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September 21, 2007

RF Micro benefits Triad more than FedEx does

It is interesting that the Guilford County commissioners are balking at awarding $1.03 million to RF Micro Devices to create 300 (undoubtedly well-paying) environment-enhancing jobs after they overwhelmingly approved giving how many millions (directly and indirectly) to FedEx to create a questionable number of low-paying part-time jobs and totally destroying the environment around the airport.

It was a poor choice to locate a noisy night-time cargo transshipment operation in the midst of this residential area while allowing day-time passenger service to deteriorate to the point it has. The unnecessary third runway necessitated all sorts of road changes that have decimated the landscape out there.

Have you tried to get to the terminal lately? And when you get there, there's such a paucity of good flights that you have to drive to Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham to get good ones.

In addition to their sleep-disturbing night-time noise, cargo planes create much more pollution than surface transportation. Are we relying too much on air transportation of cargo that could move more efficiently (both in terms of energy and pollution) by well-planned and executed surface transport -- both highway and rail?

Harry P. Clapp
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Evergreen screen shows benefits of collaboration

Greensboro Beautiful, the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department and Starmount Co., are pleased to announce an evergreen screen planting along the Northline Avenue side of the Bog Garden at Benjamin Park. Project highlights include:

* A variety of mainly indigenous and native vegetation.

* Blended and tapered vegetation to provide a vibrant view and screening.

* Simulated wrought iron fencing for safety.

Greensboro Beautiful would like to extend a very special thank you to Starmount Co. for funding the project with a major gift of $50,000; to Nancy Seay for her pro bono landscape design; to the city manager's office for its leadership in presenting this project to the City Council; and to parks and recreation staff for their guidance, support and labor to install the plantings and new fencing. We also appreciate input from the Starmount Farms neighborhood to work toward a win-win solution. Once mature, these plantings will provide an evergreen buffer that will help protect the integrity of the garden.

This is another fine example where Greensboro Beautiful has played a significant role in bringing public and private resources together to beautify our community.

Steve Windham
Greensboro

The writer is chairman, Greensboro Beautiful Public Gardens Committee.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Neocons don't value the U.S. Constitution

Sept. 17 marked the 220th anniversary of the Constitution of the United States. The last 30 years have seen a most marked decline in the principles of that great document. The last six years this same document has been repudiated for personal gain by the neocons, whose principles are neither new nor conservative.

It appears to me that Sept. 11 was an excuse to invade Iraq for oil. It also seems to me that the Sept. 11 investigation was thwarted from the start. Executive privilege has no place in our republic, nor does secrecy for the sake of profit.

Why are President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney still in power? We've seen profits and tax breaks for the top 5 percent and billions in profits for Halliburton, Blackwater and the other mercenary "defense corporations." When will Congress stop this? Is it because they are profiting from lobby campaign bribes?

Robert Peer Jr.
Yanceyville

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (29)

Fond memories of an amazing woman

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Fred Guttman

The greater Greensboro community and the Greensboro Jewish community have lost an incredible friend in Claudette Burroughs-White. The details of her amazing biography as a civil rights activist and long-term City Council member have been in numerous recent articles.

Claudette was a personal friend of mine. We got to know one another when we co-chaired Greensboro's commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Woolworth sit-ins. We also worked together on the board of the National Conference of Community and Justice.

In 2001, Claudette was our featured speaker at our annual Martin Luther King Jr. service. I remember so fondly the traditional Sabbath meal that we had at our house with Claudette and Gerald.

Claudette loved Israel, and together with the NCCJ and the Greensboro Jewish Federation was instrumental in planning and recruiting for three interfaith missions. The missions have been helpful in increasing the level of social capital and cooperation among the various faith communities in Greensboro.

Claudette loved homemade matzah ball soup. I was privileged to bring some to her house during her illness. I was also privileged to visit her several times in the hospital, and together, with Gerald, to pray for her recovery.

Greensboro will miss this giant of a woman with her signature gray "afro." Temple Emanuel and the greater Jewish community will miss her as well. She was truly one of a kind, a righteous woman of valor whose presence will live on in the acts of goodness that she performed and the hearts of all of us who cherish her memory.

Zacher Zaddika leveracha. May the memory of this righteous woman be a blessing!

The writer is rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

September 20, 2007

And here I was thinking I had to pay my tickets

I am glad to see a lawyer/citizen fighting City Hall over the egregious attempt to collect unpaid parking tickets ("He fought the law ... and he might win," Sept. 16). Kevin Morse, a serial scofflaw, deserves our pity for the bullying the city used in attempting to collect $2,300 in unpaid parking tickets.

Since he's a lawyer he must be honest when he claims a "statute of limitations" defense in fighting the city. I'm not a lawyer -- just a dumb citizen who thought when you're charged with a parking violation, don't fight it at the time, and are charged and fined, you're expected to pay it. I'm thrilled to see that there's a statute of limitations on payment of lawful debts.

Having a long-running pattern of disregarding parking violations, this "officer of the court" wants our sympathy because of the city's attempt to collect from him. Morse is too busy to pay parking tickets or settle unpaid debts.

And all this time I've been frivolously feeding quarters to the parking meters.

Phil Koch
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (5)

Davenport column was uncalled for and hurtful

I found the column, "Discipline deficit disorder reaches alarming rate," by Charles Davenport Jr. (Ideas, Sept. 16) quite hurtful. Please set the record straight that disorders such as ADHD, autism and Sensory Integration Disorder are on the rise at an alarming rate.

Parents of children with special needs work endlessly to teach their children proper behavior and self-control. We are making great progress, but our children's development is delayed -- hence the term "developmental delay." To suggest that beating our children (or any child) is an effective solution to a serious disorder is pure ignorance.

Also, attacking single mothers was an uncalled for statement of disregard toward women. We need community -- not criticism.

Davenport and the News & Record owe us all an apology.

Annette Kiesel
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

The truth is out there

Regarding the column by Mayor Keith Holliday ("The real story behind Wray's lockout," Sept. 15): I find it nothing more than words of praise for City Manager Mitch Johnson. Don't worry,
Mr. Mayor, the real truth will come out. David Wray will see to that.

Jack Vaughn
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

Raw milk's more likely than cider to be harmful

Your Sept. 9 editorial, "Do cry over dyeing untreated milk," implies that unpasteurized apple cider is equally as dangerous as raw milk. That's not the case. Raw milk is a product of animals, and as such, is much more likely than apple cider to be contaminated with animal pathogens that can make people sick. Also, unpasteurized apple cider only can be sold by the cup (if a warning is posted) in North Carolina, which sharply limits its distribution. Raw milk from a cow share or other permissive sale or transfer could enter the human food chain as milk or a milk product in many ways.

An outbreak of premature births, stillborns and neonatal deaths was traced to Listeria-contaminated raw cheese in North Carolina in 2001. Children and pregnant women are especially susceptible to the pathogens contaminating raw milk. There's absolutely no evidence that raw milk is any healthier than pasteurized milk, and there's plenty of evidence to the contrary.

When appropriate, our state takes action to ensure that people stay healthy. That's why we need to do what we can to prevent humans from consuming raw milk. In this accord, we support the Board of Agriculture in its action on this issue.

Jeffrey Engel, MD
Raleigh

The writer is state epidemiologist.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

Gen. Petraeus on Iraq: Same song, new verse

"We know they have weapons of mass destruction."

"Mission accomplished."

"We're making progress in Iraq."

These are the lies we've heard from the Bush administration for the last five years, so why should we believe the lies we're hearing from Gen. David Petraeus now?

For example, deaths by car bombs don't count. Assassinations only count if you're shot in the front of the head, not in the back.

The story in the News & Record (Sept. 10) proves the administration is giving us false information about Iraq. The independent reports by the Government Accountability Office, by the committee headed by retired Marine Gen. James Jones and by the Defense Intelligence Agency contradict Petraeus' "facts." The purpose of the surge was to buy time for the Iraqi government to achieve political reconciliation, but Ambassador Crocker admits there has been no progress on that front.

In fact, the Maliki government is so corrupt the Iraqi charged with policing these crimes recommends the United States withdraw because trillions have been stolen.

General Petraeus says we can achieve our goals in Iraq if we will just "stay the course." Haven't we heard this before?

Lee Baker
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (38)

Rezoning ignores experts, residents

The following is a Counterpoint:

As a resident of the Rotherwood neighborhood, I am deeply disturbed by the Sept. 10 vote (5-3) by the Greensboro Zoning Commission to approve the rezoning of property adjacent to the Rotherwood Road community to "heavy industrial" for the manufacture and sale of concrete, cut stone and clay and building supply sales (with a storage yard). This matter now comes before the City Council on Oct. 2 as a proposal to amend the city’s comprehensive plan.

An expressed purpose of the Greensboro Planning Department is to provide professional planning expertise and to direct the orderly growth and development of the city.

In its wisdom, this body of professionals recommended denial of the rezoning primarily due to concern about negative impacts (light, dust, noise, hours of operation, heavy truck traffic) on adjacent residential neighborhoods and negative impacts on adjacent commercial areas.

The recommendations of our planning experts were circumvented and disregarded by the Zoning Commission.

Chairman Anthony Collins commented to the effect that he would rather have 96 concrete trucks in the area than 300 cars from a multi-family development. But neither he nor the other "yea" voters live here and would have to daily negotiate truck traffic.

We as residents of Greensboro support development but want to maintain the stability, safety and character of our neighborhood at its present level or higher.

Fred S. Wood Jr. lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

September 19, 2007

Free not to buckle up

What a nerve! The same roaming highwaymen who inflict their depravity (Trooper Michael Steele), cruelty to animals (Trooper Charles Jones), and sexual fantasies (Trooper Scott Harrison) on the innocent now inform us that they'll crack down on you and me -- for not wearing a seat belt.

You know, if it's my car, my seat belt and body, then it's my decision. Because this is a free country.

We have every right to engage in conduct that endangers us, whether it's skiing, skydiving or smoking, so long as we harm no one else.

It's called freedom.

Christopher Rees
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (18)

Business wants insurer to pay for procedure

I'm weary of seeing the BCBS of North Carolina TV ads telling me how caring they are and how they will take care of me and my family in times of health crises. As an allied medical professional in the oncology field providing an effective liver cancer treatment to hospitals and patients, I see BCBSNC refusals to pay for this treatment for their enrollees every week.

Compare their policy of noncoverage with the positive payer policies of BCBS of Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Vermont, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Empire BCBS, Federal BCBS, Horizon BCBS and Wellmark BCBS -- all covering their enrollees for liver microbrachytherapy.

Key medical practitioners from North Carolina have written to and met with BCBSNC to express the importance of this procedure to extending the quality of life and survival of patients with liver cancer, yet BCBSNC invariably rules the procedure is experimental, despite 6,000 patient treatments, positive payer policies by sister BCBS companies and approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

So please, BCBSNC, stop the talk unless you can walk the walk.

Joseph Saldarini
Greensboro

The writer represents Sirtex Medical USA Inc., developer of SIR-Spheres microbrachytherapy for the treatment of liver cancer.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

We're losing war in Iraq

I don't understand why President Bush can't see that we aren't winning in Iraq.

Our men are getting killed just about every day. Already more than 3,000. There are 20,000 or more wounded, some very critically. We must wake up and see the situation as it is. We must face reality.

I hope our men get to come home before this year is out. They deserve it.

N.R. Smith
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (18)

Veterans must sign up for VA benefits, pension

My letter is to veterans or children of veterans to let you know that veterans must apply for benefit pensions as soon as possible.

My dad was in the Navy in World War II, then in the Naval Reserve until the 1960s. When he retired from the Postal Service and moved to Florida, he was not aware that he could be eligible for a VA pension. He died in 1965 of Alzheimer's and now my mother has it and we cannot get any benefits for her because my dad never applied.

People, apply now! This is compensation that is available to you and/or your family. Don't end up like my mother, not eligible when she needs it the most.

