News-Record.com

Financial distress at the YWCA suggests that our City Council could do Greensboro a far greater service by helping that institution than by spending $5.6 million on the old Canada Dry plant on Lee Street. It seems to me that a purchase and lease-back of the Y’s property would do a lot more for our community than to fritter away scarce dollars in our present economy to subsidize War Memorial Auditorium pipe dreams.

The hall is misplaced on Lee Street, for openers. It is an acoustical disaster, handicap-inaccessible upstairs, and has abysmal parking. Any money spent on it is a Band-Aid on a gash. Better to plan a new building for future construction in our cultural district downtown. Davie Street next to the Children’s Museum comes to mind.

Our City Council would do well to look beyond the end of its nose. Institutions like the YWCA are part of our community’s fabric and should take priority over ethereal wish lists.

<em>Peter Guthmann
Greensboro

It was with vast amusement that I read Joe Daye’s comments concerning Sarah Palin (letter, Nov. 23). Anybody who witnessed the general election and the campaigns leading to it cannot deny that Gov. Palin is possessed of many noteworthy qualities. Charisma, poise and certainly great beauty are among them, but common sense?

It’s my opinion that any person endowed with common sense would not have stood in front of a global TV audience and pardoned a turkey while a grinning poultry farm employee stood in the background methodically shoving Jolly Old Tom Turkey’s head into the chopper.

Bob Marsh
Kernersville

In response to comments by Becky Burcham (letter, Nov. 20), “How could Christians possibly vote this way?”: The idea that Christians who voted for our president-elect did not vote based on their morals is ridiculous. Barack Obama is a man of the Christian faith, despite whatever the forwarded e-mail messages you probably got said.

The Christian people who did vote for Obama were educated enough to not vote on a single issue. They knew that we did not need more Bush policies and looked past their few differences with the candidate.

Obama also believes that marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman. Civil union does not mean marriage, it means legal rights for homosexual couples.

To answer the question: Christians who voted for Obama voted on what they thought was best for our country.

Tommy Wrenn
Greensboro

The sun rose in the east. Mother Nature smiled “good morning,” another “good to be alive day.” But wait. This day is unique. America just elected a black man for president.

And yet, the sky didn’t fall. The world is still turning. To those friends and family members who said they couldn’t vote for a black man, I say it’s time to suck it up, come out of the darkness and into the light. Breathe the fresh air.

Our new president is cool and, as a bonus, we get a beautiful first family.

Can’t you see a resurrection of President Kennedy’s Camelot? This time in living color.

Black Americans — no, all Americans — should be proud. Feel the excitement and hope for the future.

These are my own opinions. Hey, I’m just an old, white, World War II vet, transplanted Yankee living in beautiful, hospitable (newly blue) North Carolina and loving it, you all.

Max Roseman
High Point

What is happening to the YWCA? This Grand Old Dame is being pulled apart by its board, staff and media.

For 105 years she has stood tall for women’s rights and the elimination of racism. Now she is being threatened by the torch-bearing crowds wanting their pound of flesh.

Mothers, daughters, sisters — stand up for the YWCA. Help this Grand Old Dame to regain her glory as the beacon of light for women and their families in this community. She has supported us for more than a hundred years. Now she needs our support!

Mebane Ham
Greensboro

This is in response to T.L. Cassell’s letter (Nov. 24):

Barack Obama actually is our first African American president. If you had done your research more thoroughly, you would know that his father is from Kenya, which makes him African American as well as biracial.

DeAnna Phillips
Greensboro

A recent headline, “Man in bulletproof vest shoots at police,” shows what we have made our country in to. Maybe if we weren’t just supplying items such as bulletproof vests and arsenals to people, we wouldn’t have to deal with situations such as these and wouldn’t have officers like Donald Ray in critical condition.

Yes, granted, there would be that small percentage of people who would buy and sell items illegally, but that hasn’t stopped America from making certain drugs illegal. But if we just didn’t allow people to buy guns and things like bulletproof vests, the amount of crimes would decrease.

It’s time to face this issue more strongly. We focus so much on drugs when there are things in this country way more dangerous to the people of this nation, and it’s ridiculous!

Sarah Fricke
Greensboro

A letter in Monday’s edition misstated the amount of the city’s purchase price for the Canada Dry property, which is $3.2 million. It also misstated the property’s High Point Road location.

We would like to thank and commend the sanitation workers who were collecting leaves on Hobbs Road recently. My husband was racing to get the last of the leaves out to the curb before the leaf truck arrived. He didn’t quite make it, but when the truck arrived and started collecting at one end of our property, several workers came to help my husband rake/push the rest of our leaves out to the curb.

By the time the truck arrived at the end of our lot, all leaves were at the curb.

We really appreciate this high level of service on the part of these great city workers.

BJ Pearce and Frank McClanahan
Greensboro

It saddened me to read that Gibsonville police considered dedicating two officers to kill squirrels in Bobby Webster’s backyard (story, Nov. 21). I’m not worried about the squirrels, mind you. I’m worried about the morale of the officers when they realize their efforts have failed.

I’ve fought the squirrel wars for more than 20 years. I’ve tried everything under the sun, legal and illegal, short of dynamite, bazookas and renting hawks. You animal-rights folks need not worry; no squirrels have ever been injured in these exercises.

Once I trapped squirrels and released them in nice neighborhoods like Webster’s. They beat me back home. When civilization ends, squirrels will still be here, gnawing on anything left of any value.

My tree rats (genus: ratus aggravatus) consumed my pecans while still green this year. I have wished the green pecan flux on them, but they seem unfazed. In poor pecan years, these squirrels live on Time Warner cables, telephone lines, electrical wiring and my flower bulbs.

In my later years, I have come to an understanding with squirrels. I understand that they’ve won.

I do have a word of advice for Webster, though: Move.

Warren Dixon
Liberty

Take a look at the pictures of past U.S. presidents from their swearing in until their “swearing out.”

John F. Kennedy was the first president that I really paid any attention to, and I saw that his thick, dark hair turned noticeably gray during the short time he was in office. The same was true for Presidents Carter, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II. President Johnson’s hairline receded. While Presidents Reagan and Nixon seemed to have avoided obvious graying, only their barbers knew for sure.

Undoubtedly, the demands of this job have taken their toll on more than one president’s head — inside and out. The U.S. presidency is a tedious, demanding and often thankless job, so much so that the president-elect has already begun the graying process!

It is no secret that our country is in serious turmoil at home and abroad. It will be interesting to see how life in the Oval Office affects Mr. Obama’s coif during his tenure. No doubt, his barber may be quite busy.

Crystal S. McCombs
Greensboro

With all due respect to T.L. Cassell (letter, Nov. 24), while he is correct that President-elect Obama is biracial, as we define the term these days, he is wrong when he asserts that Obama is not an African American. Although his mother was, as pointed out, a Caucasian woman originally from Kansas, his father was a foreign student from Kenya, which is a country in Africa. Thus, if the truth be known, he is more truly an African American than most of those in this country designated with that term.

Considering that the ancestors of most African Americans lived in the United States for at least a couple of generations, there isn’t very much about them that is African except the origin of some distant ancestors. And if the truth be known, most of them are multi-racial, as we define the term, as there is practically no one in that ethnic group who doesn’t have some admixture of Caucasian, Native American or some other ethnic group. However, let’s keep in mind that there is only one human race with a lot of ethnicities.

Philip van Lidth de Jeude
Carrboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Curtis Collins

This is in response to Leonard Pitts’ column: “GOP should cease its fear tactics” (Nov. 19).

The GOP ... the party of fear? The party of blame? The party of the past? Shame on these racist, stuck-in-the past Republicans!

Good work, Leonard. You just insulted and branded nearly half the country with your charges, my man!

Your message, no matter how finely worded, seems to be ever unchanging.

Those who disagree with your politics are presented as fear-mongering, racist extremists standing in the way of your definition of “progress.”

Even in victory, even in a time of “hope,” you simply cannot seem to get past your bitterness.

While others, Republican and Democrat alike, speak to putting the election behind us and moving forward in a spirit of cooperation, you select isolated incidences years ago from the Nixon, Helms and first Bush past to characterize all Republicans and promote your own fear in yet another attempt to polarize and divide.

Do you really believe this Republican campaign was based on fear and race?

Can one not hold an opposing opinion to liberal views on abortion, gay marriage, immigration practices, faith in politics, even on affirmative action policies, and not be racist?

Can you not champion individual responsibility and accountability, limited central government, a strong national defense, fiscal responsibility, equal opportunity versus equal entitlement ... and not be racist? Can you not present these concepts and debate them in an open forum and not
be fear-mongering?

I’ve heard many accusations from the left against John McCain, but none — other than two radical preachers — who proclaimed him to be racist. I know of no mainstream Democrat who supports that claim and no one at all who provides evidence to support it. Do you?

I look at the relentless slandering of Sarah Palin by the media and the ads that suggested an overturn of Roe v Wade if she and McCain had gained office, and I look at your own fearful, one-sided, negative description of the 1950s era in your column and I feel compelled to suggest that you consider your own glass house before throwing too many more stones.

Move on, my man.

The writer lives in Jamestown.

Sheila Beck (letter, Nov. 23) encouraged sending Christmas cards to wounded veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center.

I, too, have received this same information via e-mails. Unfortunately, the address given is not a good address per both Snopes.com and TruthOrFiction.com.

Both Web sites report that Walter Reed issued a statement indicating that it and other medical centers throughout the Department of Defense cannot accept mail that isn’t addressed to a particular soldier by name. The deputy undersecretary of defense for transportation policy made this decision to ensure the safety and well-being of patients and staff.

Additionally, the U.S. Postal Service has stopped delivering mail addressed to a “Recovering American Soldier” at Walter Reed.

If individuals want to send Christmas cards to service members this holiday season, they can do so through the American Red Cross’ “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program. It hopes to deliver 1 million cards to service members and their families.

Holiday cards should be addressed and sent no later than Dec. 10 to: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456.

This information is confirmed by the Web sites of Snopes, Truth or Fiction and the American Red Cross.

Jane Salyer
Oak Ridge

Our country took great strides and won great victories on Nov. 4, but also took one very giant step backward with the passage of Proposition 8 in California.

The religious right has for years taken part in a campaign of public trickery. They have convinced their followers that homosexuality is a dangerous sin and a threat to the “sanctity of marriage.” In turn, they have demonized true love and denied fellow human beings equal rights in the name of religion.

I don’t recall Jesus’ teachings ever mentioning homosexuality. I do recall him, however, being pretty adamant about social equality and loving your neighbor.

If those on the religious right were as concerned about the sanctity of marriage as they claim to be, perhaps they would focus their time and energy on repealing the divorce laws in every state.

Those who support the bigotry that is Proposition 8 should look deep inside and ask how they would feel if a fundamental right were being stripped from them or their children.

I’m opposed to Proposition 8 and others like it around the country because I thought and still do believe that I live in the country where all are created equal.

Paul Raker
Greensboro

North Carolina has a long and proud history of serving those in need. More than 26,000 nonprofit organizations serve communities in all 100 counties. Nonprofits educate, inspire and touch our lives in myriad ways. They provide vital human services, advocate for important public policies and strengthen the fabric of our communities.

As we struggle in a difficult economy, it is likely nonprofits will be called upon to meet a growing demand for services. At the N.C. Healthy Start Foundation, we are giving back to our fellow nonprofits. In honor of our upcoming 20th year serving North Carolinians, we are awarding one-time small community grants to those agencies working with women of reproductive age. These grants will help in addressing high rates of infant mortality, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, drug use, smoking, obesity and other risky behaviors.

We are thankful for our ability to advocate for healthy moms and healthy babies. We hope all North Carolinians will celebrate the many volunteers, philanthropists and nonprofit organizations that enrich and improve the quality of our lives.

Janice A. Freedman
Raleigh

The writer is executive director, N.C. Healthy Start Foundation.

Regarding Joe Daye’s recent letter (Nov. 23): It appears Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was simply asked questions that she couldn’t answer.

Daye writes about the country heading in the wrong direction. What a joke!

Where do you think we have been heading for the last eight years under a “conservative” administration?

Let’s give the new administration a chance before bad mouthing!

Jim Corl
Colfax

A spokesperson from the United Auto Workers stated that his workers were not going to make any concessions on behalf of GM. GM is taking out full-page ads trying to drum up support for the $25 billion aid package.

Every worker I know is struggling. I say let GM and the rest of the incompetent car manufacturers go bankrupt.

There isn’t a chance in hell that GM will ever be able to pay back this loan unless the UAW, the CEO and the rest of the company figure out that they have to cut expenses, reduce benefits, eliminate unnecessary models and improve quality. They need to produce environmentally friendly vehicles, ones that will appreciate in value rather than depreciate immediately after being sold.

Lowell Rauch
Greensboro

Is this the season for giving or taking? The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving our vehicles were invaded in our driveway in a well-lit area of our property.

Taken were the necessities needed for a nice family road trip for a Thanksgiving-long weekend: my navigation system and cash. From my wife’s vehicle, her pocketbook.

Within the hour the “Thankstaking” bandits had used my wife’s debit card in Greensboro. Within six hours, it had been used in South Carolina, then Georgia.

I guess they were heading to grandmother’s house in Florida.

I am so glad these thieves were able to enjoy themselves courtesy of our personal property and cash. Regardless of our shock and sadness at our losses and the time it takes to cancel, renew and reapply for all the things imaginable in my wife’s pocketbook, we were not going to let it ruin our holiday.

Citizens of Greensboro, beware this holiday season, for it is not just for giving but unfortunately also for the taking.

Troy Priede
Greensboro

Jason Barbour’s Nov. 28 letter asks, “Do you ever wonder who is teaching our college students?”

I know. I am a student at UNCG. His letter sounded so reminiscent of the things I used to hear coming home from UNC-Chapel Hill in the 1960s, mostly from people who never pursued a liberal arts education from a strong, secular institution of higher learning. They found “unrepentant, domestic terrorists” behind every tree. I loved Barbour’s McCarthyism, “fellow travelers,” and appreciate his publicizing www.supportbillayers.org. I’m number 4,291 and I completely support UNCG Professor Ulrich Reitzug as well.

It is true that recent events in India prove that we should be ever vigilant, since terrorism is so horribly effective. (It’s drawn us into two wars.) That’s one conclusion I reached after taking a course on terrorism at UNCG recently. Nonetheless, it’s hard to believe that University of Illinois Professor William Ayers has terrorized anyone lately. He is certainly vindicated by history in his opposition to the real terror of the time: the Vietnam War.

I can easily imagine Barbour being among the ancient people of Athens who wanted Socrates banished or killed for what he taught to his students.

Peter Deane
Greensboro

Jason Barbour wrote a letter (Nov. 28) condemning a UNCG professor for supporting William Ayers. I see Mr. Barbour’s witch hunt differently. I see this as an opportunity to sign my name in support of William Ayers and the UNCG professor protecting the Constitution. I am a permanent faculty member of UNCG, although low on the totem pole.

Alan Brilliant
Greensboro

Regarding the Nov. 21 story, “Stokesdale council votes down alcohol referendum”:

I am a Stokesdale resident who attended the Nov. 20 public hearing concerning one possible referendum on liquor by the drink and another on an ABC store. There was a large attendance and great opposition to these referendums. A petition of opposition was presented to the town council. Proponents were in the minority; they were the two commercial developers who want to build restaurants in Stokesdale.

Residents spoke against the referendum, giving excellent reasons and recalling past horrendous incidents involving the overindulgence of alcohol in Stokesdale too numerous to state in this short forum. No one appeared to object to alcohol consumption within one’s home. They expressed concern over the effects of excessive public drinking. They welcomed family-oriented restaurants.

I had never heard Pastor Jerry Walker speak and I was moved by his precise, intelligent and eloquent objection to this referendum. Your reporter served him a great injustice by quoting only a few words of his presentation. These referred to the types of bars that passage of this referendum might encourage.

It is sad that this is all your reporter could glean from this meeting. There were many substantive pleadings of opposition.

Kathleen L. Hommel
Stokesdale

If the allegations in David Colin’s letter to the editor (Nov. 28) are correct, the citizens of Guilford County have a serious problem on their hands.

