News-Record.com

When the media report on nursing homes, more likely than not the stories will be negative, focusing on patient abuse and poor living conditions. That is not an accurate representation of the majority of nursing homes, which provide the elderly with excellent medical care and a quality of life that can no longer be given at home.

Over the past two years, nursing homes nationwide have been working to improve accountability through the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes campaign. This is the first national effort to measure quality by setting clinical and organizational goals.

Participating nursing homes pledge to focus on eight goals that include improved pain management, assessing patient and family satisfaction and consistent assignment of staff to patients to ensure continuity of care. If you have a loved one who is either currently in a nursing home, or may be in the future, you should research nursing homes you are considering and ask if they participate in the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes campaign. To learn more, go to www.nhqualitycampaign.org.

Kelly Foley
Greensboro

That was a heart-warming story in Sunday's paper by Cheryl Wittenauer about what's happened to pit bulls seized from Michael Vick's dogfighting property. I thought those dogs would have been euthanized because nobody would want them. I'm so glad I was wrong.

A number of compassionate dog lovers rescued most of the pitiful animals and took them to safe places to await foster families. I don't care for pit bulls but I'm glad some people believe they can be rehabilitated and are proving they can be. Also glad that Vick has agreed to pay for the dogs' care as part of his plea deal. His name could have gone down in the halls of NFL fame, but instead he will be remembered for infamy.

This is a story made to order for a movie with one of the dogs (maybe Uba) as the hero and a former NFL player as the villain, on the order of "101 Dalmatians" — only better because it is a true life story of good triumphing over evil.

Vivian Robinson
Jamestown

In Elizabeth Jones' letter (Jan. 26), she says that President Bush is doing a wonderful and moral job.

I believe to deceive is a sin. No president has deceived the American people more.
She also condemns liberals for withholding the needs of our troops. If the president did not deceive the American people about WMDs, we would not have troops in Iraq to support.

Paul Moscato
Siler City

I am a social work student at UNCG. Currently, I work in the mental health field, and last year I did a research project on the quality of care individuals in the mental health system are receiving. Thus I feel uniquely qualified, as well as obligated, to comment on the mental health crisis in North Carolina.

A major concern is the difficulty many find obtaining and retaining services. Many insurance providers place a cap on the number of visits to a therapist or substance abuse treatment provider. This is disservice to those who have mental health issues.

Would we accept it if insurance providers told someone dying of cancer they could only receive chemotherapy six times before they would have to pay out of pocket? I think not!

It is the stigma that society places on mental illness as well as the lack of seriousness we attribute to it that keeps many from receiving proper care. As a society, we must do more to erase the stigma placed on mental illness and inform others about the failing system.

Johnette Walser
Winston-Salem

Adult working students are not given a fair chance at an education. The majority of adult students attending college work full time and many have children and family obligations. As a working student, I have only been offered financial aid in the form of student loans, which require repayment. Ten percent of UNCG's student enrollment is adult students.

Throughout my college career, I have come in contact with students privileged enough to not need to work while attending school. Most, however, do not and will not have that opportunity.
I have also noticed that certain minorities often get offered financial aid that doesn't require repayment. This seems unfair to non-minorities.

If the government would offer more funding to students, there would be more adults attending college. It appears that those of us who do not fall into one of the previously mentioned categories are forced to work full time while incurring debt in order to support ourselves through college
.
Our legislators should take a hard look at students who put themselves through school and how much debt they incur while doing so.

Stacie Hazelwood
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint.

By Charles J. Jones

There are two primary reasons the availability of water supply in this area will remain marginal: Excessive bureaucracy and inter-basin transfer rules.

For example, the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority inherited the Randleman Reservoir from the Corps of Engineers. The reservoir and dam had received final approval for construction as a flood control and water supply reservoir. But Congress chose not to fund the project, so it was dropped by the Corps of Engineers, which gave all the preliminary engineering and other information to the Water Authority.

The reservoir then was designated as a water supply lake, the size was reduced, and Water Authority proceeded to seek approval for construction. Hoops were jumped through and state and federal bureaucratic impediments navigated for 10 years before approval for construction was received.

Millions were spent during this decade. The cost of merely getting a reservoir approved is formidable.

The inter-basin transfer rules, as they are currently interpreted, further complicate the problems of constructing a reservoir. Water from a new supply lake must be used and discharged in the same sub-basin. Often the supply water is in one sub-basin and the potential users in another. In most cases users exist in more than one sub-basin and an inter-basin transfer permit is not automatic.

Gov. Mike Easley, meanwhile, has implored North Carolina citizens to conserve water. Conservation is important but is not the ultimate answer to the supply problem.

Remove the unnecessary impediments and inter-basin transfer rules, and municipalities and governing entities will construct needed water-supply facilities on their own, as they have done in the past.

The writer lives in Jamestown.

Some of you have complained about crude comments on this blog and have provided some examples in particular from the poster, The Liberal Conservative.

I'm not sure I would classify all of his recent comments as objectionable, but many clearly are.

He is not alone. I continue to be amazed at how the Web seems to prick some of our baser instincts.

And, try as we might, we continue to have trouble convincing some people that adults who behave like children do little to enrich civil discussion on the blogs.

In one case, we traced a series of offensive comments to a teenager who had assumed his parents' sign-on during summer vacation from school.

In another a poster threatened to blow up the civil rights museum and made himself the object of an SBI iinvestigaton. (He publicly apologized on my blog.)

In still other cases, it appears that grown-ups seem somehow emboldened by the Internet to throw mud and insults.

We try to keep an eye on all of the comments but it's hard to do around the clock on several threads per day, seven days a week.

Please behave. Please remember that name-calling does not substitute for a logical argument, nor is it witty or entertaining.
.
Please remember that you don't flatter yourself -- that such comments are the blogger's equivalent of saying something about somebody's mama because he's at a loss for anything substantive to say.

And please report objectionable comments and we'll delete them as soon as possible.

In the case of repeat offenders, we will ban them from commenting altogether.

PS. No, I am not The Liberal Conservative.

.

The following is a Counterpoint:

By David P. Haxton

It is that time of life -- looking back; reflecting on fascinating situations lived, interesting personalities met, exciting places seen; reading obituaries. Three interesting people died last month:

• I met Ed Hillary in New Zealand in 1956 at the World Congress of Junior Chamber International; the great hero of Mount Everest was a speaker. As secretary general of JCI, I sat next to him. In the early 1980s in New Delhi, he was high commissioner (ambassador) for New Zealand and I was regional director for UNICEF.

We met often at diplomatic functions, but more importantly we met in unofficial gatherings at his residence or ours. A few years before, he lost his wife and daughter in an air crash in Nepal. His neighbors at home, the Mulgrews, helped him through his grief. Peter Mulgrew was his long-time companion in adventures and replaced him a few years later on a flight over Antarctica that crashed and killed all on board. Ed then reached out to that family. He was a straightforward type, easy to talk with, unpretentious, with a great sense of humor.

• P.K. (Pramod Karan) Sethi was famous as the joint inventor of the "Jaipur foot." He created the prosthetic device using local flexible materials at his center in Rajasthan, India. The main beneficiaries were those suffering from leprosy, who often lose toes, fingers and limbs as the disease reduces sense of feeling. Later, those wounded by land mines in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion increased demand.

His center created other devices to help, for instance, injured women to feed their children, attend their families, and for men to manipulate hand tools. We worked with his center to help improve market outreach and obtained some recognition for it and him from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

• Suharto was the former authoritarian president of Indonesia. Like many Javanese, he used only one name. He was a leading general in the resistance to Japan during World War II. I met him a number of times. While realizing his political approach, my task was to help to improve services for children. He was supportive through an innovative method of financing controlled by his office, bypassing troublesome parliaments and bureaucrats with grants directly to villages.

The passing of these men is normal. They were all in their 80s. It is something I shall need to get used to.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

In today's society, an increasing number of grandparents are raising their grandchildren. I support this as long as it is in the child's best interest.

I am in my early 50s, a wife, mother and an undergraduate student at UNCG. This situation is relevant to me because a couple of months ago my whole life changed when my grandchildren came to live with me. Thus, I can relate to the struggles of other grandparents in my situation.

There are so many things that all parents or guardians have to be aware of, such as computers, cell phones and text messaging, transportation, helping with homework (if you can), and attending extracurricular activities. Raising grandchildren at an older age demands much more mental, physical and emotional energy.

Resources are available to grandparents and guardians, and I would like to share some: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, food banks, Agency on Aging, universities and colleges, churches, United Way, support groups, and Social Services. These and other agencies can be a tremendous support as we struggle to do our best for these wonderful children.

Pamela Id-Deen
Greensboro

As a citizen of the United States of America and a member of "We the People," I would like to apologize to the world community for the shameful and disgraceful behavior of President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress -- without whose disregard for the "rule of law" none of this behavior would have been possible.

Michael E. Badgett
Mount Airy

Courtesy of Mary Lynn Needham
Students from Ms. Needham’s class raised the most money at Eastern Middle to help restore the Nativity at Greensboro College.

The Nativity scene at Greensboro College was vandalized beyond repair last year, and the students at Eastern Guilford Middle School showed great commitment to raise money for a replacement.

On Dec. 17, collection containers provided by a parent were placed in every classroom. Students and staff were encouraged to place change or other donations in the containers. The class that collected the most money during the two-week period was Ms. Needham's class.

The total amount raised by Eastern Middle students was $500. Needham's class traveled to Greensboro College on Jan. 24 and presented the check to Craven Williams, president of Greensboro College, during the Founder's Day Ceremony.

The students were later treated to lunch provided by the Stoney Creek McDonald's restaurant.

We are all very proud of the dedication demonstrated by our students, staff, parents and community.

Mary Lynn Needham
Gibsonville

I urge the Guilford County school board to encourage the growth of programs such as Campus Life. My son joined this club at his school. It functions as a Bible study group, coupled with activities. Because our religious faith is important to our family, I was pleased he was given this opportunity.

Campus Life sponsors "Friday Night Out." This awesome event could be used throughout our community as a model for other youth groups. The young people were in a positive setting that allowed them to learn about the Bible and to connect the lessons to teamwork, leadership, positive communication, respect and accountability.

When I asked why programs like this aren't in other schools, I was given a variety of reasons, but one stands out: "Schools aren't supposed to combine religion with education." I have a hard time with this because our country was founded on religious freedom — both the freedom to practice religion and the freedom to not have it forced on us. If religious clubs or programs are going to make a positive difference in children's lives, then our schools should consider making changes that will allow, but not force, them to meet just as other clubs are allowed.

Tabitha McGeachy
Greensboro

Is Max Borders really telling us that it is not necessary to recycle? (op-ed column, Jan, 13).
He writes that we should not worry about recycling because we have plenty of space. New York City exports all of its 22,500 tons of daily trash to places like Virginia and Pennsylvania because there is no more space. While I am sure that Ted Turner's ranch, as Borders argues, could hold our garbage, I doubt that Turner, nor any of us, would want that. It's a phenomenon called NIMBY — not in my backyard — and it represents our distaste for nasty things in our midst.

Contrary to what Borders would have us believe, garbage is nasty, poses health risks and should be reduced. Rather than suggesting that we simply need more landfills, we should be thinking about how we can change our habits and eliminate waste before it is generated.

Furthermore, any recycling vs. landfilling cost-analysis should include the cost of environmental damage from the initial mining, transport and manufacture of those now ready-for-disposal resources that Borders thinks erroneously are in endless supply.

Sallie Lacy
Frankfort, Germany

The writer is a Greensboro native.

Just the other day I decided to pay a visit to a nursing home in which I used to work. As I walked down the hall, one of the nurses looked at me with an extremely annoyed expression and asked, "What are you smiling about?" It was then that I realized that having a smile on my face in a nursing home placed me in the minority.

So many of the employees seem to hate their jobs and that affects how they treat residents. Not all residents are easy to get along with, but employees have a responsibility to be both professional and cordial despite the attitudes of their consumers. Some residents have a difficult time making the transition to a nursing home setting. A friendly staff makes the transition more pleasant for everyone.

I happen to think a nursing home is one of the most appropriate places to wear a smile. Long-term care staff should be aware that it is not enough to be knowledgeable about their jobs. It's just as important to build rapport and be friendly, even on the most demanding workday.

Porscha Martin
Mayodan

At a gathering of neighbors, I asked everyone how often they took time for silence. The responses were revealing. Several said they "don't have time for silence." A couple said silence was "scary." When I asked why, they said it made them anxious or nervous, not knowing what to think or feel. Another said silence was an attribute of oppressed people, since they live in fear of the taking of their lives or property if they speak out.

Isn't the world noisy! In our home, car, outside in the fresh air, at work, in shopping centers — noise is invading our need for quiet time. Seeking some quiet time, if only a few minutes daily, can recharge our inner batteries, make us pause before acting, rest our mind, restore our souls. When someone says, "I don't have time for that type of foolishness," that strikes me as a danger signal. People who have no time for silence are usually the ones who feel powerless (trying to solve problems they don't own) and have let their lives spin out of control.

We all need quiet time to examine our lives, to shut the world out. Poet Christina Rossetti wrote: "Silence is more musical than any song."

Richard Morgan
High Point

With no prior notice of its closing, Lowes Food Store has moved on to "the big time," vacating its Gibsonville store on Tuesday.

This leaves residents with no easily accessible neighborhood store. Now, it's back to the same old "Gas and Go to the Mall" scenario (no provisions ever made for bikers or walkers).

While shopping at Lowes recently, several people stopped to comment on how angered and disappointed they were to be left high and dry. One lady asked me if I could keep the store open so people could shop there. Although kidding, she was at the same time quite serious.

Are there any local farmers reading this? Come to the meeting and vote for a co-op here. I am certain that residents would welcome fresh produce weekly and enthusiastically support their own store here.

Gibsonville has been working toward revitalizing its downtown area, and to lose its major food store after so many years is a low blow.

Shouldn't a community of 6,000 (plus many more drive-throughs) have the right to a quality store?

If you want a store, come to the meeting at 7 p.m. today, Gibsonville Town Hall, Main Street. Bring your friends!

Catherine Dinges
Gibsonville

Given the recent rise in crime in our beloved city and the recent Martin Luther King holiday, I feel it is important to stir up within us all a call to action. I am speaking to all of our city's residents since no one is exempt and no neighborhood is safe.

I dare you to think about the young man who died on the side of a highway for pieces of stolen jewelry last month. Who or what failed him? How did his ambitions, no matter how fallible, manage to go unchecked?

This recent surge of bloodletting must stop. Was it gangs, drugs, blacks, Hispanics? Where in town? I hear people ask. Martin Luther King said, "I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that merely deals with the effects and does not grapple with the underlying causes."

Traces of our collective, apathetic conscience have unavoidably begun to show.

If we all don't start to lend our talents, abilities, capabilities and credibility to bring about substantial empathetic growth through strong, persistent and determined action, then we have no right to complain when it's our home, our child or our own sense of well-being that is violated.

Glenn Robinson
Greensboro

On Tuesday, the Greensboro City Council will hold a second reading on a rezoning case where facts seem to be ignored. Concern for wetlands is one of three definitive issues concerned citizens have raised.

A parcel of the property under consideration contains a 1-1/2-acre spring-fed pond that remains full at times when our city lakes are at frighteningly low points. The headwater for a creek that feeds Greensboro's water supply is slightly south and west of this property, but the stream runs through it. This creek has never dried up.

Are these wetlands? In 2002, a proposal to rezone land adjacent to the parcel with pond and creek was withdrawn on the basis of wetlands. The Corps of Engineers cannot come on the property unless invited by the landowner.

Did I mention that former Sen. Bob Shaw and wife Commissioner Linda Shaw are the landowners? I was at the zoning commission meeting in 2002, seated next to Sen. Shaw. Oh, by the way, the proposed developer of this property is County Commissioner Mike Winstead.

How fair is our local government?

Colin Kelly
Greensboro

It is hard to believe that less than nine months ago the Zoning Board and the City Council realized how much the residents of Garden Lakes Estates wanted the entrance to our subdivision to remain as it is now and voted to keep it so. We were delighted.

We were stunned recently to find we will be going before the City Council again. Why is it the developers cannot understand the simple little two-letter word "no"?

When my husband and I moved into this subdivision in 1960, it was just starting to grow. My husband built several houses here in the '60s, and more than 60 percent of the people who bought the houses still live in them. We are a nice, settled community and we want it to stay that way. Across New Garden Road, there is a growing mall with everything anyone could want. A Walgreens and a bank at the entrance on Garden Lakes Drive would be a drastic change and very much unneeded and unwanted.

Hopefully, the developers will understand the word "no" this time and leave us alone to enjoy our subdivision.

Shirlee Rothrock
Greensboro

We hear so much of what is wrong with our schools and what's wrong with this person in the school system.

I would like to tell everyone about a teacher from Ferndale Middle School who went above and beyond for a student. Kate Finch, my son's sixth-grade teacher, got my son excited about reading, and he had read all of the Harry Potter books except the last one. Ms. Finch was also reading the same book and promised Bradley he could borrow hers when she finished.
Instead of making him wait until she finished, she went, on her own time, to the public library and borrowed the book with her own library card for my son.

That is what is good about Guilford County Schools -- teachers who care. Please pay these teachers who inspire our children.

Andy Turner
High Point

Recently, I heard Todd Oakley, an associate pastor of Gate City Vineyard, speak at Family Harvest Outreach on West Market Street. I believe he and his wife, Christina, are about to make a difference in the lives of Greensboro youth.

In pointing out the misconceptions we carry concerning how adolescents are influenced, he named media and peers as fifth; significant other older adults, such as aunts, uncles and grandparents, as second; and parents, leading by example, as No. 1. Teachers, band directors, coaches and other youth leaders are more influential in the lives of adolescents than media or peers.

It takes an entire community of people, caring and loving, to raise our children. This couldn't be more crucial in today's world. I believe this is how the gangs in our area will be left without new recruits.

I commend Todd and Christina for the light and love they are shining.

Rose Daniels
High Point

The number of young adults who vote in this country is troubling. The percentages of people who vote have changed every election except among young adults; the percentage of 18- to 24-year-old voters always has been low.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the 2004 election, only 46.7 percent of people in this age group voted.

I cannot predict the future, but I know that whichever way the election goes, it will have a profound effect on my life and my future. I plan to go out and vote as a result. If it is going to affect me, I want a say in it. My hope is that more young adults will feel the same and vote.

So, don't sit at home and say how much you hate who was elected. Get up, go out and vote.

You hear it all the time that one vote makes a difference, but if more of us actually vote, it's not just one more, and that makes all the difference.

Jennifer Proctor
Greensboro

My health insurer recently expanded its coverage to include total payment of Medicare as well as the usual covered items.

Their new PFFS (private fee for service), USA Care, means the physician does not contact Medicare at all.

less paperwork for the doctor, right?

So, why can't I find a doctor to accept USA Care? Did progress skip Greensboro doctors?

Dorothea C. lamson
Greensboro

I know a man who gets only $600 a month to live on. His heating bill was $212 one month when he had his thermostat sitting on 68 degrees.

Two hundred dollars goes to buy groceries each month. That leaves $200 for water, lights and a few other necessities, like gas. We live in a free country -- the best in the world -- but it is getting harder and harder for people to live in so-called comfort.

God bless all those who live in cold houses and cannot turn up the heat because they still need to pay the other bills.

Iris Newby
Eden

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Guy Pierce

As an assisted-living facility owner-operator, I am saddened by the recent news that a local home was forced to close.

My sadness is not that a troubled home was shut down, but that the vast majority of honest, hardworking and, indeed, caring caregivers such as myself and my staff are facing guilt by association -- and the fact we could all be facing these same issues.

The problem is funding, a topic no one wishes to tie to good care. For those of us who choose to provide care and compassion to the aged who cannot afford private, high-end facilities, we are between the proverbial rock and hard place.

The General Assembly sets the rules and laws we must follow. They also set the rates we can charge. Unfortunately, payment levels have never equaled service rendered; annual cost reports required by law from assisted-living facilities to justify our funding needs are ignored. For example, my costs over the past three years have increased by 17 percent, yet payments for those services have increased by only 8 percent. It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to figure out that our industry is in dire straits.