Judy Gaffey
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Arts, Spanish lessons can be taught together

As president of N.C. Music Educators Association, I am dismayed that the Guilford County school system has elected to reduce music and visual art classes in several elementary schools to accommodate an additional class in Spanish ("Schools make room for Spanish," Sept. 13). I expressed my concerns to the school board at its meeting in August.

I suggested that instead of reducing the number of music and visual arts classes, consideration should be given to maintaining the current schedule and integrating the arts with Spanish during the proposed second class session.

In the case of music, I cited data conducted by researchers in foreign language acquisition indicating music is as effective as other means for promoting foreign languages. More importantly, however, music (and other arts) should be studied for their own sake.

If, as educators, we want to do more than pay lip service to the notion of fostering creative minds with the ability to "think outside the box," we need to consider the extent to which we inhibit that outcome when we reduce students' access to the arts during a time in their development when that creative potential is greatest.

Constance L. McKoy
Kernersville

The writer is president, N.C. Music Educators Association.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

Is city ready for Aggies-Eagles game?

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Reggie Lee

I am a proud graduate of N.C. A&T, class of 1996, living in Atlanta. Everyone I know, Aggies and Eagles alike, is pondering a trip up to Greensboro for the big game versus N.C. Central University on Saturday. We used to go to the Aggies-Eagles classic in Raleigh every year.

Many may decide against going to this game. Why?

Greensboro has no idea how big this event will be.

We decided on these as the major potential issues:

* Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh holds 60,000 people. Aggie Stadium holds 21,500. In addition, Carter-Finley has five times more space for parking and tailgating.

* Raleigh's roads near the stadium are suited for a large turnout (major highway junction). Aggie Stadium is next to side roads and a two-way "highway."

* Raleigh's police force and Department of Transportation are used to dealing with crowds of 60,000. Greensboro can't say this.

* The game is too close to homecoming. A&T's homecoming vs. Bethune-Cookman is Oct. 27. Central's vs. North Greenville is Oct. 13. Very few out-of-towners will make two trips. This will force a choice: a homecoming game vs. a corny "who cares" school or the ageless rivalry of A&T vs. Central. This is a pretty easy decision for most.

* The game is at night, which makes for an easier trip. It is a one hotel stay without having to take Friday off.

* By the game being in Greensboro, we add Charlotte and Winston-Salem to the sub-90-minute drive radius. This stands to increase attendance.

* The city doesn't seem to be planning with the same vigor that it would for A&T's homecoming. This game will be bigger than homecoming.

* This is the first A&T-vs.-Central football game on either campus since 1991. The reason the game was moved from Aggie Stadium was largely because the stadium and campus couldn't handle it.

* There are no other events scheduled to spread the crowd out. Examples: parades, concerts, fraternity and sorority events. There is nothing to do but converge on Aggie Stadium.

As you can see, this game has the potential to paralyze the city. What are your thoughts? Help convince me and other graduates, fans and interested parties that it is safe to come out.

The writer lives in Atlanta, Ga.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (10)

September 18, 2007

Bicyclists need to learn how to share the road

I live just beyond Battleground Park and we have bicyclers and heavy car traffic every day of the week. Sharing the road is a responsibility for both bicycle and car operators.

The majority of bicycle riders do not wear reflective clothing. Particularly when riding in shadowy areas such as the two-lane road through the park, they sometimes become invisible to drivers. All bicyclists should be required to wear reflective clothing for their own safety.

If we all are to share the road, then bicyclists should share in the cost of upkeep by having to be licensed, just like drivers. Licenses would be displayed prominently on the rear of the bicycle so a motorist would have the means to report offenses to the authorities.

When riding in a group, many bicyclists don't yield to car traffic. I have had riders come beside me using the rain gutter area of the street. So far, I've been lucky that the side of my car hasn't been scraped.

Old Battleground Road's intersections with U.S. 220 N, Cotswold Terrace and Lake Brandt Road are particularly susceptible to "jump-ahead" bicyclists.

Share the road, share the cost, act responsibly.

Elizabeth E. Smigel
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (7)

Administration should tell us the whole truth

I regret that Gen. David Petraeus' and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker's testimonies before Congress were so incomplete and misleading. Congress was given another "spin job" by the Bush administration.

According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon used a bizarre formula for measuring violence in Iraq. For example, deaths by car bombs don't count. Assassinations were included if the shot was to the back of the head, not to the front.

A major ABC/BBC poll reported that 70 percent of Iraqis think the surge has made matters worse rather than has improved security conditions. The independent Government Accountability Office reports that the average number of attacks on civilians has remained the same during the period of the "surge."

These statistic are for the whole of Iraq, not just the happier figures from one province.

These are reports counter to the image portrayed to Congress. To take a stand on this war, we need the whole truth, not just a story promoted by one side.

Robert Ouradnik
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (42)

Genuine health care

I am proud to say that I am part of the Moses Cone Health System, which provides care to everyone in this community -- a claim Blue Cross could never make.

William Hensel
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (5)

Commissioners should preserve Haw River Park

The Guilford commissioners must make the logical choice, not the monetary one. As a resident of Greensboro, it perturbs me to learn that a private, gated, golf-course community is set to be developed directly next door to the fledgling Haw River State Park by an out-of-state developer. Apparently, our county commissioners will be the deciding factor in this zoning issue. This is a scary thought, considering that all our commissioners see is tax revenue from a few new homes.

Please look at the big picture here. The park needs more land to grow in order to accommodate our ever-growing population.

Trapping it with a golf course community that will do more harm than good to the river is not the answer. Please support the Haw River State Park. (citizensforhawriversp.org)

Tony Morton
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Vick arrest: dogfighting plus possible gambling

I see where some people are asking if the NFL is going to impose the same penalty on Michael Vick as it did on some players from another time. They question whether the penalty will be the same, as these former players were white.

But they seem to have forgotten that Vick was not just arrested for involvement in gambling but also for dogfighting. Dogfighting is a crime that should be condemned by both the black and white communities. Yet some famous entertainers get on national TV and give the impression that they condone it.

Why do people with fame and fortune do such stupid things? They think they're above the law.

The sad part is that young men see people like Vick and they want to copy them. They would do well instead to copy Colin Powell, Bill Cosby and any number of outstanding black men as role models.

Anyone have a rebuttal to this? I think not.

Claude Pruitt
Trinity

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (6)

Responsible hunters unfairly targeted by critics

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Charles A. Jones

After reading recent ill-informed opinions about Michael Vick and violence in general, I wondered if I inhabit the same planet as these people.

The opinions excoriate hunting, holding that the unspeakable cruelty to animals Vick inflicted is no different from hunting. They also hold that hunters and Vick share a "low-life mentality," asserting that animals killed by people like Vick and animals killed by hunters are both killed in pursuit of sport. The anti-hunters accuse hunters of killing not for food, but for fun, and assert that those disagreeing with anti-hunters are "weak thinkers."

Although I am a gun owner, I do not like hunting (although I tried it once). But I do not condemn those who enjoy hunting. Hunters I know kill not out of cruelty but are responsible people who hunt as a test of skill and for enjoyment and sport (why object to hunting as "sport" when we call violent activities such as hockey or football "sports”?).

One hunter I know is a Marine veteran of Iwo Jima. Now at age 83, he is a sport hunter who is responsible: He and his family eat what he kills and donate part of his kill to his town so that the food can be given to poor people.

So, to compare the average hunter to someone who kills for fun is to equate an SS guard at Auschwitz with a correctional officer at Central Prison.

Even though I am a "weak thinker," I found a major source of the culture of violence: the Life section of the Aug. 24 edition of USA Today, which involved new movies. Although Hollywood liberals abhor firearms, that front page features four large photographs, each with the actor holding a firearm.

Equally disturbing was the drama shown recently on NBC during which a small child holding a large handgun repeatedly shoots an adult.

Segments of society condoning and exploiting violence, such as Hollywood and those who engage in dogfighting, not hunters, are the true proponents of violence.

Those opposing hunting obviously know nothing about it; they should talk to responsible hunters rather than condemn them without factual basis. And they instead should condemn Hollywood's obsession with violence in an obscene hunt for money.

The writer lives in Norfolk, Va., and is a native of Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

September 17, 2007

Development threatens Haw River water quality

The state Division of Water Quality has threatened Greensboro, Guilford County and other areas in the Haw River watershed with the possibility of stringent rules regulating storm-water runoff because the Haw's pollution so adversely affects water quality in Jordan Lake and the Cape Fear River. These rules would not only affect new development but could require retrofitting existing development with expensive storm-water remediation facilities.

So it makes no sense to allow an out-of-state developer with a flawed record of adhering to environmental rules to put 200-plus homes, a golf course and sewage-treatment plant right on the Haw, where they would take out water and put in more pollutants.

The woods and wetlands of the Haw help preserve water quality and should be protected by inclusion in the state park.

Elizabeth Link
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (6)

Johnson offers integrity and strong leadership

Yvonne Johnson is color-blind. If elected, she would become the first African American to hold the position of mayor of Greensboro. Not once have I heard her refer to that obvious fact. Sure, she's aware that she would make history, but that's not her goal.

She wants to be mayor for all the people. She believes in this city and its citizens, but more importantly, she needs us to believe in her.

Yvonne has an attitude of gratitude. She is a uniter, not a divider. To be a good leader, you must learn first to be a good follower. Yvonne understands and welcomes the opportunity and challenges to continue to serve the public. She once said that this is her time, and I'm inclined to believe her.

When I hear the words "honesty," "integrity” and "strong leadership,” I immediately think of Yvonne Johnson.

Shirley J. Wright
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (4)

Learning Chinese may be one-sided conversation

If the French, the Arabs, the Hispanics and the Americans moved to China, do you think the Chinese schools and people would learn many languages to accommodate us all?

Somehow, I doubt it.

Vickie Currin
High Point

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (24)

Proposed development isn't best for community

As a resident of Guilford County, I would like to state my opposition to the decision made by the county planning committee Aug. 8 to recommend the rezoning of almost 600 acres off North Church Street. I feel very strongly that Bluegreen's plans to develop this property are not in the best interests of our community.

Ben Boven
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Findley had the ability to touch television viewers

My old friend Tom Findley died the other day, and I want to say something about him.

While his later years were at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, he once spent much time in television news in North Carolina. During my 23 years in that business, Tom was one of a precious few people I met who could reach through the camera lens, grab you by the collar and talk to you personally. A hefty, lovable and occasionally temperamental (Aren't we all?) guy, Tom could be uncannily like the late storyteller Charles Kuralt of CBS fame.

Once, at WFMY-TV in the 1970s, Tom filmed a documentary called "Findley on Fat." While sitting by a packed plate of fast food at a restaurant, he seemed to pull you into a chair beside him to learn why you eat too much as he gestured at you with a pickle between his fingers. Pure Tom!

I hadn't seen him in years when his obituary surprised and saddened me. Some veteran viewers and I will long remember him.

Rick Amme
Winston-Salem

Amme is a former TV journalist.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

Just open our borders and let the whole world in

It is time to look beyond the problem of undocumented workers. The president has shown no desire to seal our borders. Congress has also declined to act. The president of Mexico has stated, "Mexico does not stop at the border.”

All around the world, millions of people are trying to enter the United States legally. This makes our immigration policies a charade, and as usual the law-abiding lose out.

It is time to do what many people seem to want. We must open all our borders to all comers. Why are the impoverished from around the world less deserving than others? We have to be prepared to deal with the stampede that will hit America. I imagine that at least 300-plus million will take advantage. We must learn to expect less. Pay will drop, health services will be smothered, and school systems choked.

I think you can imagine the ramifications for yourself. There are 6.6 billion people on this planet.

Good luck.

Oh, and by the way, among the newcomers will be many professionals, doctors, engineers, nurses, academicians, computer professionals and media types. All of whom will undercut your pay and take your jobs.

Edward Philpott
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

There's no progress in Iraq

A comment about your front-page story on Iraq (Sept. 10): We don't have "progress” in the war today. We only have "regress” to state-sponsored uncivilized behavior.

War is no way to solve supply problems in our modern world of instant communication and unspeakably horrific weapons. Guns are bad enough, but depleted uranium weapons are truly evil and a true crime against humanity. That's not progress, and we all know it.