As stated, Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green has made two high-profile, high-paying appointments to his administration that are in direct contradiction of the posted job requirements. The new appointees to chief of staff and chief administrative officer smack of patronage and rewarding a friendship.

As the bastion of truth for the Triad, the News & Record should initiate an immediate investigation of these claims. It is obvious that the “rubber stamp” school board is incapable of being tasked with reviewing these appointments.

If a misstep is substantiated, a decision to retain Mr. Green in his current position will require a full public review.

Joel Heller
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By William A. Hensel

As one of the leaders of the 2000 ballot effort to bring a swim center to Greensboro, I am in a unique position to reply to Allen Johnson’s column (Nov. 23) once again telling us that the swim center is a bad idea — a position he has consistently held. Yes, the voters have spoken: they have endorsed a swim center as a central part of a larger Parks and Recreation bond package. They have voted to invest in our community’s future.

I differ with Johnson’s assertion that the public’s vote for the bond package must mean that the pool’s supporters were devious, the public was woefully uninformed or both. To deny the project has merit is disingenuous.

The swim center always belonged under the domain of the Parks and Recreation Department. In 2000, I thought my group had crafted an appropriate partnership between the City Council, the Parks and Recreation Department, the YMCA and private donors. That concept, which Johnson supports now but not then, met defeat because the swim center was separated from a larger Parks and Recreation bond by a split decision on City Council. Given the then-new Parks and Recreation long-range plan, which endorsed building not one but two new indoor pools, I was dumbfounded.

The financial impact of the project was analyzed by a study commissioned by the city. Yes, it would have a negative operating budget, but it would have a strongly positive financial impact on the community.

I wholeheartedly agree that the facility should serve the entire community. Like all things public, pool design and usage should maximize community benefit.

An underlying bias of my opinion is that youth sports are good for kids. They can learn the structure and discipline of games with rules. Given the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, I can think of no better investment that a community could make than in its youth sports programs. As a family physician, I also know the benefits of aquatic exercise for the elderly. Only in the water can some of my arthritic patients be free to move. What price do you put on a healthier community?

I have always believed the swim center had merit and was deserving of community support. I continue to volunteer for the sport of swimming because I am grateful for what it has done for me and my family.

I’d like to invite Mr. Johnson to join me at next year’s city meet at the Lindley Park Public Pool. Perhaps then he might understand how much a public pool can benefit a community.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Mary Ann Underwood

Two wonders of late:

1. News of the economy is grim. Yet, nothing is mentioned in the media about how legalized gambling, a way to get rich quick, is helping or hurting matters. There’s a proverb that says that he that hastes to become rich considers not that poverty will come upon him.

2. Kathleen Parker, known as a conservative columnist, seemed to have departed from her usual tone in the Nov. 19 edition of the News & Record.

Her column, “Religious right is dragging down Republican Party,” makes her appear like Jekyll and Hyde. It’s like fair-weather friends who cheered Jesus on one minute and then cried “Crucify Him!”

Incidentally, it’s not WWJD, but what did Jesus, who was good and kind, do (WDJD) to receive such bitter, vitriolic hatred?

In her article, Parker said that “armband religion is killing the Republican Party.” She’s unhappy that Sarah Palin, whose ticket received more than 58 million votes, mentions God.

Never mind that Abraham Lincoln, a hero of Barack Obama, concluded his second inaugural address with “The Almighty has His purposes.”

Her preference for those who prefer a more private approach to worship is not seen in Scripture. One of many examples is the prophet Jeremiah. His prophesy on Israel’s latter-day restoration shows the ambassadorship of believers. He says, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord ...”

Parker ended her column on a dim note. Not to worry. It’s not over.

The writer lives in Asheboro.

We have now learned that Greensboro police Sgt. Allen Wallace has been reinstated by the department, but at a lower rank. Evidently, there was some truth to the accusation of a sexual assault on a female officer by Wallace and two other officers.

A most important bit of information was omitted: Has Wallace registered as a sex offender? If he isn’t required to do so, can the department explain what excludes him from the registry?

Why is he being retained by the department if he took part in the assault? Could it be to protect his pension? By what moral standards are Greensboro police officers judged? Why have I always believed that police officers should be above reproach? Am I the only individual disturbed over the way this issue has been resolved?

Eileen Thiery
Stokesdale

This is a plea to any member of the James and Evelyn Ennis family. I believe I am correct that your family was the producer of Boar and Castle Sauce. Along with many others, my family loves this sauce and does not want to see it disappear from existence.

If you want to sell the recipe and/ or business, please place a reply in the News & Record or contact them for my number. My son-in-law is an Air Force pilot in Alaska.

His request for Christmas was another case of Boar and Castle Sauce like I sent last year. I don’t want to disappoint him.

Donna Combs
Greensboro

It is disappointing that the article in the Nov. 26 News & Record, “Area ranks 33rd in transport industries,” fails to mention railroads that made Greensboro the Gate City.

When it got that moniker, railroads were perhaps about the “only game in town,” but a significant rail infrastructure remains and it’s regrettable that more advantage isn’t taken and its potential realized.

Much emphasis was on the energy-inefficient, road-clogging trucking industry. This area is about to become the nation’s “truck terminal capital.” Thus, it is hard to realize how the area ranks 33rd.

Also, much praise is placed on the more energy-inefficient, noisy, polluting air-cargo transport. Wait until the part-time FedEx employees come on line and see what the annual wage becomes.

Railroads offer many opportunities for cargo handling: for example, long-distance transport of mail in piggyback cars off-loaded from rail cars at the Pomona yard and hauled to the post office or the bulk mail center.

Railroads also offer advantages for passengers such as the proposed service between Burlington and Clemmons. In many places, commuter service is provided on freight railroad lines.

Harry P. Clapp
Greensboro

The 800-pound gorilla in our state government’s room is our struggling mental-health system.

I am pleading for a moratorium on shutting down any state mental hospitals until the community services promised by the Easley administration are funded properly and working adequately.

Community services were virtually ignored during the first five years of “reform” while the Department of Health and Human Services and the General Assembly aggressively pursued the closings of Dorothea Dix and John Umstead hospitals. No hospital should shut its doors while massive shortages of beds exist for the patients.

Dix remains open only through intervention from our court system. When the case convenes later this month, DHHS Secretary Dempsey Benton will immediately push to permanently terminate the facility before anyone questions his authority. Am I the only person outraged by this blatant rush to close this aging hospital now?

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Nearly eight years of flawed, cocky leadership have put us where we are today.

Gov.-elect Perdue should know that it is time for another intervention. The clock is ticking ...

Steve Church
Willow Spring

Responding to Tommy Wrenn’s response (Dec. 1), “Christians backing Obama want what’s best for U.S.”, to Becky Burcham’s letter (Nov. 20), I can’t help but wonder which stereotypical “single issue” Wrenn was referring to that caused us to vote for McCain.

Did he consider his morals when he voted, or does “what’s best for the country” override all else? Seems he used a single issue to make his decision as well, and “what’s best” is not nearly as easy to determine as the taking of a life is wrong.

More to his point, however, and as Bush’s critics are continuously pointing out, it seems he hasn’t realized that you aren’t allowed to make decisions based wholly on what is best for our country, but only on the views of our “educated enough to not vote on a single issue” fellow citizens.

I am thankful they are so loud and boisterous since I need someone to tell me how and what to think.

R.A. Jessup
Greensboro

My compliments to Jeri Rowe on his coverage of Ratdog. He did a nice job on the faces of Weir, and anybody who could compile a song list in that atmosphere was doing pretty well.

It was a pot and beer crowd, which is not really what that used to be about, but everybody was so alive and on it that it was a good experience.

My only complaint with the sound was as usual the vocals were hard to pick out unless you knew the words and then you were probably singing, too. But it was a great concert and deserved full coverage just like the last one, which was even better.

Thanks for shedding light on our happening. The Ruffin piece was nice also, but it raises old questions about Deadhead motivation.

Stephen Bolmer
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Wendy Lavine

One reason I love Greensboro is that the community comes together to help those who may need an extra hand. This is why I was able to help establish the Thanksgiving Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro a few years back. For well over a decade, I spent my Thanksgiving mornings with an amazing crew of volunteers, many of whom had long ago left their old restaurant jobs but still came back each year to cook through the night to prepare a fresh feast for those who were homeless, ill, shut in or alone on Thanksgiving.

When I realized that the cost of providing this meal was becoming prohibitive to the budgets of locally owned restaurants and would deplete scarce resources of the agencies that provided year-round food support, the Thanksgiving Fund was established and met with great community support. I moved on to a new career but felt good that this fund would be part of my legacy. So, this year, when it once again began to look like there wouldn’t be the resources for this meal, I prayed and looked to the community — and it came through with shining colors. What an honor it is to live in a city with people who answer the call, no matter how challenging their own financial states may be. And we should all be grateful for people like Ken Conrad, owner of Libby Hill Seafood, who has organized the massive task of ordering, preparing and delivering hundreds of fresh, tasty meals on Thanksgiving morning.

I am already wondering what we can do to keep this fund healthy and vibrant and always there, until the day comes when there are no people hungry or alone on Thanksgiving morning. The Torah commands that when farmers harvest their crops they leave the corners of their fields for those who would not have any of the bounty otherwise. So, I ask you to put something away for the Thanksgiving Fund each month — whether you give up a latte, or a chocolate fix, a cupcake or movie popcorn; or consider asking for donations to be made in your name instead of gifts for your birthday; or any number of simple gestures that can help rebuild this fund. Then put that money in an envelope and send it to:

The Thanksgiving Fund
c/o Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro
330 S. Greene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401

When I ask my students what they like about Thanksgiving, they almost always say the food; but with our continued collaboration, I will be able to say it is the grace and generosity of our community for which I am most thankful.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Random thoughts from an irate taxpayer:

North Carolina is short of highway funds because our governor and legislators have robbed the fund for years by moving money to the general fund.

Greensboro found $5 million-plus to buy High Point Road properties but cannot afford to re-roof two fire stations.

The school system is again complaining of lack of funds but hires a $150,000-per-year person from Charlotte to further bloat its administrative staff.

The City Council, led by Mike Barber, fooled the taxpayers into voting for a “swim center” after it had been turned down twice by voters by burying it at the last minute in the Parks and Recreation bond package. So much for ethics, truth and transparency in government.

The City Council blindly offers to give $750,000 to unnamed police personnel to pay for questionable racial discrimination claims. Later flip-flops (maybe) on this decision.

The city manager hires a $121,000-per-year assistant while freezing other positions and facing budget shortfalls.

Is there any wonder why our citizens are skeptical and cynical of our so-called leaders?

Jerry I. Smith
Greensboro

“Choice” is emotionally charged. Congress is preparing to pass the Freedom of Choice Act, making abortion rights unrestricted nationwide. This bill would erase 35-plus years of state-initiated legislation, including conscience clauses permitting medical professionals to decline performing abortions; doctor-only laws; any laws requiring literature or waiting periods; prohibitions against transporting schoolchildren across state lines for surgery without parental notification; and partial-birth abortion.

Since FOCA also funds abortions nationally and internationally, taxpayer support for Planned Parenthood will surely increase from its current $300 million per year to $1 billion-plus.

What about “choice”? Wouldn’t you want to choose whether your 12-year-old has surgery? If abortion doctors don’t counsel young women regarding the serious emotional and physical risks of this surgery, relative to adoption alternatives, where’s their choice? It’s not illegal for abortion providers to pass out literature, or suggest a woman rethink her “choices” for 24 hours, but it’s not economical. It’s mind-numbing to consider the holocaust-like deaths of 50 million-plus aborted babies, and 33,000-plus per year in North Carolina, but soon abortion will be unrestricted. Let your representatives know that “life” and informed consent matter. Take a stand!

Dan Nelson
Summerfield

We who love books and care about the arts in Greensboro and America are saddened to see the News & Record jettison the book review. The paper follows national trends to cut costs while retaining core content like “The Family Circus,” “Ziggy” and Sudoku. However, it has freed Charles Davenport to take on the occasional book review such as his column (Nov. 30) on the One City, One Book project. But what a lousy reviewer he makes, criticizing works because they’re “politically charged, divisive, and as likely to alienate as they are to unite readers.” Indeed, the one-dimensional writer admits he has little time for fiction (Harry Potter excepted). He claims he spends two hours daily boning up on the weaponry Republicans need to regain power, political journals and reviews, stuff he refers to as “culture.”

Davenport believes true culture isn’t found in difficult works of art laden with divisive ideas (one thinks of “King Lear” or “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” or, depending on your view, “Genesis”). While he says he’s too busy, what he means is he is troubled by complexity and views he doesn’t share. Fortunately for him, there is “Ziggy” and “The Family Circus.”

Andrew J. Young
Greensboro

I am frankly quite tired of hearing about the noise issues of the “urban loop.” We bought a house in the Cardinal neighborhood, which is near the airport. We knew the airport would be expanding. Has the airplane noise increased? Yes! Am I demanding they move the airport? No! We knew what we were getting in to when we moved here.

There has been no secret about the urban loop. It has been in the planning stages for many years. The maps of all proposed roads were available to every home purchaser. You made your choice to live that close to a highway. Please live with your decision!

Jacqueline Messick
Greensboro

I have noticed the word “experience” coming up in letters to the editor regarding President-elect Barack Obama. I would like to define the word.

According to Webster’s: 1. Practical knowledge gained by trial or practice. 2. Events one has lived through. 3. Skill gained by doing. 4. Have experience of 5. Practical knowledge.

How many of our former presidents have had or can say they had experience before being elected? How do you get experience? No one starts out knowing everything about anything.

H.L. Davis
High Point

I would like to thank all the men and women, in security and law enforcement, who have worked in anonymity for the last several years to keep the country safe from terrorist attacks. I know terrorists and protectors are out there. The first group hasn’t given up, and the second can’t tell what they have been doing to prevent the attacks. The first group can make mistakes; the second group can’t make one mistake. Thank you all for your efforts. Keep up the great work.

David Bender
Whitsett

Thank you, Jeri Rowe, for your Nov. 25 article on Assistant Chief Harold Scott, who recently retired from a long and distinguished career with the Greensboro Police Department. As the “Andy Griffith” of our town, he was a true hero to the Guilford Center and our consumers.

Several years ago, Scott agreed to serve as the liaison between our agency and the police. He worked with us to develop protocols for the safe handling of individuals with mental-health emergencies at our downtown crisis/emergency unit on North Eugene Street. Scott’s willingness to go the extra mile for the citizens of Greensboro extended far beyond his regular duties. He made himself available to us on a 24-hour basis. When Scott became assistant chief, he continued as our liaison despite the added responsibilities of his new position.

Scott was an excellent collaborator who could “disarm” anyone with his winning smile and a great sense of humor. He was always helpful, responsive and sensitive to the needs of our consumers. We will greatly miss him, and we join the News & Record in honoring his contributions to the community as an exceptional human being and public servant.

Paula Snipes, RN
Greensboro

The writer is director of nursing, the Guilford Center.

Please place me on the “totally incensed” record concerning the in-your-face, front-and-center article on the Ku Klux Klan Dec. 1. Why would the editor of the News & Record feel this picture and article deserved such prominence for our community? There are lots of interesting and, more importantly, lots of good and wonderful things occurring. We’ve all read about the incidents in Louisiana. Greensboro and our surrounding area deserve more credit for our reading interests. For our community, your decision to place this article with prominence was disgusting.

Kim Dawkins Berry
Greensboro

Regarding the letter, “Prop 8 allows simple majority to deny rights” (Nov. 25): There need not be a vote on marriage. It’s between a heterosexual man and woman, and it’s even written in the Bible. Any other relation between two men or two women is ungodly and sinful. God hates this sin. It is written in Romans 1:27: “And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.”

Susan Moore
Randleman

If only Barack Obama could wave a magic wand and “change” all of America’s maladies. The left would rejoice and the right would grumble.

The change we seek is as common Americans. Want to bring gas prices down? Stop driving so much, buy smaller cars, conserve. It has worked. Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles in the last year and prices have come down. Want to bring health costs and prescription prices down? Take care of yourself, work out, eat right. Is the environment your concern? You get it. Do your part.