Add to this the unfunded mandates of government in general (minimum-wage increases, which my staff deserves!) and it is easy to see how problems like those mentioned with Friendship Care get started.

We can pat our regulators on the back and say well done in getting another bad facility closed, but that does not address the problem of a system that wants a service but is not willing to pay for it. There is no way care can be enhanced without paying for it. The allowed rate of $2.40 per hour (or $57.60 per day) can go only so far.

I hope those in our communities who are committed to helping assisted-living residents continue to receive the care they deserve will contact your local legislators and ask them to provide the appropriate funding. I do not want poorly operated homes to remain in business, but the only way the problem will get better is by providing the funding necessary to do the job.

Do we as a society have the willpower to do the right thing?

The writer lives in Summerfield.

I like to ride my bike at the Zone in Country Park. I have some suggestions to make it more fun for everybody who rides bikes this way.

What would help is to make the jumps more flowing and smooth and to remove lots of the sticks and rocks. On some of the jumps, there are fairly large ruts from running water, which makes the ramps bumpy and potentially dangerous. Work on the berms would also make clearing the jumps less challenging because the speed you need to carry is hard to maintain on the tiny banked turns.

Greensboro Parks and Recreation has money to spend on parks, and the small amount needed for this change would make a big difference to those who like to ride the Zone. I went there recently and there is a large mound of dirt just sitting, waiting to be moved and shaped. If this area is repaired, riders of all skill levels could challenge themselves at the Zone and have fun in the process.

Clay Millsaps
Greensboro

President George W. Bush continues to lie and not uphold the Constitution and something must be done now. Some say that since Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have less than a year left, why bother as they will be gone soon. The point is that Bush and Cheney have engaged in illegal acts and must be held accountable.

The people are tired of our out-of-control government, and impeachment hearings are needed. I, along with many others, demand impeachment proceedings be started at once!

Skeeter Durham
Greensboro

The columns "Clintons crank up the sleaze" (Thomas Sowell, Jan. 30), "Longing for a leader, not a politician" (Leonard Pitts, Jan. 31), "Voters are seeing the real Clintons" (George Will, Jan. 31) should be required reading by all potential voters for they show just how quickly we forget.

Google the following topics and one will find more required reading that also points up our forgetfulness:

1. Clinton's pardons
2. FBI files in the White House
3. Saudi investment in the Clintons
4. Clinton scandals
5. Selling the Lincoln Bedroom

These are just a few reminders of our memory lapses. We can expect more of the same if the Clintons are given the White House again. What has been sown will certainly be reaped again.

John W. Taylor
Greensboro

The House of Representatives, in an unusually bipartisan manner, voted 385-35 to pass the economic stimulus bill hammered out by President Bush and House Republican and Democratic leaders. The bill grants tax rebates to the working men and women of this country, and increases allowances for business depreciation. It is intended to increase consumer and business spending in an effort to lessen the impact of the impending recession.

Our congressman, Republican Howard Coble, voted no. His Web site quotes the congressman as calling the bill "deficit spending at its worst." This is from the same congressman who voted to create the massive federal deficits in the first place by cutting taxes for the wealthy and for the oil industry; who has voted consistently to increase the deficit year after year to fund the war in Iraq; who voted in favor of higher government spending by refusing to allow Medicare administrators to negotiate lower drug prices; and who would let Congress continue its unbridled spending by voting against limits on Congressional earmarks.

You keep writing editorials praising him for great constituent service. I think most of his constituents would rather have the rebate.

Pete Salassi
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint.

By Donna Newton

Your recent article about Martin Luther King Drive (Jan. 20) failed to reflect the decades of hard work and accomplishments of the neighborhoods along and surrounding it. These residents have worked to improve the area after it was devastated by white flight and the ensuing loss of services that continued in that area into the 1970s.

In the 1980s the neighborhoods gained rezoning to stop the rooming houses that had come about after white flight. Absentee investors had bought many houses in the community and had broken them up into rooms for rent. Many of these landlords showed no interest in who rented the rooms or in how the houses brought down the value of existing homes.

The neighborhoods were also instrumental in obtaining a number of HUD grants. Thanks to these efforts, builder and developer John Kavanaugh and Habitat for Humanity began to build in the community and another builder, Sandra Anderson, built 65 houses. The community went on to dedicate the Nettie Coad Apartments in 1990 and open the Community Resource Office in 1999.

Moreover, Ole Asheboro and the greater Southside community worked for passage of the $5 million bond referendum that was used to begin the Southside redevelopment. Self-Help is building several homes in the area and a number of diverse people are moving into the community and remodeling existing homes.

Another investor is working closely with Ole Asheboro in remodeling a beautiful old structure on MLK. To top it off, as your article did mention, New Zion Missionary Baptist Church is staying in Ole Asheboro and is going to expand. This is a vibrant community.

Finally, Ole Asheboro along MLK has an active association. It brings neighbors together in social and issue-based gatherings, and they are building a strong sense of community. They work with the police by reporting criminal activity and supporting enforcement. They also reach out to the broader Greensboro community. The association is an active member of the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress; it is providing input on the downtown greenway and it participates with the Greensboro Housing Coalition Annual Bus Tour. Ole Asheboro and Asheboro Square are participating as well in the Greensboro Bicentennial.
The long-time residents around MLK have overcome the oppression of a bygone era, and through a dedicated effort only few of us could endure, their neighborhoods are emerging as beautiful places to live.

Please give them the credit they deserve.

The writer lives in Greensboro and is advisor to the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress.

Enough of the CEO superintendency, please. Enough of only data-driven performance outcomes!

Let principals and teachers be leaders and educators, not only managers and test prep bureaucrats. Of course, that means giving them responsibility.

Enough of the love-in with business. Enough with patronizing community and parents.

More of building connection with community and parents. More of a school board acting democratically on behalf of the governed. More of a school system recognizing democracy ain't the problem but the solution. More of local media that keep the district's feet to the fire.

More of a world where schools are a public service on behalf of the children and not data-driven enterprises in search of corporate support.

Steve Flynn
Greensboro

I would like to think that the newsworthy Great Pyrenees was treated no better or worse than other animals at the county animal shelter (Carla Hughes, letter, Jan. 30).

In seeing to the welfare of homeless animals, the shelter probably hasn't the resources to bathe them (except to rid them of parasites) or to concern itself with the sensibilities of the larger public.

Kathleen Koestler
Greensboro

God help us. We have encountered a "perfect storm," an economic slowdown during a presidential campaign, with Curly, Larry and Moe (Bush, Reid, Pelosi) in charge of "fixing" things. Only Stephen King could have imagined such a scary scenario. Additionally, all of the candidates, even the ones who should know better, bolted into pander overdrive. So now we have the clowns most responsible for the problems claiming that they'll "fix" the problems.

Next came a mad dash to the microphones to promise us gifts. They've decided to "stimulate" our $13 trillion economy by infusing $150 billion (in May or June). That would be akin to loading 50 gallons of fuel to your DC 10 for a cross-country trip. Mrs. Clinton hated this idea in '02, but she seems to have "grown."

As usual, the Democrats want the tax rebates to go to people who don't pay income taxes, but not to the "rich" folks making $75,000! They also wanted an increase in food stamp spending as an "economic stimulus." When criticized for not fighting for the food stamp increase, Speaker Moe replied that the increase would amount to 10 cents per day!

These are the leaders of our country.

Tony Moschetti
High Point

I usually can find a lot to criticize regarding Guilford County Schools. On Jan. 22, during inclement weather, I can honestly say I have only praise. In years past, they have been condemned when forecasters were calling for large amounts of snow or ice and the schools were closed only to have nothing ever appear on the ground.

This time I traveled to work at 7:15 a.m. on clear roads. Thirty minutes later, only a short distance from work, I encountered slick roads. I realize any decision regarding delay or closing must be made very early since buses are already en route by 6 a.m. I believe the county did the very best it could with a difficult and unusual circumstance. School officials also kept parents as informed as possible. I have two children in the school system and received no fewer than four messages giving me up-to-date information.

Thank you to everyone doing their best to keep my children safe.

Susan Smoot
McLeansville

Most people in Guilford County and the rest of the country are patiently waiting to see who will win the presidential nomination for the Republican and Democratic parties. Most voters (not all) believe that in order to make their lives better, it is more important to concentrate on who the next president is going to be.

Unfortunately, this is only a small part of the equation. Electing a president is very important. However, our daily lives are impacted more by our elected officials here in Guilford County and in Raleigh.

It is time for local citizens to research the candidates and ask what these candidates have done since they have been in office. How many times have they raised your property taxes? How much in taxes do they make you pay every day on your food purchases, gas, cable, electric, home phone, cell phone, car and Direct TV?

It is time to pay more attention to our own backyard and educate ourselves about our elected officials, so we can put candidates in office who have an effect on our everyday lives in North Carolina.

Education is a great thing. You can change our country, state and county by being informed.

Don Wendelken
Summerfield

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Randy Yardley

I agree with Jeri Rowe ("Wanted: Guilford's next superintendent," Jan. 29), and I disagree with Erik Huey ("New board should choose superintendent," Jan. 29). Rowe says to hire a new superintendent for Guilford County Schools who is creative, is involved with the community, and knows that kids are not corporations. Rowe knows what he is talking about.

Huey wants the board to wait until he can step in and help make the decision as a new board member. Why wait?

The current board needs to show the leadership that it was elected to provide to the citizens of Guilford County. An interim superintendent may be needed until the next superintendent is hired, but nothing should stop the board from beginning the hiring process.

Certainly not an election for a new school board.

Terry Grier will be out of here by July 1 at the latest, and while he may devote his full efforts to the Guilford County Schools before that time, the current board members should not simply await his departure or their replacements.

The current board can start the process in whatever way it seems fit, but it should include citizen input in its attempts to identify the best candidates for this demanding job. The board should also recognize that it has interested and innovative leaders within the school system from a range of disciplines who should be consulted for input on the type of leader who can best do the job.

The process to find a new superintendent should begin today. Our students, our teachers and our staff don't need to wait.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

I have no wish to protest any reasonable effort to avoid a possible (probable?) recession. Nor do I wish to deprive the people, including me, of a windfall tax rebate. In retirement, my income is much less than the quoted eligibility amounts, so I think I would not return it.

I do strongly decry our continuing flagrant disregard of sound economic principles by deficit financing.

We, or rather our descendants, will face the consequences. How can we be so unfeeling of the situation in which or children, grandchildren, etc., will find themselves?

Historically in our economic cycles, we are due a recession or depression periodically. The solution, therefore, is not to keep borrowing our way out of them, thus piling up a much worse reckoning later.

We need to avoid stupid foreign entanglements and take our lesser lumps as they appear.

By nature I am no Jeremiah, but by profession I am trained to look at numbers realistically, and our present numbers -- individually and commercially and governmentally -- are really bad. We cannot continue to live on the future nor, in all decency, should we try to.

We are apparently determined to follow Louis XIV's (slightly paraphrased) pronouncement, "Apres nous, the deluge."

Dan W. Maddox
Greensboro

I read with interest and sadness the article Jim Schlosser wrote about Richard Love (Feb. 4). As with most people, everyone probably knew a different Richard Love.

Here is the builder my family knew. In the late 1960s, my mother found a house that Mr. Love was building that she wanted. My father said as long as the builder would take the responsibility of selling the house we were in at the time, we could buy the new one. On a handshake, my father and Richard agreed on the allowance he would give us based on the sale of our house. At the end of the day, Richard got more than expected for our house and, much to my father's surprise, he gave my dad a check for the difference. What an honorable man.

Joyce Robinson Shuman
Greensboro

The news desk seems to have missed this release: "On Friday (Feb. 1), SEANC (State Employees Association of North Carolina) continued its mission to protect state employees' retirement security by filing a lawsuit against state Treasurer Richard Moore for his failure to complete a public records request after 11 months.

"A Forbes magazine article, 'Pensions, Pols and Payola,' raised questions for SEANC members who were concerned about Moore's practice of hiring money managers who invest state pension money and are also campaign contributors. 'SEANC's mission is to protect state employees and that's what we're doing with this lawsuit,' said SEANC District 42 member Shirley Bell in The Charlotte Observer.

" 'This lawsuit isn't about politics, it's about following the law,' SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope said in an Associated Press article. 'After 11 months, the records we're requesting should be readily available.' "

Moore may call this lawsuit politically motivated. He will be correct. For several years he has been using his position to publicize himself and to collect money to promote his political ambitions.

Tom Kirby-Smith
Greensboro

You toss around that 90 percent of the people already have city water and sewer, but what about the 10 percent who don't? The only service that I will get for my $1,200-a-year in taxes will be garbage pickup that now cost $192 a year. No water or sewer lines go to my property, and to my knowledge there are no plans to install any.

Planning for Randleman Dam has been so pathetic that by the time water comes from Randleman Lake, capacity will be obsolete.

If my well or septic tank fail, what hoops will I have to jump through and what will it cost?
My taxes won't drop any to compensate me, will they?

Please remember when you toss around your 90 percent number that there are some county residents who will get hosed but not with water.

Rusty Holt
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Stuart Solomon

Oklahomans will long remember 2007 as the year in which our state faced the worst natural disaster in its history.

On Dec. 9 and 10, a devastating ice storm hit Oklahoma, downing power lines, several damaging countless trees and presenting enormous challenges for our company's electric customers and dozens of the communities we serve.

At the storm's peak, Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) had more than 250,000 customers without power in northeastern Oklahoma -- more than half of all our customers.

Almost 80 percent of the Tulsa metro area was without power in the aftermath of the storm.

Fortunately, help was soon on the way. More than 5,000 utility workers from across the country -- including the fine workers from Duke Energy -- traveled to Oklahoma and worked side-by-side with our crews to get the lights back on.

The Duke employees worked long, hard hours for several days, helping us to restore electric service to virtually everyone by Christmas.

Every Duke employee has our profound gratitude for their assistance during this crisis. We simply couldn't have restored service without their help and the help of so many other dedicated, committed utility professionals.

The fact that they spent so many days away from home, just before the holidays, makes us appreciate their assistance even more.

All of us at PSO thank the workers from Duke Energy for coming to our aid during this difficult time. Each of you has our heartfelt thanks and very best wishes for a safe and happy 2008.

The writer is president and COO of Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

I ask community leaders, faith-based organizations and caring adult men to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters to advocate for the minds and hearts of boys in our community.

More than 100 boys are waiting for Big Brothers. Each young life is at a fork in the road. Our mentoring program is part of the solution to combating gang involvement and delinquent behaviors. A positive male role model who provides one-on-one attention, encouragement and positive experiences goes a long way in determining the choices a youth will make in his life.

Each time I read or see where a teen or young adult has victimized a member of our community, I wonder if he might have made a different choice if someone had cared enough to teach and demonstrate traits like respect, caring and self-worth.

Every man and organization with male members that reads this can be a part of the solution by volunteering to spend time with a boy or boys. We have a proven program. We have boys in need.

Now, if we can get the final critical piece, men, we will begin to solve this problem.

Robin Williams
Greensboro

The writer is program director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Greensboro.

Public schools could be more useful to the public than we think and could be even more helpful to the students as well.

I believe that providing public library services after school hours, on weekends and holidays at some public high schools is a beneficial idea to Guilford County. While students should be the No. 1 priority, if the county could limit the hours to after school, weekends and holidays only, then it could work.

Not only will it provide more educational resources for the students, it will save the county money and residents precious time and gas. Who could disagree with this proposal?

Lauren Priestley
Greensboro

Regarding Sarah Jones' column, "Gun buyers should prove qualifications" (Feb. 6):

Her column does not address the real problem. As with most anti-gun articles, she states the "facts" based on those who disregard the laws of our country and use guns for illegal purposes.

Then she attacks law-abiding citizens and states that they are the problem. Once again, it is not the law-abiding citizen who goes through the proper channels to purchase a weapon who is the issue here. It is, and always has been, the people who fail to follow the law.

Anyone who wants to purchase a handgun in North Carolina has to go to his or her local sheriff's office and apply for a permit to purchase. They must also go through a background check, then they must actually meet "face to face" with the sheriff when they pick up the approved permit to purchase.

This permit must be presented to the dealer when the purchase is made. The people who take the time to get the permits, research the weapons and make a purchase already take the time to know how to effectively use the weapon.

If Jones wants to help stop the problem, stop letting criminals out of jail and enforce the current laws.

Richard Grimes
Troy

Recently I heard Daniel Ellsberg speak of Vietnam and of his exposing the "Pentagon Papers" containing the lies that led up to the Vietnam war. He drew comparisons between the Vietnam war and the Iraq war resulting from Bush administration lies, mimicking the kingly stance of President Nixon who said, "If the president does it, it's legal."

Our Founding Fathers did not want the U.S. president to have kingly powers. They created our Constitution, which forbids such an unaccountable royal figure. Our government officials, including the president, must take an oath to uphold our Constitution. But Nixon did not uphold his oath. Now Bush and Cheney have followed in Nixon's footsteps by wiretapping and spying on U.S. citizens illegally, defying the Constitution.

Ellsberg spoke of East Germany, where people lived, worked, had children, etc. They just didn't have democracy. Is that what Americans want? No! We want enlightened, truthful government without warmongers spreading fear and profiting from it.

Ruthless leaders holding our country in submission to the slavery of war, with its many tragic consequences, cannot prevail as long as there is just one Ellsberg alive to expose them. Just one brave man can turn the tide.

K.K. Mersereau
Greensboro

Americans were in for a real treat with the recent State of the Union address by President Bush. For those millions of Americans losing their houses in 2008, this must be a comfort. The thunderous applause from the liberal "untax and spend" Congress suggests they thought so, too.

Bush reaffirmed his conviction of the taxpayer keeping his money in order to invest in things like subprime loans. (Bush knows that we are smarter with our own money.) Without government oversight, there must be many other Ponzi schemes in store for us. More thunderous applause.

I'm also pleased he opposes congressional "earmarks," like Alaska's "bridge to nowhere" and "faith-based virtual realities." And then there's the granddaddy of all "earmarks," the Iraq "war," the centerpiece of American foreign policy.

The best part is that our president is staying the course: no new ideas, just more torture, more corruption, more debt and more Republican applause.

I don't know about you, but my $600 tax rebate sounds puny next to the $152 billion price tag. Instead of the $600 rebate, give me the same benefits that Congress enjoys. I think I could applaud as loudly as Congress for that deal.

Kurt Lauenstein
Greensboro

I am writing to express my partial disagreement with Andy Brod's column about globalization, "Thomas Friedman overstates extent of globalization" (Ideas, Jan. 27).

This column failed to acknowledge that the perception of globalization is as important as reality. When American workers feel that we are in a tough fight, we show up earlier, hustle harder and stay later.

Brod's discussion failed to note that globalization penetrates where employers and managers fail to justify their keep. One example is in technical support, essentially the same job as customer service, which pays $8 to $12 per hour. Tech support people, however, pull down twice as much per hour. When tech support people failed to justify their pay, their jobs moved overseas.

Another example is computer programmers. Technology made programming easier and required less training. Programmers, however, demanded big money for small jobs. Outsourcing has forced programmers to earn their keep.

America needs to extend the threat of globalization to protected industries. One area is investment banking, where American firms charge twice as much as European counterparts. These fees cut investments in jobs. Another area of complacency is sugar cane, where Florida barons rack easy profits by gouging food processors. This puts millions of good jobs at risk.

Joel Goldstein
Greensboro

Some time ago I wrote Jim Schlosser a letter telling him how much I enjoy and admire his writing skills. As usual, he did not accept my praise.

I propose that we declare him the new O. Henry of Greensboro and place a statue next to the statue of O. Henry in downtown Greensboro.

He is so modest he will probably never speak to me again if he finds out that I am making this proposal.

Jack Elam
Greensboro

The Guilford County school board should take a hint from "The perfect chancellor"(editorial, Jan. 27) for our new superintendent. Go back and read the editorial and be sure our new superintendent has all the qualities UNCG is looking for. Then add to that list to put prayer back in school as well as corporal punishment.