Arden N. Kirkman
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (41)

September 16, 2007

Who's got the water for city's new residents?

Imagine my bewilderment to read in the News & Record (Sept. 5) that our city fathers have decided to annex another 10,000 residents into a city that cannot supply adequate water to its current residents, let alone new ones.

May I assume by their actions that our water supply is indeed bountiful and that I may begin watering my parched garden again? What are they thinking?

Chip Callaway
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (8)

Overusing well water depletes resources, too

This adds to the Sept. 9 editorial, "Well users can waste water, too." It is a bad idea because it affects the inflow to our municipal water supplies.

In Guilford County, about half of the yearly flow in our streams and then into our reservoirs is from groundwater (U.S. Geological Survey, 1997). The rest is from storm runoff. Groundwater seeps into our streams and emerges as base flow (the water in a stream between storms).

When wells are used to irrigate lawns, this lowers the water table, thus decreasing the base flow. And, it continues to decrease the base flow after the drought ends until the groundwater can build up again.

For those residents in the Greensboro municipal water supply watershed, it has a direct immediate impact, decreasing the water entering Lakes Brandt and Townsend. For those in the Buffalo Creek watershed, it impacts the downstream users in Cary and others who draw their water from Jordan Lake. In any event, watering lawns from wells adversely affects all downstream water users.

Richard L. Phillips
Gibsonville

The writer is a registered professional engineer and adjunct professor in biological engineering, N.C. A&T State University.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (4)

Report the real stories about city candidates

Outrageous! Why is it front-page news that a candidate has the biggest coffers? Why is it front-page news that a candidate has loaned herself money? Why do you highlight candidates who have spent the most money to date? The News & Record is giving candidates free press for the wrong reasons — name recognition, fat campaign chests, or not voting for recall.

I worked for campaign finance reform, and I was in Washington in 2002 with "Granny D" to meet with congressional representatives and encourage them to support the Shays-Meehan bill. It passed. We need to recognize that campaigning is about far more than money; it is about the quality and character and leadership of the candidates.

I submitted a post to Allen Johnson's blog applauding the News & Record for expanding election coverage. Please honor that pledge. It's about time the News & Record gave press to the new faces, the qualifications and experience candidates bring, the debate over issues that matter to Greensboro, and the real reasons people are seeking office. We need City Council members who, regardless of campaign coffers, have the skill and leadership to move Greensboro forward.

Donna Riechmann
Greensboro

The writer is a candidate for City Council at large.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

Biden and Richardson deserve more coverage

In reference to the letter to the editor (Sept. 10) regarding the lack of qualified presidential candidates, I urge the writer to seek more information than what is published by the media. It is unfortunate that so little is written in our local papers about Joe Biden and Bill Richardson. Both men are highly regarded for their experience and contributions in serving the United States. Joe Biden, in his book, "Promises to Keep," offers much for us to consider as we select our next president.

Please, go read.

Lyn M. Strickland
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (13)

September 15, 2007

Greensboro has a legacy of racial inequities

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Jean Rodenbough

The Sept. 10 article on the public gathering to discuss the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission report ("Truth panel finishes review") fails to mention some key points.

To begin with, the reference to the Nov. 3, 1979, event as the "Klan-Nazi shoot-out" needs clarifying. That incorrect description reinforces what has always been an attempt to dismiss a tragic experience, the murder of five protesters.

They were participating in a demonstration that opposed the Klan-Nazi organizations and their baiting of the poor and the black communities. Organized as the Communist Workers' Party, they were demonized by the public so that the Klan-Nazi groups found ready-made fodder for their hate campaigns.

The results were five dead CWP members and 10 wounded.

The public meeting on Sept. 9 was the fourth in a series of communitywide discussions, with the purpose on Sunday to consider the conclusions and recommendations of the commission's report.

Four presentations on the 29 points in the conclusions and recommendations were followed by small-group discussions, after which a general forum provided opportunities for further discussions.

Although the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made international and national news, and was the first in this country to develop such a process, the efforts have received scant attention in the Greensboro community.

The commission's work wasn't the first effort to heal racial hostilities and social inequities in this city. Racial inequities in wages, judicial proceedings, law enforcement, health care, housing and education are constant issues here. The poor, the disenfranchised, the least among us stand before us as a reminder of obligations unmet as well as that of hope for a new day.

Another public gathering is scheduled on the 28th anniversary of the deaths, Saturday, Nov. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Genesis Baptist Church. The purpose is to develop plans for implementing the 29 recommendations listed in the commission's report.

The writer is a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Task Force who lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (6)

Arrest hurts, but Moore's work still appreciated

I am writing this in response to article written about Sgt. David A. Moore's arrest ("Officer is charged with embezzling," Sept. 11).

I met Sgt. Moore when I was a volunteer instructor at Safety Town, and I have known him for probably more than five years.

He became like a father to me; he was, and probably still is, like a father to all of the other Safety Town instructors who were lucky enough to meet Sgt. Moore.

He was also a great person to the children we taught at Safety Town, and I don't think what he allegedly did should make children not trust police officers; he just may have made a very big mistake.

While I am extremely disappointed, I still love Sgt. Moore nonetheless, and I think all of the other former and current Safety Town instructors still love him as well and want him to know that we still care about him.

I would also like to add that his case should not affect whether parents should send their children to Safety Town. Safety Town is an amazing program.

I went when I was younger, and I loved it so much I came back as an instructor. Safety Town can save a child's life.

Caitlin McCann
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

In truth, tax incentives are corporate extortion

Shame on RF Micro Devices and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. They are no better than the Mafioso who tells City Hall, "Do business with me or else."

A bit more subtle, perhaps.

Our elected officials are guilty, too, of succumbing to this extortion. Our infrastructure is crumbling, our schools are overcrowded and antiquated. How much could be repaired and upgraded with the millions the state and county governments have thrown at Big Business?

What about the businesses that don't get a cryin' dime out of the city and state fathers?

Dell Computers has fallen on hard times. Did we just agree to pay 248 million taxpayer dollars to back a dead horse?

Where does it end? Where is the civic pride and sense of responsibility companies used to feel toward the cities and counties that housed them?

The laws of economics once said, "If you produce what people want, you'll succeed."

Now the business schools must be teaching, "Extort the highest amount you can from the government agencies. Forget the free market."

When companies whine about the taxes they pay, I wonder, "Are you asking for a kickback?"

Sandi Campbell
Siler City

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (8)

Evidence that disputes global warming ignored

It has been said that what we don't read in newspapers would fill encyclopedias. Take, for example, the topic of global warming.

The media have taken the position that global warming exists and is caused by man. What this means is that anything that conflicts with these notions about global warming is given short shrift, if it is reported at all.

Consider NASA's report that the hottest year on record is 1998. Advocates heralded this "fact" as proof of global warming.

Someone checking the figures, however, found that NASA's calculations were wrong. NASA has since revised its figures and now concludes that the hottest year on record was 1934 -- a year when there were fewer cars on the road and the world was largely agricultural. Also, 1931 and 1921 are two of the 10 hottest years on record.

One would think this information would be front-page news and the topic of editorials for weeks, given the dire predictions of pestilence and death that are predicted to accompany global warming. It wasn't.

To paraphrase columnist Ellen Goodman, who compared global warming skeptics to Holocaust deniers: If you don't believe in media bias, you are a flat-earther.

Paul Daniels
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (27)

Friendly looks narrower because it actually is

In regard to your Sept. 12 article, "Opinions on changes along Friendly mixed":

If you think the new roadway will be narrower, you are not having an optical illusion. The old roadway had 11-foot-wide paved travel lanes, and the new road will have 10-foot-wide travel lanes (you cannot consider the gutter as a travel lane).

I have seen these figures on the plans, and I have also measured the roadway in front of my home.

Ten-foot travel lanes are not as bad as one might think if the city will enforce the speed limit and restrict large trucks from using them.

I would suggest that if the News & Record wants correct information about a road construction project, that its reporters talk to someone in the field actually doing the work.

Clarence Phillips
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

September 14, 2007

Firm should resume collecting recyclables

Today I got my water bill. Enclosed was a note saying that Waste Management would not pick up recyclables in Stoneville after Sept. 5.

About a month ago, a $12 surcharge was added to our water bills to cover the cost of recycling.

A company that advertises it is environmentally friendly should not be discontinuing a vital service to its customers.

They did say they would have bins to collect recyclables at their offices on N.C. 770.

How many people are going to waste time and gas to carry a bag of recyclables to Waste Management's place of business?

I am sure they have an explanation, if you want to believe it.

George Deaton
Stoneville

The writer is a former mayor of Stoneville.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

Observance focuses on preventing suicides

This is National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, particularly among youths/young adults ages 10 to 24. An Associated Press report noted the biggest increase in suicide was by 10- to 14-year-old girls.

In Guilford County, 51 individuals took their lives in 2004; this statistic, of course, doesn't include unsuccessful attempts.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists these risk factors for suicide: a previous suicide attempt, history of depression or other mental disorder, substance abuse, family history of suicide or violence, physical illness and feeling alone.

Anyone having thoughts of harming self or others needs the immediate assistance of a qualified mental health professional. The Guilford Center operates 24-hour crisis/emergency services seven days a week at 201 N. Eugene St. in Greensboro. High Point area residents can find help Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 211 S. Centennial St., or after-hours and weekends at High Point Regional Health System.

A toll-free telephone information/referral service at (800) 853-5163 is available any time. The TTY number for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers is (866) 518-6778.

Larry Ray
Paula Snipes
Ray is medical director and Snipes is director of nursing at The Guilford Center.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

Missionaries murdered

I have been troubled about reporting on the release of the South Korean missionary hostages by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Most reports stated that two of the hostages who had been held by the Taliban had been "killed" Weren't they actually brutally murdered? They weren't killed in an auto accident or from falling off a horse. They were murdered.

I know it is semantics, but when evil men kill, isn't it murder?

Jim Turnage
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (20)

There's nothing artistic about a stuffed horse

What is artistic about the stuffed horse hanging by its head in a German art museum? Because the horse appears to have been healthy, I doubt it died of natural causes. Perhaps the "artist" killed it in a creative way. Why reward such actions by giving publicity to people who claim such displays are art? (News & Record, Sept. 2).

Why do we humans believe it is our right to torture, maim, abuse or kill any of God's creatures, such as the dead bear pictured on the same page or the "sports" killing by presidential candidate Bill Richardson (News & Record, Sept. 3)?

For the German museum, a more creative display would have the artist change places with the horse.

Other animal abuses, besides dog fighting, include dog racing (cruel treatment and death to losers), horse racing (losers may be sold for slaughter to the foreign meat trade), mink and fur farms (killing by electrocution), scientific research (often repetitive and unnecessary), bull fighting, sports hunting, wild horse slaughter, wolf hunting from aircraft, abandoned pets and cruel treatment of some farm animals.

Even more sickening is human cruelty to one another. How sad.

Peggy McGuire
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (7)

Democrats will go easy on street gang problem

I hope Guilford County residents pay attention to how Democrats nationally are fighting Islamic extremists. Why? Because it's the same way liberal local and state Democrats will fight the emerging street gang problem. They won't.

Sure, they'll study the problem, appoint a task force and maybe move police officers around. But in the end, they'll do absolutely nothing. The gangs will grow as will crime rates. The Democratic response will be the same as in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Baltimore. Promise results and reach further into your pocket for more money.

Nationally, Democrats have surrendered to the extremists. Local Democrats will do the same regarding street gangs.

Jim Sartwell
Liberty

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (16)

Nation can't keep borrowing forever

The following is a Counterpoint:

After this diatribe, I'm sure to be labeled “Son of Cassandra." But so what!

Over the last few decades, this country, in order to support its lavish lifestyle, has begun to rely not on our hard work, not on our vast resources, not on our intelligence and education, not on our democratic institutions, but on our willingness to borrow money in the form of (1) a national debt and (2) a negative trade balance.