With 300 million of us, all incremental change matters. I have found that all lasting change comes incrementally with a little pain. Governments can try to facilitate change, but if people as individuals don’t change, it won’t matter. Change was more than a political slogan. It is a call to face the facts and change your world one small difference at a time. Doing the right thing always works.

Trey May
Greensboro

An article titled “TURNING THE WHITE HOUSE GREEN” (yes, all caps) jumped off the front page Nov. 20. The subtitle read: “New first family means new look for historic residence.”

It goes on to state “design experts wonder (key word) if the first family will use the nation’s most famous house as a way to back a serious agenda: going green.”

Several designers have agreed to sketch design schemes to focus on environmentally friendly materials, modern furniture and other high-tech hoopla. There are no other Obama references to “going green.”

Buried in the article are eco-friendly changes the Bushes have made, including using compact fluorescent lights, energy-efficient cooling units, solar heating and low-flow faucets and toilets. The outside of the White House is illuminated by energy-efficient lighting.

If Obama hadn’t been elected, we may have never known the many major eco-friendly changes President and Mrs. Bush have made.

What else is buried under the media rug?

Loretta Lutman
Asheboro

I think retail workers and sales associates are under-appreciated and deserve more recognition, especially at this time of year.

They work to keep the store shelves and racks clean and neatly displayed, return clothes from the dressing room to their correct location, which is a time-consuming task, and return items to their location that customers just put down somewhere in the store if they decide not to buy it.

It may just be your one little item that you lay there knowing it doesn’t belong there, but when 50 customers a day repeat that action, the employee has a plethora of items to put back on the shelves. This can be prevented.

You can have the mentality, “Someone else will do it,” or you can return the item where it belongs and save an employee an unnecessary task. It’s all about kindness.

Simple acts of kindness can make a difference to someone.

Emily Wagoner
Jamestown

I am a student at Mendenhall Middle School and I have an idea about how to help our car companies.

I think everyone should receive a coupon or voucher worth $10,000 that must be spent on a car made by GM, Ford or Chrysler. That way you are giving them money, but they are earning the business on their own.

If someone is not going to use their coupon, they should have permission to sell it to someone else. Every time someone uses a coupon at a car dealership in debt, the government will give them the amount of money that the coupon was worth.

I hope you will consider this idea because it will help many parts of our economy.

Marion Cox
Greensboro

$700,000,000,000 in questionable bailout money is “entrusted” to:

* those who sign off on paying $5,000 for a toilet seat;

* those who don’t know how many homes they own;

* those who pay $400 for a haircut;

* those who we know are cheats, liars and possibly murderers;

* those of little honor;

* those who would not mount an adequate rescue effort in the wake of a natural disaster;

* those who live in lavishness while Katrina victims live in contaminated trailers or under plastic tarps;

* those who continue to allow swarms of invaders into the United States, invaders who take advantage of the system WE pay for;

* those who do not understand the value of a dollar the longer they’re in office (they’ve done studies);

* those who are multimillionaires who are handing out billions of dollars to others who are multimillionaires;

* those who claim to have America’s best interest at heart even though they spend millions of dollars campaigning for office while American citizens go without food, shelter and medicine;

* those who seven years after the Trade Center attacks haven’t erected a monument to those murdered by terrorists.

Gail Baker
Greensboro

In recent years, I have expressed considerable discomfiture at the direction America is headed.

I know we cannot start a stupid war, live beyond our means and double the national debt in eight years without consequences. Consequences are here.

Credit cards are maxing out, mortgage payments are not being made and the economy is floundering. What are we doing about it? The government will take another massive dose of red ink (thank you, China!). What will individuals do?

We are caught in a vicious circle. Those with money are spending it carefully. Bad news for stores and factories. They cut jobs and capital spending, further reducing cash flow.

We have elected a president who I have come to believe has considerable ability but who has the Sisyphean task of trying to turn this mess around. Maybe he and his team will figure something out. We should be patient.

We must work together, lower our expectations and keep the faith.

Dan W. Maddox
Greensboro

Regarding Sarah Fricke’s letter (“Getting rid of firearms will make people safer,” Dec. 1):

Would someone please tell her that people kill people (not guns)?

Nancy Ellis
Ramseur

I was pleased with the lead editorial in the News & Record (Nov. 22), which featured Dennis Quaintance’s “green” hotel and restaurant. Saving $140,000 in utilities in one year is impressive, but the savings is more than monetary. Energy that is not needed does not have to be produced. So, the environment wins, too.

Nevertheless, I was disheartened by the following: “Probably the last thought that comes to mind in discussions of the teetering economy is the environment.” Sadly, this is true.

When people can’t eat or pay their mortgages, other concerns take a back seat. The unfortunate implication is that many people mistakenly believe the environment can wait.

Fortunately, President-elect Obama, like Quaintance, recognizes that going green does not mean going hungry. It can mean the exact opposite. Green energy can create jobs and help restore economic, as well as environmental, health. Going green may be the ladder out of the pit, the road to renewed prosperity.

It’s sad to think that many humans will only make meaningful, large-scale efforts to save the Earth when it becomes personally, financially, selfishly advantageous to do so. I’d like to think better of us.

Maureen Parker
Greensboro

Recently, Gay Cheney sent a beautiful description of the autumn leaves she viewed from her window at Browns Summit (letter, Nov. 16). She described how Mother Nature always leads the way, placing the colors. Of course, the Carolina blue sky helped her perfect the scene.

Years ago, a friend pointed out that bare trees have a beauty of their own. Their branches never fight each other, but share the space.

I remember when Joe Bryan was asked what inscription he wanted on his statue at Bryan Park. He replied: “Man must tip his hat to Nature. She gives beauty, joy and hope ... and excludes no one.”

Helen B. Walker
Greensboro

In response to Sarah Fricke (letter, “Getting rid of firearms will make people safer,” Dec. 1):
What was the police record of the man in the bulletproof vest? Is getting rid of the firearms really the answer?

How do I protect my family during the time that it takes the police to respond to my house when we are in danger? When was the last time that these gun crimes involved citizens with no criminal record?

Ms. Fricke, how do you explain that Washington, D.C., ranks among the highest cities in incidents involving handguns? Yet, until the recent Supreme Court ruling, handguns were illegal in D.C. and to this date are not available to legal buyers.

Ms. Fricke, how many crimes do you hear about involving citizens with legal concealed-carry permits?

Supporters of banning guns like yourself never want to address the real problem: the criminals. Criminals usually prey on the weak.

Statistics show when counties or cities institute concealed-carry or homeownership laws for firearms, violent crimes go down. When criminals know that a lady or man may be armed, they will look for an easier target.

Its time to go after the criminals and encourage our good citizens to protect and arm themselves.

Michael Canoy
Climax

I am tired of those who state that “being pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion.” That’s patently false.

Those who support the right to choose to own firearms are called “pro-gun.” Before the Civil War, those who supported the right of citizens to choose to own slaves were “pro-slavery.”
So why can’t abortion-rights supporters be called pro-abortion?

Abortion advocates prefer the term pro-choice because it sounds innocuous at worst and noble at best. This disguises what they really support.

And why does our country protect unborn animals more than unborn children? The penalty for destroying a bald eagle’s egg is a $5,000 fine and/or one year in prison. And what is the penalty for killing a preborn child? Nothing; in fact, it’s a lucrative business.

Shame on us for these perverted priorities.

Al Shumard
Greensboro

In response to a recent letter (“Citizen will give Obama same respect given to Bush,” Nov. 24) from Tim Tribbett, obviously still feeling the ill-effects from too many sour grapes, I, too, must congratulate the Democrats, and a clear majority of the rest of the electorate, for electing the most far-thinking, compassionate and trustworthy individual available.

As for that experience, all the preparation in the world didn’t seem to help this current bunch of depraved children.

I look forward to giving the new president a renewed level of respect and cooperation, because I know he will earn it, through hard work and determination.

Whenever he makes a mistake — which he will because he is human — he will face it and learn from it. Calling him a liar will only be necessary if he proves himself to be one, as the current office-holder must know something about.

If he makes a gaffe, we will both laugh it off, not taking it too seriously.

I will trust his abilities to lead, question any military action, as that is my right as an American, and believe he has all of our best interests at heart. It’s a pity the current president never did.
Enjoy? I can hardly wait!

Mark Gardner
High Point

We are the Cold Coyotes, a FIRST LEGO League team in Greensboro. We are studying how climate affects our area, specifically drought.

We have learned that currently our city does not recycle its own wastewater. Instead, it cleans the water to a very high standard and reintroduces it into the Cape Fear River Basin to be used by other cities farther downstream.

We would like to propose that Greensboro keeps its purified wastewater and revamp the process of cleaning this water by using eco-machines and other innovative methods based on research.

By keeping our water in our own reservoirs, we will increase our city’s water supply.

Avery Bartlett-Golden
DJ Curran
Mart Fowler
Josiah Gourley
Harley Mason
Sean Stegall
Tyler Webster
Greensboro

Does anyone in Greensboro recognize how fortunate we are in our local newspaper? If you have lived elsewhere, as I have, in six states, you would realize what a jewel we have in our daily newspaper.

Complaints pour in from both the left and right wing of our citizenry about bias. That is because our local newspaper provides a variety of opinions from both local and national voices, on both sides of the aisle, thus enriching us all.

Reading our newspaper thoroughly daily provides one with perspectives from widely disparate viewpoints, and that has the capacity to enrich us all, if we avail ourselves of the opportunity.
In reading the letters to the editor (Nov. 22), I rejoice in the diversity of opinion published. T.M. Cassell writes that Obama is not the first black president. Tim Tribbett writes that he will give our incoming president the same respect granted our outgoing one. Richard Manning lambasts Thomas Friedman for his opinions on the current economic crisis.

Our hometown newspaper serves us well in providing divergent viewpoints. Greensboro’s residents are fortunate to have available such a broad exposure to current thoughts and opinions.

Thank you for the great job you do in providing your readers many opinions on issues that impact all of us.

Marge Cromer
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint.

By Dorothy G. Darr

In planning for future growth in the Triad, let us direct our municipal planning toward our cities, in the direction of Smart Growth and Green Growth, away from sprawl.

Recently, I drove around the cities of High Point, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. I was struck by how much vacant land and how many empty buildings are available for redevelopment inside all three cities.

If we direct our planned growth toward utilizing our existing cities, we will utilize our existing infrastructure — roads, sidewalks, utilities, water and sewer, fire and police protection, schools and hospitals — and capitalize on public transportation.

We only have so much energy, so much time and so much money. If we concentrate our planning at the edges of our cities, if we pour our resources into building more big, expensive thoroughfares in the county that funnel growth away from our cities, we won’t have enough time and energy — and, most importantly, we won’t have enough money — to care for and revitalize the cities we already have.

If we continue to plan for growth outside of our cities, we move our jobs out of our cities, thereby leaving behind our urban poor and middle class who have lost so many jobs in manufacturing. By encouraging new growth at the edges of our cities, we feed our dependence on automobiles, waste our energy, and raise our taxes.

Do we really want this for our future?

If more of the same actually worked, our taxes would be going down, not up, our citizens would have more jobs, not less, moving up from poverty to the middle class, rather than the poor staying poor and the middle class losing ground.

It is also a health issue. More thoroughfares create more air pollution. Bad air affects the health of our citizens, particularly seen in the increasing cases of asthma cases among our children.
Why should our growth benefit the few, while wasting our natural resources and quality of life for the many?

We could be planning for economic development in our compact urban centers and preserving our open spaces.

But this means we’ll need to recognize the very thing that is sinking us: sprawl.
This means we’ll need to re-direct our focus and change our priorities. This means we will need to think more about preserving the quality of our environment, and work in creative ways to ensure a sustainable future.

Each of us has a part to play, no matter how small. Each of us must think of something we can do to bring about this change in High Point and the Triad, to move us toward Smart Growth and Green Growth, away from creating more expensive thoroughfares at the edges of our cities, away from sprawl that we can no longer afford. Let us begin today.

The writer has worked in historic preservation and lived in High Point for 26 years.

Economics 101 tells us you can’t sell something for less than it cost to produce and stay in business.

The big three auto makers can’t pay workers $73 per hour and compete with others that are paying $37. Congress should allow them to file for reorganization under Chapter 11.

Think about this: If you gave them $25 billion and saved 200,000 jobs, you may lose 250,000 jobs that you could create somewhere else with that kind of money.

What if you picked the 25 biggest cities in the United States and gave them each $1 billion and told them to repair roads and bridges or build high-speed rail systems. You would create jobs and add to the nation’s wealth.

Or, if the United Auto Workers is so worried about its union workers’ pensions, why doesn’t it take the money out of its pension fund and lend it to the automakers if it’s so sure the Big Three will be profitable?

That way the union members would have a real stake in the company, not the taxpayer.
But Congress wants to use taxpayer money to buy the union vote and doesn’t give a damn about Main Street.

So much for Change You Can Believe In.

Henri Mazzoli
Greensboro

I am writing in support of the Greensboro YWCA at its current location. I know that the staff has operated on a shoestring budget, and yet they have made sacrifices to offer services to at-risk youth and to the general public. It is time for the community to step up and support them in return.

Being a member of the YWCA, I believe in its mission of empowering women and eliminating racism. Those are powerful goals, full of heart.

I do not expect the facility to be perfect; I love the building. If it were to be sold, no other location would be as convenient — or as meaningful — for so many.

The YWCA needs to retain its presence downtown.

This is an opportunity for the organization to create a new strategic plan, identify strengths and expand some of the successful programs and services with grants and fundraising.

The goals are great selling points. There is potential for new programs and partnerships to serve the community in these tough times.

I encourage local business consultants and foundations to become involved in the reorganization. It will be an investment in community, and it can be done right, so that many will benefit.

Deana Hasty
Greensboro

Regarding Donna Combs’ request (letter, Dec. 5) for Boar and Castle Sauce: Six weeks ago Thomas Gourmet Foods, makers of Thomas Sauce, replicated the recipe and is marketing Castle Sauce with a look-alike label. This is currently available at The Fresh Market, The Extra Ingredient, Bessemer Curb Market, Tobacco USA, Ace Hardware, Bi-Rite Stokesdale and soon at Harris Teeters.

The original Boar and Castle Sauce hasn’t been produced or marketed since mid-2007. Thomas Gourmet Foods bought the equipment then and tried unsuccessfully to buy the recipe and name from Jim Ennis. We found out that Ennis didn’t own the name nor recipe. He only had a contract to manufacture it.

We are currently negotiating with the Leon Thomas family to purchase the original recipe and name. If or when we are successful at purchasing the recipe, we will immediately make any corrections necessary to our recipe and we plan to formally announce the revival of this classic product.

In the meantime, we have sold several hundred cases of the look-alike sauce in six weeks and 99.9 percent of the respondents say they cannot distinguish a difference between the two products. We encourage you to call the stores or individuals for their opinions.

Dwight Thomas
Greensboro

The writer is president of Thomas Gourmet Foods.

When the veterans of our nation’s armed forces retire from active duty and predecease their spouses, the pensions are cut off. That leaves the spouses with only their own Social Security benefits to live on.

Think about it. Members of our armed forces make the military a career and are transferred just about everywhere there is a military base or post. As a result, their spouses have to move with them to the new assignment. This means these spouses are serving as if they were in the military themselves.

When a military veteran dies and leaves a spouse, the veteran’s pension should continue to be received by the spouse.

There is a survivor benefit program in place that pays the spouse after the veteran’s death. One veteran paid about $46,000 in premiums for years. After his death, his spouse received only one check for $500.

Please act by contacting your local Congress person and senator to tell them your position. Call your local American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Posts, Knights of Columbus, Masonic and Shrine organizations and get them involved as well.

John Rahenkamp
Greensboro

The CEOs of our three largest auto manufacturing plants are being asked the wrong question. The question should be: What did you do wrong? You can’t fix something if you don’t know what is broken.

The answer to this question is vital to the stockholders.

If they say it is the economy, then Congress must decide if the economy is going to improve enough to justify the loan. This will put Congress on the defensive. If they admit to fault, then we need a CEO replacement.

If they say they are coming out with a more economical car or cutting back on the work force, why haven’t they had the sagacity to foresee this? This is what their huge salaries are all about.
In the future, any bonus that any CEO gets should be a percentage of the net profits of their company. This would get their attention.