Harriette Lee
Greensboro

How can you possibly judge the outcome (editorial, "Deadly police incident requires close scrutiny,"Feb. 3) without knowing if this criminal was armed, where he was going next, if he was threatening the officer or if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. So many things are not known at this point.

What you have accomplished by not having any patience is casting doubt on the officer's ability to do his job before the facts are known.

It seems you all have never been to journalism school, or you may have and it was so long ago you have forgotten the basics. How could you possibly know this was not the best outcome? You have got to do better.

Tim W. Watson
Greensboro

As a citizen of the United States, I am writing to the whole world, to Michael Badgett (letter, Feb. 2), and to all the other American apologizers out there.

You are welcome for thanking the United States for the end of British domination of the world in 1776, for the Ford Model T, for the incandescent light bulb, for the airplane, for fighting the Nazis in Europe and ending World War II, for the microwave oven, for the World Wide Web, and the list goes on.

Lastly, you are welcome for the gratitude that you show us for electing a president who has the gumption and foresight to take on radical jihadis head on. Our brave citizens and their families have already sacrificed nearly 4,000 brave men and women, and we are ready to carry on until all of you are safe.

Once again, you are welcome.

Sanjeev Deshmukh
Greensboro

Wow. Given the size of the front-page banner headline (Jan. 31), one would have expected a more tragic and unexpected situation. Many are disappointed that North Carolina favorite son, John Edwards, abandoned his bid for the presidency. But, "aghast”? How could supporters not see this coming? Poor showings in the various caucuses, low funding, the fact that he couldn't even carry his birth state of South Carolina.

Perhaps Pricey Harrison and others were not reading the previous editions of the News & Record. If memory serves, one reader complained about the lack of coverage for Edwards. The reason? His now-ended campaign was an afterthought. It's not front-page news.

Edwards' platform to address poverty issues was commendable. However, the voting public has been unable to rationalize this from a man who lives in a 27,000-square-foot mansion and gets $400 haircuts.

Donald Shaw
High Point

In Lorraine Ahearn's column (Jan. 30), I read where a local upstanding, professional person, Dave Colin, bears mistreatment.

In attempting to get a part for his expensive television set sold to him by Sears, he gets hurry-scurried away by police. It brings me to ask why a department store or shop (especially Sears) is offending people and having someone arrested.Was the sales person thinking Colin was a terrorist? Everyone has the right to shop and stay in a store — stores are looking for customers.
Colin's improper service for his TV puts a black mark on Sears' "hospitality,"and I know that neither I nor anyone who realizes what strange and undignified treatment Colin got will ever set foot in Sears again. The employee was in the wrong, not Colin.

Sandra R. Appel
Greensboro

After completing a semester as a school social work intern, it is evident that no student should be given the opportunity to drop out of school. Every student in the United States should be required to graduate from high school.

Four out of 10 students do not receive a high school diploma. Most of these children come from families where their parents dropped out and now work two or three jobs, rely on government aid and still live in poverty.

When we give students the option of not completing high school, we are saying it is acceptable for them to continue their family's cycle of financial struggle and reliance on government aid.
Just by obtaining a high school diploma, an individual's ability to find a job increases dramatically. The main cause of poverty is a lack of education and skill. By no means am I saying that abolishing someone's chance to drop out will eliminate poverty, but it is a step in the right direction.

Caroline Roy
Greensboro

When we celebrate Black History Month as well as the Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins (1960), it is a good time for us Aggies to give serious thought to the plans for a memorial at the Woolworth site. It is time for us to provide the money and stop waiting for it to come from elsewhere. If each of us sent $100 to the memorial fund drive, that would go a long way toward getting that project completed.

Each year at homecoming, we spend thousands of dollars to celebrate the occasion. If just one year we sent that money to the memorial fund drive instead of spending it on hotel rooms, food, liquor and fun, the memorial would soon be completed. It has been 48 years since the sit-ins. King Solomon's temple was built in less time.

Where is our Aggie Pride? It is time we stop talking the talk and begin to walk the walk. We should set a goal to see that project completed in the next three years -- without outside help.
Let's stop begging. Send the fundraisers some big "Benjamins" from Dare to Cherokee. We can show our Aggie Pride.

Pollard Stanford
Greensboro

The writer belongs to the A&T Class of '61.

How appropriate it is that Black History Month follows so closely behind Martin Luther King's birthday. It gives us time to reflect on the many changes that have taken place without missing a beat. Some say that nothing has changed that much. How could anyone make such a ludicrous statement? No, it's not a perfect world and one size doesn't fit all, but relationships between African Americans and whites have improved tremendously. We tend to forget that we had support from white people; some even died for our cause.

We came from good stock, and, yes, we were sold like livestock; but let's make sure we don't become laughingstocks. If you think things have not changed and refuse to acknowledge the positive strides we all have made together, perhaps you need to feel that way to justify what you haven't done to help race relations. It's time to break the cycle of blaming others and take responsibility for our own actions.

Let's not make Martin Luther King's dream a nightmare. We owe it to our ancestors; more importantly, we owe it to our children and ourselves.

Shirley J. Wright
Greensboro

This is in response to the editorial, "Deadly police incident requires close scrutiny" (Feb. 3).

On Jan. 23, I did not learn of the shooting until safely under warm blankets. I turned on the 11 p.m. news and saw the breaking story. I said a silent prayer for the safety of the officer but felt no sympathy for the suspect, confident that he had a long and violent criminal record. This was verified by your own reporting on Jan. 25. You are correct in stating the fault lies with the suspect. He was a violent predator.

My thanks go out to Officer Symmes and all the men and women of the Greensboro Police Department who do their best to face the monsters among us. I believe it was George Orwell who wrote: "People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Thank you, Officer Symmes. May your sleep be as peaceful as mine.

Fred Heffner
Greensboro

This is in response to the Jan. 28 letter, "Alzheimer's caregivers need emotional support."

Being in the health care field, I want others to know there is assistance and support groups for caregivers as they go through a difficult process. Golden Living Center of Greensboro at 1201 Carolina St. has recently started educating our family members on dementia and Alzheimer's with the support from Guilford Center Behavioral Health.

We also will start a monthly educational group for our families and any others who would like to attend.

For more information, you may contact Golden Living Center at 275-0751.

Judy Benoy
Greensboro
The writer is activity director for Golden Living Center.

I hope the Triad realizes how fortunate we are to have Skybus.

Recently, I flew to Fort Lauderdale on a magnificent new plane. I did not have to worry about lost luggage as it was a direct flight. Returning home, I left Florida at 5 p.m. and arrived in Greensboro at 7 p.m. (on time).

It was a wonderful experience. Also, the fares are really low.

Let's give Skybus our full support.

Peggy Tager
Greensboro

I take issue with UNCG's financial aid or, rather, lack thereof, for some students. I am a single mother of a 9-month-old and have found it to be impossible to qualify for any type of assistance to get me through to graduation.

I was told I did not make enough money to qualify for aid, which was one of the newest and most creative excuses I have been given.

I would like to know what the federal grant funding for students is going towards, if not to students like myself, who are in need of such resources.

Sure, the infrastructure in front of the Petty Building is beautiful, but why not utilize UNCG's apparent new-found money to invest in the building of America's future, such as a single mother trying to make something of her future? I can qualify for food stamps and Medicaid but not for assistance in finishing my education so that I may get a well-paying job and get off government support.

Where is the sense in that?

Natalia Hartung
Greensboro

A police officer doing his job faces the scrutiny of an editorial ("Deadly police incident requires close scrutiny," Feb. 3). A thief made off with $36,000 worth of jewelry, and the News & Record questions why the officer pursued him. I can help explain.

The thief had committed a felony larceny. A police officer has every right by law to pursue such a person and may do so for as long as he has that person in his sight.

The officer found himself trying to stop the thief from stealing his patrol car after the chase ended in a wreck on the highway. The officer, being dragged along by the offender, found his life in imminent danger.

He took action to save his own life. Hooray for that officer!

This wasn't Mary Poppins the officer was dealing with. It was a man who chose his own path of demise that night when he made bad, deadly decisions.

If the officer had decided not to pursue the man, he would have been chastised by the jewelry store owner for allowing a thief to get away with the loot, and by the News & Record for not fulfilling his duties as a police officer.

Damned if you do; damned if you don't.

Monte Brooks
Lexington
The writer is a retired City of Lexington police officer.

In Paul Moscato's letter ("Presidential deception blamed for war in Iraq," Feb. 1), he says that President Bush deceived us about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Dec. 16, 1998: Bill Clinton said, "Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. There mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons."

Nov. 12, 1999: Clinton's Secretary of State Madeline Albright said, "Hussein has chosen to spend his money on weapons of mass destruction."

February 1998: Clinton's National Security Adviser Sandy Berger said, "Saddam will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has 10 times since 1983."

Oct. 9, 1998: Carl Levin, Tom Daschle and John Kerry sent a letter to Clinton to take steps against Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction.

I would advise that before you make brash statements that you get the facts and get your head out of the sand. Clinton told Larry King on national TV that, on the day he left office, there were unaccounted for stocks of biological and chemical weapons in Iraq.

All the above-mentioned took place while Clinton was in office and as we are now told, so was his co-president, Hillary.

Burt Citron
Stoney Creek

North Carolina has seen first-hand the corrosive affects wealthy special interest money can have on some of those who serve the public. We can thank our state lawmakers for passing comprehensive lobbying and ethics reform last year in response.

But more needs to be done.

The people deserve to know who the big-money fundraisers for our politicians are and exactly how much they are raising. Lawmakers also should pass a law that stops both Department of Transportation board members and registered lobbyists from raising unlimited amounts of money for the very people they seek to influence.

It is important that we take steps to help restore confidence in our democracy.

Jane B. Pinsky
Raleigh

The writer is director, North Carolina Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform.

The following is a Counterpoint

By Meredith Millard

Your editorial, "Stretch limited local funds: Let public use school libraries" (Feb. 2), I find that significantly alarming. If you visit any public library, you will find that the primary use of visitors is computer access (which you have to stand in line to use).

School libraries are called "media centers" because they are actually more limited in book selections than in computer accessibility. As you can readily find in the Guilford County Schools Web site, my local high school has seven books per student, versus 22 as a state average; the average age of the books is 24 years old, versus 16 for the state.

Maybe there's a cost-efficient way to lend books and collect them back, but it's probably a bigger problem than anyone is considering.

The threat of computer viruses and inappropriate material being imported would require significant school personnel oversight; are those school employees available after hours, on weekends and in the summer?

How will security be maintained for students who may be working and studying at the school?

The rental use of public schools for any purpose is a true concern. Guilford County Schools policy states that anyone can use school facilities after school hours if they provide a $1 million insurance indemnity. A candidate for governor, Fred Smith, rented High Point Central High School on Feb. 5 for a fundraising barbecue.

While I'm not for or against Smith, and my children don't attend Central, I find the idea of a political fund raiser rally on school property to be disturbing. As we know from Eastern Guilford High School, $1 million in insurance won't replace the school if the barbecue results in fire or injury.

Sonya Conway of Guilford County Schools confirms that anyone can rent school facilities. As a rhetorical question, I specifically asked if the Ku Klux Klan could also do so. Apparently they can, if their organizers don't have a criminal record.

If that is truly the case, I won't be voting for any more bonds. We are putting our students and schools at risk by opening the doors to virtually anyone.

Schools should be available solely for our children's academic, sports and social needs.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

I read with interest and dismay, "Loop brings first zoning fight" (Feb. 1), regarding increasing interest in high-density development in the suburban edges of Greensboro. Last I heard, we are in the throes of an exceptional drought.

How do city politicians reconcile development, development, development with ever-increasing water needs?

I am, frankly, sick of such shortsighted decision-making. Anyone remotely paying attention to demographic trends (and mainstream news sources) knows that the western United States is facing the realities of a major water crisis.

Research indicates that the southeastern United States and, of course, Greensboro, seem to be headed in a similar direction. When are our politicians going to stop giving into mega developers and face the fact that by continually backing pro-development decisions regarding this marvelous city's growth, we are headed for environmental disaster?

What are the long-term plans for a large, developed Greensboro sitting in a parched region without adequate water resources for its citizens?

Are the politicians we voted into office to protect and promote the well-being of the community paying attention?

We should all be asking these questions.

Jo Strack
Greensboro

Public transportation is lacking outside of mainstream cities and in small towns.

As a social work intern at a nonprofit agency in Burlington, I have transported several clients to places such as schools, grocery stores, anger-management meetings and to other nonprofit organizations. It saddens me to know that if I had not provided transportation, a family of seven would have gone another day without a meal.

It is great that there are organizations that exist whose purposes are to lend a helping hand, such as assisting an individual with paying an electric bill or by providing nonperishable foods. But what about the individual who uses a bike for transportation? What about the person who does not have transportation at all?

Burlington is not a big town; however, there are residents who could benefit from having public transportation available. A public transportation system would enable many without vehicles to get back and forth to places of employment, schools, medical establishments and so forth. We should all consider this issue.

A change needs to be made. Where do we start? What actions can I take?

Nicole Parker
Burlington

When our forefathers wrote that all men are created equal, what exactly was meant? There have always been the oppositions of the poor vs. the rich and the haves vs. the have-nots; however, we are supposed to be a society moving toward equality.

How is it that we create segregation among people based upon their financial brackets? If all men are created equal, then how is it that they or their children do not receive the same care as their wealthy counterparts?

Why, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, are people suffering from lack of sufficient health care?

Each year fewer people qualify for government-sponsored Medicaid, yet the cost of health care continues to climb. More employers are no longer offering insurance to their employees. Then there are the millions of underinsured, who, despite having insurance, go without the necessary care. This continues to devastate the lives of millions of Americans, regardless of social class.

It is a shame that big business continues to make huge profits off the misfortunes of the less fortunate. It would seem in this great land of opportunity that people are entitled to equal health care coverage. But are they? Is there such a thing as equality?

Ashley Rivenbark
Reidsville

In response to, "We're looking for answers in wrong places in battle against diabetes" by Dr. Neal Barnard: First of all, let me say "YIPPEE!"

I am a health educator whose mantra is adding value to life. This means educating and empowering people to make better lifestyle decisions so they can prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes.

People want to be healthy, but don't know how to successfully adopt behaviors that yield a healthy life. That gives rise to pill popping and the search for the "magic pill."

Americans spend more than $37 billion on dieting and diet-related products yearly. That is 40 percent more than we spend, as a nation, on homeland security! For health to remain constant in our life, support and reinforcement are necessary.

Our diet is not only making us sick but unhappy. It's hard to find anyone in public who isn't marinating in misery and is being critical and negative.

Nothing is more personal than what we choose to eat. The choice is ours. Do not dig yourself an early grave with your own knife and fork by overeating. We have nothing to lose by choosing to eat better — except our love handles.

Nicole Henigin
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint

By: Tom Heldreth

I was saddened to read of the impending demolition of the old Cotton Mill Square shopping mall on Spring Garden Street. To witness its steady decline over the years has been heartbreaking.

Years ago, during its heyday, my brother managed several restaurants in the basement area there. After considerable exploration, I fell in love with its unique character and charm. It became one of my favorite “places of ease” and I visited it often.

The mall was a veritable museum complete with numerous photographs and displays as tributes to former mill workers. I will never forget the wood floors that squeaked and crunched pleasantly beneath my feet as I strolled the long hallways. Or the calming effect that resulted from a careful study of the intricate brickwork in the walls, coupled with the elusive, pungent scent of lacquer and varnish that lingered in the air. The outlet shops themselves were truly intimate and friendly places full of bargains.

I applaud owner Carl Johnson's vigorous attempts to rescue the landmark, which was obviously near and dear to his heart, but I suppose that for whatever reason it was simply not destined to be. I can't quite fathom the reason why this is the case, considering the recent metamorphosis of the old Guilford Mill plant into Fanta City; the conversion of Cone Mills' Revolution facility into upscale offices and studios; or the resurrection of the historic Pomona High School into handsome apartments, all of them located within a short distance of Cotton Mill Square.

The loss of such a treasured place is unfortunate, but the mall's memory will linger in my heart and mind for many years to come.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Crime is a societal problem. It is not, however, a problem confined to certain areas and certain people.

The recent murder of a 26-year-old woman who lived in the New Irving Park area has rightfully outraged the community, moving them to action. But why is this not the case in other neighborhoods in the city, specifically those low-income areas with higher crime rates?

We look for safe neighborhoods, we are willing to pay more to live in a safe area, and we are willing to drive farther to feel our home and family are safe, but for some this is not an option. They are forced to live in public housing because of life circumstance and income.

Our society sends a message today that in order to be safe, one must be able to pay for it. Everyone should feel safe when they go to bed at night, not just those who can afford it. Every murder should send a community into outrage.

Instead of wondering why this is happening in this community, we should instead focus on why crime is happening at all. More social programs and police officers surely could help.

Instead of saying, "This shouldn't happen, not in this neighborhood," how about "This shouldn't happen."

Anna Lohr
Lexington

Mary Rakestraw has, once again, shown herself to be shallow and petty. This newspaper quotes her, in reference to our city manager as saying, "I'm not waiting any longer. I'm not listening to any more reasons or explanations or rationales. Enough is enough."

She acts as if, somewhere in the past, she actually had an open mind. Not only was her mind made up, she even walked door to door telling people she was going to get rid of Mitch Johnson! This is the same Rakestraw who made callow comments about Sheriff BJ Barnes, trying to link him to Deputy County Manager Ed Pons' death!

Taking all of that into consideration, Mary Rakestraw has no business throwing stones at anyone. Maybe next time, she'll get all the facts.

God bless our city manager.

John Graham
Greensboro

I never thought that my financial situation would be bad enough to require me to visit a payday loan company. However, that's just what our president is asking all taxpayers to do. That $600 I'm going to stuff into my right pocket this summer has to come from somewhere. Unfortunately, I believe it will come from my left pocket.

John Roberts
Reidsville

Common Cause recently circulated a summary of funds spent in the run-up to the November 2007 City Council election. With only one exception, the candidates who spent the most prevailed.

Certainly it's possible that the candidates who spent the most — especially those for whom I voted — may well have been the most qualified. And I don't want to suggest that any of these candidates are likely to vote according to the dictates of their contributors.

I wish I could be as sure of that at the national level, where incredible sums are already being spent on an election that is still nine months away. Unfortunately, there seems little that one voter can do about the increasing control of government by major campaign donors.

One small step we can all take, however, is to check off that square on the tax return that contributes $3 of the tax to a fund for public financing of elections, at no additional expense to the taxpayer. Since those mindless 30-second TV spots are probably a principal reason for the multi-million-dollar expenses, another small step might be to alert TV stations that we will not watch or listen to any commercials beginning in August.

Richard G. Cox
Greensboro

Having read the articles (Feb. 8 and 9) in regard to City Manager Mitchell Johnson, there should be only one solution. The solution is a relatively simple one and has been used previously: Simply lock City Manager Mitchell Johnson out of his office.

Additionally, the article on Feb. 9 has Robbie Perkins saying of Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw: "She is trying to ‘fire the manager on a trumped-up charge.' "

Ah, sounds familiar. Isn't that the same action that was taken against former police Chief David Wray?

Susan Jackson
Greensboro

It seems to me when watching the Greensboro City Council meeting recently there were a whole lot of people who were none too happy with the outcome of the Friendly Avenue and the Garden Lake Drive rezoning cases.

I think 37 years of not having a protest petition is enough, given that other cities in the state, including Raleigh, Charlotte, Kernersville, Wilmington and High Point, have this option. It seems to me that it is time to amend the 1971 Law Session Chapter 29, House Bill 127, Section 11, to give the citizens of Greensboro a fighting chance against a pro-development City Council.

A valid protest petition makes the local city council have to have a super majority of votes for the proposal to pass, not just a majority. Mr. Hails (City Planning Director Dick Hails), it might be a good thing to brush up on the process of a protest petition because I see a future for it in Greensboro.