We're using a credit card, so to speak, to buy gas, clothes, weapons, mansions and trips to Las Vegas, and we are close to our credit limit, where the risk of not making the minimum payment is high. No matter how well an individual citizen manages his affairs, as a member of U.S. society, he is a debtor to the rest of the world (China, Germany, Saudi Arabia, etc.).

And, like the sub-prime mortgage fiasco, this loan must eventually either be paid back, with less left for us to spend (that is, higher taxes or a weaker dollar), or be defaulted (that is, hyper-inflation).

The bubble may explode next month, next year or next decade, but sooner or later it will burst. And when that happens, great will be the sound thereof, making the current sub-prime case sound like a whisper. We can push the “full faith and credit of the United States" only so far.

Unless, our leaders, the politicians we elect, do something about it. Let's elect people who say, “Voters, we are going to have to tighten our collective belt -- raise taxes, weaken the dollar, or take whatever unpleasant steps needed to head off this impending debt crisis."

Politicians of both parties, I appeal to you to be statesmen and to refuse to run on an “everything is going to be all right; we can go on borrowing forever" platform.

Promise that you will work to eliminate our two deficits by the end of your term or, lacking any progress, you won't run again.

There's little time left. Voters of all persuasions, I appeal to you to vote for these statesmen.

Let's hope they succeed. If they do, they will deserve a second term.

Philip T. Porter lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (22)

September 13, 2007

I've accepted it's time for me to stop driving

Being 76 years old, I have been one of those elderly drivers. But now it's time for me to ride off into the sunset. Because of the medicine I'm taking, I see double.

I can cover one eye and see well. However, I don't think it would be safe for me or another driver on the same road.

I've tried a "pirate's patch" over one eye, but I don't feel secure. Only an emergency would get me to drive now. I know too many of my contemporaries whose reflexes are slow. And they become addled, confused and lost. Even so, they keep driving.

I would like to see many of the suggestions made in your editorial, "Don't run elderly drivers off the road" (Sept. 6), put in place, especially vision and cognitive testing. It all boils down to giving more attention to the older driver now in preparation for the future.

You expressed it well. Thank you!

Joyce Ward
Asheboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

What about careless drivers of other ages?

Thanks for your editorial on Sept. 6.

I'm so glad things are looking up for senior drivers -- they get blamed for everything. But has anyone noticed the driving habits of the 20- to 45-year-olds?

How many seniors tailgate, talk on cell phones, speed ahead when they know a road is narrowing, and cut people off, suddenly change lanes at intersections, always drive over the speed limit?

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. We seniors would be just fine if other age groups followed the rules of the road.

Ann Albright
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (4)

If you see dogfighting, please make a report

For anyone who has even a modicum of sympathy for or belief in the apology of Michael Vick, I urge you to read this article from Animal Law Coalition at http://www.animallawcoalition.com/dog-fighting/article/205
While reading this, remember that we have this very heinous, sociopathic activity in our state, county and maybe in your own neighbors' backyard.

Educate yourself. Recognize the signs of dogfighting. Report it to Animal Control. Then, to make sure it is acted upon, report it to me at 375-3910, or at stop-nc-animal-fighting@earthlink.net.

Dogfighting: Some call it a sport; North Carolina calls it a felony.

BB Knowles
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

Civil rights museum needs urgent attention

While I recognize and appreciate the support for the International Civil Rights Center and Museum presented in the Sept. 1 editorial, "Our downtown jewel," I have strong objections not only to the overall tone of the article but to the reasoning in its supporting arguments.

When discussing the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, it is not enough to say that, "Good things tend to happen in their own good time in downtown Greensboro."

In fact, to begin an article about the sustained, unresolved struggle for this museum with a clichéd, father-knows-best sort of remark is nothing short of insulting. This museum deserves an urgent, unapologetic push for its fruition, not milquetoast assurance that things happen in good time.

Seeing that taxpayers have voted against bonds for the museum twice while voting in bonds for the Greensboro Historical Museum, persuasive arguments should be made that this Woolworth's is as important to Greensboro's history as the Guilford Courthouse.

Instead, the author argues the benefits of tourism and breadth of the cityscape. The importance of the Greensboro sit-ins and the broader civil rights struggle cannot be underestimated in American history, and it is our obligation to take this personally.

Carra Woodham
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (13)

Labor and management dug this hole

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Allen Walton

I would like to respond to Jack Cipriani's Sept. 2 op-ed, "U.S. workers need unions on their side."

While he makes a valid case for the return of labor unions as a way to a "more level economic playing field," he leaves out one factor that contributed to the collapse of unions. The greed he sees in today's corporate America also was present in many past union negotiations. For example, remember those unrealistic wage and benefits packages regularly negotiated by the United Auto Workers and United Steelworkers?

Closer to home were the salaries at Danville's Goodyear and Reidsville's American Tobacco Co. plants. Unions failed as much because of the public's reaction to this greed as to the efforts of Big Business to destroy them.

This is not to say corporate America has done any better. Remember when things were made in the United States, before jobs, with the blessing of the federal government, were exported to Mexico? Corporations also promised increased exports of high-end technological goods to get public acceptance for moving low-end jobs to China. Didn't work out that way, did it?

So, we should recognize the roles labor and management had in getting our nation into its present financial fix. A return to a union-dominated society won't bring back prosperity any more than will a continued acceptance of corporate greed. The solution lies in changes everyone must make.

Government should encourage the manufacture of American-made goods, as Sam Walton did when he helped Wal-Mart suppliers compete with the rest of the world. Too bad that didn't continue.

Our government must also end tax credits for corporations moving factories abroad and insure that those products are safe. We should all buy American-made goods when possible and pressure businesses to provide them.

Finally, we must return to the work ethic that made us economically successful. Educational policy should focus on preparing students for a variety of jobs instead of emphasizing college admission.

Society also must rethink our welfare policies. Require work in order to receive public assistance.

To return to a more affluent working society, everyone must try to find a middle way in work and life. Corporate profits and union wages should be linked to the creation of American jobs. The public needs to better understand how its buying habits affect our overall economy.

Then everyone can say they're contributing to a better, more fiscally sound America.

The writer lives in Ruffin.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (20)

September 12, 2007

Baseball brawls a bad end to season

The following is a Counterpoint

By Michael Zales

Here we go again. The fiasco that happened at our hometown's final home game --no, check that -- final two home games proves that I am right. There is no sportsmanship in professional baseball. When is the last time you heard something good regarding baseball, besides youth baseball?

Maybe the kids can teach the so-called adults how to act like they have got some sense and play the game right. The magic word is respect -- for the game and for each other.

I also have a problem with the league president "reinstating" the ejected players to "finish the game." This made the umpires look like fools for enforcing the rules of baseball. The game should have been forfeited and the fans should have been given rain checks for a future game, although I'll bet many would have rather received a refund.

This decision reinforces lack of respect for authority. Instead of kicking the trouble-making crybabies out of the game, they were allowed to finish. What a joke!

I understand security was beefed up for round two. How was it that I saw no police on the field during the fighting to restore order? This ruckus between two rival "gangs" should have had players arrested. Anyone else, anywhere else and they would have been. More coddling?

Grasshoppers President Donald Moore, bless his soul, seems to want to get the train back on the track. I'm with you all the way, Don, but let's get these players to an anger-management class asap! While you're at, throw in a class in good sportsmanship.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Bellamy-Small fiasco was a product of racism

T.R. Bowden writes in a Labor Day letter to the newspaper that Greensboro City Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small serves black citizens in her district exclusively.

"Therefore," Bowden concludes, "one-third of Bellamy-Small's constituents have no support, recognition or voice on the City Council."

This isn't true. Bellamy-Small supports, recognizes and speaks for me, and the last time I looked, I was white. Anyone can see the entire Bellamy-Small fiasco was racism, impure and simple.

Alan Brilliant
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (8)

Six steps to take locally to improve higher ed

Your article on Americans' disillusionment with higher education ("Debts, Doubts," Ideas, Sept. 2) reflects a national sentiment.

What can be done locally to reduce costs, improve education and ensure access by the broadest number of citizens?

First, higher ed can drive down outrageous textbook costs by refusing to sell overpriced information. If it can offer discounts on laptops, why not textbooks?

Second, higher ed should get out of the sports business. The conflicts have been obvious for years, so why no action?

Third, ban mass-lecture classes that produce low student learning levels and reward professors unable to teach in other ways or uninterested in changing.

Fourth, get community services onto community college campuses. Many working students need child care and health and emergency financial aid. Missing classes to address these concerns has a profoundly negative impact.

Fifth, get higher-ed presidents out of the fund-raising business and return them to their role as intellectual leaders.

Sixth, get parents and students involved in a frank talk about lifestyle. For example, is it necessary for students to live in Marriott-like accommodations?

Should colleges and universities compete for students based on amenities?

Andrew Young
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (4)

Insurer underpayment jeopardizes health care

As a consumer of health care in Greensboro, I felt I needed to weigh in on the current controversy between Moses Cone Healthcare System and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. The people of Greensboro need to know that Cone spends millions of dollars each year in providing indigent care to those in this community who are uninsured. How much money does BCBS spend taking care of those who cannot afford to pay for their care? The answer is zero dollars.

We as a community need to support the health-care system we have. It is top-notch, state-of-the- art care and the care is provided by professionals who want only the best there is to offer despite of the ability or inability to pay. If BCBS continues to underpay this system for procedures their policyholders receive, the overall result is that the community's health-care system will eventually be unable to stay in business.

In recent years, this same situation was played out at High Point Regional Hospital and at Baptist Hospital. They were able to reach an agreement, and I believe the same is possible in Greensboro.

Marie Williams
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (6)

Dogs valued more than unborn children in U.S.

Kudos to the lady who wrote recently about the country's attitude toward the Michael Vick case and who asked why so many Americans are not as sympathetic to the abortion issue.

To quote the News & Record editors on Aug. 25: "The upshot of all this pain and misery is that the ravages of animal abuse extend far beyond the bloody walls of a dogfighting pit. The dogs who are maimed or killed in battle are only the beginning of a long, sad chain of indifference and cruelty."

I wonder: Can we not substitute a few words above, and change the whole complexion of the editorial to address, say, abortion clinics?

It's odd isn’t it? Michael Vick could pay for his wife to have an abortion -- no jail time, no public outcry, no lost wages. But he pays to have dogs killed, and he goes to jail, loses his job and possibly forfeits close to $130 million in future income.

We in America have allowed our judicial system to see a living dog as having a higher value than an unborn child.

We live in interesting times.

Geoffret King
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (16)

The grass is too green in rich parts of Greensboro

I am puzzled by the signs displayed on some very, very large and very, very green lawns in the more affluent parts of our city. These signs appear to indicate that the city of Greensboro condones squandering water as long as it is not coming from a public tap.

Is the city suggesting that we could solve our water problems if everyone would just dig a well or stick a pump into a nearby lake? Should we be handing out tax credits for doing so? Where all levels of government are concerned, I always end up asking myself, How stupid do they think we are? Does the city government think we don't know about the water table and how squandering water depletes a publicly owned resource? Or don't they care what we think?

Susan Stewart
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (20)

September 11, 2007

Cardinal residents do object to annexation

I read with total disbelief Joe Killian's article, "Annexation? Fine by us, Cardinal residents say," in the Sept. 4 News & Record.

He apparently didn't speak to anyone in Cardinal Manor or in many other Cardinal communities. He relates that through annexation we will get reduced water/sewer fees, city trash pickup, city police and fire protection. We already have good coverage by the Sheriff's Office and almost instantaneous response from the Guilford County fire department.

With the stretching thin of the city police by forming two gang units from within an already undermanned force, how will our protection be improved in annexed areas?

He left unsaid the fact that our water/sewer pipe lines and streets won't be maintained by the city but will continue to be the responsibility of the various homeowner associations, i.e., the residents.

I suggest Mr. Killian speak with more than two or three people who may or may not realize what city services residents in these areas will not get for the doubling of their taxes -- services that other city residents get -- before he concludes that annexation "is fine with us."

If we'd get the same services other city residents get for their city taxes, we couldn't object to being annexed.