Paul Greene
Greensboro

Here’s a holiday idea that our family came up with: Instead of agonizing over a big gift for each of the eight of us, we each chose a charity to receive that money. We chose local church-based groups, animal rescue groups and international service groups. Of course, creatively filled stockings will still be our Christmas morning fun!

Not only do we all feel tremendous relief from the pressure of finding the perfect gift, we know that folks who need help are getting some. Their thank you notes certainly attest to that!

Christmas has become especially meaningful this year and, rest assured, this will be a permanent part of our holidays!

Peggy Byrd
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Tim Ilderton

As general manager of a franchised car dealership based in High Point for the past 82 years, I am greatly concerned about the discussion in Congress about providing a financial stimulus package for our nation’s automakers. While forcing the automakers into bankruptcy may seem to have little impact outside Detroit, the ripple effect of such an act could adversely impact small communities and towns in North Carolina.

While one out of every 10 employees in America is in some way connected to the automotive industry, the 30,000 employees in North Carolina’s franchised car and truck dealers would feel the more immediate impact. Many of these employees, ranging from sales professionals to expert technicians to administrative staff, could eventually lose their jobs.

In North Carolina alone, auto sales account for 20 percent of all retail sales in the state, with car dealers collecting more taxes than anyone other than the Department of Revenue.

The economic stimulus package for the carmakers is not about bailing out GM, Ford or Chrysler. The package is geared toward keeping the nation’s economy on track and at the same time protecting “Main Street” across America. The nation can’t afford not to provide the stimulus package to the automakers.

In addition to the direct impact on the dealership employees, the countless civic organizations and charities that rely on dealers for financial support would feel the secondary impact of bankruptcy proceedings. Whether it is sponsoring the local little leagues, North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year program or families of wounded soldiers from Iraq, North Carolina dealers have stepped forward to support their communities. As the effect of bankruptcy hits the various dealerships, these vital community contributions could dry up.

While the talk of potential bankruptcy of our nation’s automakers continues to be discussed in Congress and across the media, it is critically important for all citizens to realize that a decision to force GM into bankruptcy would have immediate and adverse affects on countless industries and communities across North Carolina.

The writer is general manager, Ilderton Dodge Chrysler Jeep.

President-elect Obama accused the automobile industry CEOs of being “tone deaf” when they flew to Washington in private jets to ask for a taxpayer-funded bailout. He was right and has been right on most issues, in my opinion.

I submit that in light of the economic realities of the moment, it is also “tone deaf” to allow tens of millions of dollars to be spent on inaugural festivities.

I understand that the parties would not be funded with public money. But, 533,000 Americans lost their jobs last month, the unemployment rate is now 6.7 percent, and millions of retirees like myself have seen their savings disappear. There are more productive ways to spend the money.

Wouldn’t it send a more comforting signal if President-elect Obama went directly from the swearing in to his office and got to work? We can all celebrate together after he has led the country back from the brink of economic disaster.

Lawrence Brenowitz
Greensboro

It seems to me that Gen. Shinseki was pressured to retire after saying in February 2003 that it would require several hundred thousand troops to keep the peace in Iraq after the fall of Saddam. Think how many brave men and women would still be alive if they had followed his advice.

Obviously, the general was a prophet without honor in the Defense Department and others in the administration. The prophet-general is now being belatedly honored, as the new administration takes shape.

Harvey B. Herman
Greensboro

I would like to respond to two letters in the Dec. 9 edition.

First, Al Shumard’s letter concerning pro-choice hits the nail square on the head. They can dress it up any way they like and call it anything they want to, but abortion is still abortion/murder. It’s just that plain and simple.

Secondly, Michael Canoy’s letter concerning guns is also a direct hit. I can remember when Miami first got concealed carry. In the first few months, its violent crime rate drastically dropped.
All you need to do is look at the cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc., where they do not allow law-abiding citizens the option of defending themselves, and the violent crimes involving guns are totally out of control.

Compare that to the violent gun-related crimes in the state of Alaska where the law says that if you can legally own a gun you do not even need a permit to carry concealed.

So, you tell me what works and what doesn’t, what is common sense and what isn’t.

Otis A. Nunn Jr.
High Point

The terrorist attack in Mumbai shows how helpless authorities are in the face of terrorism. A few dedicated individuals who don’t fear the consequences of their actions can kill hundreds of unarmed victims while the authorities stand by helplessly, trying to contain the damage.

Total video surveillance and total government control can’t prevent crime, otherwise the Soviet Union and communist China would have been utopias of safety.

The picture of a gunman brandishing a weapon in a train station was a perfect sight. The cameraman could have blown the terrorist away had he been armed with something other than a camera.

The cameraman later complained bitterly of seeing armed policemen cowering and not firing a shot even after he pointed out terrorists “like sitting duck.”

The military acknowledges that as many as 70 percent of soldiers won’t fire their weapons even in war. Why would policemen do any better?

If even a small percentage of the persons under siege by the terrorists had been armed, the drama would have been over in hours, not days. When threatened with murder, even the meekest will fight back if their governments let them be armed.

Frank Light
Madison

Our local economy is not immune to the problems the rest of the country is suffering from, but there are “voices” around our area who want to stifle our growth.

When the bypass was built around Greensboro, every effort was made to buffer the noise as much as possible, but since the day it opened and even before, these voices tried to block it, saying the noise would be too great.

The opening of this new roadway saved countless lives by diverting traffic away from “Death Valley” in Interstates 40 and 85, but the voices complained about how loud it was with the truck traffic bringing products into our area.

Just before the new downtown stadium was ready to open, I drove past one day and saw workmen putting the lines down for baselines and batters boxes.

Within a few days of that, I read an article in the paper about a group trying to block the opening of the stadium.

FedEx was planning a package hub in Greensboro, but the voices started right in about how much noise the aircraft would make flying in and out of our area. The voices also complained about the increased truck traffic on our highways.

As a note to the voices in our area, change will come. Quit trying to stop the positive change we so desperately need.

Matthew Miller
Greensboro

I would like my fellow citizens to realize they are much more likely to be run over by speeding drivers on Oak Level Church Road in Stokesdale than by a drunken driver on nearby Highway 65.

I have lived in Stokesdale for 72 years.

Dawn Fulp Dalton
Stokesdale

Cindy Higgins. If you know her or have attended one of the services at Westminster Presbyterian Church, you probably have the same reaction I have any time I hear someone mention her name.

There’s an automatic intrinsic tendency to smile. She has that affect on people regardless of their age.

I’ve seen her make babies smile while they were being baptized, teenagers laugh regardless of the awkwardness of peer pressure and adults benefit from just a moment of her time.

Cindy’s hands have reached much farther than her congregation. Her passionate devotion to helping better the lives of anyone in need has had a profound impact in Greensboro as well as in other states and internationally.

Sadly, we will be losing this fine citizen of Greensboro. She is moving to Virginia to be closer to her parents.

There will be a void when Cindy leaves. However, she would consider all of her labors of love in vain if we as her friends and colleagues didn’t continue on with the many missions she has challenged us with. Her sermons, conversations and hugs will be missed. Her spirit and love will remain with us.

Hopefully, she will be full and overflowing with the same sentiments from all who remain behind in Greensboro. Good luck and God bless you, Cindy Higgins.

Mary Beth Payne
Browns Summit

For the past several months, I have observed a steady downward progression in the demeanor of a minority of individuals serving on the City Council.

Discussions have ranged from rancorous to divisive, and some members have demonstrated a lack of civility and animosity, which was aimed toward the mayor, city manager and fellow council members in ways that are most unprofessional in a public forum.

Transparency in governing does not translate as a forum for public berating of fellow council members and continued calls for the firing of the city manager.

Repeated attempts to humiliate and/or degrade the city manager, his staff, and fellow council members is exactly what the public feels is a waste of our money.

The agenda for meetings is pushed aside repeatedly in pursuit of personal politics and power plays.

The public wants assurance that the City Council is focused on the needs of its citizens, and that the day-to-day operations of the city of Greensboro are being adequately and professionally managed by our city manager.

May we please return to this point, and remain vigilant to it in the future.

Julia Blizin
Greensboro

There is a serious situation ongoing in our state. It concerns Social Security disability benefits and the extraordinary length of time it is taking to receive them. This issue is ignored by the media and politicians.

North Carolina is second in the nation in disability claims submitted. I have been told that the administration is still working on claims from 2006. This is appalling and unacceptable. I have spoken to various people at different levels within the system and no one has a clue why this is.
I applied for disability benefits in 2004 and was denied. My health began to worsen, so I retained a lawyer, reapplied in October 2006 and my case was accepted. I have been waiting more than two years and I have not heard anything.

It is time for our elected officials to take action and investigate this quagmire, resolve the problems and create solutions to expedite benefits in a timely manner for the disabled people of our state. If a person is eligible to receive benefits, it should be within months and not years.

Dominic Mega
Greensboro

In response to Tammy Wrenn’s letter (Dec. 1), the fact is this: If a person voted for any politician who supports abortion rights, they and their candidates are in no way Christian. God’s commandment states, “Thou shall not kill.” You can’t follow only the commandments that you like or that fit your lifestyle. God attached no disclaimers to any of them.

Abortion is not one issue. For true Christians, it is the only issue. Murder of a human being in their mother’s womb and the support of that act is nothing short of spitting in God’s face. The act interrupts the plans he had for his child. It is a mortal sin.

Please, if you are not willing to walk in the footsteps of our Lord, Jesus Christ, do not take the title of his follower. It is an insult and great hurt to him and all true Christians.

Jo-Ann Sarti Peck
Greensboro

If we needed to be reminded how democratic societies handle mismanaged national tragedies, the government of India and its leaders gave us one last week.

Almost immediately after the tragedy of Mumbai, caused by 10 people with guns and other weapons and warnings that such could happen, at least one central government minister has resigned, other officials are following suit and others will be brought up for punishment related to dereliction of their sworn duties.

The minister resigned, saying he assumed responsibility for the mismanagement.
Following our own national tragedy, also caused by a relative handful of people on Sept. 11 despite warnings that such could happen, no one resigned or was asked to do so. After Katrina, no one resigned or was asked to do so. After Sept. 11, some were even decorated in a White House ceremony.

It remains to ask: Where are the values of responsibility, accountability, public disclosure? Are they not on the list of the much-discussed “national values” we hear so much about? Is not an oath of office a value to be upheld, including responsibility to perform, responsibility to report, responsibility to accept accountability?

David P. Haxton
Greensboro

I want to thank Jennifer Brown for announcing LAEVANS Inc., Have a Heart Community Exhibit featuring photo art from New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward in the Guilford Record (Dec. 7).

An intriguing collection of photo art will be displayed today at 2 p.m., 2714 W. Market St., here in Greensboro, featuring the “Beast, Every Tub Has To Sit On Its Own Bottom,” “Bent Out of Shape — What’s Your Point,”“Bubble House,” “Pretty As A Picture,” “Rushed,” “Spilling My Guts,” and much more.

I traveled to New Orleans in 2007 as a seminarian to the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference. As a result, I created a five-part series of interviews that were televised on Time Warner Cable in Burlington where LAEVANS was located.

Upon moving the nonprofit to Greensboro, I was inspired to generate the community exhibit. Today’s viewing will be the first and only time the full exhibit will appear together. It is a unique opportunity for the Greensboro community to come out and see the divine revelation of this project.

The bulk of the framing was done by Greensboro custom framers who put their hearts into their work and donated their services.

Helen Evans
Greensboro

In her letter of Nov. 11, Hazel Latham tries to differentiate between the God of Judaism and Christianity and that of Islam. She may not realize that all three religions grew out of the monotheism of Abraham.

In Genesis, God promised Abraham that in exchange for his recognition of one supreme, universal deity, he and his offspring and, in turn, all the nations of the world will be blessed. Muslims are descendents of Abraham and Hagar through their son Ishmael. Jews and Christians are descendents of Abraham and Sarah through their son Isaac.

We are Jewish and Muslim women, members of a small local group we call Sisters of Abraham, who meet regularly to build bridges across cultures and beliefs. We understand our connection through a shared God. Each of the three Abrahamic faiths has grown to have different holy texts and worship in unique ways, but we are all brothers and sisters in one God.

Sadly, extremists of all three faiths have, throughout history, lost track of this and used their claim that they alone are blessed by God as ammunition to oppress or harm others. Happily, most descendents of Abraham can see and celebrate our holy connection.

Annette Green
Greensboro

The letter was also signed by Annah Awartani, Hanadi Alshanteer, Terri Flam-Goldberg, Judi Magier and Mona Joudeh.

Whoever put the headline on the theater review for “Blithe Spirit” performed an unintentional humanitarian act. The headline gave the impression that the article was a doom-and-gloom piece about the pitiful state of our economy. It was, therefore, possible to miss this execrable review in the name of dodging more bad news.

The reviewer hangs his nether quarters out to flap in the breeze by being not merely opinionated but by not considering that readers might not care what he likes or doesn’t like. The review reads like boorish ax-grinding.

It is important to be to thine own self true. It is also important to set the self aside.

Reviews that drip acid have the potential to cause three kinds of damage: individual, organizational and community. Personal criticism hurts and discourages. Theater groups need openness from a reviewer, not vitriol. The community needs as much theater as it can get; a review that crushes might very well hasten the loss of a community asset.

This reviewer’s poetic license should be revoked.

Philip Shore
Asheboro

Our president-elect is to be congratulated on his proposed initiative to cut wasteful government spending. I would suggest he and all other interested taxpayers contact and support Citizens Against Government Waste, Suite 400, 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.

CAGW has been fighting this battle (and losing ground) for many years. CAGW also rates representatives and senators on their effectiveness in reducing wasteful government spending.

Just released 2007 ratings for representatives serving our area are: Howard Coble (89 percent), Virginia Foxx (71 percent), Mel Watt (3 percent) and Brad Miller (3 percent). Sen. Richard Burr’s rating was 97 percent. I should add the higher the score the better: 100 percent would be a perfect record from the taxpayer’s standpoint.

Bruce Haldeman
Greensboro

Is there any way our own Nero (President Bush) can be stopped from fiddling (11th-hour law changes) with current environmental regulations while the world burns (global warming)?

Ray Williams
Browns Summit

Regarding “Urban loop noise issues were easy to foresee,” a letter from Jacqueline Messick on Dec. 6:

I agree with her comments about the airport noise and the Cardinal. People knew that the airport was there and it would eventually grow. I, too, live near the airport, and live closer to the airport than the Cardinal. I have lived in my home for 25 years.

But Messick needs to do her research better when it comes to the urban loop. When we moved to Greensboro, we originally selected a home on Jefferson between New Garden and Friendly. We were told by our Realtor that there were plans for an urban loop near our street, so we decided to buy on Stage Coach Trail instead. Several years later, the state decided to move the loop farther west to avoid several threatened lawsuits.

So that is where we are, and it was not foreseen by us or others at that time. We made a choice to live farther from the highway, which is the opposite of what Messick suggests.

Brewster Evans
Greensboro

Letters to the editor continue to provide food for thought, and Dan Maddox’s excellent effort of Dec. 8 is no exception. I wonder, however, if he invoked the figure from Greek mythology he intended when he referred to the “Sisyphean task of trying to turn this mess around” facing President-elect Obama.

Given the context in which it was used, I suspect the writer might have been better served by “Herculean,” indicating a task requiring superhuman effort, such as diverting a river to cleanse a stable. Had he been referring to the corporate welfare for the Big Three dinosaurs of Detroit, then perhaps the example of Sisyphus, forever doomed to push a large rock up a steep incline only to see it roll to the bottom once again, would have been most appropriate indeed.

Bryan Chitwood
Greensboro

I read, with interest, Donna Combs’ letter regarding Boar & Castle Sauce. I, too, love the stuff and contacted the company that made it a year or so ago. They e-mailed me back saying that they would let me know if it ever became available again. True to their word, I received an e-mail a few weeks ago giving me a Web site where I could order it. It is http://carolinasauce.stores.yahoo.net/boandcasa.html.

I placed an order and received six bottles in just a few days. It’s as good as ever!

David Horney
High Point

I just read in the News & Record that 48 percent of the children in Guilford County schools qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches. Wow! Almost half the kids in Guilford County are poor?
The director of nutrition said working-class families are being hit pretty hard and they don’t have a lot of money. I can understand that. I’ve been working-class all my life, but I always managed to pay for my kid’s lunches at school.

