New concept
I find it ironic that our wonderful state legislators can't seem to find money to continue to fund important educational programs for our kids, such as the N.C. Teaching Fellowship program, yet they can come up with 10 times as much to fund re-election campaigns for themselves and their own political party.
Here is a new concept: Whichever legislators are able to raise the most money for state educational programs get to keep their state jobs, and the rest of them can join the nearly 11 percent of their unemployed constituents whom they could not create jobs for while in office.
BOBBY KENNEDY
Lexington
Practical and fair
The writer of the letter "Gay marriage amendment" (Nov. 8) says that gay people already have the same rights as straight people — they have the right to marry someone of the opposite sex, just like straight people, even though they don't want to. And if gay marriage is allowed, he says, this will be an "additional" right just for them.
But he couldn't be more wrong. If gay marriage is allowed, then straight people, too, would have the same right — they, too, would have the right to marry people of the same sex, just like gay people, even though they don't want to.
That would seem just as practical and fair as the way the law is now. More so, actually. Because then everyone could marry who they wanted to marry, rather than who the letter-writer thinks they should marry.
BOBBIE R. LACKEY
Winston-Salem
Economic realities
Your enthusiasm for the new solar plant in Surry ("Surry solar plant helping to lead way," Oct. 28) should be tempered by some economic realities. For starters, when spread over 25 years, the $5 million price tag for the facility amounts to more than $300 per month for each home the facility can theoretically support, assuming even a moderate return on investment. Naturally, there will also be some operational and maintenance costs associated with this facility.
Furthermore, there is absolutely no means available for storage of electricity generated by the facility with today's technology. Therefore, Duke Energy will have to maintain a duplicate set of electricity provision facilities to support these homes/businesses at times when the lack of sunshine prohibits electricity generation at this facility. Given these facts, it is easy to imagine that the cost to provide electricity to homes supported by the Surry facility will be at least four to five times more expensive than the current state average of $100 per month.
Finally, the state's electricity providers have been tasked with providing 12.5 percent of the state's electricity needs by 2021 via "alternative" sources. The state has 4.3 million housing units alone, before even getting into business/government entities. Given the economics behind today's alternative technologies, the rate increase per kwh that Duke Energy is currently requesting, and everyone so is livid about, will undoubtedly be relived again and again during the next decade. That prospect is not something the average family or business should have to contend with.
SCOTT KEITH
Winston-Salem
Correspondence of the week
Sum It Up
I find it ironic that our wonderful state legislators can't seem to find money to continue to fund important educational programs for our kids, such as the N.C. Teaching Fellowship program, yet they can come up with 10 times as much to fund re-election campaigns for themselves and their own political party.
Here is a new concept: Whichever legislators are able to raise the most money for state educational programs get to keep their state jobs, and the rest of them can join the nearly 11 percent of their unemployed constituents whom they could not create jobs for while in office.
BOBBY KENNEDY
Lexington
Practical and fair
The writer of the letter "Gay marriage amendment" (Nov. 8) says that gay people already have the same rights as straight people — they have the right to marry someone of the opposite sex, just like straight people, even though they don't want to. And if gay marriage is allowed, he says, this will be an "additional" right just for them.
But he couldn't be more wrong. If gay marriage is allowed, then straight people, too, would have the same right — they, too, would have the right to marry people of the same sex, just like gay people, even though they don't want to.
That would seem just as practical and fair as the way the law is now. More so, actually. Because then everyone could marry who they wanted to marry, rather than who the letter-writer thinks they should marry.
BOBBIE R. LACKEY
Winston-Salem
Economic realities
Your enthusiasm for the new solar plant in Surry ("Surry solar plant helping to lead way," Oct. 28) should be tempered by some economic realities. For starters, when spread over 25 years, the $5 million price tag for the facility amounts to more than $300 per month for each home the facility can theoretically support, assuming even a moderate return on investment. Naturally, there will also be some operational and maintenance costs associated with this facility.
Furthermore, there is absolutely no means available for storage of electricity generated by the facility with today's technology. Therefore, Duke Energy will have to maintain a duplicate set of electricity provision facilities to support these homes/businesses at times when the lack of sunshine prohibits electricity generation at this facility. Given these facts, it is easy to imagine that the cost to provide electricity to homes supported by the Surry facility will be at least four to five times more expensive than the current state average of $100 per month.
Finally, the state's electricity providers have been tasked with providing 12.5 percent of the state's electricity needs by 2021 via "alternative" sources. The state has 4.3 million housing units alone, before even getting into business/government entities. Given the economics behind today's alternative technologies, the rate increase per kwh that Duke Energy is currently requesting, and everyone so is livid about, will undoubtedly be relived again and again during the next decade. That prospect is not something the average family or business should have to contend with.
SCOTT KEITH
Winston-Salem
Correspondence of the week
Abilene, Abilene
After listening to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff describe how nearly all our elected officials are in the pockets of lobbyists on "60 Minutes," I have a suggestion for our next president. He or she should relocate the government to Abilene, Kan. No staff or assistants of any kind; just the members of Congress, the Supreme Court, the president, vice president and Cabinet secretaries. The executive branch and maybe the Justices could fit on the Obama buses and a special train provided for Congress.
