Winston-Salem Journal LTE's SA 11/05/11

The first Americans
As we enter another Native American Heritage Month (November), I wonder how many people will know or care. The media treat National Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month with more publicity than that of my people, the original inhabitants of this, our native land.
My beloved ancestors, the first Americans, domesticated 60 percent of the food stuffs that are consumed in this country. There are many states, cities and even cars named after our noble races. There would not be a Thanksgiving if not for the generosity of my brothers, the Wampanoag.
My people will always fight for who and what we are, this my proud father and beloved mother have instilled in me. Our people will always love our homeland, from mountains to plains, from the beloved swamps of Robeson County that the proud Lumbee call home and from every corner of this wonderful country. It will always flow through the veins of the true Americans.
While the contributions of my great people will go unnoticed by the average American, we will always be looked down upon by the Great Spirit with his caring eyes and be cradled by his loving hands.
I dedicate this to my beloved World War II-decorated father and my beautiful Indian mother, both of whom reside with the Great Creator. Rest well in our eternal homeland, because one day my name, too, will be whispered upon the wind to be called home, never to part again.

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JOEL M. ROGERS
LUMBEE INDIAN NATION
Dobson

Sensible policy
Since its incorporation, the Village of Clemmons has had a sensible, responsible and conservative fiscal policy of offering services which we can pay for as we go. For 25 years, this policy has worked well, as we now have a $3.1 million unassigned surplus for unforeseen needs. Thanks to a built-in 15 cents tax cap and the actions of responsible, fiscally conservative council members, our tax rate has actually ranged from 9 cents to 11.5 cents to date.
Now we are being asked to depart from this policy of pay-as-you-go and to adopt a big-government policy of spend, borrow and tax. This is a policy that has served us badly. Witness the United States and the North Carolina budget problems.
Is the strip of concrete down the middle of Lewisville-Clemmons Road from I-40 to Stadium Drive and an attempt to widen and plant trees beside existing roads and access routes through shopping centers and heavy pedestrian areas really worth abandoning the fiscally responsible policy that has been so successful?
Let's not be misled by the expensive effort that the current council is making in an attempt to get our support for this project. Let's stay with our tried and true pay-as-you-go plan and not be misled into a dangerous policy of spend, borrow and tax. A vote against the $6 million bond is a vote for our future and responsible, sensible and fiscally conservative government.

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LESLIE G. FRYE SR.
Clemmons

Southern gentleman
Having been an active member of the Kernersville community for over 16 years, I have had the great privilege of getting to know and work with countless members of our community in myriad ways. With this understanding, I must introduce a vibrant member of our community who is seeking to serve this great community again as an officially elected member of the board of aldermen. That individual is Irving Neal; a true Southern gentleman whose first and most important goal of political servanthood is to ensure the people he represents are properly and honestly represented and spoken for in town government. How desperately we need men and women like Neal in our state and national governments today. There is not sufficient space for me to share his many, many qualities and attributes, his love of life, his love of people, especially our children and youth and his devotion to "his Kernersville."
I therefore, most humbly, urge every registered Kernersville citizen to vote in the upcoming election, thereby offering what assistance we can individually and corporately to help fix life today. I also personally encourage our citizens to prayerfully and seriously consider a vote for Irving Neal, who will speak loudly for quality of life, peace and happiness for all people in Kernersville and who will ensure a local government whose function is to serve the people of Kernersville. I thank for your time and I thank you, in advance, for your vote for Irving Neal.

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R. DONALD WINTERS
Kernersville

Future generations
It is interesting, at least to me, to note that a particular political faction harps on not passing government debt on to our children and grandchildren and then, in the next breath, chants, "Drill, baby, drill." I guess this group doesn't understand that we used up our oil 20 years ago and the current reserves belong to our children and grandchildren. What a paradox.

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LOUIS NEWTON
Winston-Salem