Does anyone check to see if these people really need these breaks, or do they just take the parents’ word? Also, how many of these parents smoke? Wouldn’t the price of one pack of cigarettes pay for a kid’s lunch? Or is that too much of a sacrifice for a parent to make?

Tom Netsel
Jamestown

Congratulations to the organizers of the fabulous Friday night Festival of Lights! The decorations were beautiful, the mood joyous, the tree spectacular, and the music wonderfully uplifting. Special kudos to the people who thought to put chairs at the music venues so those who needed them could sit and enjoy.

Virginia Achey
Greensboro

I was really hoping that someone in our state so-called government would now have figured that the lottery is a sham and gotten rid of it! Remember, it was put in place by a man who is serving time! I feel that the folks who put it in place will answer for it at the pearly gates!

Jack Hart
Hickory

In response to the Dec. 7 front-page article, “Living in the Shadows”: It’s amazing that some of these folks have been here illegally for years after engaging in criminal activity. Yes, crossing the border and taking up residence in another country without following due process is an illegal activity, and engaging in such, by definition, makes one a criminal.

It is sad that families are separated, but that is the risk one takes, and the consequences are such.

Living in “fear” is another consequence. I guess the guy’s driver’s license is not legitimate, so when it expires, acquiring a legitimate license might be a problem.

The article states multiple times that there is “no way to come here legally.” The truth is, there are ways to come here legally, whether one wants to become a citizen or not.

It is also true that our system is seriously flawed and inefficient, but it’s what we have. It’s run by government, what else can we expect? Evidently, living in “fear” is worth it, so the point of the article is moot.

Any government official who assists illegals in any way should be prosecuted. Living in the shadows? Just go to the mall!

James Atkins
Greensboro

The time has come for coastal communities to establish ordinances to encourage homeowners to install wind-driven turbines to generate electricity. Electricity generated in this manner could be added to the regional electrical grid, the value of which would be credited to the generation source to reduce the total cost of electricity usage.

Town officials should develop guidelines to control size, location and noise level for these devices. Federal grant programs are available, and more will be available in the near future, to encourage this development. Home-owners should be given the option of installing small, quiet turbines to create energy for all of us, to improve our quality of life, and to contribute to a cleaner environment.

For example, turbine structures could be installed adjacent to or on the roofs of existing houses. These structures cannot be any more unsightly than the power poles and TV antennas and dishes that decorate the beach community landscape. We have the source of wind power and the technological ability to harness this energy to reduce our consumer cost of electricity and to improve our environment. Local officials should be persuaded to make these changes that will do all of us a lot of good. The time is now!

Tom Malinzak
Winston-Salem

On the heels of the huge bailout for Wall Street, there is a potential bailout for Big Three automakers and more tinkering with mortgage rates to encourage more home-buying.

A specialty builder in Tampa, Fla., who builds homes from $750,000 and up, wants a bailout for independent custom home-builders. Everyone wants an incentive to do business or a reward for following a bad business model.

What about people like me? My house is paid for (no mortgage interest tax deduction), I have no children living at home (no child credit), I pay $500 a year to park at my job, I don’t get a mileage deduction. I work for an hourly wage.

What incentives do I get? Oh, right, the satisfaction of having played by the rules. That, and $1.50, will buy me a cup of coffee, as long as it’s not at Starbucks.

Sandi Campbell
Siler City

My parents taught me to give 110 percent for anything I tried. They also instilled a sense of responsibility and a sense that my actions produced consequences.

In today’s society, children are taught their actions are the result of someone else. They get second and third chances, and most importantly, if they fail completely, someone else will bail them out. It starts in school, where second, third and even fourth chances are given to pass tests.

If someone fails at school, the government helps. If someone fails raising a family, the government helps. If someone fails at business, the government helps. When did democracy mean the government will take care of us and we bear no responsibility?

Susan Smoot
McLeansville

OK, I admit it. I’m a Republican and depressed. Allow me to unload so I can move on.
To Christians (especially Catholics) who voted for Obama: Your vote supports abortions, late-term abortions, and allowing aborted babies born alive to die.

To young voters, who voted mostly for Obama, listen up. After observing politics for 40 years, I know this fact: “Spreading the wealth” is Democratic Party policy. As you progress in life, good jobs, good money, promotions, better money, “spreading the wealth” will get your attention.

To clear-thinking Americans: You ignored Obama’s 20-year association with anti-American Rev. Wright, who Obama said was “like an uncle” to his family; his friendship with American terrorist Ayers who said guilty, but free as a bird, America’s a great country; and Michelle Obama’s comments about never being proud of America until now, that America is just downright mean. What were you thinking?

Lastly, the media gave Obama a massive “French kiss” for two years, ignoring legitimate issues and failing us. When the media tell you what to think and how to vote, that’s a “red flag.”
I could go on, but time to move on. May God bless America!

Bob Goodman
High Point

I would like to make several points in response to a recent letter to the editor about me written by Jason Barbour (“UNCG professor signed letter supporting Ayers,” Nov. 28).

In signing the petition, I expressed my personal views. They do not necessarily reflect those of UNCG or any of its schools or departments.

I find it odd that Barbour questions my fitness to teach. He has never met me or observed my teaching. While my overall values and beliefs certainly impact my teaching, out of respect for students who may have different political persuasions, I do not discuss my political beliefs during class.

I do not teach “children” at UNCG, as Barbour claims, but rather adult students.

I do not condone violence and do not support the actions of any protesters who use violence.

The language of the petition I signed read: “We, the undersigned, stand on the side of education as an enterprise devoted to human inquiry, enlightenment, and liberation. We oppose the demonization of Professor William Ayers.”

I oppose the demonization of any person and believe human inquiry, enlightenment and liberation are good things.

I will let the students I have taught at all levels of education for the past 34 years be the judge of my fitness to teach.

Rick Reitzug
Greensboro

Seldom have I seen on your op-ed page anything so mean-spirited as the piece by Thomas Sowell (Dec. 4). No doubt, a few homeless people have deliberately chosen this lifestyle, but to characterize all homeless as lazy drug addicts is not only incredibly unaware of current conditions, but also deeply inhumane.

Even Sowell’s basic premise is flawed. Students or prospective students who are expected to perform community service are not without the freedom to choose many forms of service other than working in a homeless shelter.

For example, they might choose to work in a nursing home, or would Sowell consider this service also to be the enabling of undeserving recipients who contribute nothing to the economy?

Still, as a Christian, I find it interesting that a right-wing columnist would characterize as left-wing those who take seriously such Christian teachings as, for example, the end of Matthew 25.

Richard G. Cox
Greensboro

I am writing in response to the letter by Jason Barbour (Nov. 28), which was critical of UNCG professor Dr. Rick Reitzug. Based on the course I took with Dr. Reitzug as part of my doctoral program, I found him to be a consummate professional who never once revealed his political beliefs during class.

His guidance on my dissertation proved to be extremely valuable. A search of scholar.google.com reveals many articles written by Dr. Reitzug, none of which is intended to warp the political thinking of any student.

I highly recommend Dr. Reitzug’s courses for any student who cares deeply about learning.

Sherrie Drye Cannoy
Trinity

I like adages and clichés. I especially like to get them wrong: “The early bird gets the grease.” “A penny saved is a penny saved.”

You’d have to be living under a rock not to know how tumultuous things are these days. Maybe the world is no oyster after all, but rather a zero sum pie. And the pie’s not large enough for everyone. We need a bigger pie tin, or else to go on a diet.

Now that our Wall Street cats are coming home to roost, we should all push for a National First Person Pronoun Awareness Day, focusing primarily on the first person.

But National First Person Pronoun Awareness Day is a bit of a mouthful, so we can pare it down a little.

Regardless of what it’s called, eliminating the use of those pronouns for one day should help curtail all claims to pie. Just try asking for pie without using pronouns. I can’t even write this sentence without using them.

Until we stop living in such an “I, me, my, mine and myself (and sometimes 'we’) world,” no matter how you slice it, the squeaky wheel gets the $700 billion piece of pie.

Jeff Curley
Greensboro

We frequently hear about the problems of today’s teenagers: gangs, drug and alcohol abuse, and violence. These troublesome issues tend to build negative stereotypes about teens. While these problems shouldn’t be ignored, there are just as many teens who consistently give back and try to improve the community.

At my school, Western Guilford High School, the People Helping People Club started when two teachers and a small group of students began serving food to the homeless on Wednesday evenings at Grace Life Community Church two years ago. Our club has grown to a large group that does several community service activities each week, including feeding the homeless at Urban Ministries on Friday mornings and tutoring at Jefferson Elementary, as well as ushering at Triad Stage for each production.

Additionally, we try to have one larger project every few months. For example, the day before Halloween, we went to a few neighborhoods around Greensboro and walked door to door, asking for canned and nonperishable foods. In only two hours, we collected more than 200 pounds of food.

Seeing the impact that one club from one school can make puts a new perspective on the hidden resource that teens, and each individual, provide to Greensboro.
Remember: Teens are a diverse group, and many contribute greatly to the well-being of others every day.

Lacey Beck
Greensboro

On Dec. 3, your paper featured Nelson Johnson and his wife as being the recipients of $10,000 from Civic Ventures, a national think tank. It was given for work rooted in the events of Johnson’s youth.

It is hard to believe that you would print an article that leaves people to think that Johnson is just short of being an angel.

Is it so hard to write the truth about this man? In 1979, Johnson and his communist followers went to China Grove where the Ku Klux Klan was showing “Birth of a Nation.” They began taunting the marchers by shouting, “Death to the Klan.” Johnson and his followers then dared the Klan to come to Greensboro, giving them the date and place where the communists would be waiting. The Klan came, all right. They were about as welcome in Greensboro as an Asian flu epidemic. They met the communists in the Morningside Homes area. There was a shootout and several communists were killed; others were wounded. Each blamed the other for firing first.

Johnson can blame no one but himself for this happening. He was the one who dared the Klan to come.
Milton Harris
Greensboro

Bailouts are being used as panaceas for the present, but what about the future? Boom/busts have historically come from the overextension of credit and/or easy money. I have four questions.

1. At what point does a bailout become counterproductive?

2. Aren’t bailouts just more easy money and wasn’t it in Germany, about 1923, that easy money ushered in both hyperinflation, with a massive redistribution of middle-class wealth, and Adolf Hitler?

3. When has hyperinflation ever just trickled down and not arrived like a tsunami?
4. In a slowing economy worldwide, where will our bailout funds originate?

Ray Hylton
Greensboro

Pam Ritcher (First Person, Dec. 9) opines that it is important to give visiting college students the privilege to vote in local elections in order to “continue to make us feel at home.” After the last several elections, homeowners have come to observe that every good idea that anyone has for our city can soon become a reality if it can find its way onto the ballot as a bond issue. Bond issues are seldom voted down, even in a failing economy.

However, there is a problem. This represents yet another area in which there is a disconnect between those demanding the new services (visiting college students in this case) and those who are footing the bill (homeowners).

Sales tax probably represents the fairest option to finance social services so that everyone shares in the burden. In the meantime, visiting students should be welcomed, but they should vote in their own places of permanent residence.

Harold Hamilton
Greensboro

As of Dec. 3, I have joined the many unemployed of America. Having said this, I have just returned from a shopping trip at one of our local dollar stores.

Each time someone approached the checkout, I heard a cheerful voice ask if the person would like to donate a dollar to Toys for Tots. When I went into the store, I was feeling sorry for myself, not knowing how I would pay next month’s bills or purchase medicine, but hearing that positive, happy person made me realize we should all think of others.

When it was my turn at the checkout, I told the clerk how she had lifted my spirits and that, even though I was now unemployed, I wanted to donate a $1 for a gift for a child. She said, “Don’t worry. God has something better planned for you. Let’s give your $1 for a jump rope. I spent many hours playing with my jump rope.”

I hope that each of us will give a dollar and think about the many hours of enjoyment that dollar can make for someone in need. Merry Christmas.

Jean Millican
High Point

Barack Obama will become the 44th president. He’s well-educated, well-dressed and articulate — certainly not the “mutt” he jokingly called himself when talking about getting a dog for his daughters.

Obama is inheriting a depressed economy. Government must run like a business; if not, our children and grandchildren will have no future.

Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, AIG and the Big 3 automakers must file for bankruptcy. It’s time to reorganize, cut extravagant lifestyles and salaries.

Taxpayers feel Obama must stick to his words to cut programs until America is free of debt. Making the “Fair Tax” include the property tax also must be a top priority.

Shirley deLong
Jamestown

The following is a Counterpoint.

By Julie Westholder

It’s important that people be responsible and remember that buzzed driving is drunken driving.

Alcohol, drugs and driving just don’t mix. Saving lives on our roads is a top priority and we need everyone’s help to do it. That’s why Alcohol and Drug Services of Guilford is joining with national, state and local highway safety officials to remind people of simple steps they can take to enjoy a safe and festive holiday without jeopardizing their lives and the lives of others who may be on the road:

-- Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.

-- Before drinking, designate a sober driver and give that person your keys.

-- If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member or use public transportation.

-- If you happen to see a drunken driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement.

-- If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take his keys and help him make other arrangements to get to where he is going safely.

Driving a vehicle or a motorcycle while impaired is simply wrong and is not worth the risk of killing yourself or someone else. This holiday season, don’t let your year end in an arrest -- or even worse, death. Make smart decisions. Plan ahead, so you can ensure a safe way home.
Whether you’ve had way too many or just one too many, it’s not worth the risk.

The writer is a substance abuse prevention consultant at Alcohol and Drug Services of Guilford.

‘In Jo-Ann Sarti Peck’s response regarding abortion (letter, “Abortion constitutes mortal sin against God,” Dec. 13), she states unequivocally that anyone who votes for a politician who supports abortion rights is in no way Christian.

While I disagree with her opinion, I nevertheless am comforted that she believes in God’s commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” I admire her stance that you can’t follow only those commandments you like or that fit your lifestyle, as God attached no disclaimers to any of them.

As an aside, however, I am curious to know what Ms. Peck’s views are regarding the war in Iraq. According to estimates, more than 100,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq since the beginning of the U.S.-led invasion. I assume Ms. Peck certainly did not support President George W. Bush in his re-election in 2004 after seeing Bush’s actions.

While I do not know the religion of Ms. Peck or those who agree with her, I would hazard a guess that she must be a pacifist or conscientious objector as she opposes all violence and killing and those who spit in God’s face, as she puts it. If these are her beliefs regarding violence and killing, undoubtedly she must have been very dismayed by the presidency of George W. Bush, just as I have been.

Darrell Pardue
Greensboro

I’m so grateful to recent letter writers for defining “True Christians.: It’s simple: “Don’t kill; be pro-life.”

Gosh, if Christ himself had been so succinct, the New Testament would be much shorter!

With this definition we can identify even more Untrue Christian killers, including the early church that allowed abortions for hundreds of years, the Crusaders, Joan of Arc, the missionaries to the New World, any world leader who ever declared war along with any soldier, and all those moralists who, rather than approve termination of a life-threatening pregnancy, allowed mothers to die or compelled 10-year-old girls to give birth or refused birth-control access to high risk women.

Add to this list the millions of everyday Untrue Christians who hold views different from the writers on just this one issue and the True Christians’€ heaven must be pretty lonely.

And what a relief to learn that, contrary to what most Untrue Christians have been led to believe, Christ’s message of peace, love and redemption is nothing but wrong-headed, compassionate liberalism.

Instead, his True message is to believe only that a potential life is more valuable than a woman’s.

Beth Walker
Oak Ridge

In Thomas Sowell’s column of Dec. 2 he states: “The essence of bigotry is refusing to others the rights that you demand for yourself.” I am sure that Sowell demands the freedom and right to decide for himself whom to marry, but has stated in previous columns that he supports denying this right to “others” — making him a bigot, by his own definition.

Gloria McClanahan
Asheboro

Regarding the recent Quickread headline, “Is Illinois more corrupt than even New Jersey?”:

I am not so foolish to attempt a defense of current or past Illinois transgressions. But I must stand up for the Garden State, home to my roots in Newark and still home to my sister and, most importantly, my mother, who no longer asks me, “Just how far down south is Greensboro?” Let me remind you of the sage advice concerning casting the first stone and living in glass houses. I seem to remember our legislator Jim Black and some of his compatriots who were incarcerated recently.