Ed Travis
Greensboro

The writer is president, the board of directors, Cardinal Manor Town Home Association.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

Lights not synchronized at these intersections

Regarding the Fast Forward article, "Seeing red: It's possible to miss synchronized lights" (News & Record, Sept. 3):

Greensboro's traffic signal engineer was correct when he said "NEARLY ALL of the city's traffic lights are coordinated" (emphasis added).

"Nearly all" does not include the three lights heading south on Lawndale at Cornwallis, the crossover of Lawndale and Battleground, and Battleground at Pembroke. It is impossible to make three consecutive green lights at those intersections, regardless of what speed you go. This creates bottlenecks on one of the city's busiest thoroughfares. Ignorance or ineptitude is the cause, and a rocket science or brain surgeon degree is not required for a solution.

Dan Smith
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Mental health clients hurt by paperwork

A recent article in your paper stated, "It's unacceptable for the state to knowingly allow 15 percent of people with any serious but treatable illness to fall through the cracks." The proper name for this population is "state-funded clients." These clients' mental health requests are handled by the LMEs (the old community health centers).

In the western part of the state, Smoky Mountain Center LME (springing from the old community mental health center) requires reauthorization and resubmission of extensive paperwork every three months for these clients. Providers make no money doing paperwork.

The reason for the "poorest 15 percent" of the states' mental health clients not being served lies with the arduous authorization process mandated by the LMEs. If you want these clients to receive services, the LMEs need to entertain why providers don't want to serve these clients.

The money is the same as for federally funded clients -- for example, Medicaid. The authorization and paper submission process is vastly different.

Marsha V. Hammond
Asheville

The writer is a clinical licensed psychologist.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Many homeowners worried about wells

Fred Cothern (letter, Sept. 4) seems unaware of the fact that many homeowners depend on wells for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, etc. Some developments have wells as the primary supply. Some homeowners, such as us, are unable to connect to city water. As a result, I panic when I see homeowners watering lawns during a drought.

What do we do when the well dries up? I have been using the gray water from the kitchen to try to save some of my favorite bushes and trees. The green and beautiful lawns seem insignificant compared to our household needs.

Perhaps the city ordinance should be changed to include restrictions on well use.

Virginia Sampson
Jamestown

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

Paradigm shift needed on health care

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Stuart Good

As long as we continue to look to insurance paradigms as the answer to health care financing, we will continue to be caught in an endless vortex of rising costs, rising premiums and disappointed expectations. Health care is a product, and like any other product, we buy it with money saved, or we borrow the needed funds and absorb the financial penalty of interest.

Given the extraordinary expense and importance of this particular product, and society's stake in a healthy and thus productive citizenry, there is a role for Washington, but only as an enforcer of savings and guarantor of loans. A national health savings and loan program would work like this:

When a person is born or becomes a citizen, it is mandated that an account be opened at a financial institution (a true "lock-box") with a minimum deposit. Interest earned would be tax-exempt and withdrawals could be made only for health-related reasons. The account would be tied to the individual for life, and deposits could be made by anyone, in any amount, at any time, and would be tax-deductible. In families, the parents would have control over the accounts of their children until they reach their majority. The wise would contribute often to their accounts, enjoy the tax benefits, and have a sizable cushion against future problems. But even the wisest could suffer catastrophic illnesses early in life while the personal fund is still small.

Here the second pillar of government support comes in: underwriting low-interest loans on generous terms.

The program would have to be phased in over time in order to protect those relying on the current system, but it would bring back two crucial forces that are being slowly leeched out of the current system: personal responsibility and market forces. People contributing to their accounts regularly and living a healthy lifestyle will be rewarded; those who do not will be penalized, but financially, and not at the expense of their health. Since the money being spent will be that which has been saved or must be repaid, the account owner will be more circumspect in his choice of providers, thus returning market forces to the equation and lowering costs for everyone. Medical decisions will return to where they should be -- between doctor and patient with a careful, but not fearful, eye toward cost.

Ultimately, placing the responsibility for their most precious possession squarely upon the shoulders of individual citizens will heighten their sense of responsibility in other areas of life as well. A rising tide of health care sanity would raise many boats in the society at large.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (31)

September 10, 2007

Restrict the use of water, even if it comes from wells

During a time of historic drought and severe water shortages, it seems necessary to remind all city residents that using private wells for irrigating lawns diminishes our water table and affects all. Water is not a private resource but a public one. Wells are a particular concern for our falling water table during an extended drought such as the one our state and region are experiencing. Researchers have documented the issue. See sites such as Texas A&M's Ag News site (agnews.tamu.edu) and the Oct. 10, 2006 story found on it -- "Reduce Effects of Drought on Water Wells" -- which calls for judicious use of well water.

I would entreat the City Council to enact mandatory restrictions for all residents, regardless of whether they use a private well or another water source. There should be no exceptions.

Don Adams
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (8)

Clinton owes an apology to Iraq's prime minister

Recently Sen. Clinton expressed "hope that the Iraqi Parliament will replace Prime Minister Maliki with a less divisive and more unifying figure'' (reported in The Washington Post).

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner apologized Monday for saying Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki should be replaced and for "having interfered in Iraqi affairs in such a direct way" (reported by UPI). If the French can apologize, will Clinton and the Democrats also apologize?

You've got to wonder if Clinton would apply this same criterion to herself if she were elected president. Not a chance! If she were a woman of principle rather than political hypocrisy, she would step down from her candidacy. After all, she is the most divisive and least unifying candidate, according to recent Rasmussen polls.

Gerald Hutchinson
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (8)

Presidential candidates inspire call for divine help

If we had caved in to threats and not helped England, France and Belgium in World War I, sat out World War II and given up South Korea to the North Korean communists during the Korean War, do you think the French, Germans and South Koreans would be better off under the rule of the Russians? The only friends we have are the Australians. A token force is just like a bus token. It is a substitute for the real thing.

God help us if we don't see better presidential candidates on both sides than we have. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama are the biggest jokes of all and dangerous. Who even knows who is running on the Republican side? We know more about their toilet habits than we know about their qualifications.

Ken Sawyer
High Point

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (29)

Guilford needs state park, not another golf course

Guilford County commissioners will soon make an important decision on whether to uphold a rezoning request that will allow the construction of an enormous gated golf course community in northern Guilford County. This same land is under consideration by the state of North Carolina for expansion of the Haw River State Park.

The possible expansion of the park is a rare opportunity that will benefit all the residents of Guilford County, not just the 700-plus homeowners who will reside in the proposed development. Do we need one more golf course or do we need one great state park? Do we need one more gated community or a place of recreation and education for the hundreds of thousands of residents of this county, a place where our kids can be kids, exploring the great outdoors, catching glimpses of deer, owls, raccoons and other animals that most kids only see in books?

We need a place where families can camp, hike and explore the great outdoors. Residents of Guilford, please support this rare chance. Contact your commissioners, log on to www.citizensforhawriversp.org for more details, and take action before it is too late.

Kyle Klimek
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Noise from FedEx activity may keep everyone awake

Walter Sperko's Sept. 3 letter indicating that those near the airport are just "whining" because of the impending FedEx facility misses an important point. Everyone near the Greensboro airport or any other airport understands that there may be noise.

My understanding is that when the plan for an extra runway was discussed years ago, it was for a general aviation-length runway for light planes. Such aircraft are not particularly loud and generally land up to about midnight. Few U.S. airports allow all-night heavy-jet aircraft disturbances.

With the Greensboro FedEx facility, I have heard there will eventually be as many as 120 flights per night. Sperko may soon find that he may have spoken without comprehending the amount of noise that a number of circling or departing FedEx, Airbus A-310 or DC-10 wide-body freighter jets can make while he is attempting to sleep, whether his house is near the airport or elsewhere in Greensboro.

Gene Lewis
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (18)

Thanks for doctor's views

I would like to thank Dr. James Weissman for his op-ed column (Aug. 29) concerning the dispute between Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Moses Cone Health System. His point of view and insight are appreciated.

Dan Donovan
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

A local landmark lost

I was interested in your pointing to Fayetteville and other cities for developing landmark buildings just after we have lost our one significant modern building to greed for the carnival atmosphere in the extension of a "friendly" shopping center.

James Tucker
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

September 9, 2007

Views on this and that

Clearing out the cobwebs:

• Sen. John Warner of Virginia leaves a big gap by retiring. He is an honorable, thoughtful public servant. I hope he will hang out with folks like John McCain and Joe Lieberman. They could help this nation regain its balance.

• Gov. Mike Easley deserves a standing ovation for vetoing the $40 million handout the Legislature wanted to give Goodyear Tire & Rubber. Taxpayer money should not be used to give corporations a free ride. Capitalism and free enterprise are great systems — let's not mess 'em up.

• Wake up, City Council and county commissioners! Act on real priorities. We deserve the best law enforcement available to curb crime. Teen deaths by gun and car are out of control. Meet with gangs and the underprivileged and help with ways to a better life.

• As for "breaking news," well, broadcast news is broken for sure. One more pretty blonde talking head with nonstop coverage of Michael Vick, congressional bathroom sex, Diana, etc., and I will regurgitate.

• Once again, a pox upon fast cars, bad drivers, monster SUVs and pickups. They make life less pleasant.

Bill Beerman
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Haw River State Park deserves additional land

In 2001, the Guilford Open Space Program nominated the Haw River for state park status. In 2002, the county commissioners passed a resolution expressing "strong support," helping convince the N.C. Legislature to authorize the park in 2003. It became a reality in 2005 when the state purchased the 200-acre Summit Conference Center from the Episcopal Church. Park plans showed camping, trails and picnic facilities on land adjoining the Summit. Tragically, this property is under option to a Florida corporation, which plans 775 houses in a gated golf-course development.

Despite some increase in the tax base, servicing this huge increase in houses and residents will be a drain to county taxpayers. The park, however, will bring a boost to the local economy. For example, preliminary figures for Hanging Rock State Park show about $8 million added to the economy each year. The rezoning recently approved by the planning board was appealed and will be heard by the commissioners in a few weeks.

The choice is simple: another subdivision or a state park? The commissioners need to make good on their "strong support" pledge. If you agree, write or call your county commissioner and ask for a vote against the rezoning, for the park.

John Jezorek
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

Commissioners show disrespect to residents

There was no justice served to residents of southeast Guilford County in commissioner proceedings Aug. 23. Commissioners chose an asphalt plant that will employ three or four people over the health, safety and property values of thousands of residents in southeast Guilford County.

It was more disheartening to have been treated so shabbily by the commissioners. With all the media attention and the vigorous opposition by residents, we thought we would be heard. When Billy Yow viciously attacked our first speaker, it was a bad omen. Paul Gibson emphasized before the meeting started that he expected those present to show respect for the commissioners who would, in turn, show respect for the citizen speakers. It was clear shortly into the meeting, with lectures from Bruce Davis and Yow, that presenters would not receive fair, impartial treatment. Indeed, we were not even shown respect as constituents.

How sad it is to work so hard and do the best job as an ordinary citizen and have your efforts dismissed and ridiculed. It was obvious that the majority of the commissioners had made up their minds before they came to the meeting.

Linda E. Moore
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

Annexation promises large increase in taxes

I had to chuckle when I read the article about annexation and how you will not pay as much as you think.

I live off Old Oak Ridge Road, very close to Pleasant Ridge Road, and I am sure I will be affected by the annexation. What the article neglected to mention about your new tax bill would be the doubling of your auto tax, which conveniently is not included in your property tax bill.

I live in a very inexpensive house and paid $872 in property taxes this year and $281.97 in auto taxes. My new tax would be approximately $1,915 in property taxes and $563.94 in auto taxes. My savings on water and garbage pickup would be $392, which would still make me pay $762 more in taxes, for no more services, than I did this year.

I am retired and do not consider that increase minor.

Don Edwards
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (5)

September 8, 2007

Color me skeptical

Regarding "The color of money isn't green this year?" (Sept. 1):

The Color Marketing Group and the Color Association of the United States do not forecast color trends any more than meteorologists forecast the weather. (Airplane pilots trust weather forecasts that project five minutes into the future — and even then, they keep their eyes on the skies.) The CMG and the CAUS can no more predict the evolving tastes of consumers than anyone else.