The citizens need to make their state and local representatives aware of this issue and to make Greensboro abide by North Carolina General Statute 160A-385(a).

Keith Brown
High Point

Recently I had the honor and privilege of saying "thank you" to the incredibly generous community of Greater High Point, as we celebrated the results of our 2007 United Way campaign: $4,525,029. In exceeding last year's total by more than $250,000 and posting a 6 percent increase, we had one of the largest increases among major United Way organizations in the state.

United Way donations provide funding for numerous programs for children, youth and the elderly; shelter for those who are homeless or affected by domestic violence; programs that provide medical care and support in many different ways; the list goes on and on. Through your gifts and volunteer service to United Way, you bless the lives of your neighbors and give them hope.

I believe our board chairman, Jim White, may have said it best in his closing remarks that evening: "How blessed we are." Let us all be thankful that the place we call home is a place where folks have such tremendous community spirit and generosity. Thank you, Greater High Point, for touching and affecting the lives of others in such positive ways.

Charles Cain
High Point

The writer was 2007 campaign chairman, United Way of Greater High Point.

I just read where Jim Schlosser will be leaving the News & Record. Jim is everything and more than the article stated.

I'll never forget Jim and me meeting at the hospital to do a story on one of my best friends, retired police officer Jim Ballance. Well, we missed Ballance, for they had sent him home. Schlosser and I still were able to talk about this great man who served as an outstanding police officer. Though I was hurting inside, Jim made me feel comfortable talking with him. He later was able to get up with Jim Ballance at his home, where he had been fighting a battle with cancer. Jim did a wonderful story, but Ballance had passed before he could read the story.

I have always enjoyed Jim's stories and would often e-mail him to let him know. He always took the time to e-mail back, not knowing me then. He is a true people person, and that's hard to find these days. I wish him all the best, for after the passing of my great friend Jim Ballance, it was Jim Schlosser's article that helped me though the sorrow.

I thank the News & Record for seeing his talent and having him. Also may God bless you, Jim, and thanks for the memories.

Bill Self
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By: Karen Perry

I'm all for recycling, reusing and multi-tasking in this age of waste and duplication. But the idea about opening high school libraries to the public is a very big, two-edged sword. There are considerations beyond the simple sharing of physical space and bricks, among them:

Age of collection. School libraries aren't heaven. We wish they were. The average book in North Carolina school libraries last year was published in 1989, according to the Department of Public Instruction. We taxpayers, and the school's primary patrons, can't afford extraordinary losses. We haven't been able to spend enough money to keep the collections up-to-date as it is. Public Library Director Sandy Neerman's estimate of $400,000 to upgrade school collections would be per school, in my estimation.

Technology issues. Opening school libraries for public evening and afternoon hours would help make more technology available to the community. It also would definitely benefit the students of that school. However, outside access to the school network is a security risk that most schools do not allow. The library computer bank is part of that network and substantial work would need to be done to solve the issue of public access to the machines located there.

Knowledgeable personnel. Libraries open after regular school hours will need more than a clerk. Someone will need to be trained on all of the various networks and databases to be able to serve as an electronic mentor and instructor to the public. The staff also will need to be able to deal with the public in all its glory — from the student working after hours on a paper, to the dirty man off the street looking for a warm place to catch a nap. Which brings up another issue …

Security. It will cost the county different kinds of money to open the high school libraries. Not the bricks-and-mortar money, but personnel money and materials money and possibly hardware money. School board member Garth Hebert suggests a well-run pilot. I agree.

If the libraries are just "opened" without that extra analysis, staff and money, the effort will fail and quite possibly ruin the library collection for the school's use, which is, after all, its primary purpose.

The writer lives in High Point and is a media coordinator at Wiley Middle School in Winston-Salem.

In reference to Bob Kollar's letter (Feb. 4) concerning Howard Coble's record, he is way off base.

The fact of the matter is Howard Coble has this country's interest and survival in his heart more than the vast majority of our politicians. These bills sent to the president for his approval are largely loaded down with "earmarks," translated "pork barrel."

One only has to look at President Bush's just released $3 trillion budget. Liberals want our country to play nursemaid to most of the world and take care of everyone here (legal or illegal) from the cradle to the grave.

Way to go, Howard, my friend, and keep that pen full of ink.

Richard M. Fields
Pleasant Garden

One of the themes prominent during both this state and national election cycle is how we must provide health care for all children.

My working-class parents did not have health insurance and paid for doctors visits out of pocket for me and my three siblings. I was a sickly child, so I was in the doctor's office often. My parents denied themselves a lot so that their children had adequate health care.

When my two children were born, I didn't have health insurance and paid the expenses out of my own pocket. When they were growing up, we had catastrophic health insurance which, fortunately, we did not need. We paid for doctor's visits out of our own pocket.

My children carry health insurance for their children. I don't know what kind of coverage.

The point is that I do not see why taxpayers should pay for health care of illegal aliens and the children of other irresponsible parents more than they currently do.

I'm sorry these parents have to sit for hours at the health department or emergency room, but I don't see why additional taxpayer money should pay for their health care.

Robert A. Hahn
Greensboro

Jack Elam, a piece of work himself, honors the exceptional talents of Jim Schlosser in his Feb. 10 letter.

Comparing Jim to O. Henry (as Jack does) isn't too much of a stretch. Both handled words and stories with inordinate skill.

Jack suggests a statue of Schlosser be placed next to O. Henry's downtown. This, however, could cause friction between fact and fiction, if not diction.
I need to get out of this.

Semper Fi, Jim Schlosser, and thanks!

Bill Beerman
Greensboro

With presidential elections coming up, it's especially important to know the facts about welfare.

As a social work student at UNCG, I have put in almost 400 intern hours at a substance abuse rehab agency and 70 hours at an emergency food/cash/shelter/clothing center.

I have seen people in desperate need, who are denied assistance, are too proud to ask, or do not know how to get help. The system has many imperfections, but I guarantee you the people on it need it.

If you think we should eliminate the welfare system, consider the consequences.

More people would have to resort to crime in order to survive. Jails would become more overcrowded and place a bigger strain on our taxes.

In the long run it costs less to educate and help them find jobs.

I have met many people in the Triad who are anti-welfare. Maybe they should volunteer like I did and see the system the way I do.

I know some people's dogs that live better than the poor do.

Susan Conrad
Winston-Salem

Regarding "Southeast principal defends wrestling coach," (Feb. 6), the community-acquired strain of MRSA can spread in a number of ways. Rather than casting blame in any one direction, there are practical steps Guilford County parents and educators can take to protect their students from "superbugs" in schools and on sporting teams.

MRSA can live for up to 90 days on fabrics; students should be warned against sharing gym clothes. Encourage them to wash their hands frequently; make it possible for them to do so without leaving class. Parents of children 8 and older should tuck a small container of hand sanitizer in book bags. Schools should install hand sanitizer dispensers inside classrooms.

When locker rooms and gyms have a strong odor, bacteria are the cause. Wrestling mats, locker room benches and other surfaces should be cleaned with detergent and water. A quick spray and wipe are insufficient. Surfaces must be drenched for three minutes. Schools where MRSA infections already have affected athletes should consult with parents about MRSA testing of team members in high-contact sports such as wrestling and basketball. It's easy to get rid of the germ before infection develops.

For other practical steps, please visit the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths at www.hospitalinfection.org

Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D.
New York

The writer is chairwoman, Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID).

School board vs. county commissioners? No, let the public decide. The fire is gone now; let's fix the problem.

Obviously, Eastern Guilford High School was underinsured. It is estimated to cost $61 million to rebuild. If you do the math, and they're asking for $45 million, that means the high school was insured for $16 million.

Be careful ... if you word it wrong on the ballot, you may not get anything. I will vote to rebuild Eastern and this time do it right.

Build it green," with state-of-the art technology, perhaps a pool that could be built big enough to host swim meets and generate revenue to maintain it. Swim clubs across Greensboro are vying for practice time and have nowhere to hold large indoor meets.

Give Eastern a chance. Who cares if it is a sympathy vote? Do not change the wording to allow any leftover funds to be diverted to other projects or to repay debt. Use all the bond money to make Eastern something to be proud of.

Troyce Hood
Greensboro

I've recently had the opportunity to work in a group home, specifically with young adults about to enter the outside world. These individuals are not learning how to be effectively independent. They might become independent from the group home, but they will likely fall into a dependency on other services.

Researchers examined outcomes for 659 young adults placed in foster care or group homes as children. They found that 20 percent were unemployed, 33 percent lived at or below the poverty rate, 33 percent had no health insurance, and 22 percent had been homeless for at least one night.

This proves that providing a place to stay is not enough.

These individuals need to be educated on self-sufficiency. Agencies like mine have Preparation for Adult Living programs trying to decrease the percentages mentioned above, but many agencies are only worried about dealing with present problems. I understand dealing with a present dilemma is important, but shouldn't it be equally as important to think about ways to prevent problems that could occur later by educating children now?

Natashia Fisher
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint column:

By Martin Love

As an editor myself, most recently at Vietnam's national English language newspaper and at a newly minted magazine in Hanoi, I must offer mild criticism of Jim Schlosser's piece (Feb. 4) on the demise and life of my half brother, Richard Love.

He never did graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, as Schlosser wrote.

He was never "rich," although he did try to come off as such, which probably was his prime weakness.

Actually, for most of his adult life, Richard Love lived a hand-to-mouth existence. He borrowed big from his mother in Connecticut, when she was alive, and others. Heavy indebtedness is not wealth. He never made much in his home-building activities, despite a certain artistic flair that resulted in some lovely homes.

It has always been a misconception of the Greensboro newspapers that the Love family was "rich." J. Spencer Love's estate was less than $2 million when he died in 1962. The highest salary he ever made at the company he created was $125,000. He eschewed the accumulation of wealth and gave away most of what he could have kept for education, health care and many other worthy causes. All this utterly pales in comparison to what rapacious CEOs do and make in today's corporate world, even when they are fired for incompetence.

When my mother (not Richard's mother) died, for instance, the surviving four children had to do a "tag sale" for the house's contents on Granville Road in Greensboro and had to sell the house because none of the children could afford to live there going forward. This was in 1980. Most of Love's children are noted for superlative performances in academia and careers in education, journalism and other low-paying professions. By Irving Park standards today, the Loves were never "rich," any of them. It just seemed like they had to be because Spencer Love founded and managed a great company, which peaked the year he died and died a slow death afterward, the victim of greedy managers who cared more about lining their own pockets than anything else.

The writer lives in Chapel Hill.

The die has been cast and war has its agent. Although he is an American hero, John McCain scares me. He has promised that there will be other wars and that the United States will have an indefinite presence in Iraq, perhaps for the rest of the 21st century.

In addition to taxing the budget, this militaristic attitude promotes the need for conquest over the quest for peace and understanding. He has admitted that the economy is not his strong point, but he somewhat condescendingly points out he will assign managers to deal with those issues. It seems true leaders only come from the military.

In his mind, anyone who disagrees with his foreign policy should apologize to our soldiers, a nonsensical trump card he plays frequently. A son and grandson of admirals who graduated fifth from the bottom of his class makes one wonder if he has something to prove. His major achievements this year are his support of the surge (for now) and making Governor Huckabee his personal huckleberry.

I have not voted for a Democrat at the national level in over 30 years. That will change in November.

Don Armstrong
Greensboro

Over the last year, the state of North Carolina has shifted its focus with regard to funding for adult developmental disabilities. For a long time clients with moderate to severe developmental disabilities have been able to attend workshops where they work at their own speed and earn money for their work. The state is refusing to fund these workshops and instead wants the people with developmental disabilities to get jobs that pay minimum wage. The idea is noble for the higher functioning members of this population.

But this actually limits the members of this population who have more severe disabilities. Most of the people with severe disabilities are not able to keep up with the pace or complexity of jobs in a competitive marketplace. What is left for them are programs that offer little stimulation and no chance to earn money for themselves. Although the ideal would be to help boost people with developmental disabilities out of the workshop and into society, it will be pushing some of them even further into the closet.

David Carraher
Greensboro

I am a senior social work major at UNCG. However, I am also writing as a voter and a member of the local chapter of ONE, a group concerned with alleviating global poverty.

I recently had the opportunity to work with more than 2.4 million ONE members nationally to bring awareness to extreme global poverty and disease. ONE members are working hard to ensure these issues are addressed in the 2008 presidential election.

When it comes to presidential politics, global poverty is not the main topic of conversation. However, this is a major issue requiring attention. According to ONE.org, more than 1 billion people survive on less than $1 per day, while 15,000 people die each day from preventable, treatable diseases.

Ashely Landess, a member of ONE.org, stated that people are dying from things "that most Americans wouldn't let kill their dog." ONE members are actively communicating with presidential candidates about their plans to address world poverty and save innocent lives. Candidates are publicly speaking about issues that matter most to American voters.

I urge voters to visit www. onevote08.org/ontherecord and preview the candidates' plans to alleviate global poverty and disease if elected.

Britanee Morgan Barham
Reidsville

Rep. Howard Coble has been one of the biggest Bush supporters in Congress. Just look at his voting record. He voted:

Yes to start the War in Iraq.

No on children's health (SCHIP).

Yes on administration energy policy (ANWAR drilling, tax breaks for big oil).

No on regulating the subprime mortgage industry, leading to the economic mess we are in now.

Yes on restricting bankruptcy filings.

No on any economic stimulus to our economy.

Yes on the Patriot Act.

It is time for a change in Washington. Howard Coble's record of votes tells the story. We need representation that speaks for the needs of our people, not someone who echoes the sound of a failed administration.

James Bennett
Greensboro

Support is crucial for school teachers

It was encouraging to read two articles in the Feb. 6 paper that supported our public school teachers.

The first article, about the Southeast High School principal who approved a wrestling coach's actions, was wonderful.

The second, a column written by Doug Clark, said things that just about every educator would love to say but cannot.

All too often the public school teacher is solely responsible for defending or explaining his or her actions.

Principals and boards of education are too concerned with not upsetting the parents, who in turn want their children to be continually praised.

Perhaps these two articles are a harbinger of things to come?

Judy Barrett
Greensboro

Social work has always been a field that confronts the social problems and issues of the public.

The passion of a particular social worker is exemplified in a Jan. 15 news story. The author addresses a recent incident in which a social worker's concerns for a family's living situation were ignored. After the children of the home were found dead, a number of employees within the agency were fired for their negligence.

As a student pursing a bachelor's degree in social work, I am both encouraged and dismayed by this incident. Regarding the actions of the social worker, I feel a sense of validation and pride in the profession. It is the ultimate goal of social workers to advocate for oppressed populations and assist individuals in improving the quality of their lives.

I am outraged that the concerns of this social worker were ignored. However, I want to encourage those who are pursuing a career in this profession. The outcome of this situation is unfortunate, but the passion that social workers have for their community must continue. We must pursue with all diligence our "call to serve" despite all possible challenges.

Tameeka Burris
Greensboro

I am writing in response to the article on Guilford County's homeless, "Keeping track of people hidden behind numbers" (Jan. 31).

I was extremely moved by this article and the work that Gail Haworth, executive director of the Servant Center, is accomplishing. She helps coordinate the county's twice yearly attempt to count the homeless. But she goes further than that.

Everyone has a story, and the fact that she cares to listen to those stories shows that she loves her profession and the people intertwined with it. She is a natural care giver.

I am a senior in the undergraduate social work program at UNCG. Reading this article rekindles the passion I hold for this type of work. Pioneers in the helping profession, like Gail Haworth, don't always receive the credit they deserve. For them, it is simply about being able to "be thy brother's keeper."

Thank you for articles that re-ignite my need to reach out and hopefully spark that need in others in the community.

Lauren Bradshaw
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By David and Carolyn McBrayer

For many months, Triad residents have shared concerns about private property rights and stewardship of God's creation, the Earth. Our farms have been called "undeveloped and vacant land."

On Sept. 1, 2000, The High Point Enterprise reported Voluntary Agriculture Districts on the agenda for Guilford County commissioners and the appointment of a seven-member agricultural advisory board. Where are they?

Farms, protected by Voluntary Agriculture Districts and land conservation easements, would be destroyed by Heart of the Triad. Watersheds and wetlands are only obstacles to be "altered" to fit the dreams of developers. Wildlife habitat means nothing to planners. Failing air quality reports and drought conditions also necessitate the need for an environmental advisory board in our planning departments.

The American Planners Association's Ethical Principles in Planning, North Carolina's Department of Transportation's Ethical Policy and the North Carolina Board of Ethics mandate concise guidelines for elected and appointed officials.

Elected officials, planners and businesses working with disregard to conflicts of interests and ethical codes should also be mindful of God's warning, found in Micah 2: 1-5:

Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds.

At morning's light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.

They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them.

They defraud a man of his home, and a fellowman of his inheritance.

Therefore, the Lord says: "I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.

"In that day men will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song:

" 'We are utterly ruined; my people's possession is divided up. He takes it from me!

He assigns our fields to traitors.' "

Therefore, you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by lot.

The writers live in Kernersville.

With all that is happening at Southeast High School and the staph infection case, I wanted to bring up a solution that would benefit all parties. Make it mandatory in North Carolina that all secondary schools hire a certified athletic trainer full time. For those who do not know, certified athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in preventing, recognizing, managing and rehabilitating injuries that result from physical activity. (www.nata.org).

Athletic trainers work as part of a medical team with physicians, coaches and parents to make the proper decisions for the welfare and benefit of the athlete.

Why are we not taking these steps in our state as a whole and letting the professionals who are trained in sports medicine do their jobs?

Kirsten Schrader
Greensboro

Regarding the editorial "Moving to Sedgefield will boost tournament":
I don't understand the editorial board's perception that Sedgefield Country Club is more accessible to visitors from neighboring cities than Forest Oaks.

With the new I-85 bypass and the soon-to-open next leg of the Urban Loop, which will become I-40, both locations are about equally accessible, especially with the High Point Road interchange not opening until after High Point Road is re-routed.

The location of the Wyndham Championship has little bearing on attracting the big-name PGA Tour players. Clearly, it is the schedule because the Wyndham occurs after two consecutive major tournaments and then is followed by three weeks of the FedEx Championship Series.
Last year we had all four weeks of the FedEx Championship Series after our tournament. This year, due to the Ryder Cup, they are giving the Tour players one week off before the Ryder Cup followed by the final FedEx Championship Tournament.

If the PGA doesn't somehow address the issue of tournaments such as ours lacking big-name Tour players, getting sponsors surely will become increasingly difficult.

Recently AT&T announced that this was the last year it would sponsor Atlanta's Tour tournament because of a lack of big-name tour players.

Chuck Jensen
Greensboro

My day begins early morning, making a cup of hot tea and looking out the windows of our downtown loft at homeless people rummaging through city garbage cans, sitting on benches and walking the streets with backpacks. One has to wonder where they are going and what future opportunities they have for a source of income, medical care and housing. Most of us in college are eager to volunteer for a cause or help in its efforts.

As I research the nearby college organizations and their charitable causes, I notice there is a group that seems to be forgotten: the homeless. I don't think it's because no one wants to help — but perhaps many don't realize there are so many homeless who need help.
I read about college students across the country attending forums, signing petitions and sleeping on the streets in sleeping bags in an effort to focus college campuses on the plight of the homeless. One student said, "So much can be done, and it's right at your doorstep."

Universities and colleges in Greensboro should be funneling their students' and professors' time and talents to raise awareness and assist with the plan to end chronic homelessness in Greensboro.

Harry Lee
Greensboro

When people are asked what type of child they would prefer to adopt, the answer is usually the same. Everyone wants an infant or young child.

But where does this leave teenagers? No one in their right mind is going to say, I'd like to take a rebellious, disrespectful hooligan who has a lot of emotional baggage into my home and raise him as my own child. However, this is a common misconception.

Often these adolescents only need someone to pay attention to them and give them the love and respect that they deserve. These children are starving for attention, and the foster care system is not a place for anyone to grow up, especially when he is beginning to develop and implement adult ideals.

Nevertheless, the number of adolescents in Guilford County foster care continues to grow and there is even discussion about developing a new foster care unit just for adolescents. I believe that something needs to be done so these children are able to find homes so they may properly develop. Because, in short, they are our future.