I admit that New Jersey’s governors have done pretty stupid things and “The Sopranos” has damaged the state’s image almost beyond compare. But to single out New Jersey as in the running with the current fiasco in Illinois seems illogical when we are trying to foster times of cooperation.

A nice apology would be good — one that I can send to my mother who just may read your paper online tomorrow and have a whole new set of reasons for me to leave this North Carolina home I love so much.

Bob Plain
Greensboro

It’s sad that someone would fall prey to believing this extremely liberal president-elect, especially Christians.

Christians should be of one accord, praying for and voting for someone according to biblical standards.

Among the people he surrounded himself with was Bill Ayers, who once tried to take this country down.

I have seen a photo of Ayers standing on the American flag. Meanwhile, Louis Farrakhan reportedly called Obama a “savior.”

Furthermore, Obama’s desire to “spread the wealth” is unfair. If he had won more honestly, he would have been closer to getting my vote, as I vote according to biblical standards — as all Christians are supposed to.

Thanks to Tim Tribbett, Becky Burcham and others who expressed these concerns also.
To another letter writer, Anna Berger: The Muslims’ guide is the Koran, which teaches violence, among other things, which is the opposite of the Bible.

So they do not worship the same God.

Elizabeth Jones
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Cathie Holcombe

What a gift we citizens of Greensboro received on Dec. 5 in Center City Park! The Festival of Lights experience could not have been topped! My thanks go to Grassroots Productions and the News & Record, sponsors along with several others (WMAG, WFMY-TV, Bryan Foundation, Downtown Greensboro and the United Arts Council).

Beginning with the spirited N.C. A&T Gospel Choir, continuing with the sing-along and community tree-lighting, the mood was one of togetherness and good will. I sat on a bench with a stranger, and we two women began sharing stories of our lives in Greensboro. We watched families of different colors and languages donning reindeer antlers, sipping hot chocolate and smiling at the decorations and lighted fountains.

When Wally West and the Wassailers took the stage and led the entire group in singing together, my heart was so full, there was a feeling of holiness.

There is nothing like singing in a group to stir the soul! We shouldn’t have to wait to sing together only in December. I envision our city having a monthly Community Sing, like those offered in many cities.

A song leader or group could introduce a few easy songs from their culture for the first half of the session, and the rest could come from the singers choosing a favorite old song. It would be open to average voices, and a piano or a few guitars would make it better. Does anyone else think this idea would enhance our community? Contact me, and let’s make it happen!

The writer lives in Greensboro.

I definitely agree with Emily Wagoner’s letter of Dec. 8, that retail workers are under-appreciated and deserve more recognition. They also deserve more respect and empathy.

During this time of year, stores often increase their already long retail hours. Many of the workers are single moms who have to work late hours with few or no breaks, then get up early every day to send their kids off to school. The term, “Have a nice weekend,” means nothing to a retail worker with the store hours of today.

The next time you argue with a clerk who is only following management policy, you are part of the problem.

If you come in to a store five minutes before closing, grab a cart, and think you can take your time, you are part of the problem.

If it is your turn to be helped and you hold up the clerk and those behind you by continuing your cell phone conversation, you are part of the problem.

If you ignore your kids while they tear up the store, you are part of the problem.

Put yourself in a retail worker’s shoes. They are regular people just trying to make a living.

Bob Klippstein
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Dusty Schoch

Regarding Jeri Rowe’s Dec. 9 column, “Finding a way to stay,” about the old Bestway grocery store at Walker and Elam:

This is the second piece I’ve read of his focusing on the part of Greensboro he calls “The Corner” (which I’m concluding is a moniker and communal trademark for which the subject neighborhood has him to thank). There probably have been more Rowe on “The Corner” columns, and, should that section of Greensboro ever incorporate, they’ll have to make him mayor.

His piece on Dec. 9 did more than boost that nice couple’s new business; it literally Pied Pipered me there to sample the ambience to see if it was as quaint as he had painted it. And it was.

What Rowe is pioneering is, ironically, the restoration of community to an old city gone “metro,” and it’s a damned noble — and green — pursuit in my view given the anonymity and ennui bred by urban growth and sprawl.

Somebody once told me (a New Yorker I was doing business with in that city) that the “Mayberry” thing I touted in my own hometown (High Point) wasn’t absent in Manhattan. It’s a social mosaic of “boroughs,” he explained, in each of which the denizens had their “local” grocer, barber, deli proprietor, etc., with whom they enjoyed the same small-town milieu and intimacy most Southerners claim are predominantly theirs.

Rowe’ prose was truly up to speed in the article — I suppose, fueled by the contagious affinity he feels for that provincial corner of his town. His borough.

I especially liked the “rabbit-ear” simile and the verbally graphic tour through the store, ending with that perfect wind-up at the aisle with the Rose Potted Meat, “where grandfathers once bought (it). … And still do. On Aisle 2.” A+.

The writer lives in High Point.

I recently purchased tickets for my daughter and granddaughter to enjoy “Annie” at the War Memorial Auditorium.

How saddened I was to find out that the production not only diverged completely from the original show, but also contained language inappropriate for children.

The room was packed with kids, of course. It has been my granddaughter’s favorite movie and she was so looking forward to seeing it on stage.

Who screens these production companies? I would have had more control over a television program or movie, where at least I could see a rating.

Someone needs to take responsibility for exposing children to this show misrepresented as “Annie.”

Mary Vaughn
Greensboro

I find it amazing that Jo-Ann Sarti Peck is now an expert on who is “a true Christian,” based on whether or not an individual voted for a candidate who supports pro- choice. What a narrow-minded, backwoods, brainwashed attitude. News flash, Jo-Ann, you aren’t the person who gets to decide whether or not I’m a Christian.

Do you actually believe that “God’s plan for his child” includes starvation, abuse, neglect and other horrible things inflicted on children today?

I have just one question for you. How many unwanted children, currently in foster care, are you willing to adopt? Let’s see you put your holier-than-thou attitude where your mouth is.

Sharon Claybourn
Randleman

Insane. That can be the only reaction to the state’s tax-by-the mile proposal in Tuesday’s News & Record. Yes, gas tax revenues are down as we drive less. That’s one of our long-term green-world and energy-independence objectives.

The proposal would create a whole new taxation system to raise $25 per car annually. Yet the same amount would be generated if the state gas tax were simply raised by four to five cents per gallon from its present level.

Congress, in its wisdom late last year, increased the required average fuel economy of new vehicles by 2020, up an amazing 40 percent from today. Only three cars in today’s market achieve that level.

Columnist Tom Friedman writes often about the need to dramatically increase gas taxes to push American buying habits toward the smaller and more economical cars required by law.

Increasing the state gas tax is an obvious opportunity to address the need for revenue and encourage fuel-economical vehicle sales within existing systems.

By not increasing the tax on diesel fuel, we could encourage diesel cars and avoid increasing the cost to most commercial truckers.

What could be more simple?

Jim Morton
Greensboro

I just don’t get the fact that a law officer, someone the public trusts with their life, Sgt. Charles Jones, is reinstated to ''protect the public” after he was fired for repeatedly kicking his K-9 partner/dog while the dog was hanging by its hind legs from a railing.

This is a sergeant in a K-9 unit for the N.C. Highway Patrol, someone who specializes in handling dogs for law enforcement.

Sgt. Jones’ defense team explained that kicking his dog while it was hanging from its hind legs over a rail” is part of the K-9 training.

Really? Aside from this behavior being against the law, what can be accomplished from abusing an animal?

I sure hope that someone out there has some common sense and fires Sgt. Jones, so he is never allowed to be in law enforcement or own a pet.

Shame on you, Charles Jones, and anyone defending animal abuse.

Francine DiMicele
Stokesdale

The Greensboro City Council took an unfortunate and unfair step when it recently decided not to pay modest merit increases for police officers and others. In addition, police officers have not had a cost-of-living raise in several years.

The city of Greensboro continues to be challenged recruiting enough qualified candidates for peace officer positions. The Greensboro Police Department has very complete and extensive training, which lasts for 27 weeks and thoroughly prepares new officers in all facets of police work.

Greensboro is not a state leader in pay for police officers — especially new personnel. We expect these well-trained and dedicated officers to perform their sworn duties to the best of their abilities. Greensboro is a great place to live, but the reality is that robberies and violent crimes seem to be on the rise and reports seem to be a daily occurrence here.

With the action taken by the council, what is the message passed down to those whose lives are constantly on the line?

David J. Laird Jr.
Greensboro

This week, two disturbing events occurred that should alarm all Americans who value their freedoms.

First, a commission of university leaders gathered to discuss how to place restrictions on free speech and expression on North Carolina campuses. One member remarked that their task was to determine how to restrict free speech and expression without violating basic rights. Basic rights must, then, not include free speech and expression.

Second, President-elect Barack Obama announced that the Rev. Rick Warren would offer the inaugural invocation. This sparked protests, including one on CNN’s “A/C 360.” There, two influential talking heads quickly cut to the chase. The real issue for them was Warren’s freedom to preach his conscience and interpret Scripture for himself and his voluntary followers. They both believed that controversial speech should be cut off from society, with the help of law. However, most people believe offensive or inane speech should be left to stand or fall on the merits, and good people everywhere will reject the profane.

So, as a Baptist dissenter, I would urge citizens to beware. The thought police are here, and they want to tell you and me what we can and cannot say, think, preach, hear, feel and believe.

James Jordan
Greensboro

Sure, he’s the worst president our country has ever endured. But Dubya has kick-butt reflexes. USA! USA!

Can you see any president since Kennedy dodging those shoes? Bush 41? He’d have eaten it right in the kisser. Clinton? He’d have mistaken the moment for a reporter tossing her room key.

Say what you will about W — criminally incurious, willfully ignorant, shiftless, sociopathic — he is at least an agile chief executive. Then again, Putin would have snatched the Hush Puppies out of the air, leapt ninja-like from the dais and sunk the shoes into the assailant’s soft underbelly. (Wistful sigh.) After eight years of embarrassment after embarrassment, we’ll take what we can get.

Steve Peet
Greensboro

For those responsible for setting taxes and spending our money, two words: Stop it! Stop repairing buildings and giving raises. This is a recession. People are fighting to keep their homes. Some will not succeed and therefore the tax base will shrink. Stop it! When you consider money for whatever reason, here is a new word for you: No!

And as for the giveaway by Henry Paulson and our legislators, in any company that accepts federal (read “my”) money, no person paid by that company shall receive any compensation (perks, bonuses, stock options, etc.) that totals more than that of the president of the United States. Now we would see if they really needed the money.

John Burns
Stoneville

Richard Cox (letter, Dec. 16) missed the point of Thomas Sowell’s column, which he roundly denounced as mean-spirited.

Charity is a wonderful thing. True charity comes from the heart, from doing for another because you see a need. Being forced to do for another, whether by government or school, takes the act out of the category of charity and makes it a duty. Having the choice of good deeds does not make for charity if one is forced to do a good deed.

Taking food to a neighbor in need is charity. Sending money to Washington on April 15 to buy food stamps is not.

Robert Hudson
Pelham

I’m wondering whether the prices on all the goods and services that went up when gas prices were nearly $4 per gallon will start to come down now that the price of a gallon of regular gas is well under $2 per gallon here in the Triad. If they do not, I’ll be wondering why. Will you?

Lin Stadler
Reidsville

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Chris Sarappo

Letters to the editor have always been my favorite section, though I rarely agree with them and often find myself questioning the priorities of the writers’ concerns. There were a couple in particular that stood out to me recently.

One was about people claiming to be poor yet they eat at McDonald’s. As if fast food is a luxury? It is cheap, tastes good and yet is terrible for you.

The latest letter to get my attention was by a gentleman who said he had “some suspicions” about kids who receive reduced-cost school lunches.

I am all for fighting corruption, waste and fraud. But the reduced lunch is it? With billions of dollars shifted to bankers in the bailout, reduced-lunch fraud? Trillions of dollars missing from the Pentagon (Google “trillions missing from Pentagon”), yet concern over sandwich fraud?

Also, for anyone who has concerns about the real fraud, waste and debt that our “leaders” have chained us with, I suggest going to www.costofwar.com. There you can see the running cost of war and also how much your state/county/district has paid toward Iraq. So you will see exactly how much Guilford County gave to Iraq. I am sure it was much more money than a few cheap sandwiches for its own taxpayers through the reduced-lunch program. Yet no letters to the editor on trillion-dollar issues?

We have been distracted from the real problems and who caused them. We have to start taking charge of our lives and demand that our representatives do just that, represent us! Instead, they grovel to their masters: lobbyists and bankers. These two groups create cause for suspicion and investigations. They bankrupt the nation. The energy used to fight reduced-lunch fraud is much needed in other places.

The writer lives in Jamestown.

I could not believe what I read about the state wanting to make more money by selling more liquor. Doesn’t the state know alcohol causes car wrecks and deaths by people who drink too much? There are homes that break up because of alcohol. I feel sorry for children who have to grow up in a family that has trouble with alcohol.

I don’t think it’s an honor for Greensboro to run the largest ABC operation in Guilford County.

Carolyn Corbett
Climax

The state of North Carolina is considering a “road use tax” as reported by the News & Record on Dec. 16. The plan is to tax drivers by miles driven because of a reduction in gasoline tax revenues as cars become more fuel-efficient and motorists drive less. We were told to buy fuel-efficient cars and reduce driving to impoverish Saudi Arabia and save polar bears from the doom of global warming. Many of us have done so, and the state wants to punish us in return.

The article also said GPS technology in vehicles can load information into a central database to calculate mileage and location. For example, a driver who crosses the state on I-95 and does not buy gas will be taxed. While the tax is bad enough, a government tracking the whereabouts of law-abiding citizens is exceptionally outrageous. I imagine if the GPS reports that a car exceeds the speed limit, a fine will be added to the bill.

If revenue shortfalls are of concern to these lamebrains, I have two solutions: Simply raise the gas tax and/or reduce expenditures. The latter will never happen, as government and reduced spending are incongruous.

Tom Imbus
Browns Summit

I just finished watching “I Claudius,” a DVD miniseries that originally aired in the 1970s and is available at our splendid High Point Library. It is all about Rome and its emperors and how they manipulated the senate and government officials.

Corruption, sexual adventures, intrigue and murder were rampant, as Romans ostensibly attempted to build a republic. In 2008, our guys just don’t wear robes.

Eleanor Sedon
High Point

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is commonly referred to as insanity. Nonetheless, that’s pretty much what our federal government seems to offer as its solution to our current economic woes (i.e., “We’ll just solve our $10 trillion debt problem by borrowing more money from the Federal Reserve”).
What is the Federal Reserve? Is it federal? Are there any reserves? The truth is, it is not federal and the reserves are questionable.

“Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws” — Mayer Amschel Rothschild (founding father of international finance).

Wake up, America. There’s nothing federal about the Federal Reserve. Visit www.EndTheFed.us.

Rick Taylor
Whitsett

Barack Obama promised to bring openness and transparency to government. Yet, his response to the Blagojevich scandal has been anything but, and his transition team has refused to respond to even basic questions. Obama has sent confused, mixed signals by saying neither he nor his staff was involved, but he also says he is still gathering facts.

It’s become more apparent every day that someone on his staff, likely Rahm Emanuel, did have conversations with the disgraced governor.

Obama told us he was a different kind of politician. It’s time that he act like one and convince us he is not just another politician from the Chicago machine.

Stephen Bennett
Mooresville

Can you believe it? For years, consumers have been ridiculed for driving SUVs, charged a gas-guzzler tax, offered incentives to purchase gas misers, and now our politicians want to salvage their big highway projects by taxing us per miles driven. Unbelievable! Hey, here’s a thought: Cut back on the big projects.

Ernie Simmons
Greensboro

Bonnie Kuester will retire Jan. 31 after 41 years of public service to the city of Greensboro, 17 as our parks and recreation director. All of us owe her and her husband best wishes.

