Recent letters to the editor:
Tax facts
Letter: So Orange County voters don't want a land transfer tax? Do they think their county Board of Commissioners needs to cut spending and get its hands out of their back pockets? Fat chance! They're going to get you, one way or the other.
Release me
Letter: Two articles on the drought May 7 were truly remarkable.
Policy pawns
Letter: After 23 years as an English as a Second Language educator, I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of talented and motivated immigrant/refugee students and their families. Whether documented or not -- and most were -- all were brought here by parents who wanted nothing more than better lives for their children.
Medicine checks
Letter:We were distressed to read the May 10 letter "Why so few participate" from the man who sought help from the ChecKmeds NC program. No one at two local pharmacies he was referred to knew anything about this medicine-review program.
Tax rightly defeated
Letter:It appears that the writer of the May 14 letter "What ads don't say" was misinformed about the previously proposed and soundly defeated Orange County land transfer tax. It would have taxed the seller of any property, including homes.
The visa factor
Letter:Regarding your May 9 article "Easley supports college for aliens":
Misguided bully bill
Letter:In your legislative summary May 11, you summarized the dialogue over the School Violence Prevention Act thusly: "The battle will likely be over the House's intention to identify students who show homosexual or transgender characteristics as likely targets for bullies."
Practice patience
Letter:Regarding the May 16 article "Death renews fears about street":
Sad news for the East
Letter:It was sad to read that Jerry Allegood will no longer be reporting on Eastern North Carolina ("N&O veteran who reported on Eastern N.C. retires," May 15).
Slow growth effects
Letter:Regarding your May 9 editorial "Paying for impacts":
Don't feed the bears
Letter:Your May 12 article "Meet your big, furry neighbors" was interesting and somewhat informative about black bears and human interaction. It missed a critical point, however, that should have been discussed.
Barring brilliance
Letter:With the announcement that Community College System President Scott Ralls, after the recommendation of Attorney General Roy Cooper, will prevent illegal immigrants from attending North Carolina community colleges, I am reminded of the story of Alfredo Quinones, an illegal migrant worker from Mexico who entered California in 1987.
Safer cycles
Letter:Regarding your May 10 article "As motorcycle riders age, fatal accidents become common":
Hateful descriptions
Letter:With regret, I saw that The N&O, the tocsin, stooped to using "illegal aliens" in its May 14 edition. Would you please substitute "undocumented workers" and deal with the necessary additional space in some creative way?
Energy, water parallels
Letter:Your May 12 article "Cities review drought lessons" noted that Durham and Raleigh will join other cities by enacting tiered rate structures.
Continued access
Letter:I found your May 14 article "Colleges shut out illegal aliens" to be misleading.
Unequal daughters
Letter:It is 2008, where here in the United States we take pride in our Constitution where "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
$5 on the sure thing
Letter:I noticed that John Edwards boldly jumped into the Obama camp.
Staying and praying
Letter:Regarding the May 1 Point of View "Getting personal": Focusing on "guilt by association" is said to be a smokescreen when discussing the real problem with Sen. Barack Obama and his former pastor.
Pick 3 and pay up
Letter:Gov. Mike Easley wants to raise revenue by hiking sin taxes. I have an idea: A 50-cent surcharge on lottery tickets -- if anything just as punishment for clogging up convenience stores!
His own advice
Letter:I don't question Peter Coclanis' credentials with respect to his expertise in affairs relating to Burma, but his May 9 Point of View piece "Once again, the wrong response to a disaster" was a smarmy and pontificating put down of Laura and George Bush -- with a deprecating shot at Sylvester Stallone, no less, thrown in for good measure.
Willing to pay
Letter:I want to state that I follow the guidelines for responsible drinking, which is, on average, I have two standard drinks per day or 14 standard drinks per week. As a beer drinker, I am insulted by lawmakers who believe that making me pay 56 cents per week will somehow be a burden to my budget.
A biblical blessing
Letter:I thoroughly enjoyed reading Yonat Shimron's heart-warming article "Luther Bible donated to college" on May 9. What an amazing story Elfriede Wilde shared with us about the incredible survival of her family's Bible -- a 1686 German edition translated by Martin Luther, who led the Protestant Reformation.
Not helpful
Letter:Although I am no great fan of the Bush administration, I must argue that Peter Coclanis was wrong in his May 9 Point of View in his criticism of the administration's response to Cyclone Nargis.
The promise-keeper
Letter:Regarding your May 15 article "Edwards says Obama is the one": It is not surprising that John Edwards, the North Carolina senator who never was, would endorse Barack Obama, the Illinois senator who is not. They have so much in common.
Punchline, please
Letter:Boy, what courage John Edwards showed by endorsing Sen. Barack Obama after the N.C. primary win. I guess he wanted to make sure who the nominee was going to be before his endorsement so he can be a possible VP candidate again. What a joke.
Not white enough?
Letter:Hillary Clinton's suggestion that white people won't vote for Barack Obama is ridiculous. Obama's mother was white -- just as white as my mother. White people have just as much claim to Obama as black people.
He made a difference
Letter:I was pleased to see Barry Saunders' "One man devoted to voting" column May 8, which acknowledged the contribution to a greater quality of life by Allen Greene Mask Sr. of Hamlet.
Beneficial bats
Letter:Focusing on bats in your May 13 article "Keep rabies in mind outdoors" unfortunately fosters the stereotype that bats are dangerous, rabid creatures. This misinformed stereotype makes people fear a beneficial and generally safe mammal.
