Buying local
A few years ago I kept reading that the "in thing" was buying local. It was supposed to be healthier, supportive of local farmers and venders and better-tasting. So, we opened a little store that supported more than 50 local farmers and venders. Like so many local businesses, we had to close after a couple of years because of lack of sales. What I learned from this was that while it sounds cool to say we support local businesses, what we really want is convenience; one-stop shopping. This is what makes Walmart the success it is.
That's OK, we should all be allowed to shop wherever we want for whatever reason we have. After all, it's our money. But, you know who should not shop where they want? The Winston-Salem city government. When I read in the paper that it has hired a landscaper from Georgia at $64,000 to design a new park at the old Piedmont Quarry, I got very upset ("City's hidden gem," Jan. 29). What's wrong with the landscapers in Forsyth County? I find it hard to support a government that does not support its people. Local government should buy local.
TOM RAIF
Lewisville
Safe Sunday
As youth in this community, we would like to express our opinion on underage drinking and adult alcohol overuse during large situations, such as the Super Bowl. We ask adults to watch the alcohol they ingest, because the more they drink the more their sense of judgment dwindles. They may make decisions that cause harm to themselves and others around them. For everyone's safety, please do not drive after drinking.
Adults should make sure that no one under the age of 21 has access to alcohol anywhere, because that could be the beginning of ruining someone's life. Alcohol negatively affects young people differently than adults. These effects can be permanent because of the developing brain.
Overall, please keep underage people from drinking alcohol at all times, and make sure that everyone is safe on Super Bowl Sunday.
MARCO SANTOS AND NATALIA CASAS
COALITION FOR DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION
YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL
Winston-Salem
Doing our part
For some, the Super Bowl is a time to revel one last time in America's favorite sport. For others, it's a time to spend like a banshee.
Last year my wife and I watched the Super Bowl at home with our three uninterested daughters. The night lacked a certain je ne sais quoi . This year I decided to host a super shindig for friends and family. Little did I know I'd be playing a key role in the revitalization of the American economy.
First, we upgraded our TV. Forty-seven inches of LCD love complemented by an LG sound bar with subwoofer and a new Sony Blue-ray player with Bluetooth connectivity so we could play tunes through our phones. To accommodate the new set-up, we had to rearrange the living room, which meant painting and some new decor.
The money ball continues to roll as we will be putting cash in a team of babysitters' pockets to keep all guests' kids at a neighbor's house so we can be, well, without kids. They'll need pizza, soda, chips, cookies and whatnot, and I feel sure the babysitters won't be cooking that stuff up from scratch. We also need food, drink and paper goods for the adults.
I'd like to think through all this we're doing our part to build community and create lasting memories for friends and family, but I can say with confidence we're doing our part for the economy. And it is so worth it. Go, Patriots.
KRIS KRIOFSKE
Winston-Salem
Crossed the line
The Occupy Movement has been a model of free speech. I have always supported free speech and spent over 25 years in the Army, as have many of my friends, to fight for it and support it. Recently, though, the Occupy Movement crossed the line — a line that I feel it cannot ever be able to cross back over. It has committed a grave error against all veterans and the United States of America.
Members of the Occupy Movement burned the United States flag in Oakland, Calif. ("Protesters vandalize City Hall," Jan. 30). This is the same thing our enemies do. You see it in Iran and other enemy states, not the USA.
I never had any thought in regard to the 1 percent or the 99 percent. Guess who I'm siding with now. I'm actually sick to my stomach, looking at the picture of the flag of my country burning. I think about all of the soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors who have fought and died under the banner of our flag.
WAYNE SMITH
Winston-Salem
Sum It Up
Are you looking forward to the May primary elections? Respond to letters@wsjournal.comand put "Sum It Up" in the subject header. Only signed entries, please, no anonymous ones. Briefer responses receive preference in print.
