News-Record.com

Carol Smith in her letter alludes to the fact that area residents are uninformed and have “a lack of knowledge about our city, county, state and federal governments.”

Seems to me it’s not a lack of knowledge but a difference of opinion, and the well-informed people she refers to are simply those who share her views.

Since she recently moved back and feels she is living in a different world, she might take Lewis Grizzard’s comment, “Delta is ready when you are.”

William T. Linton
Greensboro

Is it just me? Am I imagining things? It seems as though the federal government, those dear simpletons of 2005, are continuing their vast improvement of operational abilities in the face of natural catastrophes. We have watched the government in action combating the California wildfires, combating insurmountable flooding, and now implementing near flawless preparation/operation during seasonal hurricanes (and perhaps several more). It seems as though Washington decided not to repeat the debacle that ensued after Hurricane Katrina.

Good for them. Great for the individuals living along the Gulf Coast.

Now if I can just figure out why my tax dollars, and those that will be garnered from my future grandchildren, are being used to destroy a once-sovereign country and then help reconstruct it.

Why are the monies taxed from countless citizens not being utilized to rebuild the Crescent City?

Roderick Brown
Greensboro

The most revealing remark made in Barack Obama’s acceptance speech seems to have been overlooked by the media. Obama said, “They say (the Republicans) you must make it on your own. You want to go to college? You’re on you own. If you are down, pull yourself up by your own boot strings; you’re on your own.”

Let’s think about what is implied here: “We (the Democrats) are here to help you. You should not have to go it alone. Just give us your money (higher taxes) and we will take care of you. We will return to you (through various government programs) what you need, or at least what we decide you should have. God forbid that you should be free and on your own. You have big Daddy on your back, I mean backing you.”

Paul Greene
Greensboro

Left out of the column by Lorraine Ahearn (Aug. 31) regarding the Warnersville community was a very important item about the first black high school established in 1873 by the pastor of Warnersville Methodist Episcopal Church, founded by the Rev. Matthew Alston (known now as St. Matthews United Methodist Church) in 1866. Knowing the church was interested in establishing a school in the Guilford area, the black minister took the lead in offering the church as its site.

On June 18, 1873, the newspaper announced a meeting was to take place at Warnersville Church and “inviting any of the whites who were interested to consider the question of the establishment of colored Normal School or College. The institution will be established under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church North.”

Nearly 70 students enrolled the first year. The school was named Normal School and gained the attention of a wealthy benefactor, Lyman Bennett of Troy, N.Y. His generous donation of $10,000 enabled the struggling school to purchase land for a permanent campus.

A dormitory was added and the institution became known as Bennett Seminary. In 1926, it became a four-year college for women with continued support from the National Women’s Home Missionary Society.

Zepplyn S. Humphrey
Greensboro

I cannot believe that any publisher or editor would stoop so low as to run the editorial cartoon (about teen pregnancy) that ran Sept. 4. This is muckraking in its highest form. Just because garbage comes in on the wire doesn’t mean that the paper has to print it.

It is very obvious which way the News & Record leans in its political opinions.

The cartoonist is putting words into the mouths of Republicans. He or she knows nothing about this young woman. You may not like Sarah Palin or her daughter, but this is totally uncalled for.

There are a couple of sayings that we should all remember: “He who lives in a glass house should not throw rocks,” and, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Woody Grady
High Point

I am flabbergasted that the police department chose to arrest Lee Meekins. The businesses he manages in downtown Greensboro are a vibrant part of a downtown still working hard to become a destination for shoppers and diners.

If retail and restaurants are to thrive, the city must take a hard look at archaic policies.

Can you imagine Charlotte or any city with an ounce of foresight shutting down sidewalk dining at 10 p.m.?

More importantly, shouldn’t a police department stretched so ridiculously thin be investing their efforts in more important things?

David Starmer
Greensboro

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I have been married to a fine man for 65 years. I am a woman who votes.

When I was 44 years old, I had five children. I knew then, and I know now, that my primary job in life was to nurture and raise these children to be good citizens in a healthy family. I had an excellent college education. I was extremely busy because I was also teaching high school science to help with family finances.

If an elderly man who wanted to be president had suggested that I be the vice president of the United States, I would definitely have thought he had very poor judgment about the real needs of this country. Please be serious about voting. It is not a laughing matter, even though it is very odd.

Ruth Maynard
Greensboro

Welcome to the American hypocrisy. If you attend Harvard, become a lawyer and speak eloquently, you can be branded as an elitist. If you profess that you are Christian yet lived outside the country, your faith can be questioned. You might be a closet Muslim. If you question the present administration’s handling of Iraq, you are unpatriotic. If you try to discuss race, you are a racist. If you want to run for president and want to make America better, you are called the “messiah.” If you talk about changing health care, you are a socialist.

This is the Right’s hypocrisy. If you cannot understand something, then label it and make sure your constituents are afraid of it. If Jesus came to earth today, the right wing would surely find fault in his words. Perhaps they really are the Pharisees and Sadducees.

I voted Republican in 2004 but will not do so in 2008.

Barack Obama is a man dedicated to the betterment of all Americans, not just the few. He will get my vote in 2008.

Donald B. Conrad
Greensboro

I want a good life for my children and grandchildren — for everyone’s children. That’s why I’ll vote for Teresa Sue Bratton in November.

Over the years, she’s come to be known as Dr. Bratton, a pediatrician dedicated to keeping Greensboro children healthy. Recently retired from private practice, she continues to use her skills at the allergy/asthma clinic for low-income children at Guilford Child Health.

But she wants to do more. Dr. Bratton understands how the medical system is failing patients who cannot afford care. She is uniquely qualified to advocate for affordable health care for all Americans. She hopes to unseat Howard Coble in the 6th Congressional District so she can do just that.

While Bratton has been working for almost 30 years to improve the lives of children, her opponent, Rep. Howard Coble, has spent almost 30 years in Washington casting votes that put children’s health in jeopardy. Most recently he sided with President Bush not to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides a safety net for children of struggling families.

We need more doctors in Congress who can speak up for the concerns of my family and yours. We need to send Teresa Sue Bratton to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Faith Hawes
Greensboro

John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate is galling and shockingly irresponsible. The No. 1 criterion for a vice president has to be readiness to assume the presidency in a literal heartbeat. This is especially true when the presidential candidate is 72 and has a long history of battling cancer. A candidate’s personal story, gender and stance on the issues pale in importance compared to one’s qualifications for the job.

Palin’s background in the PTA, small-town politics and briefly serving as governor in a lightly populated state leaves chasms in her resume. It’s akin to tapping a talented medical student to become chief of surgery at a major hospital.

The fact that Sen. McCain chose Gov. Palin is disturbing and raises serious questions about his judgment. The fact that she accepted raises similar questions about hers.

Electing someone so patently unqualified for the job is a risk we cannot and must not take.

Gary Bradt
Summerfield