She provided a staff of professionals to administer recreational activities for residents, ranging from small children to the senior versions, at a vast number of neighborhood parks. Numerous positive bond issues and long-range additions have made our program one of the nation’s finest and set multiple examples of what makes recreation for the public so outstanding.

When you next take your family to a park, look around at what you see. You can thank Bonnie and her professional skills as you stand in the midst of “greatness.” Keep Greensboro green and fun.

Thanks, Bonnie Kuester. We will all miss you, but we only have to visit a park to remember what you did for us.

Paul Brown
Greensboro

The writer is a member of the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Commission.

The City Council of Greensboro never saw a development it didn’t like. The approval of the zone change at Holden and Spring Garden roads is an excellent example. In spite of a petition from residents, as well as a no vote from District 4 representative Mike Barber, the council considered building a Dunkin’ Donuts “good for the community.” The only benefit that this will have for the Lindley Park community is merely cosmetic. Kotis Properties will tear down the existing buildings that house several small businesses in order to build a nice-looking Dunkin’ Donuts.

Instead of fostering small business and a sense of community, this national chain will employ minimum-wage-earning teenagers and retirees. Where is the economic growth in that? The only growth will be around the patrons’ waistline.

This deal was done without any regard for the community of Lindley Park. Mike Barber did not address the council in opposition of the zone change. He did not go to bat for the people in his district. Mr. Barber’s vote was merely a political move, designed as a half-hearted pitch to his constituents.

Teresa Jobe
Greensboro

I am one of the people affected by the computer virus at UNCG. While I am not certain UNCG is the source of my identity theft, I worked there in 2006-07 as a resident adviser for Housing and Residence Life. I received a call from my bank on a Sunday morning asking me if I was in California, and I was not. Unfortunately, someone in California was spending more money than I have.

I was extremely agitated and frustrated to read that Reade Taylor, UNCG’s vice chancellor for business affairs, doubts that many people were affected because UNCG has not had an outpouring of people saying their identities were stolen! It never crossed my mind that UNCG might be involved in my fraud experience. Why would people call UNCG to tell them their identity had been stolen?

Taylor said there had been no complaints at all. Well, I would like to lodge my complaint.

Ann McSwain
Greensboro

On Dec. 12, the Grinch came through our neighborhood and stole the mama and baby polar bears that were part of our Christmas decorations in our front yard.

My husband has decorated the yard every Christmas for many years for all to enjoy. We have had the bears for about three years, and currently you cannot purchase this particular design. Needless to say, we were outraged and disappointed!

If you see a house that has just placed a mama and baby polar bear in their yard, this may be where the Grinch lives in your neighborhood. If you know the homeowner, ask where they “purchased” them.

Sharon Miller
Greensboro

Your Dec. 14 editorial, “Criminals on the loose,” stated that judges don’t have time or resources to investigate each case in enough detail to know for certain whether an offender is a good risk for probation. Actually, there is a program that provides judges with the kind of information they need to determine who is a good risk for probation. It’s called Sentencing Services, and 37 programs are operating statewide.

Sentencing Services only works with offenders who are at risk of going to prison but who could also serve a sentence in the community. Sentencing specialists use a variety of assessments to determine risk, substance-abuse addiction, mental health issues, education and employment needs, etc. They verify the offender’s social history and provide the court with appropriate community-based punitive and rehabilitative options.

Sentencing Services provides judges with information that allows sentences to be tailored to individual offenders, and research shows such sentences increase the likelihood of safer communities.

Those of us who live in this area are fortunate to have Sentencing Services programs in Guilford County (One Step Further), Rockingham County (ReDirections), and many surrounding counties.

To find out more about Sentencing Services, see www.aoc.state.nc.us/www/sentservices/.

Alexey Ferrell
Greensboro

Regarding the recent actions of Commissioners Melvin “Skip” Alston and Steve Arnold to change top county administrators with little explanation:

Public business is just that, public. Telling citizens to just trust you is unacceptable. County employees trust the commissioners to treat them fairly; we all see how that is working out. This county does not belong to Alston and Arnold. They are our representatives. Whatever good intentions they may have, their secretive, heavy-handed actions are destructive.

Even the county employees appointed by the commissioners deserve fair treatment. Just because you win an election does not mean you can disrespect county employees and disregard common decency in conducting county business. Mr. Arnold just went through a terrible time of personal trouble and a lot of people spoke up in his defense. Is this how he responds to that example?

The public deserves to know what “direction” these two have decided to take us. We demand to know what changes are to be made and why. Those commissioners not speaking up will be considered part of this activity and held accountable as if they are. If they don’t agree with doing our business in secret, now is the time to speak up.

Michael Tellekamp
Jamestown

I would like to encourage the county commissioners to keep cleaning house. No one in local or state government should make more than $50,000 a year. Also, any newly hired government employees should not be given pensions, and should be limited to no more than 10 years of service.

Chuck Mann
Greensboro

The new Status of Forces Agreement in Iraq poses a significant threat to combat troops. Requiring them to get search warrants and coordinating with Iraqi police and army units will lead to exposure of planned operations by covert agents. Terrorists with advance warning can plan ambushes, move equipment and mine access roads.

These new requirements are more appropriate for police forces, and inappropriate for combat troops. The Iraqi government is within its right to impose more organized and closer control, but must accept full security responsibility by its own forces.

U.S. personnel should be restricted to supply and training functions, with personnel moved to static bases outside of all populated areas.

Ed Philpott
Greensboro

The Dec. 7 article, “A Life in the Shadows,” by Jason Hardin, chronicles the problems of “undocumented immigrants” living in this country. Once again, our government has failed us.

The immigration problems, the financial crisis, health care, Social Security, the mortgage debacle (need I go on?) are just a few areas in which the politicians from both parties have failed us. I feel for these individuals “living in the shadows.” I serve dinner to the homeless every Wednesday night and see firsthand the numerous problems they face. My heart goes out to them.

However, 9/11 changed everything. We cannot live safely in this country unless we know who is living here. I call for Democrats and Republicans to forget about politics and protect the citizenry. If that means documenting everyone who is here illegally, so be it. If it means sending all illegal immigrants home, so be it. Just do something and stop sitting on your butts.

I call on our newly elected senator, Kay Hagan, to do something! Protect legal citizens and be compassionate to those here illegally, but don’t turn a blind eye to a problem that stares us in the face.

Jerry Clark
Greensboro

How about if auto company management get paid a salary and benefits similar to the UAW workers – same perks, stock options, paid vacation, health care. No extras, no golden parachutes, no company paid trips to meetings in glamorous places, no business trips with high priced hotels and high priced restaurants at company expense.

They are not royalty. Management salaries from the CEO on down should be limited to a lower multiple of what the average UAW or office worker gets — like 10 or 15 times instead of 500 times.

Richard Phillips
Greensboro

In reference to the interest in a recession in this country, could we consider the geese population?

I saw a gaggle of geese near my house yesterday oblivious of a recession or any other hindrance of obtaining their daily bread. Call it intuition, they fed from the earth what God had provided for them — no gray hair or furrowed brows.

Could we humans be so filled with faith and trust in a loving God to look to him as our Heavenly Father, who even now is so able to provide our daily bread? The geese and other birds do.

Beatrice Hux
Greensboro

One of the things about the recent election that gravely concerns me is that some who claim to be “born again Christians” (and I don’t want to sit in judgment about their salvation) voted for candidates who support abortion and homosexuality.

While I completely respect their right to vote as they wish and would fight for that right, I do not respect them for the vote they cast.

When asked how they can support these two issues they say, “Well, I don’t agree with abortion or homosexuality, but ...” and then mention the economy, war, etc. They seem to want one foot in Christianity and the other in the world.

That won’t work. You eventually do the “splits,” It seems perfectly clear to me, as a follower of Jesus Christ, that the answer is contained in God’s word (Romans 12:2 and elsewhere).

One day each of us will stand before God and have to answer for all of our sins. Trying to answer for my sins will probably take up far more of the Lord’s time than most other people will require. One, prayerfully, that will not be necessary to account for is supporting these two immoral activities.

Norman D. Franklin
Greensboro

Regarding Bob Goodman’s letter, “Christians, young voters will regret backing Obama”:

He says Obama supporters voted for abortion, etc. If, in fact, Republicans truly wanted Roe v. Wade overturned, they had their chance. Bush was president for eight years, six of which he was also “supported” by a majority of Republicans in both houses plus a majority on the Supreme Court.

Next Goodman groans about “spreading the wealth.” Hoarding the wealth is OK? Christians, please read the Bible. It preaches to you to help the poorest, not the wealthy.

As for the Rev. Wright? If I had been born black, I’m sure I’d either be in jail or dead if I had to live knowing my ancestors were so badly treated and in a time where white privilege is real but unrecognized by a lot of whites.

Remember, we are a great nation, but not perfect. We started a war on false pretenses and have been responsible for a lot of the trouble that stirred the terrorism we now fight. The world is not black and white, as many right-wing members of society seem to think.

I suggest they read more and open their minds and eyes to reality.

Lorie Warren
Randleman

Suffice it to say I was saddened to read about two “misguided youths” (I’m being kind here) who felt compelled to place hoods reminiscent of Klu Klux Klan intimidation in prominent areas on the High Point Central High School campus. Fortunately, they were identified. One can only hope they will be appropriately punished and that one day they will realize we all share qualities that outweigh the superficial characteristics of race, religion and ethnicity and are all equal by virtue of our humanity.

Leigh Fairley, Central’s student body president, attempted to inform the public about positive aspects of student relations at Central and steps being taken to promote unity. It was appalling that the article about her action appeared on the last page of Section B of the Dec. 17 News & Record.

Our son lives in the Charlotte area and heard the original “news” but not the positive response by representatives of the school. One would think the News & Record would want to do all it could to enhance the reputation of our community.

The subsequent article also should have been front page news.

Marilyn Fisher
Greensboro

By D. Fredricksen

My family and I go to the Greensboro Christmas Parade every year. This year, we arrived downtown shortly after 11 a.m. to make sure that we could find a good place to stand so that my 3-year-old could see the parade.

We found a spot on the curb beside a group of older and disabled adults in wheelchairs who live in a local group home. These folks had arrived even earlier to make sure that they had a good view of the parade from their wheelchairs.

In spite of the bitter cold, it was clear that these adults were very excited about this year’s parade. It was a joy to watch their anticipation as we began to hear the sound of the marching bands in the distance.

However, just as the parade began, a huge rush of people several rows thick filled into the street directly in front of us, completely blocking the view.

After waiting in the cold for more than an hour to enjoy the parade, the group in wheelchairs saw nothing more than the backs of rude onlookers.

As if that wasn’t disappointing enough, a Greensboro police officer was parked directly across the street. She stood by her patrol car (eating candy) and did absolutely nothing.

I even saw several children come dangerously close to getting run over because they were not a safe distance away from the parade. Yet, nothing was done.

Meanwhile, this group of older and disabled adults missed the entire parade and spent a disappointing morning sitting in the freezing cold for no reason because of the complete lack of consideration from others.

I hope that those involved in crowd control at next year’s parade will consider roping off the sidewalks and being more assertive in keeping people out of the street.

I hope that everyone who attends next year’s parade will remember that a community event should be enjoyed by all members of our community including those people in wheelchairs.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Who is this Joe Scott who gives his opinions about local theater productions? He and your headline writers seem to conspire to pick out one negative thing about an otherwise delightful, well-done show and emphasize it to the detriment of all the other positive aspects of it. Why can’t we have more Leslie Mizell reviews? She understands local theater.
In these difficult times we need the escape that live theater offers. Local actors are well-trained, talented and enthusiastic. They bring charm and joy in a way no well-paid TV or movie star can. They must be encouraged.
Local shows are produced on shoestring budgets and tickets are actually affordable. (Priced any Broadway or Greensboro Coliseum shows lately?) Small venues like The Broach, Open Space Cafe Theatre and area community theater companies are great assets that should be supported in every way possible.
Instead of a negative headlines, why not select a positive phrase from the review like “hilarious,” “so much fun” or “a good time at the theatre”?
Kudos to Joe Nierle of Open Space Cafe Theatre for bringing fresh productions to the local area. Hang in there, Joe. You deserve support from your local newspaper.
Peggy Clapper
Greensboro

Regarding the letter by Bob Goodman of High Point (“Christians, young voters will regret backing Obama,” Dec. 15):
People fail to realize that everything in our lives is pre-destined and being the 44th president of the United States of America was what God put Barack Obama here for.
As for the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, no one can be held accountable for the Rev. Wright but the Rev. Wright. He may teach the Word but his actions are not the fault of his flock.
Do you go to church? Do you really know your pastor? Are you responsible for his or her actions?
I somewhat agree with Michelle Obama that it’s hard to be proud of a country where you are treated as less than human because of your skin color. It’s hard to be proud of a country that condones such treatment or imposes such insane conditions to make one race allegedly superior to another.
We are the last to be recognized for our worth and our good works. We as a people have made major contributions that have helped this country.
The media didn’t tell us who to vote for. God blessed America by giving us life, love, peace forgiveness and Obama.
Claudine Adams
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint
By Billie Martin Pierce
As discussed in your Dec. 18 editorial, “Report underscores mental-health reform,” some areas of North Carolina do not have enough community-based providers to care for the large number of mental health consumers needing treatment. Much work needs to be done in addressing inequities in the distribution of, and access to, medical resources for mental-health consumers across the state.
Without downplaying the problems of other Local Management Entities (LMEs), the Guilford Center feels it is important to point out to your readers that change resulting from mental health reform does not mean failure. Specifically, Guilford County is demonstrating that change can mean improved services and greater efficiencies.
In offering a local perspective to mental-health reform, we would like to point out that the Community System Progress Indicators Quarterly Report, which was released on Dec. 15 and cited in your article, evaluated the Guilford Center’s performance as well as the other 23 Local Management Entities. The report’s data reflected assessments of critical performance indicators obtained during the first fiscal quarter of 2008-09. Throughout the report, the Guilford Center fared extremely well.
In fact, the Guilford Center and one other LME met 90 percent of the state’s 2009 Performance Standards. This placed the two LMEs at the top of the performance rankings. By comparison, the lowest-ranking LME met 33 percent of the state’s standards.
Rating categories included timely access to care, services to persons in need, timely initiation and engagement in service, effective use of state psychiatric hospitals, state hospital readmissions, timely follow-up after inpatient care and child services in non-family settings.
Guilford County is fortunate to have supportive county leaders, a strong network of experienced providers and a community that is concerned and actively engaged in working with the Guilford Center to meet the challenges brought forth from the reform. Our goal is to ensure that every consumer has access to quality treatment and the aftercare that will support their efforts to lead happy and productive lives.

The writer is director of the Guilford Center, the county’s mental health department.

Christmas is not a myth, not a tradition, not a dream. It’s a time of joy. A. E. Wells once stated, “Take Christ out of Christmas, and December becomes the bleakest and most colorless month of the year.” How true!
Many people go through the motions of Christmas, buying gifts, baking cookies and sending Christmas cards; but are left with a longing in their hearts, and with credit cards and stress levels maxed out.
Christmas is a time when Jesus came down from Heaven to bring us gifts that remain even after the day is over. hope, peace and love.
I wish everyone a very merry Christmas.
Nick Nicholson
McLeansville

U.S. News and World Report recently published a list of America’s 10 “smokiest cities,” where the prevalence of cigarette smoking is highest. Greensboro, with a rate of 28.3 percent, ranked fourth on this ignominious list, with data supplied by the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control.
Like most physicians, I frequently advocate for patients to stop smoking to achieve health benefits for themselves. Sometimes I recommend smoking cessation to minimize relatives’ and co-workers’ exposure to the health hazard of secondhand smoke.
With Greensboro’s newfound infamy as the fourth-smokiest city in the land, there is a new reason to advise residents to discontinue this dangerous behavior — as a point of civic pride! Smokers, resolve this New Year to quit. Eliminate Greensboro’s humiliating appearance on this dubious list and improve your own health and those around you.
Call 1-800-Quit Now (1-800-784-8669) to get help from professional counselors in taking the most important step for your own health — quitting smoking.
Richard J. Rosen, MD
Greensboro

I am president and CEO of Carolina Finance, an automobile finance company I started in 2000.
We borrow our capital from Bank of America, which has pretty much stopped lending despite being given $15 billion to help small companies.
I have written Howard Coble, Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole, asking for a loan from the TARP funds, not a handout. We have the ability to pay it back as long as we have the capital to allow us to keep making loans.
Not one of these elected officials has responded.
I have 50 employees in North Carolina and Virginia whom I care about. I do not believe the bank bailout finds are being used as intended. Our customers are working-class customers who need basic transportation and I have more than 8,000 of them.
Who is going to care for these people if I don’t?
Rick Parrish
Greensboro

The recent release of the torture report and the television programs dealing with the authorization of torture by the highest officials in our national government are staggering in the shame and dishonor they place on the nation.

