Worst Letter to the Editor Ever! Calgary Herald

[Russic]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

I think maybe she is talking about people who leave big boxes out, advertising that you just bought a nice brand new 50" plasma, or something like that. Maybe she means which houses to target for a new TV?

Edit- I've sort of always wanted to start a website that would post letters to the editor from the major newspapers from North America, and then give people the opportunity to comment on them. Something like this thread I guess.

You are giving this idiot wayyy too much credit.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy McGillicuddy

Fotze, I usually have a bit of respect for your posts, but these blue boxes are an eyesore. Are you suggesting that people who oppose the bronco box program should be on rehab? This is a poorly designed program that's sure to cost us more down the road. We're taxed for the program even though many of us took the time and effort to recycle stuff diligently.

I think you may have missed the entire point of the thread.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by The Goon

No, what Kathy is worrying about is that the burglars will wait until the blue box is emptied, then they will sit and wait inside the empty blue box until they're wheeled back inside, and then they'll strike. Those crafty, crafty burglars.

If that happens, all she needs to do is this:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Eh, is that joborule?

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy McGillicuddy

Fotze, I usually have a bit of respect for your posts, but these blue boxes are an eyesore. Are you suggesting that people who oppose the bronco box program should be on rehab? This is a poorly designed program that's sure to cost us more down the road. We're taxed for the program even though many of us took the time and effort to recycle stuff diligently.

How are the boxes "eyesores". They look like garbage bins, but blue. Maybe I should complain that your garbage is an eyesore and you shouldn't be allowed to put it out? I very much prefer your blue bins rather than our blue boxes here in Ottawa. And not having to sort your recycleables is well ahead of most municipalities. How is it a "poorly designed program"?

In any case, I think the letter to the editor was someone grasping at straws for an argument against recycling. I don't think this woman is actually all that concerned about thieves breaking in and stealing stuff... I think she just wants to complain that the government is screwing over the little guy again.

I mean, here, we have had just as many stupid letters to the editor about getting green bins like your blue bins for our compostables. "The politically correct government want to spend our tax money forcing me to live with the horrible smell of disgusting waste". There have been letters saying that more compost bins will mean more raccoons which will mean more people dying of rabies. Don't let the fact that there have been 20 rabies deaths in this country since 1925 get in the way of complaining about the new program.

[QuadCityImages]

I must say that in the 10+ years we've had recycling bins here, I haven't seen much in the way of a burglary outbreak. I know mine stays out until I happen to feel like bringing it in. Of course, we have alleys, so there's not necessarily far to move it. My neighbor just leaves his next to the alley and puts recyclables in it throughout the week. Crazy lady would conclude that the house is vacant, I guess.

[onetwo_threefour]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

So, Kathy reckons The Odyssey is part of B&E training?

Actually, the story of the trojan horse wasn't told by Homer at all. As troutman's buddy likely knows, it was part of the Aenid by Virgil.

(and Homer's account of the Trojan war is found in the Iliad, not the Odyssey. The Odyssey is the story of the travels of Odysseus and his crew)

[/mythology nerd]

After taking off my nerd shoes though... Nice one!!

[gottabekd]

Eh, I don't think that letter is that bad. I don't expect leaving your blue box out will entice burglars, but I can at least see the point.

Now, when those boxes were first delivered, there were some houses that had them sitting around out front for up to a week. I remember thinking "Hmm...I wonder who is on vacation".

[Julio]

What perhaps this lady's issue would be is this: I just bought, say, a new big screen TV...being a greenie, I take said box that says say "SONY" all over it, thus announcing to the world that you just got a new TV and inviting thieves in to steal it.I'd just either put the box in my neighbor's bin (if I didn't like them) or take the box to the nearest still existing neighbourhood recycle bin. I don't know though if the letter writer would be smart enough to do either thing.

[johnnyluv]

Could be she's worried about the stuff inside the blue boxes being stolen - nothing quite like finding out that, yes, all your grass clippings have been pilfered. Just awful.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

Actually, the story of the trojan horse wasn't told by Homer at all. As troutman's buddy likely knows, it was part of the Aenid by Virgil.

(and Homer's account of the Trojan war is found in the Iliad, not the Odyssey. The Odyssey is the story of the travels of Odysseus and his crew)

[/mythology nerd]

After taking off my nerd shoes though... Nice one!!