They would each be provided subsidized room and board with jobless Abilene families, which could save upward of 2,000 homes and get them to know real people. Returning Iraq veterans could be used to seal off Abilene from all outside influences. Shared, comingled, open cubicle offices could be provided in abandoned school or mall buildings.
Congress would have to write its own legislation, which would be required reading along with the entire tax code. There would be no adjournments or vacations; only conjugal visits provided via military transports every other weekend. They would be given three years to lower unemployment to 5 percent and five years to balance the budget, after which a national referendum would be held to decide if they could go back home or if Abilene should become the permanent seat of our government.
RICHARD B. HILTON
Advance
After listening to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff describe how nearly all our elected officials are in the pockets of lobbyists on "60 Minutes," I have a suggestion for our next president. He or she should relocate the government to Abilene, Kan. No staff or assistants of any kind; just the members of Congress, the Supreme Court, the president, vice president and Cabinet secretaries. The executive branch and maybe the Justices could fit on the Obama buses and a special train provided for Congress.
They would each be provided subsidized room and board with jobless Abilene families, which could save upward of 2,000 homes and get them to know real people. Returning Iraq veterans could be used to seal off Abilene from all outside influences. Shared, comingled, open cubicle offices could be provided in abandoned school or mall buildings.
Congress would have to write its own legislation, which would be required reading along with the entire tax code. There would be no adjournments or vacations; only conjugal visits provided via military transports every other weekend. They would be given three years to lower unemployment to 5 percent and five years to balance the budget, after which a national referendum would be held to decide if they could go back home or if Abilene should become the permanent seat of our government.
RICHARD B. HILTON
Advance
Sum It Up
Should GOP presidential hopeful Herman
Cain step out of the race because of the allegations of sexual harassment
against him? Respond to letters@wsjournal.com and put "Sum It Up" in the
subject header. Only signed entries please, no anonymous ones.
It's 3am. The phone rings. I have my finger on "the button." I do not want to hear "...uh...1...uh...2...uh...oops..."
ReplyDeleteApplaud letting a man die in the emergency room, applaud executions, boo a soldier in Iraq, and now applaud torture; deny evolution, deny the science of climate change and claim that lowering taxes will increase revenues. Where did it all go wrong?
ReplyDeleteHas another institution failed it's responsibility? The Citadel? The #1 adult responsibility in life, to life, and for life is to protect and educate the young and that's all of us whether we have young or not. It's the moral and biological imperative.
ReplyDeleteAnd let me be perfectly clear: I will not be equated to pedophiles, not yesterday, not today, and not tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteHere are my thoughts. This is an open forum with a very small participatory group with all welcome. Being such a small group of participants, the constant use of denegration against anyone, constantly calling someone an idiot, nitwit, etc, or villainizing homosexuality, although I don't think any of that bother's the adult's in here, O.T. nor I,nor anyone else really, they are easy to ignore, only at some level it's simply cyber bullying, and although we can personally ignore it, the act itself should not be ignored. I am not accusing Bucky of being a cyber bully because I can't really say whether he realizes it or not. I agree with Wordly that Bucky adds to the forum and hope he will continue to challenge liberal and conservative ideas with his own.
ReplyDelete411 I just discovered when you delete your own posts, if you delete it "forever" there is a box to check, it will disappear from the page rather than read "this comment has been removed by the author."
ReplyDeleteBob, in order to keep anyone from suspecting you are hearing "voices" this am, I would like to support your willingness to tolerate he whom I am finding it harder to tolerate when certain subjects are thrust onto the page without warning, prompting or otherwise. I have a suspicion that might be why more people don't participate. Maybe it is or isn't cyberbullying, but it is surely "cyberboorishness" and can kill off a potentially good blog page. I'm sure there are some who might wish I would drop off and stay off. If so, I understand but at least it won't be for ill mannered repetitive attacks done gratuitously to the amusement of no one. Keep up the good work with the site Bob.
ReplyDeleteGary Johnson on Up with Chris Hayes this am
ReplyDeletehmm, I'd have to say Gary Johnson is the R's best candidate
ReplyDeleteon a few issues
ReplyDelete@Bob: Something tells me you are (either) remorseful for having censored a forum participant (or) angry for having censored a forum participant. It may help some to know that I support your decision to do it. It's a shame having to monitor an ADULT in this manner. Stab is correct: it is HIS blog, YOU are his "administrator" so to speak, and HE supports your decision. I hope Bucky does return, he does have as much input as others here. Hopefully, he'll will also self-moderate.
ReplyDeleteAH La Sombra sabe
ReplyDeleteremorse for the delete
anger for all the young lives
I must say that on State of the Union with Candy Crowley,today, Tom Coburn, sounds like a voice of conservative reason about the budget and debt reduction
ReplyDeleteBob, I concur with your decision and with La Sombra's and WW's comments.
ReplyDeleteI wish Bucky would leave that topic alone, but he does add diversity to the forum otherwise.
lol, I like, bucky, we go back a long time, besides it's not worth the process of deletion to make any more points. :) lol, He did dare me.
ReplyDeleteHe's actually been a good teacher for me. Every time he posts, I'm doin research.
ReplyDelete