All of us as citizens who believe in human rights and the rule of law should insist that the new administration and Congress appoint a select committee to investigate the issue and to recommend actions to bring those responsible to justice, including all of those high officials such as President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, their lawyers and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. America prosecuted individuals for these same offenses under the charge of war crimes.

Brushing this issue under the rug will only increase the shame and dishonor done by a lawless administration. Bush, in a pathetic attempt to improve his legacy, claims that he did not bring dishonor on his office. The authorization of torture as well as the making of aggressive war based on deliberately falsified intelligence claims is hardly an honorable legacy and justice must respond.

Joseph C. Bickford, Jr.
Greensboro

Thomas Sowell’s column on Dec. 18 names seven good books to be given as gifts. Sowell did not name the Bible as one he would recommend. In my opinion it is book gift No. 1. In fact, the Bible is categorically the first and the only universally known “Good Book.”

One source states that the word “Bible” means: “(The) Best Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” The Bible was first given to us that we may use it ourselves and then pass one on, physically or vocally, to others.

Please consider these thoughts as my gift to News & Record readers.

Marshall H. Johnson
Greensboro

I figured the financial crisis was President Bush’s fault, and the Dec. 21 “analysis” in the News & Record explains it. But does it? Unfortunately, the analysis doesn’t mention that every president since Jimmy Carter has been trying to increase home ownership. It doesn’t mention that Congress in 1977 enacted Freddie Mac, which lowered home loan requirements and interest rates, or that, during the Clinton administration, 97 percent of loans to first-time borrowers, adjustable rate mortgages and interest-only loans for riskier borrowers were allowed. The analysis states that several times the Bush administration pushed to tighten loan regulations, but Congress wouldn’t comply, and Bush wouldn’t compromise. The analysis states, however, that President Bush had a “hands-off approach” to policy regulation. These two opinions are conflicting.

Another analysis on the crisis in a local weekly newspaper faults the Democratic-controlled Congress during the same period for not responding to the impending crisis. I believe that analysis to be more accurate.

Also, the audacity of printing an article of this magnitude without identifying the author is appalling. Who is to believe it if the author is not identified?

Herbert A. Smith
Greensboro

Can “Christians” rightfully have voted for Barack Obama since he is “pro-choice?”

Some weeks ago, I was told by a Catholic priest while in the confessional that I needed to repent for having done so. Speaking of Obama, the Rev. Father said: “He can do a lot of damage in four years.” He implied that I am complicit in the deaths of 4,000 fetuses daily because of my support for Obama. I won’t repeat what I said to the Rev. Father when I abruptly walked out of the confessional.

I’m not proud of my behavior, but just as Jesus was with the money changers in the temple, I think I was justified. While I believe abortion on demand is abhorrent, I’ve no right to pass judgment on those with a different opinion. Didn’t Jesus say something about not judging others?

Aren’t things like avoiding an unjust war, providing decent health care for all, taking care of the Earth, respecting civil and personal rights and turning away from the politics of polarization important moral issues too? You can bet your last peso that a McCain administration would have been slow to reluctant in supporting those ideas. Where is the outrage about that?

Bill Toth
Greensboro

Regarding Elizabeth Jones’ letter (Dec. 18), “As a faithful Christian, I couldn’t support Obama”:
Ms. Jones, get over it and move on. The election is over and we have a new president.

As faithful Christians, our job is to pray and not complain. Our job also as faithful Christians is to educate ourselves and not vote on one or two issues.

God is not dead. He knew who our president is and would be before the foundation of the world was laid.

As for spreading the wealth, God shines on the just and the unjust. I am so happy that He lavishes His gifts on all, even if we don’t deserve it. I am thankful for the spreading of the wealth. I could use it.

Ms. Jones, you have four years to pray for our newly elected president, maybe eight, so don’t complain. Just do what true, faithful Christians do: PRAY.

Minnie Riley
Greensboro

While bike riding with a friend on Christmas afternoon, I stopped by the CVS on Cornwallis Drive for a drink. A gentleman in an SUV was backing out of his parking space and stopped and asked if we were Carolina fans. I was wearing my Carolina sweatshirt and cap, so it was obvious I am. But my friend is, too, so I replied, “Yes.” He proceeded to wish us a “Merry Christmas” and handed us both an envelope and drove away.

Imagine our shock when we opened them and found a $100 bill in each. He was gone before we could properly thank him.

If you read this, “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!” Nothing like this has ever happened to us. You made us believe in Santa Claus again. I sincerely hope you are blessed for the kindness you bestowed on us. This is definitely a Christmas we will never forget.

Tony Griffin
Greensboro

I served two terms on the Greensboro ABC Board, more than two years of that as its chairman. I have to disagree with several points in your editorial of Dec. 13 (“Local control works for ABC”).

You contend, “The state’s 71-year old system serves several good purposes. It makes sure that liquor stores are professionally operated and located in appropriate places, (and) that the managers abide by the law ...”

In my experience gained as a result of my service on the Greensboro board, very little of this contention is correct.

Professional management: The N&R recently reported closure of a store for mismanagement, and this was not an isolated closure for that reason.

Located in appropriate places: How can you reconcile this contention with the inter-system competition created by where the Greensboro/High Point stores have been permitted to locate in relation to each other?

The managers abide by the law: I perhaps misunderstood, but from the reporting of the N&R I understood that the former manager of the High Point system clearly broke the law in the sale of one of its locations and was saved from prosecution by a special legislative act.

Jerry Weston
Greensboro

After reading the letter, “After eight long years Bush displays a talent,” in the Dec. 20 paper, I figured the writer must be very young. He displays an astounding amount of immaturity in the disrespectful way he refers to the current president (“W,” “Dubya”) and how he makes light of someone wishing to harm the president. And as usual there is the name-calling that is so typical of liberals.

What makes the writer’s obvious youth more apparent is when he says Bush is the worst president our country has ever endured. He must not have been alive, or not aware of what was going on, when Jimmy Carter was president. Working with a Democratic Congress (as Bush was when our economy started failing), Carter led us to a “misery index” (unemployment and inflation) that has still not been matched.

And our position and reputation in the world? Well, there was a very good reason the American hostages in Iran were released the very day Ronald Reagan took office.

Whether I voted for him or not, I intend to respect both the president and the office of president. Criticisms of his policies and actions are, of course, appropriate when justified, but the hatred and name-calling are not.

Fred Pearlman
Greensboro

Thank you for your Dec. 23 editorial (“Overdue for inspection”) on vehicle safety inspections.

This has long been a subject of contention for me because I have never understood why the state would require a safety inspection for a new car. If the state thinks a new car might have a safety problem of any sort, it should fall on the shoulders of the manufacturer to get this problem solved, not the new owner.

I commend the Program Evaluation Division for speaking up (finally) to say this law is ineffective and useless, but I must say that 42 years should have been ample time for them to discover this. I figured it out the very first year. Are these people getting paid? Do they need any help?

The general public is spending $141 million a year for inspections that have been ineffective, and our state legislature is (supposedly) working for us?

Faurest Stum
Greensboro

This Christmas season, I think we should all pause and thank President Bush and Sen. Dole for getting our gas prices below $2 a gallon. This inexpensive gasoline made available more funds to spend on giving.

While I do not understand all the vagaries of gasoline pricing, I do know that Bush and Dole were blamed by all the candidates for the price of gas when it was $4 a gallon. Since these people were elected, they must have been right; therefore, logic dictates that Bush and Dole must also be responsible for $1.55 a gallon gasoline.

Thank you, President Bush and Sen. Dole, for everything I have given and received this Christmas due to the cheap gas you have provided.

Jim Abernathy
Greensboro

It breaks my heart knowing that Becky Layton won’t be reading this letter until it’s actually printed in the newspaper! And I will truly miss reading Elma Sabo’s wonderful, touching editorials! It’s hard to believe that these good-hearted women are leaving the News & Record, and I hope they have realized just how much they meant to the newspaper and to all those working in the editorial department.

My summer as an editorial intern would never have been the same without them. Elma was always there to edit drafts of my editorial essays and encourage me to write, and I will always remember how Becky welcomed me with a smile as I arrived each and every afternoon. Their thoughtfulness and compassion will never be forgotten.

Rebecca Kabatchnick
Greensboro

I knew her only by telephone, but when Becky Layton called it meant she had my “Letter to the Editor” in hand and wanted to confirm that I had written it.

She was pleasant, efficient and, as editor Allen Johnson mentioned in his column (Dec. 28), you could “hear” the smile in her voice.

Becky was an excellent representative for the News & Record. May her “retirement” be blessed by fewer phone calls.

Bill Beerman
Greensboro

As our unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent in November, I was perplexed as to why our state government and other states won’t use the e-verify system to check each employee’s Social Security number and name.

Economists predict the 2009 unemployment rate will continue to rise, maybe as high as 10 to 12 percent. We have 200,000 to 300,000 employed in this state who are undocumented immigrants. Someone tell me why our government won’t check their legal status to work in our factories. I guess they want to employ the undocumented workers and let the Americans draw an unemployment check.

Does this make sense at all? What will it take for the government to require all employers to check? Maybe when unemployment reaches 20 percent. I really think the government doesn’t care. All it wants is cheap labor. This would cause our unemployment rate to drop tremendously, and maybe the state wouldn’t run out of money to pay for the unemployed.
Barack Obama stated he wants to build roads, bridges and the infrastructure that will create thousands of jobs. As you can see, there aren’t too many Americans working in construction and these types of jobs.

Eddie Robbins
High Point

I want to thank you, News & Record, for including the Christmas story from Luke in your Dec. 25 edition. Hopefully it reminds us that the Babe in the manger was God’s precious gift to us. There can be no Christmas without the word Christ, the Anointed One.

Many Americans are giving their sons and daughters for just this kind of freedom — the freedom to proclaim what we believe without fear of persecution or retribution.May it always be so in a free America.

I’ve taken your paper for many years. At 79, I only take the Friday through Monday editions,but your deliverer was kind enough to leave me a paper on the 25th, to my delight.

Ann M. Smith
Burlington

The following is a Counterpoint
By Lynn Black
Doug Clark’s Dec. 17 column, “Abused women need to find a voice,” was not only misleading and a stab at sensationalism but could cause great harm to women and their children who seek help from an abusive situation.
Clark wrote about one woman who complained about the rules and treatment at Carpenter House in High Point. Carpenter House and Clara House in Greensboro are safe shelters for abused women and their children offered by Family Service of the Piedmont.
Clark’s assertion that “Abused women do not have a voice,” a place to seek help, is based on an interview with one client, a letter from the son of another client and a former part-time employee. After discussions with three Family Service staff members, he was invited to visit Carpenter House, meet with staff and talk (with their permission) to residents to see that these were isolated incidents. He refused. Clark needs to understand the specifics of the complaints couldn’t be discussed because of client confidentiality. He bases his story on two people and one letter.
If Clark had done his homework, he could have learned:
• Family Service provided 14,427 shelter nights and service to 525 individuals in our two shelters from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.
• Eighty-two percent of shelter residents didn’t return to their abusive environment.
• In our last yearly satisfaction survey, more than 94 percent of shelter clients served stated that they agree or strongly agree that they were satisfied with the services they received.
• Strict rules are necessary for communal living. Rules are created for the good of all and can be amended, but not for one person. Rules are reviewed, changes made as needed and all complaints are reviewed by the proper authorities.
The staff at Carpenter House and Clara House are professional, caring and skilled. The public needs to remember the positive impact they have had on so many women and their children who have lived in life-threatening situations. We all need to recognize them for the positive impact they have had on thousands of women in the Piedmont through the years.
It is disturbing to think that because of this article some women who need the safety and the services that Family Service of the Piedmont provide might not come to us for fear that they will be mistreated. Let’s hope that will not happen.
If you are in an abusive situation or know someone who is, please do not hesitate to call. We are here for you.

The writer is the immediate past board chairman of Family Service of the Piedmont, Inc. and lives in Greensboro.

Israel is the favorite child of the United States. We adore our brilliant and enormously energetic firstborn and we nurture him and favor him far beyond any of our other children.
This special child, Israel, can do no wrong, it seems.
When Israel bombs the neighbors, when Israel spies and cuts off its neighbors, we don’t even say, “Now, now, stop that. You can’t strangle your neighbors and try to bury and destroy them without some consequence. It isn’t fair. It isn’t right!”
No, you never hear anything like that from such adoring parents as the United States.
Israel, as the adored and favored child, never seems to get enough, and even when it becomes grossly apparent that Israel is overstepping all bounds and is obviously aggressive, abusive and domineering, still the United States stands up to the world and says, “Our child shows initiative and naturally he’s ambitious.”
He’s our child!
K.K. Mersereau
Greensboro

Guilford County Schools are postponing exams because of Barack Obama’s inauguration, citing increased interest in the recent election. According to one local newspaper, Guilford County’s voter turnout increased just 2.6 percent this past November, ranking it only 60th among 100 counties. Guilford was less interested than most counties.
Officials should consider that Obama won North Carolina by just .04 percent. Almost half of the high interest was generated for the opposing candidate. Officials are either oblivious to John McCain supporters or insensitive. Neither bodes well for students’ civic freedoms.
Many students supported and campaigned for McCain. For these students, the inauguration creates frustration, not interest. A mandated directive by officials to postpone scheduled exams, forcing everyone to watch the inauguration, is a political act. Officials owe all students the respect and courtesy of political dissent.
In addition, postponing exams puts students at an academic disadvantage by further extending the interval between exams and instruction.
Inaugurations are about celebrating. Leave partisan political celebrations out of the school day, especially during exams when the energy of teachers and students should be focused on striving for excellence. Partisan politics are unacceptable in our public schools, especially at the expense of academics.
Rachel Rogers
Jamestown

Our government’s answer to recover from this invisible depression we are in is to create an economy based on the idea that debt has value.
Politicians are having a buffet in Washington, D.C. in this newly acquired concept of “equity.” We do not have the means with which to repay this acquired debt, or at least the powers that be do not want us to simply print enough $100 bills and ship them over.
Who is benefiting the most by our need to borrow? Who is acquiring our IOUs knowing that our paper has no backing and is based on debt? Perhaps we will have to surrender our protective stance concerning Taiwan, South Korea or even Israel.
I do not have a belief system of paranoia nor do I want to debate prophetic new world order scenarios. Am I the only person who sees our economy being manipulated and undermined? We have sold capitalism and bought in on socialism. We need patriots to run our government, not people who sell the future for pennies with no regard for the price.
My daughter got into credit card debt. I took the card away. Now she has a chance. Do we?
Jerry Snow
McLeansville

The movie theaters in Greensboro are so confusing. We have The Grand, the Greensboro Grande and the Carousel Grande. It would be manageable if they used their names consistently, but that’s not the case.
Example: In the Dec. 26 paper, there’s an ad for the movie “Frost/Nixon” that says it is Now Playing, and it’s exclusively at the Carousel Grande. That’s the one on Battleground. I know because the phone number from the “Frost/Nixon” ad matches the phone number in the listings for (are you ready for this?) the Carousel Luxury Cinemas.
That’s right — nowhere in the movie listings ad does the theater call itself Carousel Grande, only in its “Frost/Nixon” ad. Furthermore, “Now Playing” evidently doesn’t mean now now, because “Frost/Nixon” is not listed anywhere in the ad with the movie times.
To make it even worse, The Grand Theatre at Four Seasons (called The Grand, no “e” at the end) seems to have stopped running its movie titles and times in the paper. Instead, it lists a phone number (let’s hope there aren’t 20,000 others trying to call when you do) and a Web site. So we turn to the Grande or the Grande instead.
We need a grand solution.
Mike Clark
Greensboro