http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/ Give your take on the News & Record's Letters to the Editor. en Copyright 2008 Wed, 14 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss The following is a Counterpoint column. By Daniel U. Cregar Jr. I read with interest the article by John R. Cawthron, (CEO, TIMCO) who wrote a scathing piece (April 25) accusing HondaJet of employment piracy. In the early years of my dental practice, I hired a young lady to work part time as an assistant while she completed her senior year in high school. When she graduated, I did not have a full-time position for her, but I highly recommended her to a specialist colleague who hired her. Nine months later, an opening occurred in my practice and I advertised for an assistant. This young lady applied and took the job at a lower salary than the specialist was paying her. When I asked why, she stated that the working conditions at her other job were too stressful and she dreaded going to work in the morning. The specialist, I might add, sent me a scathing letter accusing me of “stealing” his employee. A similar situation to Cawthron’s. I would recommend that Mr. Cawthron seriously look at TIMCO and ask himself if his employees dread coming to work in the morning. He has two choices. He can act like the little boy who owned the only baseball in the park and told the other kids, “Play by my rules, or I will take my ball home with me.” Or he can go to his human resources department and analyze whether or not: 1) his wages are competitive with the industry; 2) he gives his employees a generous insurance and retirement package comparable to industry standards; 3) the working conditions at TIMCO are as stress-free as possible and his employees look forward to coming to work each morning. If any of these conditions does not exist, he needs to address it. I strongly suggest he look at his company closely. If he doesn’t, when HondaJet opens that production line he is going to lose more than four engineers, and he can take that advice to the bank. The writer lives in High Point.]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/timco_should_assess_work_condi.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/timco_should_assess_work_condi.shtml Wed, 14 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Don Freedman Greensboro]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/check_location_of_seats_before.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/check_location_of_seats_before.shtml Wed, 14 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Michael Barr Greensboro The writer is CEO, Greensboro Regional Realtors Association.]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/citys_real_estate_market_is_pe.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/citys_real_estate_market_is_pe.shtml Wed, 14 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Letitia Vann Greensboro ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/some_parents_coaches_lack_spor.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/some_parents_coaches_lack_spor.shtml Wed, 14 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Peter Allen Greensboro]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/council_still_disregarding_con.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/council_still_disregarding_con.shtml Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 A.O. Brown Greensboro ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/not_very_amusing.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/not_very_amusing.shtml Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Bridgid MacSeoin Greensboro]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/obamas_solid_record_is_there_f.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/obamas_solid_record_is_there_f.shtml Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Elizabeth Gratzek Greensboro]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/the_evidence_supports_theory_o.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/the_evidence_supports_theory_o.shtml Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 The following is a Counterpoint: By Patrick Harman Now that the Greensboro Zoning Commission and Planning Department have killed what was once called Horse Pen Creek Road with yet another obscenely large and unneeded development that violates the city’s land-use plan, it is time to fix the rezoning process, as it systematically favors developers and is designed to prevent opposition from nearby homeowners. Issue: I didn’t receive notice about this rezoning application because only property owners within 600 feet are notified. Did the Planning Department really think I wouldn’t be impacted because I live 700 feet away? Solution: The Planning Department should notify all property owners within a half-mile of the site with a letter explaining the application in excruciating detail. Issue: The little yellow-and-green hearing notification signs are insufficient. You can’t read those signs as you drive. In my case, I would have to find a place to park and walk in a ditch along a very busy road to read it. Then, because the typical property owner knows nothing about zoning, one would have to look up a CD-PDM to see what it means. Solution: Use a large sign explaining what is happening with the hearing. The sign should also have a schematic of the proposed development. Issue: The Zoning Commission meets at 2 p.m. on Mondays. This is a time when most property owners work, thereby presenting yet another barrier to those who would object to proposed developments. Solution: The meeting should be held in the evenings or on weekends when it is more conducive to getting true public input. Issue: There appears to be no one in the Planning Department looking out for the interests of the typical homeowner. The Planning Department knows for months about proposed projects but does not have the courtesy to let neighboring residents know what might be next to them in the near future. Solution: That department should have an ombudsman whose job it is to inform homeowners about proposed projects in their neighborhood as soon as they are in the initial planning stages. This person should explain what it might mean for their neighborhood and the process involved in a rezoning application. If the city is unwilling to make these changes, let’s dispense with the rezoning process entirely and let developers do whatever they want. As it stands, it’s just a bunch of hooey and everyone knows it. The writer lives in Greensboro. ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/city_needs_to_change_rezoning.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/city_needs_to_change_rezoning.shtml Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 James Helvey Winston-Salem ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/police_deserve_support_even_wh.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/police_deserve_support_even_wh.shtml Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Mike Kastanek Greensboro]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/behindthestage_seating_mars_sp.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/behindthestage_seating_mars_sp.shtml Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Laura Webb High Point]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/children_in_autism_wings_will.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/children_in_autism_wings_will.shtml Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Shirley B. Dean Greensboro]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/critics_overstate_wrights_infl.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/critics_overstate_wrights_infl.shtml Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Anthony S. Belli Greensboro ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/are_officers_above_the_law.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/are_officers_above_the_law.shtml Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Robert Hudson High Point ]]> http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/living_near_the_airport_become.shtml http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2008/05/living_near_the_airport_become.shtml Sun, 11 May 2008 03:00:00 -0500