I used to talk with CMG members about this in the 1980s, and they sheepishly agreed: It's entirely possible to agree to set a trend. Then when everyone agrees what the trend will be, we see colors coordinated for the season throughout industries that use color in marketing. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Mark D. Gottsegen
Climax

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Dogfighting's like hunting? No way

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Wayne Smyth

With the Michael Vick case getting 24/7 news coverage, there is scarcely anyone who hasn't been exposed to his plight, which is self-caused. The NFL star screwed up, has pleaded guilty, and will serve his sentence. Afterwards, the question is, will he play again in he NFL?

Well, that's someone else's decision and will have no bearing on my day-to-day living. Let him play for all I care.

That said, I'd like to address something I really resent. Recently, both the NAACP and PETA have issued comparisons between dogfighting for profit and outdoor sports hunting. The two are hardly the same. One actually is a federal and state felony and blatantly illegal; the other is part of our heritage and, within certain guidelines, is protected by law.

Hunters have no interest in exploiting, torturing or maiming their quarry. They go for the quick, clean kill, or pass up the shot. They use what they take and take only what they can use. The real culprits are the poachers, who are criminals. In fact, law-abiding hunters, who detest poachers, provide valuable information to game authorities in order to apprehend these criminals.

Hunters also pay the revenue, making wildlife habitat possible. Developers have done far more damage to wildlife than hunters ever will.

I share the outrage with PETA over dogfighting, but not its fanaticism. I will still consume meat and dairy products on occasion. I will not begrudge the opportunity for farmers, ranchers, hunters, fishermen and the like to make an honest living. I will respect people's pets and wildlife and oppose cruelty to animals.

And, I will still hunt whenever I feel the need to get outdoors during hunting season. Certain animals were put on this planet for subsistence. Others make fine pets and companions. Still others are simply fascinating forms of wildlife to watch. To animal-rights groups, I say, get real.

The writer lives in Fieldale, Va.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

Sheriffs' immigration crackdowns can work

It's good news that Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes is applying to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enable selected officers to be trained to identify illegal aliens.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph was the first local law officer in the eastern United States to take advantage of a provision, 287(g), of 1996 immigration legislation that makes such training possible.

Sheriff Pendergraph described some effects of 287(g) training in a March interview on NPR's "Charlotte Talks":

• It greatly reduced incidence of illegal immigrant gang activity. "The word on the street is that illegal immigrant gangs are kind of laying low because they are very aware of our ability here to identify illegal immigrants and deport you. ... They don't want to get hooked up on some traffic charge and be deported."

• It lowered risks of drunken driving: "A fifth of the 2,600 people arrested and marked for deportation as of August were arrested for drunk driving. ... When you take those people out of the country, there is a good chance that you're removing someone from our community that might run into you head-on tonight — or your family."

Let's hope the federal government provides funding to meet burgeoning demand for 287(g) training.

Tom Shuford
Lenoir

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Aleyna Castillo's story should inspire all of us

I applaud the News & Record for the inspiring story on Aleyna Castillo. She was indeed a perfect choice for the cover of the Labor Day edition.

When I think back on my own carefree college days, I could not imagine balancing a college career, financial responsibilities, raising a young child and caring for an ill family member, not to mention making straight A's. We can all learn a valuable lesson from this hardworking young lady.

I would like to have an address or a newspaper connection so I can send Ms. Castillo a check to help with her books, and a note of encouragement. I know that many of your readers will want to do the same.

Helen Goley
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Column on Michael Vick mixed apples, oranges

Regarding Allen Johnson's column (Sept. 2) on Michael Vick:

His "bottom line" that "outrage from the rest of us rings more than a bit hollow" was not appropriate, nor was it supported by the incidents cited. Every incident involving abuse incites moral outrage. However, the time and depth of emotion correlates with the perceived level of atrocity and the ability to affect outcome.

Regarding perceived atrocity, how could "outrage" for torturing dogs to death, bankrolling gambling and dogfighting be compared with that expressed for "other sports and entertainment figures who have skirted the law"?

This is the "apples versus oranges" game. How could drowning, hanging, beating, electrocuting and savagely fighting any animal be compared with possible outcomes?

Most people are fed up with the countless times the elite have not faced consequences for chosen acts (we would be fired from our job without "financial perks" and prosecuted "to the extent of the law" for lesser offenses).

People would be ecstatic if we ever truly began to have "justice for all."

Charles Taylor
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

September 7, 2007

Bringing troops home spells victory in Iraq

In his letter, "Democrats see Iraq victory as a problem for their party," Dick Douglas suggests that we are winning in Iraq. The president will say we are winning. He wants the war to continue until the United States has enough power in that part of the world to privatize the oil over there.

Douglas most likely bought all the spin of the truth and the downright lies that started this war. Maybe he will cheer on Bush's pursuit of Iran as well? Naive people believe and follow this cowboy president in his ambitions to manage the world for the benefit of a few powerful U.S. corporations.

In the meantime, we are losing more troops every day and our beloved country is becoming a debtor nation and a nation in which its citizens have lost many of their civil rights under the Bush agenda of war and the egregious "Patriot Act."

The Democrats see Iraq victory as bringing our troops home now.

K. K. Mersereau
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

Latham Park project won't prevent flooding

A letter in this column on Sept. 1 expressed thanks to the engineers and contractor performing the project in Latham Park (all those big pipes and, yes, the blasting).

Unfortunately, the writer and many others are under the impression that the project will address flooding of the area. It will not; its sole function is to address the frequent overflow of sanitary sewage which usually coincides with heavy rainfall.

In-depth studies of the hydraulics of North Buffalo Creek in the area show nothing can significantly reduce flood levels in the area.

Allan Williams
Greensboro

The writer is water resources director for the City of Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (6)

Illegal aliens broke law by crossing the border

Regarding Bonnie Miller's letter, "Illegal immigrants aren't really criminals" (Sept. 4). Illegal aliens committed a misdemeanor when they illegally crossed the border into the United States. This makes them criminals.

The reason they illegally crossed the border is irrelevant. Crossing the border would be a felony if we didn't have such a spineless federal government. Any foreigner who would cross U.S. borders without going through established legal procedures has a low-life mentality and would not hesitate to commit other crimes. Thousands of them are in our prison system for committing additional crimes.

Any tax benefits we get from having illegal aliens in this country are more than offset by the financial stress these aliens cause this country by overwhelming our prisons, hospitals, schools and welfare programs.

Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr did the right thing when they voted against the Bush/Kennedy/McCain amnesty bill.

Laird Freeman
High Point

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (5)

Don't blame war woes on Democrats

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Michael Northuis

This is in response to Cal Thomas' column, "Dems adopt 'losing is winning' strategy" (Aug. 25).

Have you seen the recent clips on the Internet of Dick Cheney just after the first Iraq war explaining why we did not go into Baghdad? He concluded in that speech that occupying Iraq would be a "quagmire" and that the country could "splinter" into a chaotic civil war, so here we are now in just the scenario he predicted because of him!

So why do right-wing pundits such as Cal Thomas keep trying to turn this war into a referendum on the Democrats?

Thomas's column, once again, distorts facts to make his "hate the Democrats" point. He asserts that we are on the verge of victory in Iraq and those stupid Dems want to cut and run.

Ever since a recent op-ed in The New York Times from the Brookings Institute and Sen. Carl Levin's assessment that the surge is quelling some violence, pro-war pundits are once again claiming "Mission Accomplished."

Well, here are some current facts surrounding Iraq for Thomas' information: A large number of Republicans are against this war. More than 2 million people have left Iraq since our ill-conceived invasion. Large sectors are still without power or water. Forty percent of the remaining Iraqis are living in extreme poverty with rampant unemployment.

Depending on who you listen to, between 100,000 and 800,00 Iraqis have been killed in this war.

And Thomas has the unmitigated gall to say that "Democrats have painted themselves into a corner"?

What does a victory look like in Iraq? Do all 2 million refugees return to buy the world a Coke? Do all Iraq's widows and orphans win a free trip to Disneyland? According to a number of realistic assessments, we will be in Iraq for another decade trying to clean up this huge, criminal, Bush/Cheney mess.

Everybody is a loser in this war no matter who "wins," except for those invested in weapons and oil. Google "Bush family investments" and "Cheney/Halliburton" to see who some of the big winners are.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (34)

Tough penalties needed for mistreating horses

Have you ever seen a horse so thin the animal was only a frame of bones with skin stretched over? Well, neither had I until recently. Such horses look horrible. One that I saw had been left tied to a tree without food or water -- abandoned by its owner and near death until it was accidentally discovered.

Can legislation be passed in Raleigh to enforce the penalty for equine abuse and neglect? Are candidates or incumbents unaware there is a potential voter base of 1,000 U.S. Equine Rescue League advocates in North Carolina?

For sure, the USERL does mighty work trying to locate and save horses. (Look at www.userltriad.org, second picture.) But the source of the problem is the lack of enforceable laws inflicting punishment to those humans responsible.

Peggy R. Bodenheimer
Winston-Salem

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Event draws attention to suicide prevention

More needs to be done to prevent suicide, a public health problem that claims a life every 16 minutes in the United States. However, stigma and misconceptions about mental illnesses and suicide continue to be barriers.

Because National Suicide Prevention Week is Sept. 9-15, I would like to encourage the public to learn more about suicide. For example, research shows that more than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have an underlying, although not always diagnosed, psychiatric illness at the time of their deaths.

On Sept. 22, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will conduct an Out of the Darkness Community walk in the Triad at Tanglewood Park in Winston-Salem. Funds will support suicide prevention research and education as well as local programs.

Walk with us and help bring suicide "out of the darkness." Together we can help save lives. For more information, visit www.outofthedarkness.org.

Anthony Burchette
Kernersville

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (4)

September 6, 2007

Blue Cross cares most about the green

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Karl Fields

I thought the Second Opinion column by Dr. James Weissman ("Cone-Blue Cross part of larger crisis, "Aug. 29) was very insightful in noting that the greater issue in the Blue Cross and Moses Cone standoff is fair access of all citizens to health care. Many individuals like myself feel that health care should be a right for all.

It was announced recently that North Carolina has 20 percent of its citizens without health insurance. My perspective about the issue is tempered by what I have experienced at Moses Cone hospital.

I have worked at the Family Practice Center there for 23 years. I am not a Moses Cone employee but rather a professor hired by UNC Medical School.

Throughout this period of time, my practice has seen between 40 percent and 60 percent of its patients as either Medicaid recipients or individuals without insurance. Never once has Moses Cone asked us to turn away a patient, regardless of ability to pay or the financial pressures of the institution.

I contrast this with my experience a few years ago when I participated with a group of doctors who spoke to members of the North Carolina legislature to oppose plans that Blue Cross had to privatize the company. The only motivation we could determine was that after four years of record profits, Blue Cross executives could see the potential of a buyout by a larger national insurance company, which would yield multimillion-dollar profits to those in the upper tier of management.

I have trouble believing that Blue Cross cares about fair contracts or premiums when I note the behavior of its executives and the remarkable profit growth they have shown in the past several years.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

In Blue Cross, Cone fight, everybody else losing

The apparent impasse in contract negotiations between Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Moses Cone Health System that is being played out in the media is an unfortunate distraction from the more important responsibility of taking care of patients.

It does not serve patients' interests well when the focus shifts away from patient care and onto secondary players around the patient, such as the payer, BCBS or the hospital provider, MCHS, or others.

The repetitive and expensive public proclamations by each organization is an incredibly wasteful jousting process. It consumes financial resources and human talent in a sideshow with no value. It is not putting patients first. BCBS-NC and MCHS should end their public battle and should privately come to terms that will ensure the continued availability of high-quality patient care in Greensboro.

Dean Mitchell, M.D.
Greensboro

The writer is president, Eagle Physicians & Assoc., PA.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Anti-gang initiative needs our schools' help

In reading the articles and editorials relating to the gang problem, I think there seems to be a recurring problem in addressing the situation. It is unfortunate that by the time a community is aware of this problem, it has to play catch-up in order to deal with it.

