Sound Off highlights anonymous, brief takes on the news offered via telephone by Daily News readers.

Well, praise the Lord. That building behind the tattoo shop is down. Great work. Let’s keep it up.

Can someone tell me why the picnic tables have not been put back on the waterfront underneath a tree by the flagpole? A lot of people really enjoyed eating there. Sure would love to know why.

I agree with the caller who proposed making common-law marriages legal, as many states do. I have been with my partner for 28 years, but if we married, we would both lose benefits from pensions, Social Security and health insurance. Most important, we stay together and try harder without a piece of paper because we want to.

To the person who is complaining about Sunday grass-mowers: maybe you should be a courteous neighbor and mow your neighbor’s grass for them on Saturday.

I take exception to the editorial of Aug. 3, which stated that supporting Chick-fil-A on Aug. 1 was “a waste of cold, hard cash.” Like most liberals, your writer believes that he or she knows better than I as to how I should spend my money. Those who spent their money on chicken sandwiches were showing their support for Mr. Cathy, the First Amendment and traditional marriage. Eating at Chick-fil-A does not mean that we cannot also donate to other good organizations that help the needy. It is not an either or situation as the writer implied.

The reports in the news about Democratic Party supporting gay marriages. I don’t know who they’ve been talking to because I’m a Democrat and I do not support it. Everyone I talk to who is Democrat do not, so I think the polls are very limited who they took it from.

I would like to know why is it that just because people are against gay marriage that we are against gay people? It doesn’t make sense. We are just against gay marriage; we don’t hate gay people. We care about these people. They’re our family; they’re our friends. We’re just against gay marriage; that’s it. Don’t throw all that other stuff in with it.

To the person who submitted the item about same sex marriage and hate and the Democratic Party: I think the point is most of us are very tired of it being forced down our throats. That’s the issue, not the hatred.

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