Shannon Pennington
Greensboro

I was greatly saddened by the article regarding the parvo outbreak at Rockingham County Animal Shelter (Feb. 6) and the subsequent euthanization of the 61 dogs housed there.

Just as heartbreaking was that the dogs that had recently been adopted or fostered were turned back in and also put down (with the exception of one) because of possible exposure to parvo.

According to Caroline Sanders, shelter director, "Most animal shelters vaccinate against parvo as soon as a dog arrives." Tragically, our shelter in Rockingham County "has no finances and ... can't afford to vaccinate them as soon as they get here."

I went to the shelter and made a donation toward parvo vaccines. I met Sanders and thanked her for all she does for the animals that end up there.

She and her volunteers work tirelessly cleaning kennels, feeding animals and trying to get the word out that many wonderful animals are awaiting adoption.

I pray there will not be another outbreak of parvo at the shelter. That can be avoided only through vaccinating all of the dogs there. Please find it in your heart to make a donation. Checks should be made payable to Rockingham County Animal Shelter, 1401 West Harrison St., Reidsville, NC 27320.

Pamela Martin
Reidsville

Regarding Richard Love (Jim Schlosser column, Feb. 4): He was a beautiful man and I feel the article on him did not do him justice.

He was a great friend to our family and my daughter's best friend. He saw her through the loss of her fiance' in 2007. He was there for our family in the worst and best of times. He always had wonderful things to say about everyone and asked nothing in return for his love and friendship.

He was an amazing person and I hope that he knew how much he meant to his friends. He was quite a gem. We will miss him always and forever.

Debbie Brookman Whitt
Salem, Va.

Ten years ago as a new Greensboro resident, I was excited to learn that the Woolworth building was being restored as a museum. Over the past 10 years, I've watched the revitalization of the downtown area including a new ballpark, the Center City Park, the Children's Museum and a new downtown library. And yet, the Woolworth building still sits, unfinished. It's not only sad, it's a real black eye for this city.

I agree with a recent writer who suggested that we make this a bicentennial project and finally get it done.

As we celebrate Greensboro's proud heritage, we can no longer ignore this very important part of our history.

Nancy Probst
Greensboro

On a cold November night my best friend was confronted by several gang members on his way home from Wal-Mart on East Cone Boulevard. They asked him for change and, as he checked his pockets, two of them hit him in the head. As one pulled a gun and demanded money, he ran in fear for his life. Later, my friend told me that the gun had jammed and this probably saved him.

Here's our dilemma: Children who grow up in our communities are our concern, not just their parents'. To not take responsibility for them is to leave them for the streets to teach. If we are going to take back our streets and make them safe again, we need to start at the beginning.

When we see a problem, we need to take an action to resolve it and get our children some help. If you don't do anything else, at least be a positive role model or mentor. If you do nothing, the above scenario could happen to you. Who knows, you might not be so lucky.

Latisha McClary
Greensboro

Please read the story from Memphis (News & Record, A7, Feb. 12) to help explain why officials are correct in their enforcement of the suspensions discussed on page A1, the same day, about the fight at Grimsley High. Is this what you want to happen?

Luckily, at Grimsley, it was a fight without guns. But unless there is meat in the administration's action and support from the community, it will surely escalate into worse. What kind of example are these parents setting by defending the undisciplined actions of their children?

Stick to your decisions, administrators. The parents should be inconvenienced, not the rest of the students attending school in fear.

Bobby Rives
Greensboro

It's inexcusable for the city to delay further responding to a request by David Wray's attorneys for legal representation against a racial bias lawsuit brought during the time he was chief of police. At this point it appears that all the city manager and legal department are interested in is covering tracks and sidestepping the fact that Wray's forced resignation was caused by acceptance of false racial accusations against him and his administration.

No matter how much the city manager, mayor or certain City Council members want this matter to go away, it won't until the truth is told and Wray's name is cleared of alleged wrongdoing.

Bill Knight
Greensboro

The two good front-page articles, "A medical void" (Feb. 2) and "Ways to help MLK area's health care emerging" (Feb. 5), addressed the lack of medical facilities in the southeastern sector of our city. As a consequence, a number of our senior residents travel to distant parts of the city for necessary medical treatment. Efficient, affordable transportation is a serious issue for many of these seniors.

A service that's been in place for seniors (55 years and older) for more than 10 years is the Senior Wheels Program of Senior Resources of Guilford, a nonprofit agency in Greensboro. This free service for seniors offers upward of 150 rides a month provided by volunteer drivers from congregations from all around the city. They pick up the patient, drive him or her to the medical appointment and then drive them home.

As a volunteer driver for the past six years, I can attest to the gratitude that many of these seniors feel for such a service. It's a win-win situation for both riders and drivers, and new drivers are always needed and welcomed.

A timely call to the program coordinator (373-4816, extension 238) is all that's required to schedule a ride or to volunteer to drive. Give it a try.

Herbert Lieberman
Greensboro

Thanks to Monte Brooks for defending the police officer who pursued the jewel thief (letter, Feb. 12). I couldn't understand the empathy the newspaper gave this criminal.

Hadn't he stolen a car in Raleigh/Durham to get to the mall in Greensboro to steal the $36,000 jewelry?

The irony of it all: That same newspaper had a lead story about a poor man's market being robbed at gunpoint and broken into so many times that his wife was afraid to come to work. He feared leaving in the evenings and had resorted to iron bars and barbed wire on his windows. Not the scene you'd like to envision one block off Church Street/Pisgah Church Street, is it?

Speaking from experience, I know thieves take more than the goods. They leave you with a feeling of insecurity that remains forever. The Feb. 3 editorial gives the idea it's OK to steal as long as nobody gets hurt and you should just let them go because it wouldn't justify a hot pursuit.

Let's try looking at the situation from the standpoint of the poor victims instead of defending these repeat offenders. That's just what the officer was doing the day he decided to pursue the auto/jewel thief. To borrow a phrase from Bill Cosby, "Come on, people."

Laura Matkins
Greensboro

Mary Rakestraw seems to be the only City Council person who is awake. Where there is smoke, one will soon see a full blaze. This lady is not new in politics.

Robbie Perkins calls the missing memo requested by the News & Record a "mistake." How is it the city was not able to find the memo until City Manager Mitchell Johnson was pushed? How can one think he didn't know what the paper was asking for?

Johnson has made several mistakes. He is not a desirable person for the position he is in. I hear and I read.

I pray the council members will use their sensible heads and relieve this man of his position, and let's get on with trying to get our city back on track.

A.D. Joyner
Greensboro

Enough! Paris Hilton is a beautiful, vacuous and aimless eternal adolescent who does nothing to emulate. Why is she on the front page of one of the sections of your newspaper?

Surely no one but the very naive are interested in her comings and goings. There are so many other events in this world that are worth reporting.

She is not amusing. She is sad.

Gloria Jacobi
Asheboro

The recently published black book memo throws new light on the entire David Wray issue in terms of when and why.

This book appears to have been justified and not racist. Are we to believe that the investigators couldn't find the memo? Was this a deliberate witch hunt and execution? Perhaps.

Mitch Johnson should soon issue a public apology to Wray.

Frank Freeman
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Anne R. Harris

Your coverage of a workers' compensation decision from the N.C. Court of Appeals on Feb. 6, "Judges: Woman entitled to one new breast implant, but not two," was thoughtless. A firestorm of controversy has resulted from the media coverage of this case.

You printed the full name of the injured party, Penny M. Rumple Richardson, who is my client and a local resident. You reported on only a part of the court's decision dealing with breast implant replacement. You excluded any reference to the context of the rest of the case.

This case involved a serious car accident in 2001, caused by a driver who hit my client's car and left the scene. Richardson sustained multiple injuries, requiring numerous knee and wrist surgeries, and extensive dental work. She had continuous problems with headaches. In addition, her existing breast implants were damaged and required replacement.

The accident occurred on her job as a nursing assistant. Her employer had insurance to cover these injuries. However, the insurance carrier denied liability for all of these injuries, forcing Richardson to take her claim into court. Her injuries have been found compensable throughout the trial and appeal process, with the exception of the one breast implant in the most recent decision.

Someone released the most recent decision to the Associated Press, which circulated the article worldwide. The published article reports the breast implant decision in isolation, without providing the context of the rest of the story. It has resulted in Richardson's name and reputation being attacked in the media all over the world, as if she sued her employer just to get breast implants. Her daughter has even been approached at school by a stranger with a camera.

Richardson was not at fault in this accident and did not deserve her injuries. Neither did she deserve the unwanted invasion of her privacy, or the skewed portrayal of her motives in the media. Injured workers across this state do not deserve to pay this kind of price to obtain access to justice.

Printing this misleading article in her local community was unfair to Richardson and has caused her significant distress. Greensboro is her home. If you are going to report on this decision, it is incumbent upon you to present a fair and balanced report. You got it wrong this time.

The writer is an attorney and a board-certified specialist in workers' compensation law who lives in Greensboro.

A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed column, "McCain and the Supreme Court," makes, with solid logic, the case for "Why John McCain?"

Six of nine justices will be older than 70 when the next president takes office on January 2009. He (or, God forbid, she) will have the opportunity to nominate some number as vacancies occur over the next few years.

While McCain had "problems" with Samuel Alito's selection (too conservative), I cannot see McCain selecting a Ruth Ginsburg, John Paul Stevens or David Souter. He'll select nominees who believe the Constitution means what it says.

I can see Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama nominating someone who thinks the Constitution's language is fluid and simply a guide to interpreting the Constitution as a living document. Someone who believes international norms and laws are appropriate and/or useful for interpreting and defining the Law of our land.

Given the window for nominating new justices and the lasting damage a Democratic president can wreak in just four years of Supreme Court appointments, it is unconscionable for anyone to "stand on their principles" and allow a Democrat to win the White House by default.

Wake up, conservatives. It is unconscionable!

Michael Crouch
Greensboro

As a part of a senior class project at UNCG, I was assigned to speak out about something. The first thought that came to my mind was about children dealing with having a parent in prison. This issue hits close to home because my father has been in prison for about 11 years.

Somehow it seems this issue is overlooked, though it is prevalent in the community. How can a family effectively deal with the pain, anguish, financial instability and sometimes even embarrassment connected with a loved one being in the "system"?

Visiting prison with barely enough chairs to sit in, feeling like I am a prisoner by the guards who "watch" over us and the uncertainty of whether I will see my father again once I leave the premises are only a few of the issues my family has had to deal with.

The "system" needs to uphold its promises for fair judgment and reform so that families can be reunited with their incarcerated loved ones at an increased rate or at least be treated with decency and respect during visitation.

Erica Ford
Greensboro

In an article and picture you published recently from the Associated Press, you reported that an Italian campaign against the Italian Mafia had been code-named "old bridge." It was clear to me, however, that the code name must have been actually been "Ponte Vecchio."

This renaissance bridge in Florence, Italy, built over the Arno River, with jewelers and other small shops actually built on the bridge, is well known, not only by seasoned travelers and many other students of Italy and Italian, but by most Italian-Americans as well.

So, helping us out by translating "Ponte Vecchio" into "old bridge," while literally accurate, moves us from some knowledge to no knowledge and is not helpful at all. This is a famous bridge, known around the Western world. The AP should have reported the code name as "Ponte Vecchio," not "old bridge." If we don't know about this bridge, we can look it up.

James D. Deere
Greensboro

I am both sad and glad about Jim's retirement. Sad because he is a "must read" when he has an article in the News & Record. Glad because I am sure it is a well-deserved retirement.

I was fortunate to work with him on two articles that were of interest to me and fortunately they were of interest to him. He is a wealth of historical knowledge on Greensboro, and I sure hope he will be able to continue to delve in that venue. Godspeed, Jim!

Tom Thompson
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By: Wendy Simpson Raines

It was with great interest that I read your editorial concerning Officer W.M. Symmes (Feb. 3).

It is clear that Symmes adhered to the policies and directives set forth by the Greensboro
Police Department when he initiated his vehicle pursuit of a felony suspect. He used proper radio traffic and requested two marked patrol units and a K9 officer.

When the pursuit ended in a vehicle collision, Symmes was immediately in danger while he attempted to arrest the suspect. He was on the side of the highway in a physical confrontation with a convicted felon intent on eluding arrest through any means necessary, including stealing a police vehicle with a police officer hanging on the side.

Since I became president of the Greensboro Police Officers Association in July 2007, members of our organization have been involved in five critical incidents that resulted in officers firing their service weapon to save their life.

Police officers have taken an oath to protect the citizens of Greensboro. While the GPD is under heavy scrutiny, the day-to-day operations continue because of the untiring efforts of officers who are available to the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The training received by a police officer makes it clear that your service weapon is only to be fired to save your life or the life of a citizen. With the legal and moral consequences of taking another life, no officer would take someone's life without due regard.

In 2007, North Carolina ranked sixth in the nation in officer fatalities, behind much larger states such as Texas, Florida, New York, California and Louisiana. This is evidence that our state is a dangerous working environment for law enforcement officers.

A more appropriate stance for the News & Record would be to investigate why suspects are choosing not to run from law enforcement but to confront law enforcement. Most citizens know that police officers are equipped with pepper spray, Tasers and firearms. Yet, since July, suspects have chosen the following methods to maim or potentially kill Greensboro police officers: shooting at officers responding to a robbery/kidnapping; shooting at an occupied police vehicle in Ray Warren Homes; confronting an officer responding to a 911 call with a sharp-edged weapon; attempting to strike an officer with a vehicle after a pursuit, shooting an officer in the chest during a narcotics investigation, and finally the Symmes incident.

Officer Symmes should be commended for his readiness to respond to a felony larceny while working a department sanctioned off-duty position, his superior radio traffic throughout the event, the survival skills he displayed while in a dangerous position, and the aptitude to react in a manner as to save his own life.

The writer is president of the Greensboro Police Officers Association.

The Westerwood Neighborhood Association Board of Directors wishes to convey our gratitude to Greensboro College for its stewardship of the property at the corner of North Mendenhall Street and West Friendly Avenue.

The college acquired the run-down motel at this location that served a transient population and transformed it into The Inn at Greensboro College. This project accomplished more than just providing additional housing for the college's students. Because aesthetics were considered, the property is now an asset to the neighborhoods surrounding it. Also, the crime rate in the area has drastically declined since Greensboro College obtained this property.

Greensboro College should be commended for its excellent rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of what is now the Inn at Greensboro College, which has helped our neighborhood association advance its non-profit mission of enhancing property values in Westerwood and promoting a safe neighborhood in which to live and raise a family.

Please join us in thanking Greensboro College for its vision in seeing an unfortunate situation as an opportunity to create a win-win solution that has been good for all concerned.

Ginny Olson
Greensboro

The writer is president of the Westerwood Neighborhood Association.

Will our Congress ever be able to set aside trivial issues for someone of lesser importance and focus on more serious and pressing problems? Last week, our Congress hauled in the Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, and Roger Clemens, (former) pitcher for the New York Yankees. Forgive me, but are these two men the most pressing problems we face as a nation?

I would rather our senators and representatives got a handle on the recession, the war in Iraq, the $9 trillion national debt, the sinking dollar or the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to our foreign competitors.

All of these problems are far more important than the two problems of the NFL or Major League Baseball. I'm just a little weary from all the ignorance and arrogance.

K.P. Smith
Denton

What's up with parents taking young children to R-rated movies? I have three children all 16 and under, so it's rare that my wife and I get to see a movie for grown-ups. Recently, I had a free afternoon and decided to see the psychological thriller "Untraceable."

Just as the movie was about to start, a lady and her young daughter (who looked about 10) sat across from me. I was shocked!

The previews alone had prepared me for a graphic thriller so I was dumbfounded at the presence of the young girl. I spent the majority of the movie glancing over at the girl who had her face covered most of the time. The movie made even me squirm at times. After all, it was about a psycho killer.

Parents, if you want to see a movie, but can't get a baby sitter, you have three choices:

1. Don't go.

2. Wait until it's out on video.

3. Find a movie that the both of you can enjoy.

Your child's welfare is much more important than your movie needs.

Thad McLaurin
Greensboro

It pained me to learn that my friends in Forest Oaks are having to drive 30 minutes to get a loaf of bread ("Property rezoning could mean shorter trips for groceries," Feb. 13). Southeast Guilford residents must be riding their bicycles to buy these groceries, since there's a Wal-Mart just eight minutes away. Of course, I realize that Wal-Mart doesn't carry specialties such as Himalayan goji berries.

Even though most of the folks I know in Forest Oaks don't appear to be bread-deprived, I still feel obligated to offer some suggestions for them. First, they could stop by a store on their way home and pick up a loaf of bread. Shoot, they could pick up two. They could stockpile supplies by freezing bread. Or they could bake their own, thereby eliminating that pesky middleman. Better yet, they could grow their own wheat. Another alternative is a low-carb diet, eliminating bread altogether. Think of the gas that would save.

If rezoning for a new grocery store doesn't help, a last resort would be to call in FEMA or the Red Cross.

I hope all this has helped. I hate to see anyone go hungry.

Warren Dixon
Liberty

We are in the middle of a climate crisis and our N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources recently failed to look out for our best interests. On Jan. 29, DENR issued the final permit allowing Duke Energy to proceed with construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Cliffside.

Due to a loophole in the Renewable and Efficiency Portfolio Standard, the construction costs of this plant will be passed on to the customer through rate increases.

The renewable energy alternative would have cost 25 percent less than generating electricity from coal or nuclear power. More than 150,000 jobs in North Carolina could have been supported under a clean alternative, whereas conventional energy jobs are projected to be on the decline over the next 20 years. The new power plant will surpass our state's air pollution standards, emitting 11.7 million tons of carbon dioxide that could have been avoided with a renewable-energy alternative.

Unfortunately, building a $3 billion coal-powered facility is a significantly more profitable investment for Duke Energy than energy-efficient alternatives. This, however, does not explain why our Department of Environment and Natural Resources chose a power company's side over the people it is supposedly working to protect.

Nicole Lindahl
Greensboro

Will my children ever have the opportunity to learn in a real classroom?

I would like to see education become a priority in my lifetime and I would also like for at least one of my children to be able to go to school and actually be taught in a building, not in a trailer. The schools are so overcrowded, and by the time they build another school, about 10 more subdivisions sprout up, which overcrowds the new school before it can even open.

One year my child had to spend a whole year in a drafty, partitioned, remodeled shed shared by two other classes. How many trailers can you actually add to a school before it is considered too many?

Do we really care if the jails are renovated to make inmates more comfortable, or should we invest our tax dollars to renovate schools to accommodate the rising number of students?

Pamela Miller
Summerfield

Since 2003, the number of children in foster care in our state has increased each year. In February 2007, 11,436 North Carolina children were in foster care.

For the past six months, I have interned at The Children's Home in Winston-Salem and spent most of my time with foster care and adoptions. I am doing what I can to see that these children are placed in loving homes, but I cannot be successful all on my own. Even if you feel you are not right for the job, you may know someone who is.

To learn more, please visit www.tchome.org or contact an agency near you to help a child find a home.

Alexis Paskalides
Greensboro

How sad that readers like Skeeter Durham have their heads where they never will see the sun shine ("Hold Bush, Cheney accountable this year," letter, Feb. 6).

Our courageous president, with the counsel and consent of a most competent vice president, has effectively upheld his responsibility to keep us safe, which is his most significant responsibility in a time of war. Impeach them for what?

Clinton, our most despicable president, followed closely by the peanut farmer, had real issues to be excoriated for.

Our out-of-control government can be laid squarely at the feet of a Democratic-majority Congress, which has an obstructionist, do-nothing performance resulting in the lowest approval ratings in history of any Congress. Talk about out of control! There have been earmarks of incalculable waste of precious assets and an outrageous, cut-and-run attempt to end a war that has only one option, which is to win.

Unequivocally, our only choice is not to repeat the horrors of our dastardly performance of legislating our loss in Vietnam, having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Can Durham cite legitimate examples of having violated our Constitution and not fallacious, unfounded polemic?