Establishing a dedicated gang unit in the police and correctional departments, passing laws that target and punish gang activities and creating jobs and alternatives to the gang lifestyle are all necessary and effective.

The school districts have to get involved and be proactive, whether they think there is a problem or not. Gang recruitment has crossed racial and economic lines. All districts are targets for new gang members.

By having programs starting in the elementary grades that expose the realities of gang membership, the alternatives to this life and how to avoid and say no to joining gangs can impact on the lifeblood of gangs. That is, new members to replace those who are in jail, the hospital or sadly the cemetery.

Howard Claeson
High Point

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Mental health levee has sprung leak in this state

Mark Binker's Aug. 30 story focused on the report by consultant Alice Lin regarding the "transformation" of North Carolina Mental Health.

"In the rush to complete structural changes, the public partners have lost sight of the effect on consumers," the report says. (Binker, Mark, "Mental health services lagging," Greensboro News & Record, 30 Aug. 2007.)

Unfortunately, services have now slipped for six years while the holes in the flow charts are sandbagged. What the article doesn't mention is that county mental health systems are in equal disrepair. These organizations are now responsible for the hands-on treatment abandoned by the state.

"Fundamental disagreements" regarding the state and county responsibilities sounds familiar. That is precisely what happened two years ago on the Gulf Coast. Federal, state and local officials pointed at each other while an entire metropolitan area washed away. Our representatives continue to be more concerned with flowcharts than with human suffering.

Leaks are springing today in the levees that stand between mental health patients and the streets of Greensboro.

Don Ward
Stokesdale

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Dogfighting, hunting different as night, day

For several weeks, people have compared hunters to dogfighters. They do so by opinion and not facts.

Arlene Sweeten (letter, Aug. 30) calls me and other hunters "barbaric and beneath contempt." Has she ever spent a day on a farm contributing to the conservation of wildlife in Jamestown or anywhere else in the United States?

Hunters, through license sales, federal duck stamps and the Pitt-man-Robertson Act, along with private and corporate donations, contribute more than $745 million each year to wildlife (fact). The monitored harvest of game animals prevents the spread of disease and starvation (fact). I work tirelessly for the benefit of wildlife and the outdoors. I try to make sure every animal I harvest is harvested in a clean and ethical manner.

I invite any anti-hunter in the Piedmont to come with me on a hunt. I will be happy to teach any about the outdoors, hunting, time spent with friends and family and the general benefit I bring to wildlife here in North Carolina and the United States. Then try to find a dogfighter who will agree to bring you to a dogfight. Then we will see if hunters and dogfighters are one and the same.

Paul Setliff
Reidsville

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

September 5, 2007

Cool City reductions will benefit kids

The following is a Counterpoint column.

By Deborah Leiner Fields

On Aug. 21, the Greensboro City Council adopted the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, joining more than 600 "Cool Cities" nationwide that have pledged to reduce their cities' greenhouse gas production to pre-1990 levels in five years. This progressive action will move our city toward a healthier future for our children.

The 2007 U.N. Intergovernmental Climate Change Report, a consensus opinion of more than 2,500 scientists, states that "warming of the climate system is unequivocal" and gases released from burning fossil fuel are a significant contributor. Global carbon dioxide emissions increased 80 percent from 1990 to 2005, with the United States leading the pack in both total and per capita emissions.

These changes are affecting human health. Since children are among those least able to adapt, they bear more burden from heat exposure and from waterborne diseases, tick- and mosquito-borne diseases and injury, death and disease resulting from extreme weather.

Ground-level ozone increases with rising temperatures. The American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on Ambient Air Pollution links outdoor air pollution to more asthma attacks and lung infections, more pre-term births, higher infant mortality, permanent deficits in lung growth in healthy children and new onset asthma in children who regularly exercise outdoors. The air in the Southeast is getting dirtier faster than the air in any other part of the country.
Children worry about the world they will inherit. Sometimes they worry themselves sick, like the 13-year-old Greensboro girl with asthma who recently sought medical attention because she was having trouble breathing. She was not having the asthma attack she feared, but an anxiety attack, brought on by fear of the poor air-quality index.

Children feel more secure when they believe adults will protect them. Fortunately, Greensboro's leaders are doing just that. Environmental policy decisions today will have minimal effect on our lives, but far-reaching impact on the lives of our children and grandchildren.

I commend the city for the many energy-saving measures under way and for going a step further by adopting the mayors' agreement. It's going to take visionary leadership and all of us working together to meet the 2012 target. Imagine our academic, faith, health and business communities; our schoolchildren; and private citizens working with city government to create innovative solutions to the climate crisis and building a healthier, more environmentally and economically sustainable community.

The writer is a pediatrician who lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (7)

District 1 recall election wasted city resources

I respectfully disagree with Richard Koritz's Aug. 30 Counterpoint, "Recall rebuff a victory for District 1 voters." I propose an alternative message to those who supported the recall.
To push for a special election in the same year as a general election was folly. It resulted in the unwise use of Greensboro's precious resources. Perhaps recall opponents could have done a better job pointing this out instead of challenging the recall process.

If Greensboro is to move forward, the racial and political rhetoric must stop and honest debates on issues must occur without such flawed arguments and incendiary language. Otherwise a climate of trust and cooperation may never exist and we will struggle to realize our potential. Hopefully, the citizens of Greensboro can recognize this and use better judgment going forward.
The primary fallacy in Koritz's argument is "begging the question." This is a form of logical fallacy in which an argument is assumed to be true without evidence other than the argument itself. When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as proven without logic to show why the statement is true in the first place.

Fred Cundiff
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

Man's best friend has earned that distinction

I have been reading the letters comparing Michael Vick's dog fighting/killing to hunting. I am aware some abhor hunting under any circumstances and it isn't my purpose to debate that. I am, however, compelled to point out that dogs, unlike other animals, have a unique relationship with man, at least in most Western civilizations.

In the earliest days, dogs helped man survive by assisting in the procurement of food. Dogs have acted as guardians, helped locate the lost and injured, helped the police and the physically challenged, helped comfort the sick or despondent, helped win wars and preserve freedom and have become family members. They have given much more than they have received.

They have been fought in confined areas for the pleasure of man. They have been abused, starved, chained up and ignored. Yet they remain loyal to those same people. No man, woman or child would be willing to suffer so much abuse. We ask so much from them, yet often are willing to give so little.

Those who use this opportunity to rant against hunting trivialize the sacrifices dogs have made serving mankind. Instead, they should do something to enhance the life of man's best friend.

Richard Thompson
Asheboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (6)

Rockingham should send Bluegreen packing

John Young's Aug. 29 op-ed, "Parcel essential for Haw River State Park," should serve as a heads up for Rockingham County.

On Sept. 17, Bluegreen Corp. will present a rezoning request to Rockingham's planning commission for 17 housing units, a sewage treatment facility and retention pond. But this isn't the whole story.

The tract under proposal for development crosses into Rockingham County, but lies primarily in Guilford County. Bluegreen plans to build 775 housing units in a gated, golf-course community. Rockingham will provide water via a pipeline running from Reidsville for the 17 housing units located in Rockingham as well as more than 750 housing units located in Guilford. In return, Rockingham will get a whopping 17 housing units, a sewage treatment facility and a retention pond for run-off water from the development and the golf course (which will be sprayed with effluvium from the sewage treatment facility).

Bluegreen Corp.'s proposed development clearly exploits Rockingham County. Let's tell Bluegreen to go back to Boca Raton, Fla. Rockingham County would benefit far more from the expansion of the Haw River State Park.

Joan Kimmel
Reidsville

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

September 4, 2007

DARE a solid program that lacked money

The following is a Counterpoint column:

By ASHLEY CAMPBELL

DARE being taken out of schools should not be commended on any level. Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes did not take DARE out of schools willingly. The amount of funds that were given to him by the county commissioners was not sufficient to continue the program. I know that if there were any way for Sheriff Barnes to keep the DARE program in schools, he would have done so in a heartbeat.

I am part of the Guilford County Sheriff's Office Explorer Post 592. I have talked with the deputies who taught DARE in schools, and they are the most thoughtful and caring people you will ever meet. They are like extended family to me, and they have a special place in my heart. One of the officers said that she wanted to cry when she found out the program had been canceled. One of the deputies I had the privilege of getting to know was the original DARE officer. When the program was canceled, I could only think that all he had worked for was being taken away from him.

While working with the deputies this summer during Safe County, I have seen children run up to the officers and hug them and tell them what fun they had in the DARE program and that they have learned so much. I also remember my own DARE officer, who is now retired but whose memory will be with me forever.

I felt like my DARE officer was a person who I could talk to if I had a problem and know for sure that he could give me advice. I still remember all the things I learned in DARE and use them in my daily life. When I took part in the program, there was no patronizing. The pictures that were shown were only to illustrate to students the results of bad decisions and drug use. These pictures were not meant to frighten children, and the officers explained the pictures.

I will not argue that some children may not have taken anything from the program, but the fact is most of the children learned at least one thing in the program, and that is better than not learning anything at all.

Getting to know all of these officers has made DARE feel even more important to me. I am not the only person influenced positively by DARE; there are many more students and adults who feel the same way I do.

The writer is a student at Southeast Middle School.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

No sex offender lives in this neighborhood

Regarding the story "First-day bus problems irk parents" by Tom Steadman (Aug. 30):
Rick Sherwood of Pleasant Garden states that a sex offender is listed as living in our neighborhood and that he has concerns about his daughter waiting for her bus at the location the school board had designated.

Fact is, there are not sex offenders in our neighborhood. The address Sherwood gave the school board for the sex offender is an empty house and is for sale by Arnold Barrett Realty. This home has been unoccupied for two months.

Obviously, our community is upset about this erroneous statement, especially those people who have their homes for sale.

Roger L. Jarrell
Pleasant Garden

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

Illegal immigrants aren't really criminals

In your AP story of Aug. 25, Sen. Elizabeth Dole appears to confuse illegal immigrants with felons. She says, "Illegal aliens have committed crimes, often over and over and over again, and what can we do?" Is she referring to those people whose offense is to have crossed the border searching for a better life, or is she talking about real criminals?

There is no doubt that the 600,000 or so foreigners who have walked across the border have not been discouraged to do so by our farms, our construction, our meat packing and our hotel and restaurant industries — nor by those of us who would not do the work they do. We all benefit by their presence. Our economy has been significantly impacted by the Hispanics who annually contribute about $756 million (2004) in taxes. Our immigration system is flawed.
Why not work with those people who have a real solution to the problem and not a political agenda? This problem will not disappear, and using sheriffs to enforce immigration laws is scandalous.

By the way, Elizabeth, this constituent encouraged you to support President Bush's immigration compromise bill.

Bonnie Miller
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (8)

Summerfield candidate talking about issues

As a candidate for the Summerfield Town Council, I will focus on important issues, including:

keeping taxes low;

keeping our government small;

creating tax incentives to encourage the sale of homes that are on the market;

providing tax relief for our senior citizens;

working with the Summerfield Recreation Association so our youth are active in sports activities;

meeting with the DOT so I can have a detailed report for the citizens regarding the easing of traffic congestion in our town.

It is time for a better Summerfield. I would appreciate your vote. For more information: www.electdonw.com.

Don Wendelken
Summerfield

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

It's OK to water lawn if you're using a well

Regarding the article "Sprinkler stalker" by Jason Hardin (Aug. 30):

I think before you pit neighbor against neighbor, a la Nazi Germany, you should clarify your article.

I called the number you provided to see if the city of Greensboro had altered the ordinance concerning the use of water for lawns — specifically, that part of the ordinance concerning wells. I was informed that it has not. Those folks with wells, and that probably includes every developed property annexed since 1960, can water their lawns every day of the week all day long as long as their hose is hooked up to their well and not to the city water line.

Maybe Jeff Denny is aware of the distinction. Not all city employees or city residents are. Evidently Mr. Hardin isn't either.

Fred H. Cothern
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (13)

September 3, 2007

Not all count in District 1

A very telling remark was made in the article pertaining to the "Recall Small" petition and vote. Howard Alexander made the statement that T. Dianne Bellamy-Small "supported the black issues." I am certain that is a true statement.