LTE 1 Buying Local
ReplyDeleteMr. Raif, sorry to hear your business endeavor was not successful. What you write is true. I want to buy locally grown or produced, but end up getting most things at the local grocery store. I really dislike going to Walmart, and usually only go 4 to 5 times per year. If a Walmart were closer, I'd probably do most of our food shopping there sorry to say because Walmart's prices are cheaper than the local supermarket.
I too thought it was terrible that a Georgia landscape company was receiving $64,000 for working on a park in Forsyth County. I mentally justified it by hoping that this was very specialized work and that only a few companies were capable of doing it cost effectively. On the more cynical side, I suppose that somebody on the council or somebody's close friend or family member has ties to the company. An explanation of why this company was chosen in my opinion would be appropriate. As a tax payer, I could justify paying a little more to hire a local company.
". . .As a tax payer, I could justify paying a little more to hire a local company."
DeleteI agree. I just wonder, though: Was there even a mention of a local landscaper having been vetted in the process?
Marco Santos and Natalia Casas: KUDOS to you both! Shamefully, it was not a a couple of adults that put the message together in the manner that you two did.
ReplyDeleteEqually shameful, assuming that both of you are of Hispanic descent, is that your message may not reach a segment of the population that it should. First generation Hispanic immigrants especially don't need Superbowl weekend as a reason to drink. Drinking alcohol and driving are simply a part of the culture and the machismo.
Anything done to excess is harmful. I agree that adults should set a good example. If consuming alcohol, do so in moderation. I just question the science behind all these studies that alcohol permanently alters brain development any more than all of the neuroendocrine disruptors are bodies are annihilated with on a daily basis.
DeleteIf you are not already aware, most teenagers consume alcohol prior to turning 21 and go on to be accepted at very prestigious colleges and universities and become doctors, lawyers, commissioned officers and even clergy. I would prefer that it were legal for young adults to learn to drink in moderation under supervision instead of the underground drinking that goes on now.
In my opinion, this ruse that alcohol changes the brain is nothing more than a sham that treats legal adults (18-20 who are old enough to die for their country) as second class citizens. That being said, it is currently illegal to provide alcohol to anyone under 21 and I do not support breaking the law.
LTE 2 Safe Sunday
ReplyDeleteI may opine publicly on this topic of alcohol and underage drinking. This subject is where I had my first lengthy encounter with Stab on the old, old old LTEs forum, and where I became hooked on reading the now greatly diminished comments to the W-S Journal's LTE.
Suffice to say from this LTE I leaned why I am so messed up as an adult. I only have two jobs, no debt, 1 house and 4 cars, 2 children and 2 dogs. All that legal alcohol consumption when I was 18, 19 and 20 really ruined my life and permanently changed how my brain functions. Maybe this too explains why Europe is so messed up too right now. All of those people who poisoned their minds with alcohol when they were young have grown up to ruin the world's economy.
LTE 3 Doing Our Part
ReplyDeleteWe went to the Yadkin Valley Winter Red wine festival last weekend and bought several bottles of local wine. I consider that my contribution to stimulating the local economy. We'll probably consume one of these bottle during the game as we eat are home baked wings and salsa.
LTE 4 Crossed the line
ReplyDeleteI agree that burning the American flag does nothing but hinder the cause of Occupy Wall Street. The SCOTUS has ruled that this is free speech just like money is free speech.
LTE 5 Prayer, 24-7
ReplyDeleteThe monks at the Vatopaidi Monastery in Greece do appear to almost pray without ceasing according to Micheal Lewis' description of them in Boomerang. According to Lewis, their roll in the Greek debt crises is one of the primary reason the Greek government failed and help precipitate the world financial crisis.
The chapter Beware of Greeks Bearing Bonds is free on Vanity Fair. Link below
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/10/greeks-bearing-bonds-201010
Why the entire town of King NC rallied against an atheist Afghan War hero
Deletehttp://freethoughtblogs.com/rockbeyondbelief/2012/01/23/why-the-entire-town-of-king-nc-rallied-against-an-atheist-afghan-war-hero/