bad about Jeff Merkley, and vice versa. So do I vote for the one who talks the best trash about the other? Do I vote for the lesser of two evils? I'm so confused!

I would find it extremely helpful if the candidates would come on and talk about themselves, what they have to offer us, what they can do for us, why we should vote for them.

Their ads may make me wary of voting for their opposition but do nothing to instill any confidence in the candidate himself.

Another thing is something that came up after the dreadful accident that took the lives of Chris, Garret and Kegan. There was an article about putting up a guard rail at that curve - "dead man's curve" I think it was referred to?

I have driven that road hundreds of times over the past 20 years, and have never seen a problem. The problem is the drivers, in too much of a hurry, or talking on their phones.

I think the solution is for drivers to slow down to the speed limit, which is only 45, and to get off their cell phones. Too many distractions is what causes way too many accidents these days.

It would also help for the highway department to simply keep the roads clear, and keep the lines painted so they are visible in all weather. So many roads I've traveled on, the biggest problem I've had is that the lines have faded so bad, or there has been construction or road work and the lines have not been redone.

Holly Belgarde, Albany

When tips are mandatory

Here's a new twist on the issue of tipping. Some restaurant managers have decided to impose a mandatory "service fee" or "gratuity" based upon the seating configuration. At one the number is eight, at another it's only six. Sit with more than that many and your tip now becomes a mandatory 18 percent fee.

Yes, that's correct - "tipping" is no longer a social/cultural arrangement between you and your server; it's now a mandatory fee based solely upon the number in your party. (Case law in New York has determined that the practice is legal but not enforceable.)

Most restaurants use tables that seat four people. If six couples show up and ask to be seated individually, the business will suffer due to tying up 12 empty seats at those six tables - seats that might have been occupied by paying customers. But a couple who sits at a table for four isn't charged a fee for causing this inefficiency.

Optimally, those six couples should be paired up at just three tables.

How is it that pushing those tables together somehow triggers a mandatory tip? What is it about seating configuration that has anything to do with the personal hygiene, friendliness and level of service provided by the wait staff?

Think about all of the people who serve you every day and who work for minimum wage. Do you tip the gas station attendant, the cashier at the bank or grocery store, the sales help at the mall? Do you get a tip at work if you do your job well? What is it about restaurant service that brings about this sense of entitlement?

Our small group isn't going to cause any local eatery to go out of business by refusing to patronize them due to this mandatory tax - but we do get together once a week, and we usually eat in town. We are not inclined to be forced to pay a "gratuity" just because we choose to sit together instead of at six tables for two.

Bill Daley, Albany

Puzzled by oil profits

I have a problem. If gas prices are so high and we pay so much for it, then why are the oil companies making billions of dollars in profit?

Something doesn't make sense. If the oil barrel price is up and you add the price of refining and shipping, then how are they making such a big profit? Why don't they help the working man by lowering the gas prices? Does that lower their profits?

Someone explain this?

Brenda Rice, Sweet Home

The planet won't wait

Concerning recent letters to the editor about global warming. Between false "facts" and near hysterical right-wing rantings about global warming being some liberal plot being followed by "cultists," here's something to consider: Our planet doesn't give a whit what politics you follow. Our planet doesn't read the letters to the editor. Our planet just reacts, people, plain and simple. The Earth won't wait for us to save it.

Steve Schick-Morris, Lebanon