Bob Guertin
Jamestown

Why are we blind to wasteful government spending? Its other name is "graft," which is the attainment of personal advantage or profit by dishonest or unfair political leverage.

Nothing has been done about this graft since the 1984 Grace Commission report on waste. According to that study, more than half of our yearly $2.5 trillion budget is wasted (stolen). Possibly another trillion is spent on things we could do without. Just cut the waste and you have close to $1.5 trillion per year to begin paying off the $9 trillion national debt. We could do it in six years.

I can’t think of a better way to make it happen than being responsible spenders. The only people who will suffer are those who are profiting from that graft. Get used to paying for what you buy.

Congressman Coble voted no for the rebates because the rebate doesn’t come out of thin air. We don’t have a full treasury, and borrowing from Peter (China) to pay Paul (again China) is a lose-lose proposition. We have a trade deficit with China of more than $800 billion. Someone will eventually have to pay, and I am more responsible than to pass it along to my children.

Chris Corry
Greensboro

On Feb. 12, the U.S. Senate voted to extend retroactive immunity to the telecommunications companies that cooperated with the administration in illegally spying on U.S. citizens in the aftermath of Sept. 11. It is unconscionable that it would do this before a full investigation of their illegal acts has been conducted.

This action by the Democratic-controlled Senate continues the cowardly and irresponsible behavior toward administration excesses exhibited by the Republican-controlled Congress during the previous seven years. Should the House adopt this provision it would ensure that there would never be a meaningful investigation of the extent to which American citizens’ privacy rights were violated.

Using the veil of fear, the government has succeeded time and time again in violating the tenets of humanity (torture), breaking laws of our country (illegal spying) and bullying Congress and the courts into doing nothing to stop it. Our system is based on the principle of checks and balances. Once this is lost, all that remains is tyranny. This, rather than an amorphous group of terrorists, represents the greatest threat to our democracy. It may already be too late.

David Johnson
Greensboro

Earlier this year the price of most contraceptives sold at universities and safety-net health providers increased a great deal.

The price went from the $5-$15 range to an outrageous $15-$35. This means that many college students and women with families who rely on safety-net health care will have to prioritize and make tough decisions about how, or even whether, we can afford contraception.

This new rise in birth control prices is unacceptable.

The recently added Deficit Reduction Act made it more difficult for universities and other health care providers to provide affordable birth control and other contraception. More than 50 U.S. representatives are now supporting a recently introduced plan to fix the DRA, which would reverse previous legislation and once again allow health care centers to provide birth control at a greatly discounted price to college students as well as low-income families.

The opportunity to receive affordably priced birth control is something that everyone should have access to. No one should have to jump through hoops to practice safe sex.

Protect your reproductive rights by contacting our representatives, Howard Coble, Brad Miller and Mel Watt. Rep. Coble's office can be reached at (336) 333-5005, Rep. Miller at (336) 574-2909, and Rep. Watt at (336) 275-9950.

Emily Lawing
Greensboro

Since when are college graduates supposed to have a master's degree in order to find a suitable job? It used to be all you needed was a high school diploma; then companies and industries started requiring bachelor's degrees. Now, as a senior at a major North Carolina university, you are telling me that in order to ensure a successful future in my field, I must go on to get a master's degree?

By the time I am finished with my education, I will have spent almost 25 years in school. That leaves me the next 25 to pay off student loans, with the hope that I will even be able to find employment after all is said and done.

The choice to pursue a secondary education used to be just that -- a choice. Now it is almost a requirement, which is just an expensive hassle. We don't all want to be experts and doctors; however, we do want a job where the amount of education we have received will be reciprocated in our pay and area of interest. What is next? Ph.D. requirements?

Doreen Chapel
Greensboro

Government by, for and of the people no longer applies. An article Feb. 11 in the News & Record discusses superdelegates of the Democratic Party, who may vote for whomever they wish. They were introduced in the "1980s, after party leaders soured on voters' choices." Soured on the voters' choice? It appears that the voters have no choice.

Florida moved its primary ahead on the calendar and was punished by having its votes voided by the party. The Electoral College is a sham and once again nullifies the popular vote.

We in North Carolina will have no say in the primary election because we vote so late in the season.

Why is so much power bestowed to people in Iowa and New Hampshire, who are no more intelligent or knowledgeable than folks in other states?

It is time to change the system and return the power to people. Voter apathy does not reflect disinterest in the system, it is the realization that what we think no longer matters.

Politicians will continue to favor special interests as long as superdelegates back them and holding the office is more important than performing in the office.

Matt Butler
Greensboro

When Officer William Symmes chased Emile Williams on the night of Jan. 23 and killed him, he was doing what he had trained for and was sworn to do.

Williams could have stopped at any time during the chase and did not do so. His actions and his past record show that he intended to elude being captured at any cost, even if he had to kill the officer, in order to continue his life of crime.

I would like to publicly thank Officer Symmes. All the good and decent people of Greensboro, and all the area should thank God for him and others like him who do their duty and keep us safe so that we can live in a peaceful society.

Raymond Bunton
Thomasville

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Laura B. Quinn

It is disturbing to learn of the contention over whether to help preserve a dairy farm in Guilford County by providing funds for a conservation easement. Commissioner Skip Alston is quoted as saying, "I think it is a bad idea giving away taxpayer money without any public access to the land or any other public benefit."

When greening efforts are promoted worldwide for preserving and conserving limited food-producing resources, how could anyone vote against saving farmland?

American Farmland Trust does a wonderful job in efforts to save farms. They promote interest by publicizing successful efforts of farmers preserving farmland and introducing ways of improving production, delivery and conservation.

There are many ways individuals can contribute to saving farmland.

First, by patronizing local vendors and increasing the percentage of personal diet from local sources.

Contact state and federal representatives about funding for agriculture and land conservation.
Sign up for American Farmland Trust's e-newsletters at www.farmland.org.

I have subscribed for years to its seasonal magazine and thrill over the accomplishments they have achieved in preserving U.S. farms.

Since farms produce elements that add to pollution it will be critical for farmers to bring about reduction of methane and other contaminants and be part of the solution of the problem.

Many farmers are using new methods of reducing carbon dioxide and contributing to solving problems of greenhouse gasses and turning them to positive uses. Farming has potential to be part of the solution to fight global warming, both by producing biofuels and by innovating methods to counteract the effects of carbon dioxide.

It is disturbing to witness politics aligned against protecting farms, considering the need for more productive farms to sustain food sources. It is particularly important to sustain farms that have a history of generational tradition and hope for a future for family farming.

It is imperative that we look to all means of participating in efforts to preserve farmlands, whether or not we have personal connections to farms because everyone is affected when they're threatened or not supported by the community.

The writer lives in Greensboro

I agree with Jo Strack (letter, Feb. 13) regarding Greensboro growth. Why does City Council repeatedly give in to developers? We build homes and can't sell homes that remain unsold. We build new shopping centers and leave existing ones blighted. We lose small businesses because of outrageous rental fees by developers.

Contrary to what people think, Greensboro's cost of living is not lower than other cities. Most middle-class families have spouses working two jobs to make ends meet. Unions are not welcome and wages are some of the lowest paid in the U.S. Crime is up. Even property taxes keep going up.

Whose best interest does City Council have at heart -- the people of this city or big business?

Before the city continues growing without a plan, start paying a decent living wage. Before adding new subdivisions, sell the remaining unsold inventory. Before developing new shopping centers, lease existing space. Make this city the true "gateway" to North Carolina.

If City Council doesn't look out for everyone's best interest, remove them from office. The good people of Greensboro are entitled to live a quality of life that promises a future for their family.

Sherry Tow
Greensboro

North Carolina Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole voted against expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, to be paid for with a 61-cent increase in the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes and increases on other tobacco products.

Dole has said, "To fund it on the back of North Carolina's economy and especially on the backs of the tobacco industry when there are other funding options, is unfair."

Actually, funding was to be from tobacco companies through sales to people who buy their products all over the United States.

Tobacco is a much smaller part of North Carolina's economy than when Dole actually lived here. Because of the multitude of costs related to tobacco use, there is a net loss to North Carolina's economy.

In addition to diseases and deaths of friends and relatives due to active tobacco use, my nephew died of SIDS, no doubt caused by maternal smoking. My brother died from strokes, no doubt contributed to by secondhand smoke. My mother had horrible breathing problems and at least two heart attacks, all due to secondhand smoke.

We need leaders who care about the deaths and suffering caused by use of tobacco products. Where is our political leaders' humanity?

Stan Meyer
Greensboro

"But where are the clowns? Send in the clowns. Don't bother. They're here."

And City Council superclowns Mary Rakestraw and Trudy Wade have been behaving like an old, broken LP record monotonously playing ditchMitchditchMitchditchditch. Surely, they know that getting along with a competent government employee you abhor is part of the business of politics. Aren't they already "politically experienced"? Aren't they former county commissionerclowns?

City Councilclown, attorney and "pseudo-micromanager" Mike Barber is another case. He seems to "move like a butterfly" and is said to be the primary originator of a strategy to "ditch Mitch" that involves rewriting, and constantly editing, Johnson's job description so that new, measurable to-do tasks effectively decrease the city manager's ability to perform miracles within 30 days. Or something like that.

And, guess what, Barber is also a "politically experienced," former county commissionerclown!

Yes, people. The clowns are here. And "Rumors Fit to Print" John Hammer is having a field day.

Isn't it sort of sad to watch them perform satirical comedy acts before, during and following the meetings of the City Councilcircus? I'm just asking.

Bill Burnett
Greensboro

Regarding Michael Badgett's apology to the world (letter, Feb. 2): He must have quite an ego if he thinks he can speak for the citizens of this great nation.

We don't owe anyone an apology. Our nation has been the greatest force in history for freedom and democracy.

Criticize President Bush if you want. My question is, how many terrorist attacks have we had in the United States since Sept. 11? I believe none.

Luck? I don't think so. I believe many things our president has done have worked. Maybe we should be saying, "thank you."

Read the News & Record for Feb. 2. Two mentally disabled women were strapped with remote-control explosives and used as bombers. These are the people our president has been trying to protect us against.

You probably have moral concerns about our military's interrogation techniques. The first time I saw what those terrorists did to our captured soldiers -- tortured them to death, gagged them and left them for dead or threw their bodies in a river -- I lost my moral concern for our interrogators' techniques. I don't believe we kill our prisoners.

To quote an old saying, if you don't love it, leave it.

Randall Minix
Greensboro

Since 1877, there have been only three Republican governors in North Carolina. None had the veto power. So in 130 years, we have had rock solid Democratic control in the governor's mansion.

Also, according to the legislative library and the Institute of Government, we have had 130 years of overwhelming, solid Democratic control in the legislature of North Carolina, with only brief interruption in the 1990s.

The Democratic legislature writes all of our laws, passes all of the budgets, passes all of the taxes, writes all of the rules, and infringes on our freedoms. The counties are mere step-children to the Democratic lawmakers in Raleigh, who hold very long apron strings. Mandates and permission slips, if you will.

Income taxes, corporate taxes, property taxes, property re-evaluation, gas taxes, food taxes, gerrymandering, toll roads, etc., are mere products of the near total Democratic Party rule in our state capital.

To say that we have had more than 130 years of one-party rule in this state would be an accurate statement.

Systemic change that will break the stranglehold of high taxes, big government and creeping socialism can only be achieved if we break the stranglehold of Democratic Party rule in North Carolina.

Robert L. Simpson
Burlington

Let's look back at the Iraq mess: Like most Americans, I believed that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction back in 2003. I think that Mr. Bush believed it, too, although he had to cherry-pick intelligence to bolster his belief.

The U.N. inspectors were back in, and Saddam was pretty much in the fetal position. We had a win-win situation. If the inspectors found WMD and destroyed them, good. If they didn't find any, even better. If Saddam started his games or kicked the inspectors out (again), OK, we invade.

But this time, the world would have been with us instead of against us. Holding back and letting the inspectors do their work would have given us the time and resources to do Afghanistan right, an effort supported by the world. If we ultimately found it necessary to go into Iraq, at least Afghanistan would have been solved, and world opinion and resources would have been with us.

What a pity that Mr. Bush needed a quick war to bolster his tough guy image.

Don Hallock
Greensboro

I have noticed how our adolescents have become depressed and stressed out over improving grades and getting into college. They are constantly told how important end-of-grade testing is and that doing well in school is key.

The pressures of grades have caused many of our children to forget the importance of learning. They are only learning information to pass a certain class or make a certain grade. I believe that, instead of hearing constantly about the consequences of failing, students should be rewarded and given more incentives for doing well.

I recently read in USA Today that some states are using incentives to encourage students to do well. These school systems are offering students cash money, trips, cars and other gifts. Students receive the prizes through donations from individuals and companies.

If such incentives were put in place here, they could be rewarding for the students, the teachers and the community. These programs could take away from the negativity in learning and allow the students to take interest in school.

Amber Chatman
Greensboro

As a daughter of Greensboro, I have seen my community struggle with racism, poverty, sexism and homelessness.

As an intern at a public high school in Guilford County, I have seen firsthand how these factors hurt our teenagers. Instead of providing schools and children with the support they need to overcome obstacles and succeed, we concentrate our resources elsewhere, and usually to situations that are not as urgent. We spend our time and money focusing on hot-button issues such as abortion, gay marriage and immigration; these issues, however relevant, do not require your immediate attention. Our failing schools and apathetic communities do.

Because I am a graduate of Guilford County schools, I know how great an impact the Greensboro community can have on its students. According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, more than 20,000 teens drop out of school each year in North Carolina. It has been left up to individual citizens to help students and improve this number. If you refuse, who else is there?

There are many ways to help improve circumstances for all North Carolina children. Please consider tutoring, mentoring or donating funds. For more information, visit www.cisnet.org.

Julie Way
Greensboro

The American Lung Association of North Carolina is pleased that our State of Tobacco Control report is being discussed by candidates for governor. For far too long, tobacco control has not been a priority for many of our elected officials, many of whom have denied the health impact of tobacco use.

The report shows our progress in tobacco-control policies to be undeniably slight. We have made slow but steady progress, decreasing youth smoking rates from 27 percent in 2003 to 20.3 percent in 2007 and the adult rates from 23.2 percent to 22.1 percent, proving that prevention and control efforts are effective. To maximize impact would require spending much more.

Today, North Carolina spends $18,929,636 in tobacco-control efforts, yet the Centers for Disease Control recommends a minimum of $42,590,000 annually on tobacco-prevention and cessation programs. We are glad that tobacco, the No. 1 preventable cause of premature death and disease in our society, has entered the public discourse.

We look to the next governor to put health at the top of his/her priority list and continue to enact tobacco-control policies as well as ensure appropriate funding is available for prevention and cessation programs.

Deborah C. Bryan
Raleigh

The writer is North Carolina state executive, American Lung Association of North Carolina.

I have a question on how the city decides which cars are ticketed for removal as "abandoned." Several nice-looking vehicles on our street have been honored with the orange stickers, which is great if they don't have current license plates and aren't being driven. My question is about the ones that are obviously junkers. No tags, some with wheels missing, sitting there attracting rats, etc.

Several of these have been ignored in our neighborhood while other better-looking ones have been ticketed.

Just wondering.

No, I did not have one ticketed.

Nancy Bentley
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Kwadwo Som-Pimpong

Permit me a space in your august paper to make some observations on statements made by the former mayor, Keith Holliday, and certain City Council members in defense of their friend, City Manager Mitchell Johnson, and then pose some pertinent questions.

Some time last year, when the city manager was given a raise in salary, the mayor in justifying the raise stated that the reason the city manager is receiving a lot of criticism is because he is doing a good job.

Councilman Robbie Perkins, in a recent newspaper article, reacting to the call by Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw for the city manager to be fired because, in her opinion, the city manager had lied to her, said the charges were trumped up. He followed with a statement in the Feb. 13 paper: "The city of Greensboro can't be managed by a lame duck."

Honorable Mayor Yvonne Johnson is quoted in the paper (Feb. 13): "For me to fire someone, I have to be convinced that this person is not fulfilling my directives and has to go or is telling lie, lie, lie, and has got to go."

Finally, Councilman Mike Barber is quoted as telling council members that "our city manager is a husband and father and deserves respect and professionalism in how we make our decision."

The question that any objective-minded person would ask is, Where were all these council members when David Wray was locked out of his office by the city manager because, according to him, David Wray lied to him?

If they all had expressed these same sentiments then, our city would not be as polarized as it is today. Rather, they quietly watched as an honorable man, very hard working, a good father who did not lie, lie, lie, was subjected to the most inhumane treatment that anybody would ever wish for a fellow human being, a kind of treatment that was enough to cause one to wish that the earth opened up and swallowed him alive.

Thankfully, and by the grace of God, David Wray did survive and does not wish that what happened to him happens to anybody, even to those who wish him banished to the outskirts of the city.

Councilman Perkins should realize that the only way the city can recover from its crippled state and her inability to move forward is to resolve the David Wray saga with total honesty and truth.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Why am I not surprised? Why must we have two holdouts who refuse to help find positive solutions to problems? I hate to see our City Council become a carbon copy of the county commissioners' comedy act. Apparently that is what two of our new council members intend to do.
The City Council’s decision regarding Mitchell Johnson's fate was fair and reasonable. He deserves to be given a chance to come up with a plan to resolve the problems presented to him. It is a shame he was not given this opportunity earlier.

Any employee deserves to know what his expectations are and to have them spelled out to him. Thank goodness we chose a mayor and mayor pro tem who can mediate and keep the peace. (How would you like to have Mary Rakestraw and/or Trudy Wade as mayor/mayor pro tem?)

Terrell E. Weaver
Greensboro

Over the years I have had many friends who have battled breast cancer -- many successfully and some not so fortunate. When my sister was diagnosed with it, I wanted to do more than give money and participate in walks -- both of which do make a difference.

When I learned about the Sister Study, I knew I had found another way to help make a difference in breast cancer research.

This research study of women whose sisters have been diagnosed with breast cancer is looking at the roles that hormones, lifestyle and diet play in a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. An EMSI professional will come to you to pick up your paperwork when completed.

Sister Study is actively seeking women whose sisters have been diagnosed with breast cancer to participate and would welcome your call to 1-877-4SISTER (474-7837). Let's do all we can to help find a way to stop losing our sisters, mothers, relatives and friends.

Carolyn Clontz
Greensboro

It concerns me that recent drug deaths are labeled "accidental overdose" of heroin or cocaine. It is an illegal street drug and the death in the paper should be listed as what it is -- death by heroin or cocaine.

Buck Pearce
Greensboro

There is so much in the news these days about how we all should be working together to make Greensboro a better and safe place in which to live. People can and should work together for the good of all. Our pets cannot. They need our help!

With approximately 100 veterinarians in our community, some with multiple vets on staff, I find it extremely disturbing that they cannot work together to help with the spay and neuter clinic at the Humane Society.

Karla Ewald, director of the Humane Society, is a faithful, caring, hardworking lady who really cares for animals. She needs your help.

Please, vets, come together to work out a plan for taking good, healthy care of pets with a spay-and-neuter plan that is so badly needed. If you do not, our community will "go to the dogs" as we have more and more unwanted animals.

Diane Speaker
Greensboro

"Aggie Pride" has a new meaning for me as a non-alumnus having read the News & Record article about the heroic N.C. A&T students who rescued a young woman from sexual assault.
Damien Cash and Derrick Gardner are shining examples of what our youth can be and are a tribute to their families and their university. They deserve the praise and support of this community.

I call on civic leaders, public officials and everyday citizens to recognize these wonderful students through donations to a scholarship fund in their honor.

Cathy Barnette
Greensboro

Why has the business community not picked up on the need to use a severely under-used resource, that of the over-55 worker?

As the population ages, we are running out of the "boomers" and "generation Xers." There are so many of us looking for good jobs, and we are too often told that we are over-qualified. We want to work. I would take a job for half of what I made in my prime.

Over-qualified or age discrimination? Get smart, businesses.

