Editor's Note: We received a number of letters from readers unhappy with the departure of Savvy Consumer columnist Vicki Lee Parker, who took a voluntary buyout:

Courage, conviction and passion

I was disheartened to read of the demise of your column in The News & Observer. Since relocating my family and home office to the Concord area, I have followed your great efforts with much admiration and reading pleasure. Your refreshing approach, perspective and presentation of the issues served to bolster any argument or dispel a misunderstanding. Your grasp of the political climate as articulated in your points of view reflects considerably on the high regard and trust your superiors obviously had for you.

I know you certainly enhanced our family discussions. I can only hope that The News Observer's decision to cancel your column was not easy. Nevertheless, courage, conviction and passion, the hallmarks of a true conveyor of facts, are yours to place in a display cabinet.

Allen Fishman, author of "7 Secrets of GEMs" (Great Entrepreneurial Masters) used the acronym PAVE (Passion, Aptitude, Vision to see the big picture and Empathy to the issues) to show the positive qualities successful business people possessed. From where I sit, you could have written the book yourself with little to no help.

I know I will miss you, and I believe so will those whom I have shared your columns with. I know our family discussions will miss the role model you presented.

Felix P. Nater

Concord

Practical, reasoned advice

I hope that this reaches you before you say your last goodbyes to the newsroom staff at The N&O. I just wanted to say that I've enjoyed your column and think that through it you've done a great service to your readers. Your subjects have been timely and your advice, when offered, practical and reasoned.

For whatever it may be worth, I'm more than a little bothered by the message that your release (and those of a lot of the others who were let go last week) is sending to The N&O's readers, be they subscribers or newsstand purchasers. I believe that it's a given that the newspaper industry is struggling, perhaps for survival. The message though, in my opinion, is that while times are indeed tough, we (the management) think that it's more important to keep ourselves around to run this skeleton than it is to retain writers and other staff members who actually reach the public.

I wish you all the best for whatever the future brings and hope that some of your own advice comes in handy for you now.

Mike Strohmeyer

Raleigh

Opening eyes to fresh views

I want to say that The N&O is making a mistake by taking your column from you. I believe you have opened eyes over the years to stories that no one knew about. I looked forward to reading your column every Sunday.

Just for the record, the price going up and the taking away of some of the writers I like is going to determine if I renew in three weeks or not.

James Hardi

Raleigh

Nothing beats a morning paper

Did I read that you will be leaving? I have always learned tidbits from your columns and will miss you. So sad that the nation's newspapers are fading away with technology. Nothing beats a Lazy Boy, a cuppa, and a newspaper to start your day.

Kay Wilson

Cary

Cap mortgage reset rates so families can keep their homes

Of more than $2.28 trillion of adjustable-rate mortgages issued from 2004 to 2006, more than $900 billion worth will reset in 2009, 2010 and later. Many of these loans reset to rates above 10 percent -- sometimes way above. Any stabilization of the financial sector must deal with these mortgages at the base of the pyramid.

One means of accomplishing the cap on reset rates is to use the unfair and deceptive acts and practices statutes -- preferably on the federal level. Mortgage contract terms which would result in a reset rate of over 2 percentage points above that week's national average for 30-year fixed rate mortgages would be presumed to be unfair and deceptive, and be unenforceable at law unless the presumption is overcome in a court hearing.

This proposal would provide a better-than-going rate of return on the mortgage, while giving working families a chance to keep their homes. It would increase the number of these ARMs that have real and ascertainable value on the secondary market.

Families are being made homeless, and children are being emotionally scarred by loss of their homes. A cap on reset rates will give working families a shot at paying their mortgages and keeping their homes.

Sherri Zann Rosenthal

Durham

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