I have a question for all gas station owners and our senators and representatives both local and federal.

Why does the price of gas at the pumps always seem to come down 1 to 2 cents at a time and always seem to go up 5 to 10 cents at a time when the price of a barrel of oil fluctuates?

Just wondering.

 Stephen Fitzgerald, Attleboro

Town must emerge from the dark ages Traveling on Route 152, street lights glow in Attleboro and North Attleboro, while Plainville is cloaked in darkness. Key intersections are the only exception. The majority of Plainville streets are unlit, as the powers that be have designated no power to save the town considerable money. Any illumination will have to come from lanterns and porch lights of residents who are probably also trying to cut costs.

Late school buses will be discharging students on dark streets. One can only hope no serious accidents occur in Plainville's blackout. Desperate times call for desperate measures. From gas lamps and the little old lamplighter, to electricity, to reduced lighting of any kind. Though property taxes continue to rise, the quality of life in Plainville has definitely dimmed.

Louise C. Neal, Plainville

GOP donations do not a liberal make

Democrats and unenrolled voters should beware of currently self-styled "liberal Democrat" Steve Pagliuca. According to a Nov. 4 Sun Chronicle article, Pagliuca explained that his support of Mitt Romney against Ted Kennedy in the 1994 election was because Romney "was his mentor and good friend" at Bain Capital. You could not have had two candidates with more opposite values in 1994. Where were Pagliuca's "liberal" core values then?

According to www.follow the money.org, Pagliuca gave the maximum of $500 to Robert Maginn in 1998. Maginn was then the Republican candidate for state treasurer. If that weren't enough, Pagliuca donated $5,000 in 2002 to the Massachusetts Republican Party. Liberal Democrat my foot!

Dennis J. Naughton, Foxboro

School updating smart move for Norfolk voters

There are countless good economic reasons to vote Yes for a new Freeman Centennial School. I need not repeat them here. But, ultimately it is our children and the children of the next generation of Norfolk parents that we are voting for. Just as our forefathers voted for the tax increases that built our current schools, we have an opportunity to further the education of our children and our children's children. To allow our children to thrive and excel, we can no longer view schools as mere bricks and mortar. Our children's success depends on access to an ever-growing spectrum of curriculum, technology and activities.

Some may say that we should vote "No" because building a school is "beyond our means." This line of reasoning is apparently based upon the fact that property tax increases of more than 2.5 percent are subject to a so-called "override." However, nearly any capital building project in any town requires an override. Without overrides, there would be no new schools anywhere in Massachusetts! Furthermore, there is nothing about an override that indicates we are operating "beyond our means." When it comes to the vote on this issue, our "means" are more appropriately defined as the lengths we are willing to go to ensure that our children and our town will thrive.

I have spent the last decade serving as counsel to more than 100 municipalities. Each town in Massachusetts has its own personality but there are a few attributes all successful communities share. Principally, it is the availability of a quality education that sets successful cities and towns apart. As children thrive, their parents and their grandparents invest their time and energy back into the community and a "sense of place" develops. Like other volunteers, I look forward to coaching local sports and serving on town boards. We all share the fruits of an investment in our town, but our children are the primary beneficiaries.

I don't take the issue of taxation lightly and not every proposal is worthy of increased property taxes. However, voting Yes for the Freeman-Centennial School is a singular opportunity to make Norfolk a better place for our children, our neighbors and ourselves. Please vote Yes on Nov. 10.

Jason Talerman, Norfolk

Police visiting class can create lasting memory

I found myself feeling very disappointed to think people do not like the idea of a police officer visiting the young grade school children in the classroom and at recess in the City of Brockton.

Our children are so impressionable at this young age. I can remember when I was in grade school in Franklin, a police officer - "Baldy" Carr, a great big man, six-foot-six and so compassionate in his communications with all the children. In those days we were brought up to respect our law enforcement officers. Of course, as a little girl, Officer Carr looked like a handsome giant, dressed so perfect in his uniform. He had a very deep voice, but when he spoke to us about safety, and paying attention to what was happening around us, his voice was kind and gentle.