I am shamed... since I actually read both.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

Actually, the story of the trojan horse wasn't told by Homer at all. As troutman's buddy likely knows, it was part of the Aenid by Virgil.

(and Homer's account of the Trojan war is found in the Iliad, not the Odyssey. The Odyssey is the story of the travels of Odysseus and his crew)

[/mythology nerd]

After taking off my nerd shoes though... Nice one!!

You are all wrong - the legend comes from Monty Python's Holy Grail.

[alltherage]

Don't look now, but they also have house numbers displayed right on the houses! And all you have to do is walk to a corner to look at street signs to know which street you're on!!

Theives know my house number! Board up the windows and deadbolt the doors!!

[Eagle Eye]

Originally Posted by gottabekd

Now, when those boxes were first delivered, there were some houses that had them sitting around out front for up to a week. I remember thinking "Hmm...I wonder who is on vacation".

Frick our community was the first to get them delivered in early April and there is still are 2 idiots (one who is my neighbour) who havent moved them an inch since that day.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Eagle Eye

Frick our community was the first to get them delivered in early April and there is still are 2 idiots (one who is my neighbour) who havent moved them an inch since that day.

Those are obviously drug houses

[GrrlGoalie33]

Originally Posted by alltherage

Don't look now, but they also have house numbers displayed right on the houses! And all you have to do is walk to a corner to look at street signs to know which street you're on!!

Theives know my house number! Board up the windows and deadbolt the doors!!

I guess I should start panicking since I live in a community where Canada Post delivers my mail to my door. Any thief can get my address from my mail...

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

I am shamed... since I actually read both.

I own both and I now have a craving to reread them after I finish the current book on the history of the Marine Corp that I'm reading.

Damn you

[Bobblehead]

Is there a schedule of when each community gets their bins?

I'm just wondering if I need to take my recycling in, or if a bin will be delivered soon.

[octothorp]

There is a schedule. Maybe check the city of calgary website? I'm in Sunnyside and ours are supposed to arrive in June. So I'm trying to dodge my wife's demands that I take in our recycling before then.

[Thunderball]

Personally, I can't believe how arrogant the Recycling pickup guys are.

First, my girlfriend's entire cul-de-sac gets a warning that there are to be NO cars parked along the entire cul-de-sac on pick up days. Despite it being completely acceptable for the garbage collectors.

Then, I get home, and there's a warning on my recycling bin in the back alley because my bin wasn't 30cm away from my garbage bins, and because my neighbor's bin wasn't something like 2 metres away from my bin. Yet both are easily accessible. Again, the garbage collectors have never complained about anything of the kind.

Unbelievable pretension for a forced service.

[DESS]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Personally, I can't believe how arrogant the Recycling pickup guys are.

First, my girlfriend's entire cul-de-sac gets a warning that there are to be NO cars parked along the entire cul-de-sac on pick up days. Despite it being completely acceptable for the garbage collectors.

Then, I get home, and there's a warning on my recycling bin in the back alley because my bin wasn't 30cm away from my garbage bins, and because my neighbor's bin wasn't something like 2 metres away from my bin. Yet both are easily accessible. Again, the garbage collectors have never complained about anything of the kind.

Unbelievable pretension for a forced service.

The private companies are just as big of dicks imo. We paid for a service last year but I cancelled it because they had a complaint EVERY single week for the stupidest stuff.

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by Julio

What perhaps this lady's issue would be is this: I just bought, say, a new big screen TV...being a greenie, I take said box that says say "SONY" all over it, thus announcing to the world that you just got a new TV and inviting thieves in to steal it.I'd just either put the box in my neighbor's bin (if I didn't like them) or take the box to the nearest still existing neighbourhood recycle bin. I don't know though if the letter writer would be smart enough to do either thing.

But take the whole blue bin program out of that equation and she's still got the same problem. Either she goes to the recycle centres like you mention or leaves her box out in the trash.

My guess is since she seems so concerned about this is she'd take the box down to her basement, where nobody could see her, and cut it up into small squares she can easily hide...or use the cardboard as a base for her to wrap her tinfoil around so the government can't penetrate into her basement and steal her thoughts....which they'd naturally just hand over to the burglers.