Jack Lambert
Kernersville

The public school system must improve its record in meeting the needs of Latino students and families. For some reason there is a popular belief among many Americans (sadly, even among teachers) that Latino parents don't care about their children's education. On the contrary, Latino parents highly value education and want their children to succeed, which is one of the reasons given by them to come to this country.

Latino parents are concerned that teachers have this belief; therefore, teachers have low expectations of their children. Teachers are content with low grades for Latino children and rarely encourage students to pursue higher education. It is clear that teachers and school administrators reflect the norms and values of the larger society. As teachers internalize the ideas of our society, they mirror those ideas of the dominant society in the classrooms. Unfortunately, the result is negative toward vulnerable children.

Parents are also concerned with the lack of knowledge teachers possess about diversity in the community. It would be ideal for teachers to have more involvement in their students' local neighborhoods and learn what students value to eradicate the negative attitudes displayed by many.

Herandy Pastrana
Greensboro

I have gone back and reviewed much of Lorraine Ahearn's work on the Police Department, and she reported the following:

1. Lt. James Hinson found a tracking device on his patrol car. Hinson said several black officers have been targeted by "secret police."

2. Some officers complained to Mitchell Johnson about David Wray. Johnson hired RMA.

3. Johnson (with RMA) concluded there was a black book (used incorrectly), along with other department management issues.

Everything there was quoted to Ahearn, not by Ahearn. She did not create it.

The objective facts are:

Hinson was being investigated (by Wray).

Hinson said blacks were targeted.

There is a book. The chief denied its existence.

The chief later said he was confused, said the book is legitimate and standard police practice (you decide if you believe him).

There is an RMA report. You can read it. (I don't agree with it.)

Wray resigned. (In my opinion, forced.)

There was a memo commenting on the book. The city could not or would not locate it.

Everything else is commentary.

We have had lots of dirt, lots of opinions, much titillation. However true or false, these issues have not been caused by Ahearn. She did what papers/reporters do. Report news.

David Colin
Greensboro

Politics in this country may be all about race -- the race of voters and candidates. Where were black voters in 2000 and 2004 when there was a chance to beat George Bush? Every one of them had a rotten excuse for not voting -- too hot, too cold, too windy, "Crackers," i.e. whites, will win anyway.

This time, because blacks see there are chances for one of them to be nominated, they are voting with such an enthusiasm, risking to nominate a black person who, by virtue of his race, is not yet electable in this country -- thus unwittingly promoting the replacement at the White House of a warmonger by another -- John McCain.

Republicans know it and are all cheering for Barack.

Helio Salvador
Greensboro

How can the "rebate" that our president signed into law possibly boost America's spending and drive us out of recession?

The people who need the money the most are going to the store to buy groceries, beer and cigarettes. There will be no big-ticket items on anyone's list. After all, gas has now become a big-ticket item.

The few dollars offered by the "powers that be" are minuscule. Take into account that the U.S. government is going to have to borrow $170 billion to fund this program. That is like one step forward and 20 back.

I am not a economist or an accountant, but to me this just does not add up to stimulating a global economy. The bill must be paid!

It is time to end this conflict with Iraq and make sensible decisions that will have a positive effect on everybody.

Michael Carboneu
Summerfield

As a baby boomer, I read with interest Aisha Shealey's letter (Feb. 15) describing what it means to be a smart and engaged 20-year-old in 2008. She writes: "I live for the pressure of having a million things to do, and seeing how one accomplishment brings me closer to my next goal, which will lead me to my next goal in a long line of endless goals."

These lines inspired conflicting thoughts in me. I admire Aisha's energy and perceptiveness, but I feel sad for her seeming inability to focus on one or two goals she can be passionate about and the achievement of which would bring her the sense of fulfillment she craves.

I respect those who raised her for having inspired her to strive. But I wonder what good there is in motivating children to succeed if the achievement only sets one on the road to an endless search for more.

Finally, I felt a great sense of hope for Aisha and those of her generation who are ready to sink their teeth into the increasing complexity of modern life. And I am confident that they will not get stranded in the never-ending race toward success devoid of content, but will find a cause for which they can put their talents, discipline and energy to use.

Nicole Mazgaj
Greensboro

Tony Moschetti's letter (Feb. 7) stated the $150 billion stimulus package, as a portion of our $13 trillion economy, "would be akin to loading 50 gallons of fuel to your DC-10 for a cross country trip."

Not so. Most DC-10s hold between 21,700 and 36,650 gallons of fuel. Using an average of 29,175 and Moschetti's figures on the economy, I calculate the stimulus package represents about 1.15 percent of GDP. That percent of 29,175 would provide 335 extra gallons -- almost seven times the 50 gallons used to illustrate his point.

As to whether or not the stimulus is adequate, timely or necessary, we will never really know. However, to those of you well off enough to own a DC-10, and I assume there must be many as Moschetti refers to "your DC-10" as casually as a reference to your Camry or your Explorer, then one might appreciate every additional "free" gallon, especially when facing six-figure fill-ups of Jet A at $5.55/gallon. Personally, I can't afford to run with that crowd.

So maybe the comparison is inaccurate or just inappropriate. Regardless, I'm left wondering: If Moschetti can't get his numbers right, then what about his other assertions?

Steve Janesick
Oak Ridge

I am bewildered that no letter to the editor mentions what I feel is an immediate policy that needs to be reinstated: conscription

Bring back the military draft, at least on a temporary basis. We face many difficult and important issues today. None is more important, nor more critical, than our nation's security.

I'm no authority, but I spent a year in the Forward Ammo Department (dump) during the Korean War. I may be mistaken, but we did not use our National Guard to augment our troops over there.

Our security is an immediate and critical concern. Our enemies, and they are plentiful, respect only one thing: strength -- both manpower and the most destructive weaponry available. From what I understand, recruiting for our services is well below needs. Tours of duty are longer than usual. Some soldiers are serving two, three or more tours to the Mideast.

Many of my friends and acquaintances feel a draft system is no longer a consideration but a necessity. Most are veterans themselves. From what I read and hear, countries a fraction of our size have larger armies. Not the best position.

David Zauber
Greensboro

Following my outrage on reading that many victims of rape in our state are expected to foot the bill for their rape kits (News & Record, Feb. 14), I was gratified to learn that the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety has lifted its onerous reimbursement cap on the cost of rape kits to uninsured victims (news-record.com, Feb. 14).

But what about victims who are fortunate enough to have insurance? Why should they and their insurance companies be forced to pay for such elemental evidence collection following this violent crime against the woman? The state says it's having trouble coming up with the funds to pay for this service.

Once again, it appears that women are forced to pay for being women. I have an idea to help the state decide whether to pay for this basic service: These doubly victimized women should come together and file a class-action suit against the state.

Maybe that would get the Raleigh bean-counters' attention as to what's expensive and what's not.

Portia McCracken
Greensboro

As I sit back and watch the comedy of errors by our current city manager, something has become very apparent. In his handling of the Chief Wray situation, he made a decision, along with some other city officials, that was carried out very poorly and, more importantly, very unprofessionally. He made a decision that he thought was correct, but he handled it so poorly, our city has had to bear the consequences.

I know of no business that would fire a top executive and not have some type of plan to maintain cohesion amid all the turmoil and controversy that the city manager should have known would occur.

The city manager clearly made a decision that he was unprepared and under-qualified to make. It would also make sense to me that before I made such a big decision, I would have the full support of council.

In the end, wherever the truth may lie, we need our city officials to be capable of making decisions that will not negatively impact a whole community for this long -- two years.

For this reason, our City Council should take a long look at the professionalism of our current city manager.

William Pharr
Greensboro

Unbeknownst to many, there could be a uranium mine coming to your backyard.

North of Danville, Walter Coles has land sitting on what may be the largest uranium deposit in the United States. This radioactive energy source could supply all the United States' nuclear power for two years and be worth $10 billion.

Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1982, and vigorous efforts in the Richmond legislature are trying to lift this ban.

There is also a proposal to allocate $1 million to study whether or not this mining can be done safely in densely populated areas (The Washington Post, Jan. 2).

Most uranium mining occurs primarily in the much-less-populated Western states. Coles' property drains into the town of Halifax's reservoir and further into the Dan River, which provides water for North Carolina and the Tidewater area. The study is designed to see if open-pit methods, new technology or pumping fluids underground to extract uranium is best.

Significant safety concerns arise with storing the radioactive trailing and thus the chance of escape with hurricanes and general seepage into ground water. The moratorium should remain until proof of safety is provided.

This is Virginia's problem today and possibly North Carolina's problem tomorrow.

Will Truslow
Greensboro

The Feb. 17 article about a top interrogator defending the methods used at Guantanamo Bay is pretty sad, given that it has to be defended in the first place.

Those who protest and cry out to take pity on the poor inmates should shut up and go hug a tree!

First, those prisoners are there for a reason. Second, do you think terrorists would take pity on their captives? Tell that to Daniel Pearl's family.

We are talking about a brutal mind-set -- people who use women and children to kill to make a statement.

War is not pretty -- plain and simple. This former Marine loses no sleep over someone being tortured if it saves a life or multiple lives.

If you want pretty, go rent a movie.

Randy Baldwin
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Susan Shore Schwartz

Extraordinary hype, politics and yes, even some serious issues have brought about a cry from a few to fire City Manager Mitchell Johnson. What a shame this is!

Greensboro citizens, who are used to stellar management of the city by dedicated and professional staff, recognize the leadership, experience and innovation Johnson has developed in his years of service to the city. He is smart, creative, honest and a man of integrity.

He was selected as city manager for many reasons, including his proven success with fiscal management and efficiency, inter-government relations, and community solutions.

He developed facilities that provide cost-effective solutions for current and future community needs. These include the Kitchen Operations Center, the Public Safety Training Center and the Kathleen Clay Edwards and Hemphill Branch libraries.

He partnered with Guilford County to develop and manage an automation-controls system to save energy and operation costs in public buildings. He also worked to implement a merged 911 center for the city and county. Both demonstrate his success in working with other local governments, to the benefit of all parties.

He led the effort with council and city staff to develop the recommendations that became policy to resolve solid-waste disposal issues. Johnson led the development as well of many best practices for local government. These include the city's technology master plan, which resulted in one of the most efficient technology infrastructures in local government and won national awards, and a call center that became the "face" of the city for its citizens and won an award for technology leadership in local government.

Managing a city is a tough job. It requires someone with outstanding professional and technical skills, the ability to build and maintain a strong organization, and the ability to create successful relationships.

Greensboro is fortunate that someone of Johnson's talents and expertise is on the job to move Greensboro forward and to provide efficient services to its citizens.

Please, let's show him respect and give him the time and space required to do his job.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Last week, a delegation of veterans visited Washington to tell lawmakers one thing: Our newest generation of veterans deserves real educational benefits that make college tuition affordable.

Now is the time for our Congress to take action on this and pass a 21st-century GI Bill.

Attending college gave veterans time to readjust to civilian life after World War II and prepared them for careers as innovators and leaders. For every dollar spent on the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, seven went back into the economy in the form of increased productivity, consumer spending and tax revenue.

Today's GI Bill only covers part of the costs of college. Tuition costs have increased faster than inflation, and many veterans must take out student loans or forego education altogether.

In a time when we are asking so much of our armed forces, paying for college is one of the best ways to show our gratitude as a nation. Congress needs to pass a new GI Bill this year.

Quentin L. Richardson
Greensboro

What a pessimistic response to the human interest story of Forest Oaks' hopes of getting a grocery store (letter, Feb. 21). Warren Dixon assumes all Forest Oaks residents work. Possibly some are stay-at-home mothers or dads such as myself, who run out of diapers or formula and have not had time for exact planning. Taking a toddler and/or baby into a huge store is more of an event rather than the simple trip he described.

This is only one example of why a community deserves and/or needs services as simple as a grocery store, post office or bank.

Dixon felt the need to ask if all of his comments "helped." No sir, they did not.

Let's compare an innocent, expressed need for a local grocery store to Dixon's opposition, which he expressed with such negativity and sarcasm: Who really should be offering suggestions for beneficial additions or changes?

Gary Rhymer
Jamestown

mornings with Schlosser

simple words, tenderly picked

a smile all the day

Sheila Duell
Greensboro

I was a New York suburban baby raised in an Italian/German home where love for family abounded. It was as important and natural as breathing. At a very early age, I developed a heart for children who didn't have a sanctuary that only a home filled with love can offer.

Many years later I had the opportunity to become a foster parent, but I was faced with a decision. I needed to answer the question of whether I would be able to love a child of another race. I was disturbed that I could not answer that question without hesitation.

Sincerely and prayerfully, I considered my fears and concerns. Excitedly I realized I personally had the choice of simply perpetuating hate or love and truly make a difference in a new generation of children.

I was the one blessed because, when I looked at the smiles of what a family friend dubbed our "Rainbow Tribe Children," what I saw was not race but beautiful hues of color with smiles filled with love from being a part of our family. Hopefully, with the help of God, they have carried that on into their own families.

Trudy Delling
High Point

Two recent articles in the News & Record about the demolition of Cotton Mill Square failed to mention what occupied the space between mill and mall, from 1950 to 1986. Western Electric, my father's first employer, was the company that recorded most motion picture sound tracks for decades; that made telephone equipment for an expanding new industry; and by the late 1950s, at other sites, was building defense missile guidance systems.

In Greensboro it provided jobs for veterans who had finished their education with the GI Bill and at one time had 1,200 employees, making it one of the city's largest employers. Eventually, it became part of AT&T (later, Lucent Technologies).

It's a shame if one of your writers doesn't research and publish an article about the history of Western Electric in Greensboro. At least it merits mention in the history of that group of buildings being torn down.

William Ameen
Greensboro

The Department of Transportation has a hard-working and professional staff that has greeted our audit's findings and recommendations as helpful in streamlining their processes and controlling costs. I would like to clarify a few points in your editorial published Feb. 15.

I would like to point out that our audit did identify $86 million in projected savings in the Executive Summary and in the body of the report. In fact, DOT was unaware of this exact amount until it was calculated in our audit.

The overall point is that a greater awareness of scheduling variances will allow DOT managers to make improvements that will save taxpayer money.

Also, in our discussion with DOT management and as mentioned in our report, we came to a consensus with DOT that the clock starts ticking on a specific project when the state board allocates funding and preconstruction begins.

Finally, components of four independent reports cited in our audit focus on DOT's performance management, and the notion that by DOT understanding its past performance it can better control future results. Our audit's findings and recommendations are consistent with these prior reports and therefore closes the door to any claims of partisan politics.

Leslie Merritt
Raleigh

The writer is state auditor.

Would you consult a physician with a business degree? Would you want to be taught by a teacher who never went to college? Both of these professions are integral in the lives of many, and both require specific degrees. Social work should be considered in the same way.

When you visit the Department of Social Services, you come in contact with intake and eligibility workers who are not formally educated. One of the issues with this is that they weren't taught the correct way to treat clients. No other degree program will teach the skills and techniques one learns in a social work program.

For instance, at UNCG we are taught to use a strengths-based approach in helping all clients; other students don't get this training. Many people believe that it doesn't matter if the intake or eligibility workers are social workers, but it matters to me as a client and as a social worker.

After waiting for six-plus hours to apply for services at our local DSS, the person on the other side of the desk made me feel as if I were wasting her time. DSS should be responsible for hiring social workers to do a social work job.

Tiffany McCormick
Greensboro

Bed sores, pureed food, neglect and abuse can be found at many nursing homes throughout the United States.

The poor care of residents occurs because staff are burned out from low pay, long hours and physically draining workloads. The staffing level at nursing homes is just not enough. Although not all nursing homes are neglectful, as I have seen personally while visiting my grandmother, some homes do fit the idea of a "typical nursing home" — a home where residents do not receive the respectful care they deserve.

As a senior at UNCG, focused on a degree in social work, my eyes have widened as I have completed 300 hours as an intern. Not only do I have personal experiences through beginning my career as a social worker, I also have experience as a certified nurse assistant, working for a year at a local nursing home.

To encourage better care, nursing homes should pay staff members more and give them more time off. I encourage anyone looking into nursing homes to fully investigate all aspects of the home before committing their loved one to a living arrangement.

Natalie Culnon
Greensboro

Guilford County has moved forward with a 10-year plan to end homelessness by 2016. Through the Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County, the Guilford County Task Force to End Homelessness, and local partners, efforts are solidifying.

As a social work student of UNCG, I did some research. In January 2007, more than 1,200 people were homeless in Guilford County, and more than 200 of them were chronically homeless. However, during the previous year, 243 people moved from transitional to permanent housing. This is a major step in the right direction.

Further, the local plan is striving to increase housing and ensure that when a person is discharged from jail, hospital, etc., the discharge plans will include housing.

Two strategies of particular interest to me are a 24-hour resource system and a day center to help coordinate services. As an intern in the Congregational Social Work Education Initiative working with the homeless population, I see how these services could increase successful outcomes with many homeless people.

Tammy Transou
Lexington

Go, Mary Rakestraw, go! And your supportive colleagues as well!

At last we have someone prepared to call on the city manager, Mitchell Johnson, for his resignation. Actually, I am amazed that he has not tendered it before now.

It is also amazing how the gossip around Greensboro centers around the continuous survival of this man as our city manager.

When we look at the totally undiplomatic handling of police Chief Wray, who obviously had cause to investigate members of his force, we wonder how it is that Johnson is still there.

Wray had "just cause" to investigate certain officers and it should have been left to him to handle it in a businesslike manner without interference. But this mess does not just stop there.

I trust that the council has the moral fiber to call for Johnson's dismissal and put a stop to this debacle ... unless, of course, he jumps the gun and resigns.

To say I am disgusted with the handling of this entire debacle is an understatement of what I really think!

Robert G. Bell
Greensboro

It was with regret that I recently learned of Jim Schlosser's retirement from the News & Record. To paraphrase the kid who pleaded with Shoeless Joe Jackson, "Say it ain't so, Jim."

Several years ago Jim became the beneficiary of Guilford College's Alumni Excellence Award. I was privileged to have nominated Jim for this honor from our mutual alma mater. I was furthermore privileged to have been invited to introduce Jim the day the honor was awarded to him.

I have frequently referred to Jim Schlosser as North Carolina's most durable, most versatile journalist. He will be sorely missed from the News & Record pages. Not unlike rare wine, Jim Schlosser seems to improve with age.

Best wishes to Kate and Jim as they commence on the next phase of their lives together. We can only hope that Jim Schlosser won't completely retire from writing.

We need his tenacity and keen eye for detail now more than ever.

Howard Coble
Greensboro

The writer is a member of Congress from Greensboro.

Editor's note: After a short hiatus, Jim Schlosser will be back as a regular columnist.

Nowhere is John Edwards' "Two Americas" more evident than in our mental health system. The wage gap between mental health workers and administrators is disheartening.

Workers providing hands-on care typically receive a starting wage of $9. At 2,200 hours per year, that is less than $20,000. Of course, no client is allowed 2,200 hours of services. To survive, a professional caregiver must handle six clients concurrently. This dilutes the worker's familiarity with the patient and speeds worker burnout.

Guilford County's mental health director receives $154,271 in annual salary. That director, Billie Martin-Pierce, has described her job as "triage." She provides few services; rather, she directs those in need to outside organizations and charities — where workers receiving a $9 wage administer to the mentally disabled. Money does not create incentive, but our society measures an individual's value by her salary. If we pay less than a living wage, doesn't it suggest the work is not important?

Furthermore, if we don't value the services, why value the administration of that service? Surely, Director Martin-Pierce doesn't pretend to supervise the county's psychiatrists.

Why not use her salary to provide 17,141 hours of actual services — or better, pay a living wage for competent and interested hands-on mental health professionals?

Don Ward
Stokesdale

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Luanne Mossa

I agree with the Rev. Nelson Johnson in the article "Grimsley parents seek help for expelled kids" (Feb. 12). Young people do belong in school and they do make mistakes. But we parents must first take responsibility of how well we prepare our children for life so when our children make those mistakes, they must also take responsibility for both reckless actions and painful consequences.