These are very important years in our little children's lives and our grownups should take interest in supporting our police officers in their wonderful and dangerous profession.

I sincerely hope our officers are granted this great teaching opportunity to include our children in their efforts to impress on them the importance of safety for everyone.

Jackie Sewell, Attleboro

Writer fails to make case for legalization of pot

I just finished reading Edwin Tefft's lengthy article about why he feels pot should be legalized. To me, most of it is a waste of paper and ink.

They all beat the same drum. Tobacco is legal! Alcohol is legal! Why compare them? Who said they are safe? Not law enforcement, and certainly not the medical community. So you are comparing lung cancer-causing, and stupor-causing substances to justify pot, and include all the cost of all drug enforcement to pot. You say cigarettes are bad! Pot is good?

"Prohibition didn't work." The manufacture and sale of alcohol under controlled conditions is indeed legal. Driving drunk is not! Public intoxication is not! No one claims alcohol is harmless. yet you compare. Ya, right!

"The laws don't work" they scream! Been on I-95 lately? See many people driving 55 or under? So let's repeal the speed limit, nobody obeys the law anyway. Do you have any idea how much money we could save on signs and law enforcement?

Pothead apparent logic: High-speed driving yields fewer miles per gallon of gasoline, so control speed by increasing the gas tax! Wow, we could save on signs, and increase taxes, that would put millions into the commonwealth's coffers!

A very lengthy article indeed, with plenty of words, and not one that offers any social or medical reason to support the mind-altering effect of illicit drugs.

I am more convinced than ever, outside of drugs prescribed by doctors, that if you use any drug, legal or not, to "get happy," you have a drug problem. Legalizing it won't make it better.

Daniel West, South Attleboro

Commandment, amendment on side of protesters

Christiane Denkel writes (Nov. 2) about how she often rides by Angell Park and sees parents with their small children exposed for long periods of time to the effects the signs may have on them!

She says absolutely nothing about the reason why good honest law-abiding citizens are doing this! I believe she sees herself as a good person! She has stated that we are self-righteous and are doing harm to the children playing there in the park exposed to these pictures!

As far as I know, there is only one such picture being shown there once a week - all the others are written signs and unless these children playing there are older than 8 or 9 years old they would be unable to read them, much less understand what they say!

What this letter totally disregards and thus fails to deal with, is our reason for being there!

She feels that we are somehow wrong and are being self-righteous and judgmental in being there to protest the horror of the ceaseless killing of tiny babies of expectant mothers going on in Four Women Inc. across Emory Street from Angell Park. From her letter we gather that she finds no problem whatsoever with this killing of hundreds of tiny pre-born babies at least three times per week about 50 weeks per year!

Please tell us how we can be wrong in thinking that this killing of real living very small babies is a violation of the Fifth Commandment "thou shalt not kill" and the Fifth Amendment of our Constitution that the right to life is guarenteed!

Don Girard, North Attleboro

You won't find these five words in Constitution

I wish to narrowly respond to the recent interesting letter by David Daugman, in which he takes Rep. Betty Poirier to task: for what I'm not quite sure.

However, he states, in part, his claim that "our Constitution and Bill of Rights...clearly and concisely delineates the necessarily legal separation of church and state."

Firstly, the "Bill of Rights" is a part of our Constitution. It is the set of the first ten amendments to our Constitution - it is not a separate document, per se.

Secondly, and far more importantly, neither our Constitution nor its Bill of Rights contains the oft-repeated phrase, "separation of church and state." I sort of hate to deliver this "bad news," but it is nonetheless true. Said phrase does not appear at all in our supreme law of the land.

Finally, this said oft-repeated phrase is used as a tactic to sell the idea that the Constitution uses the phrase, "freedom from religion." Not so.

The phrase is actually "freedom of religion," meaning a guarantee of the right to absolute freedom of religious expression.

So, David, I admire your passion for your point of view.

But may I suggest that we all review our nation's Constitution to see what it really says. And may we always be governed by it.

Gerald F. Chase, Attleboro