Readers respond to online polls

Readers had a few things to say about Thursday's editorial asking whether all cell phone use by drivers should be banned.

That poll is still open, but so far, 19 readers said yes and 14 said no.

"Head sets should be used. You see officers of the law driving around with a cell phone held to the side of their head all the time, or even on the computer device they have in the patrol cars," one reader commented. It should be noted, however, that the proposed law would allow cell phone use by law enforcement officers, doctors others on official or emergency business.

In an earlier poll, 276 or 43.7 percent said all law enforcement officers should be required to wear body cameras, but 346 or 54.8 percent said no, with 9 having no opinion.

The moved would be "an undeniable way of keeping balance of power and acceptable interactions in check ... too much abuse of power," one reader said.

Another was a little more direct: "Yes, and I would suggest that if you want to look like a combat Marine ... join the Marines for crying out loud. Also, why do regular patrol officers need to carry guns? It is possible to handle dangerous situations without dangerous weapons."

When we asked how much readers expected to spend online for Christmas, 43 percent said $0, seven said $0-100; five said $100-$500, and 11 said more than $500. "It'll probably be more than I spend in stores," one reader confessed.

The question "At what age should drinking alcohol be legal?" drew a lot of responses.

2.5 percent or 52 readers said 16 should be the legal age, 50.2 percent or 1,055 said 18, 41.4 percent or 869 said 21, 2 percent or 42 votes said no bottom limit and 83 voters or 4 percent said they wanted to bring back 3.2 percent beer.

Among the comments:

"No reason to lower it to 18. Most 18-year-olds still have the mind of a kid and are too immature to handle alcohol."

"Alcohol content 5 percent or below should be 18, though!"

"20 should be the age, just to keep it out of high schools and the teens."

"By legalizing what is now illegal and referred to as underage drinking, you'd be taking away significant revenues and business from law enforcement and associated attorneys. Can't have that!"

"18 for active military ... if they are old enough to put themselves in harm's way for our country, they should be able to have a beer. All others 21."

"Tried it before in the '70s and it did not work then."

Also drawing many comments was a question about whether growing hemp should be legalized in Nebraska:

"I think this is a great idea. I also think legalization of marijuana would indeed help with the medical use for people who suffer from seizures and different medical problems such as cancer and depression. With that being said, I think steps should be taken to make this happen. I mean, it's the 20th century, we need to stop living in the dark ages and get with the program, so to speak."

"Hemp is the perfect cash crop; not sure why anyone would be against it."

"An alternative crop for Nebraska ag producers with a market that is presently importing industrial hemp from China."

Stay tuned; we'll try to pose more polls for reader input over the next weeks as the Legislature considers bills, and as other issues arise.