The last census showed that District 1 is made up of 66.1 percent black, 26.7 percent white and 7.2 percent other. Therefore, one-third of Bellamy-Small's constituents have no support, recognition or voice on the City Council. The Founding Fathers referred to this as taxation without representation. Alas, it still holds true.

T.R. Bowden
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Democrats see Iraq victory as a problem for their party

In reviewing periods of time, unusual situations or moments in history, it is often that some relatively unimportant declaration or comment becomes attached to the moment and thereafter becomes a quoted key to the time or situation.

For many years, I have observed political campaigns and ideologies engendered by opposing parties. Nothing I have seen from Calvin Coolidge to George W. Bush has approached the anti-Bush sentiment of Democrats in the past two years. Whatever his administration proposes must be savagely attacked. No reason need be given to alternative proposals; if Bush said it, it is false, unworkable and to be scorned.

We are told this is Bush's war, never necessary, not winnable and to be terminated at once. The Democratic Senate leader has declared that we have lost the war; patriotism calls for the troops to come home.

Recently, reports indicate that we are winning, that victory is in sight, even if far down the road.
A prominent Democrat, asked about possible victory, replied, "If we win this war, victory will be a grave problem for our party." That is the key Democratic quotation of 2007: This is Bush's war, and we prefer defeat to victory.

Dick Douglas
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (78)

Airport area study group should offer clear rules

Well, it's about time. After all the whining from those intelligent folks at the Cardinal about the impending airport noise, we are finally going to come up with a master plan to limit residential construction near the airport (Local, Aug. 8).

We obviously cannot depend on purchasers of housing to choose wisely, but we can count on them to insist that we bail them out when airport noise disturbs them. I guess they just didn't know the Triad was in growth mode when they bought.

The study group should draw a wide band around the airport. Let them anticipate a fourth runway, if not a fifth, which may be necessary to get it right. A well-thought-out plan should make developers happy since they will no longer have to guess where and what they can build on that side of town. Let the commissioners/council members stick with the plan regardless of who may come to them begging for special exemption. After all, once the plan is public, everyone will know what the deal is ahead of time. The sooner it gets published, the better for everyone, so let's see the study group's progress reported in this paper regularly.

Walter J. Sperko
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (0)

The value of state park exceeds that of golf course

Regarding the excellent article on the Haw River State Park (Aug. 26): Two points can be added to the long list of objections to the proposed Bluegreen project.

Previously, you carried an excellent article about the pollution of Lake Jordan by the waters of the Haw River. According to the article, it would take millions of dollars to clean up the lake.

Second, in 2006, both Guilford and Rockingham counties entered an agreement that new water-treatment facilities would not be put within 500 feet of rivers.

Why would we approve this project, which is counter to a mutual agreement made one year ago, and when the company is a proven polluter?

We have the opportunity to preserve a new, growing state park, which would be a hallmark for Guilford and Rockingham counties and serve the citizens of North Carolina. We already have 52-plus golf courses in the Guilford County area (three within five miles of this proposed site). Protect, preserve and grow the already-designated greenway. Haw River State Park or a gated private golf community? For me, Haw River State Park.

Robert Cook
Browns Summit

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

It's time to stop building

It is time for the elected leaders of Greensboro and Guilford County to consider a moratorium on building. Sales of new and existing homes, townhouses and condominiums are extremely slow, hurting the overall community.

We continue to lose the beauty of stately trees that are being destroyed, and now we have a serious water crisis. Schools are overcrowded, and taxpayers are saying "enough."

What does it take for officials to follow the wishes of those who elected them? Greensboro, let's take a time-out and plan the future properly.

George Burfeind
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (5)

Money for public safety deserves first priority

The front page of the Aug. 29 paper had two articles stating that two projects each needed $1.5 million of tax money. One was the International Civil Rights Center and Museum and the other was the Greensboro Police Department.

I hope that the good citizens of Greensboro will agree that a safe city is top priority. I believe that our police try to do as good a job of protecting our citizens and noncitizens as possible. I like to feel free to call on police help whenever I need to.

With more officers, we would get better protection and more laws enforced.

Sandra Davis
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

September 2, 2007

Bush and his advisers makes a mess of Iraq

It is truly amazing what you can learn from the Internet. At one point last winter, 3,000 people a week were fleeing Iraq. Imagine an equivalent number — about 500,000 — fleeing the United States every week.

Yes, Democrats voted for the president to go to the United Nations and do everything necessary to force Hussein to comply. I probably would have done so, with all of the "information" that we were given. After all, we had just seen President Clinton, Vice President Gore, Secretary Cohen and Gen. Clark go into Bosnia, depose a tyrant and try him at the Hague. He is imprisoned for life, not beheaded by thugs. All of this was done without the loss of one American troop or one cent of debt to communist China.

How could we know that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Franks would make such a mess, using the same glorious military at the cost of so many lives, our international reputation and $2 billion debt every month to communist China? Will the people of Iraq ever forgive us for destroying their nation? Will the world ever forgive us? But most important, can we ever forgive ourselves?

Flora Memory
Randleman

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (16)

State park looks better than gated community

The Guilford and Rockingham county commissioners have an important decision to make in the next month. A Boca Raton, Fla., developer wants to build a private and gated golf course community adjacent to Haw River State Park. The state has inquired about purchasing this property for more than two years. The state is willing to pay the market price for this property and close in a short amount of time. Funds are set aside for this acquisition.

Haw River State Park is in its infancy. Without significant contiguous parcels of land, the park will not be able to offer the full range of recreation opportunities. We are on the verge of turning our back on a state park in our midst with this proposed rezoning.

There are numerous reasons for turning down this project, including water withdrawals from the river for golf course irrigation, pesticide and fertilizer runoff into the Haw River, and a private sewage plant in the Rockingham County portion of the project.

More information is available at www.CitizensForHawRiverSP.org

The choice is simple: Do the citizens of Guilford and Rockingham counties want Haw River State Park or a private gated golf course? Please tell the commissioners how you feel.

David B. Craft
Greensboro

The writer is a member of Citizens for Haw River State Park.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (13)

Modern path of progress leaves scars on the earth

A new sign posted in front of some beautiful woods exclaiming a new grocery store "soon to be" prompted this e-mail. I submit a passage from Chief Seattle to remind us of our connection with earth:

"You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of our grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children — that the earth is our mother. This we know. The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself ..."

For those of us who know these words as truth, let us reject our own complaining and transmute our apathy into action. Earth needs our powerful and compassionate voices. May we do our part. Do our best, and live with renewed conviction, creating new awareness and doubt regarding our current definition of "progress."

Barbara Germain
Julian

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (2)

September 1, 2007

Thanks for upgrades of creek at Latham Park

The engineers and workers who are widening the creek at Latham Park (so that it won't overflow anymore) are doing an excellent job. We live facing the park and remember cars washing out of driveways.

Kay Youngblood
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Lawmakers committing highway robbery

The following is a Counterpoint:

By John Beaman

I enjoyed Andrew Brod's column (Ideas, Aug. 26). I, too, wonder about that Yadkin River bridge every time I go over it.

Brod hit a lot of good points, but one he did not hit is the way our legislature is dealing with the issue. Ever since Hurricane Floyd, they have been robbing the state's Highway Trust Fund (from gasoline taxes) to balance their budgets. The budget just passed took $172 million from the fund. According to Brod's statistics, that money would allow all the bridges in North Carolina to be repaired. I understand why this might have been used as a temporary expedient to find funds to repair the damage from Floyd, but that was a long time ago. I can imagine what the nine-year total must be.

Why do they do this? I asked my senator, Kay Hagan, and she replied because increasing taxes enough to avoid raiding the Highway Fund would not be popular in, or pass the legislature.

I can understand that, but sometimes it is necessary to bite the bullet and do the right thing. Our legislature did this in spite of starting the budget work with a $2.2 billion surplus. Why not spend that $172 million from the surplus on roads and bridges instead of other things? Yes, there are tough choices, but I wonder what the legislature's reaction will be when that Yadkin River bridge falls? I realize, politically, that “doing the right thing” is an oxymoron, but if we are ever to get our roads repaired and new ones added, they must leave the fund alone.

A lot of people in this state worked hard to get FedEx and Dell here in the Triad. I am sure those two giants were depending on our road system to be ready when they were. However, completion of our Greensboro beltway has been postponed for at least 10 years instead of being ready in 2010 like it was originally. That sort of delay, for basically political reasons, will not play well the next time we try to lure a large industry.

Until there is public pressure to stop robbing the Trust Fund, it will go on and on. It's too easy to do to avoid doing something unpopular. Speak out to your legislators.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (3)

Let's teach our children in school to avoid gangs

Finally! Some of our community leaders, Dr. James Wyatt of the Moses Cone Trauma Center and Detective Ernest Cuthbertson of the Greensboro Police Department, are speaking out about the growing problem of gangs in our community.

Hunter Hills West Neighborhood Association had the privilege of hearing Darryl Kosciak, Youth First and The Hope Project (gang prevention) coordinator, and Matthew Hogan of the Guilford County Court Alternatives, present an educational guide for a better understanding of this growing subculture. The information was shocking but very informative.

I asked if this information is being offered in our schools and the answer was, "No. The Board of Education will not approve it." How can that be? Why would a board member not want this?

We teach drug, alcohol and smoking prevention. Why not gang prevention? What are we to do? Wait until the kids are in the justice system? It is too late by then.

If we do not teach gang prevention to our children, we are asking for trouble. We will see more violence, death and destruction of property.

I urge each citizen to contact his or her Board of Education member and school principals and demand that gang prevention education be included in all school curricula.

You will be saving a life, or two or three -- maybe your child's.

Pamela Smith
Greensboro

Editor's note: Guilford Superintendent Terry Grier has expressed interest in beginning such a program and has met with police about it.

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (1)

Bush's Vietnam analogy just another deception

The News & Record editorial cartoon (Aug. 25) shows a caricature of President Bush saying, "If we leave now, Iraq will become just another Vietnam." The statement reminded me that when Bush addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention a few days ago, he referred to the bloodshed and population displacement that occurred in Southeast Asia after the U.S. military left Vietnam. He argued that the military withdrawal was the cause of the carnage, and that leaving Iraq would cause a similar result.

I believe it would be more accurate to say the deaths that occurred after we left Vietnam were a direct result of the U.S. decision to intervene in that war. And the current Iraq disaster has one main cause: the U.S. invasion of that country.

American citizens should not buy the Bush big lie.

Bill Burnett
Greensboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (15)

Killers of unborn guilty of worse crime than Vick

What Michael Vick did was reprehensible. What is good is that he has repented, apologized and sought forgiveness. We can all agree on that.

It seems we have more difficulty agreeing about something that is done every day in this country: the senseless and wanton slaughter of human beings still in the wombs of their mothers -- events infinitely more vile and repugnant than the inhumane treatment of animals, as bad as that is. And the perpetrators will serve no time in prison for their murders of God's highest creatures.

Vick has been forgiven by the High Court of Heaven but will likely serve time in an earthly prison -- and rightly so. Do you think the High Court might call abortionists to account? The answer is yes.

Marion Griffin
Asheboro

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (11)

'Unschooled' kids meet the goals they choose

As a home schooling mom, albeit not an unschooling mom, I would like to take issue with Ron Rubenzer's Counterpoint, "Test-taking skills still critical to success" (Aug. 25).

I suspect he, and perhaps many others, equates child-led education with prolonged Lego and video game-playing. In fact, unschooled children mature quite nicely and are led, by their own interests, to meet the requirements for the goals they choose. If a child needs advanced math skills to accomplish his goal, he will find a way to acquire them. If he needs to learn test-taking skills, then he learns them. Eight years of yearly testing is not the only way to learn these skills.

So, if an unschooled child chooses to pursue a tuition-free ride to Harvard or Princeton in our family, then he or she, with parental facilitation, goes for it. And many have been successful.

Patsy R. Manning
High Point

Posted by the News & Record at 3:00 AM | Comments (26)