"The director of USMH says in Thursday's newspaper that budget cuts would 'cripple us.' I wonder how the folks at Rayloc and Fuji and Volvo felt when their companies closed or reduced staffing. The powers at USMH need to realize that everybody might be affected in slow economic times." - Beaver Creek

"To the person whose young daughter has 2 1/2-year-old twins, and the electricity's gonna be cut off March 25: I don't know about up here, when I lived in Carroll and Howard County, Baltimore Gas & Electric claimed they were not allowed to turn anyone's electricity off until April, especially those with little children or the elderly. And why hasn't your daughter asked for energy assistance? And not only that, where is the husband or the boyfriend, or whoever is responsible for these children being on this earth? All I hear about is mothers need help, mothers need help, but I never hear where the fathers help any. It's supposed to be the taxpayers or charity." - Waynesboro, Pa.

"If Obama demanded Imus be fired, then why not his pastor? Seems more and more to me he agrees with him."

"To you disciples of Rush Limbaugh, I wish you would use (your) head and think about what this man is all about. He spreads fear and anger to make himself a very rich man. He is about money. You have a head on your shoulders; use it. I am proud of the (fact) that I can make up my own mind and act accordingly, and don't need a Limbaugh telling (me) how it is." - Greencastle, Pa.

"We will never win the war on crime, drugs, poverty, and terrorists, because the one hope was the church, and now we hear hate and blame is being preached in some of the churches, including Muslim and Christian."

"Yesterday in the pouring rain, I got gas at the Weis gas station in Boonsboro. I left my wallet lay on the trunk of my car. A few hours later, I had a call from the nice lady that works there. She found it, and all the cards and change that had fallen out. I wanted to give her something for finding it, but she said to give a donation to the fire victims in Boonsboro. Can anyone let me know who to contact?" - Keedysville

"I just don't understand the Democrats. Here they're preaching that George W. Bush has ruined the economy and we're in a recession, but yet they want to raise gas taxes 50 cents to save the earth. I would never vote for a Democrat after hearing this. This would ruin the whole U.S. if this would ever happen." - Boonsboro

"To the person who responded to my article about the use of the sheriff's department cruisers: I think the response came from someone working for the department. I can't say I blame them, because if I had the opportunity to use someone else's automobile, with gas being furnished, to take my children to school and my wife shopping - plus all the other running around - I am sure I would take advantage of it. As for the shift to use the cruiser, I would keep five cruisers for backup. My biggest concern is seeing these extra 50 cruisers sitting around, not being (used)."

"Almost any male can make a baby. It takes a man to be a father." - Clear Spring

"Presidential race - I'm sitting here watching CNN, and I can't believe that folks in Pennsylvania and West Virginia are voting on Mrs. Clinton, Hillary Clinton, for president, when her husband signed the NAFTA bill that sent all our jobs overseas. I lived in West Virginia and I liked West Virginia, but I can't understand the West Virginia people. I couldn't vote for Mrs. Clinton. She wants to take gun rights away from me, she's gonna have more job loss, she's gonna up your federal taxes so high you won't be able to keep them, and the poor people can't - I can't see poor people voting for Clinton." - Hagerstown

"Of course President Bush can be blamed for the oil prices. He started a war in a region that he never should have been involved in, and he's borrowed more than $600 billion to pay for this war, causing us to have a huge debt, and causing the value of the dollar to go down against the rest of the currencies in this world. George Bush has caused this, plain and simple. He's the worst president we've ever had." - Sharpsburg

"I'm a Vietnam veteran, I have two brothers who are Vietnam veterans, I have a father who was in World War II. All three of them are Democrats; I'm a Republican, and they can't even get over this, that Jeremiah Wright, the reverend from Barack Obama, the racist statements that he says ..." - Funkstown

"Come on, people. Since the commissioners think that we're all fools, let's use April 1, April Fool's Day, and go downtown and protest, march around the commissioners' office, for this (spending) of our $4.6 million. April 1, let's use April Fool's Day, in a physical presence down at the commissioners' building." - Hagerstown

"Once again, I watched the council meeting on TV, and what a group of people, that sit back and find ways to spend our money. Oh well, we'll just spend thousands of dollars for this and thousands of dollars for that, and make this mandatory and that mandatory. Between the Washington County BOE, the County Commissioners, and Hagerstown ... I've lived here all my life and loved this town, but the more I see and the more I hear, I'm starting to hate it more and more."

"On Thursday night, March 20, a Maundy Thursday service was the dramatization of the Last Supper at Beaver Creek Christian Church. That was the most touching service I have ever attended in all my 60 years. Thank you. They were wonderful portrayers, and it just was so meaningful, and then the communion. It was wonderful."

"To the other Cascade caller who thinks that it is amazing that people who are complaining about COPT don't even live on the mountain: News flash, sweetie, I live on the mountain, and I'm complaining loud and clear. Please take off your rose-colored blinders. COPT is not a good picture for the mountain." - Cascade