I also agree with Johnson regarding community. We should look for ways to address challenges facing young students today without making things worse — a way to help parents prepare and educate their children before entering school systems at a deficit, academically behind their peers.

The school district is not a child's first teacher. A parent is the primary and most important teacher a child will ever have. The community is not solely responsible for children's education. Parents must do their part as well, so we must advocate for parents as a community, to help them equip their children for school by:

• preparing their children for school by working with them as toddlers on right and wrong; courtesy; patience and respect, for both classmates and especially teachers; reading to them daily; working on their alphabet, numbers and colors.

• working with kids, letting them learn to achieve, showing them the value of an education and the arts in their lives and their futures.

• spending valuable time with kids, knowing where they are, who their friends are and making them accountable; involving them with sport, religious, scouting and art experiences, and communities.

I believe Johnson and his Beloved Community Center should step forward, volunteering their center, staff and its resources to parents and young students to home-school them through their suspensions, not bargain to bend the rules.

Students from both neighborhoods should sit side by side, along with their parents, and work together, for as long as it takes, to keep up their grades and school progress. Perhaps then they would be exposed to the reality of how very much alike they are — indeed, how alike we all are. They might also realize how much they miss and need the high school community. For all its imperfections, it is their community, and they have the power to make it the best or worst place possible. The choice and responsibility are theirs.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Regarding your editorial "Chickens in our backyards" (Feb. 23):

My career has been focused on animal agriculture and I believe it is a good idea that people raise food animals and gain more knowledge about agriculture. This will spread the understanding that food doesn't come from just the grocery store.
However, backyard chickens aren't the way to go.

In this country we raise our chickens and turkeys inside to protect them against the elements, predators and diseases. Every flock of poultry is tested for avian influenza, commonly referred to as "bird flu" in the press, to ensure that no birds afflicted with "bird flu" enter the food supply.

This food safety program has limited the exposure of our food supply to the virus. Most cases of "bird flu" have been linked to exposure to wild birds that are carrying the virus. Putting more birds outside will only increase the risk of bird flu becoming a public health concern.

The poultry industry has gone to great lengths to ensure the public's health. Who will be monitoring these birds to ensure our health?

Doug Macklin
Oak Ridge

This is in response to the Second Opinion by Rosemary Roberts (Feb. 15) regarding immigration. I humbly offer my opinion that "IMMIGRATION" is not the problem. Rather, the problem is the word "ILLEGAL." I would appreciate a clarification of the difference.

Charls Bolno
Greensboro

In the column " 'Iconic Negro' or the real deal? The improbable rise of Barack Obama" (Feb. 10), Allen Johnson writes about the conflict of Obama's campaign winning over the black Democrats and losing the white Democrats, and vice versa. The article compares Obama's struggle of being "not black enough" and losing his black voters, and being "too black" and losing his white voters.

There shouldn't be a question of whether any person is being too much of his race or too little.

How can skin color alter anybody's ability to control our government?

Has anyone heard the saying, "It's not what you wear, it's what you know"?

Our race is what we "wear," in a sense, and it can't make you inferior or superior to another's race; what's most important is what we think and understand.

How can author Shelby Steele say Obama isn't being who he is and that he's wearing the " 'mask' of the 'iconic Negro' "? So, what is he supposed to be like, Steele, every other black person in America? There is no character or personality that is strictly of one race.

Obama is gaining his Democratic ground based on his campaign, not his race.

Molly Smith
Greensboro

It seems that when some nut uses a firearm in a crime at a university, it is always the gun dealers -- or in the latest case, a dealer in a holster and magazines about firearms -- that make the headlines.

We should give the same media attention to the dealers in alcohol who serve up to our young people the same death, also at a profit. I might add that this is a state-sponsored (for tax) form of early death for our young. I see no difference in the death of our young from firearms and a nut holding the firearm than your friendly merchant and tax man who does the same.

If this newspaper would do its homework and compare the destruction to our population from death by firearms to deaths related to alcohol, you would find that we should be demanding prohibition again, which will never happen.

Being legal does not make it right.

Ken Sawyer
High Point

I have now seen multiple mentions in your paper of the low-cost spay and neuter center closing on West Wendover. Each time, the author has gone on to bemoan that the closest low-cost clinic is in Forsyth County.

What about the Piedmont Communities Spay Neuter & Wellness Clinic, right here on North Church Street in Greensboro? I just called them to make sure they are still open.

After all this talk about people having to drive to another county, I didn't know what had happened to my vet. Thankfully, they are still open, although I am not sure why they have not been mentioned in any of the articles I have read.

My dogs have been patients there for many years and we have always received great care from Dr. Jeff and his staff. There is a low-cost option right here in Greensboro!

Pamela Harper
Greensboro

After seeing video of dogs in High Point being beaten, kicked and thrown to the ground over and over in someone's backyard and hearing the Guilford County Animal Shelter's policy of not adopting out pit bulls, Rottweilers and chows, I wonder what it will take for these out-of-hand policies to be abandoned?

In this case, the animal control officers said the dogs were "very friendly." Imagine, even after horrible abuse, these animals show signs of good temperament. Why, then, are they automatically on the short list to be killed, when no one has bothered to find out if they are dangerous to begin with?

Thanks to intelligent and out-of-the box thinking in Virginia, 48 of 50 of Michael Vick's dogs are being rehabilitated in facilities out West.

Our shelters need to be educated and policies changed so abused dogs stop being freed of their tortuous conditions only to receive an automatic death sentence.

Susan Thomas
Randleman

In response to the City Council's action on Feb. 14 regarding City Manager Mitch Johnson, I say they should have fired him.

He got rid of the one person (former Police Chief David Wray) who was trying to restore some order to the Police Department.

Johnson should be fired, losing all his benefits, with little thought as to how much he will lose.

Now there are issues in the Fire Department and Parks and Recreation! What next, if he is allowed to stay employed by the city?

He is an embarrassment to Greensboro.

Jane Gamble
Greensboro

Regarding the article about the Rockingham County Animal Shelter needing financial help (Feb. 18): I think asking the public for donations is a fine idea, but help might be sketchy and slow in coming. I believe our elected officials would be more able to help. A $5 charge on yard sale permits or a $1 charge or donations on all golf games would help the shelters greatly.

My husband and I are 20-year retirees and live on a limited income, but we try to do our part by participating in the TNR (trap-neuter-release) program. This should be everybody's responsibility. Our thanks to the veterinarians who now help this program by donating one-half a day per month.

I called the clinic we use to get the last two kittens we caught in the wild taken care of, but they do not participate in the TNR program. They wanted $45. We cannot afford those costs.

There are many smart people in our area. We hope to get them to contact their local representatives to get the help needed for this program.

Dorothy L. McNee
Madison

It was a shock to read the article (Feb. 18) on Bush's plan to reduce funding for historically black colleges and universities.

In 1969, President Lyndon Johnson mandated the National Alliance of Businessmen to go south and recruit blacks into the corporate world.

Federal funds were provided through the Title III program to assist these institutions in establishing this program. I was hired at Bennett College, my alma mater, to establish its program. Classes were set up at Hampton Institute to train directors and staff. It was a rewarding experience.

Faculty and staff embraced this program. Not only did corporations recruit, but public education systems came south. Colleges and institutions later came offering scholarships. Internships provided students with job experience.

With N.C. A&T's engineering school already established, it, too, was given greater exposure. Through the consortium program, Bennett students were able to get their engineering degree in five years. We have several success stories to share.

We need to write, call or e-mail our representatives in Washington to vote this plan out. We need to look at who we can trust in the upcoming election so the middle- and lower-income people may get our share of the pie.

Zepplyn Humphrey
Greensboro

As co-founders of Health and Social Justice (HSJ), we can relate to Harry Lee's letter (Feb. 17) bemoaning the lack of student-led efforts to address homelessness in Greensboro. HSJ is a new UNCG campus organization seeking to fill that void.

HSJ was founded on the principle of every individual's right to a life free of debilitating suffering. Born out of the UNCG School of Nursing, we have grown to include students, faculty and staff from health-related disciplines. We aspire to be the human element of social justice. Homelessness and poverty act as barriers to health care.

In addition to the obvious challenges from homelessness, mental illness and addiction are often in the picture as well. Thus, advocating for health must include working to end poverty and homelessness.

For those of us who have not experienced poverty firsthand, it is essential that we constantly consult with those whom we are attempting to help. It is this dialogue that separates charity from activism.

We hope to amplify Lee's challenge to students. As community citizens with access to institutions of higher learning, we are responsible for using that privilege for the betterment of our communities.

Linsey Hudson
Liz Nemitz
Greensboro

The high price of gasoline is one of the biggest issues that people face today. This problem seems to be worsening weekly.

Gas prices have increased over the last two years because of supply and demand. The global market sets the prices according to what it thinks people are willing to pay. That has caused a price of $3 a gallon in North Carolina.

I am a student at UNCG. I drive to an unpaid internship in Chapel Hill twice a week. The internship is a graduation requirement. The travel expenses are not affordable. I own a Honda Civic. I fill it up twice a week. This expense is difficult for college students as well as others with limited resources.

I also have found that gas may cost up to 10 cents more a gallon in poor communities. This situation results in more sacrifices. Some people must use their last $5 to either feed their families or buy gas to get to work. No one should have to choose.

Gas prices are out of control. Something must be done. Soon no one will be able to afford to drive. It will become a luxury.

Latarsha Ford
Greensboro

Why is it that so many people seem to have a problem with letters from students at UNCG?

During the past month, many letters to the editor have been written for a class project by UNCG students.

When reading responses to these letters on the News & Record's Web site, it has become painfully clear that many readers resent the writings of "those UNCG social services classes."

Why does it bother people so much that young people are getting involved in their communities and voicing their opinions about the issues? No letter has seemed forced, nor do the opinions seem dictated. I am left puzzled as to why people are so angry over the free expression of thought.

Is it the opinions or the manner in which they are expressed that seems to strike such a chord with people? We, the citizens of Greensboro, should be building these young people up, not tearing them down. Give the students a break and let them speak their minds in an atmosphere of encouragement and support!

Bill Harper
Greensboro

Every day hard-working, law-abiding people have laws enforced against them that involve paying fines or in some cases serving jail time. I am referring to such things as minor traffic violations, littering and seat belt violations. Failure to renew license tags on time, failure to have a car inspected and failure to pay child support on time result in fines. Taxes not paid on time may result in wage garnishment and penalties.

However, one set of laws goes largely unenforced. These are the laws that deal with illegal immigrants entering and living in our country. An estimated 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens live in our country today. This could not happen if law enforcement agencies throughout the country enforced the immigration laws.

Illegal immigration takes a huge toll on the education and health care systems in the United States. Why enforce any law, especially laws against largely law-abiding citizens, if immigration laws are not enforced?

Non-enforcement of these laws should be considered a case of law enforcement malpractice all the way from Congress down to the local level.

Roger Jones
Brown Summit

We must never forget that our ancestors preferred to die rather than live on their knees.

The president and Congress are destroying our nation of laws and capitalist economy, which provide the freedom and means to see happiness.

By refusing to enforce the laws, our government is unfit and the enemy of our nation of laws. Those who vote in the coming election will determine whether we will remain free or sink further into socialism and the welfare state. Our representatives at all echelons of government must be held accountable for what they did and what they failed to do.

We have a comprehensive immigration law. Immigrants are welcomed from all countries in quotas that permit assimilation. The purpose of the law is to maintain our European heritage by preventing an influx of another culture that cannot be assimilated.

The products of child slavery are shipped via container ships through the ports of Mexico to Canada on a super highway on Mexican trucks.

Our sacred obligation is to defend and pass to our grandchildren the freedom that was passed to us. We must not fail.

James D. Williams
Graham

Duke Energy's plan to build Cliffside, a coal-fired power generator in western North Carolina, has been granted final approval by the state Division of Air Quality. Duke promises to use the latest clean coal technology, producing more energy with less coal and greatly reduced emissions. Its commitment is "to slow, stop, and eventually reverse this man-made contribution to global warming from our power plants."

The commitment cannot stop there. A very injurious aspect of coal-fired power is the destructive method of coal mining by mountain-top removal. Whole mountains have been leveled and entire communities devastated in West Virginia and Kentucky. Rubble from the mining is dumped down the mountain sides and into streams. More than 1,200 miles of streams in Appalachia have been buried.

In my reading about the building of Cliffside, I have seen no mention of where the coal will come from. Is Duke Energy committed to using no coal mined by mountain-top removal and joining environmental groups pushing Congress to outlaw this destructive practice?

If Duke Energy claims that Cliffside is a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly model of a coal-fired power generator, it also must commit to preserving the mountains and waterways of Appalachia.

Barbara B. Whitener
Greensboro

It mystifies me that the minimum wage mob would commit the most minute of nanny state minions to address local pay rates. The problem arises in defining the terms of their grievance, which is not a local problem but a moral problem at a higher level.

While we can all agree that an hour is composed of 60 minutes, the capricious value of a dollar confounds us. Is the dollar tied to the Big Mac, hydrocarbons or precious metals?

It surprises me that the religious representatives of the mob rant locally instead of toward the nannies that undermine their previous wages by debasing their currency. This is a violation of scientific law and religious codes — "you shall not practice injustice in your courts, in measurements or in quantities ... you shall use honest scales, honest weights, an honest bushel and an honest gallon" (Leviticus 19:35-36).

The mendicants in the priestly and government class keep the herd suspicious of each other, causing enough distraction that only the symptoms of the disorder are debated.

It would be more prudent if the wage mob would direct its intentions at the coin clippers in Congress instead of the local cheese distributors, whose fecklessness is a matter of record.

Chuck Atkinson
Greensboro

In a political cartoon published Feb. 19 in the News & Record, George Bush yodels from the pulpit, "Run for your lives! I can't protect you anymore!" He blames the House for letting the surveillance laws expire and for abandoning a loyal telecom industry to this nation's most practiced ravenous litigators.

We all grew up with the "Wolf, Wolf" childhood story. In that one the wolf ate the sheep, as I remember. In our case the wolf already visited once, picked off about 3,000 people, destroyed two major office towers and damaged the center of our nation's defense.

He has since mounted major attacks in Great Britain, Spain, Bali, Iraq, Afghanistan and other places.

Crying wolf when there is no wolf is one thing; crying wolf when you've already been bitten makes more sense than your cartoon admits. Whiners whined in long ago 2001 that we did not do enough to alert the public; now they whine that the alert system disturbs them!

I, for one, may run for my life if certain pacifists take power next year.

Jack Glenn
Greensboro

I kept reading Bob Guertin's letter (Feb. 21) over and over, figuring I had missed the punch line in the joke he was telling. The letter referred to the great job Bush and Cheney have been doing, how they've kept us safe (who was the president on Sept. 11, 2001?), how all the country's problems are to be blamed on the small Democratic majority in Congress over the last 14 months.

The letter goes on to downplay the peace and prosperity that occurred during the term of the "most despicable president," Bill Clinton.

Finally as the joke builds to a big finish, Guertin talks about Vietnam as snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as a comparison to Iraq.

It was at this point, I thought I would find the punch line. Something clever with words like habeas corpus, rendition, torture, fear-mongering, deficits, debacle, scandal or cronyism as the big laugh-getter. But apparently the punch line was inadvertently left out of his letter.

Don't worry, Bob. Not too many people in this country have found the last seven-plus years remotely funny.

L.F. Rappaport
Greensboro

Do the math. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out if an employer hires 10 entry-level people at $6.10 an hour, he will be able to keep approximately 6.5 of the same people at $9.36 an hour.

Now factor in the people who already make $9.36 an hour. They will want more money because their job description is not entry-level. Your current job is not secure if this proposal passes in May.

Just because you have a minimum-wage job now does not mean your employer has to keep you on the payroll if he is forced to pay the proposed increase.

I suspect there will be quite a jump in the unemployment figure for Guilford County. Nationally, unemployment is around 5 percent. This country is very close to a recession. Don't make the problem worse for Greensboro.

Sheryl Edge
Jamestown

I am very concerned with the recent shootings that have happened on college campuses. I sit in my classroom looking around at each individual, trying to evaluate their mental state.

The shooters at each of the previous universities look like everyone else in the classroom, and there is no dead giveaway sign that in a matter of seconds someone is going to start shooting out of anger, then shoot themselves. I'm only wondering if I will be the victim of someone who is having a bad day and decides to go on a shooting rampage.

As you see the interviews of the survivors, they look as though they will never be able to get over something this devastating.

I am also concerned as a parent who trusts the university to keep their children safe. It is a tragedy to have your child go off to college and you never see them again.

I don't know if there is a favorable solution, but the community needs to come together to discuss keeping the students and faculty safe on college campuses.

Kimberly Williams
Greensboro

I am sure that the Great Pyrenees was treated no better or worse (Kathleen Koestler, Feb. 7) than other animals at the shelter. Therein seems to lie the problem.

Perhaps, as Marsha Williams maintains, everything was done "by the book." What about treating the animals "by the heart"? I understand they have a business to run, but it needs to be tempered with some compassion.

I have been involved in rescue for some years now and, along with lots of Guilford County animal lovers, I feel commissioners need to make a change.

Mary Weaver
High Point

I paused reading my newspaper to respond to Warren Dixon's insults to the people about the need for a grocery store near the Forest Oaks area (letter, Feb. 21).

Warren, baby, you have crossed the line and I do not mean the county line. Forest Oaks is an area, not a people. If my elderly relatives had access to a local supermarket rather than following the leader to the mega market down speed-demon drive, it would be great and safer.

Maybe they could also have a bank, a restaurant, drugstore and medical facility if the way was opened by a local grocery store.

These folks don't "go" to work so they can't "stop on the way home" to get the loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. They do have freezers, bake bread and grow gardens. My elderly relatives need a local grocery store so they don't have to drive to Liberty to get groceries.

It is a chore for some to walk the aisles of mega stores, too, not mentioning the dangerous trip down speed-demon drive.

Nancy Sharpe Ellis
Ramseur

I am a student at Grimsley High School, and I was there when the fight of Dec. 14 took place. I feel that every student who was mainly involved in the fight should have gotten major consequences.

That day none of those students who got off that bus was coming to school to learn. They were there to do one thing and one thing only, to fight. That fight was unnecessary. The school had a pep rally and the fight ruined it for everyone.

People say that it's not fair for all of those students to have to lose their education, but I don't think it's fair for all of the students who weren't involved in the fight to have to be punished.

We get put on lockdown, no more regular lunch, and education will never be the same at Grimsley High School.

Marcus Davis
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By John Blust

For almost two years, a controversy has raged concerning allegations that some Greensboro police officers have worked for criminals more than for the public, and that the city government has protected the corrupt police because the attorney for the main police suspect is on the board of a powerful political action committee that controls some members of the City Council.
The Rhinoceros Times has published a series of articles by Jerry Bledsoe detailing misdeeds by some police officers, the attempt by former police Chief David Wray to investigate the malfeasance, and the cover-up by city leaders. Some City Council members and other city leaders insist these reports are untrue and that we all should just "move on," since those pushing the allegations are "naysayers."

I have tried to keep an open mind until all sides have been heard and all the facts are known. I have been waiting for months for the city government to make a point-by-point rebuttal to the published allegations with solid facts. We either must be assured that the allegations are false, or the problem, if it really does exist, must be fixed. So far, there has been no effective rebuttal.

Lately, this controversy has centered on memos that surfaced that city government denied existed. The News & Record has been rebuffed when it tried to obtain pertinent information from the city. It is now way past time for those in charge in Greensboro to obey the public records laws and provide all the facts.

Continued silence is not an option. Our form of government requires full disclosure in order to work properly. Our citizens are entitled to all the facts concerning their police department.

Those who demand open government cannot simply be dismissed as "naysayers." Advocating for open government is a positive thing.

"Naysayer" is a vacuous banality often employed to avoid having to respond to legitimate questions. Hurl the epithet and imply that "naysayers" do not even deserve acknowledgement.

In this instance, this tactic will not work. The best way to counter the "naysayers" and "move on" as a community, is for city government to immediately release all information and make a full and truthful accounting of this matter.

Greensboro resident John Blust represents state House District 62.