How government works
On March 13, the article "Forsyth board OKs sale of old courthouse" told of the approved sale of almost the whole city block with the old courthouse on it for $700,000. Are they kidding? That is all a city block with a building on it goes for in Winston-Salem in 2012?
I supposed they feel if it is sold and renovated into apartments, the tax base will increase. It seems as if the developer is getting this for a steal if the deal is finalized.
On the same day in his column, Scott Sexton wrote of the proposed sale of Joel Coliseum to Wake Forest University and of Bowman Gray Stadium to Winston-Salem State University ("Venue costs are more than city wants to bear"). According to Sexton, the council is also floating the idea of a bond referendum and/or property tax increase in order to expand infrastructure.
When the city needs money, why is the first thing that pops into the minds of the council members a property tax increase? Why do they never consider a sales-tax increase in order to spread the pain around to everyone? It seems to me that a half- or 1-cent sales-tax increase would bring more money to the city and county, but maybe I don't understand how government works.
In 20 years when the BB&T building begins to show its age, the city will be trying to unload that, also. Wait, that may not be such a bad idea, considering the ballpark.
ILA HESTER
Winston-Salem
Bullying
Bullying has become a prominent concern in our schools and communities, but it is not new. There have always been bullies in human society, as with Cain and Abel, as well as in the history of religion and politics. Adolf Hitler was a bully. Joseph Stalin was a bully. Dictators and kings who claimed to be divine were bullies. Even preachers and popes can be bullies when they seek ultimate authority. This is a danger of Islam. Muhammad became the ultimate authority in his rule of Medina, as he eliminated those who did not accept his leadership. Many followers do not claim he was divine, but they treat him with such adoration that no one is allowed to question his teachings or criticize his life without being threatened with murder.
This bullying is a tendency among some politicians because that is what a politician is, one who seeks support of the "polis" — the many. They often gain support with financial favors, and repudiate those who oppose them, claiming opponents to be racial or wealthy bigots — elites who belittle others. This is what dictators and political rulers do: belittle their opposition, often using the media; no wonder society has bullies.
Our Constitution guarantees the equality of all persons, but that depends on the interpretations of judges and political leaders. That is why Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King were so adored. They sought equality for all and did not debase their opposition, only their prejudicial practices.
JIM HELVEY
Winston-Salem
No pledge at all
In his column "Law should make Pledge mandatory" (March 18), John Railey equates forcing a student to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to expecting a student to answer questions when called on in class. This is a false analogy.
Answering questions orally is essential for students to gain confidence and reinforce knowledge. In contrast, a pledge is an expression of loyalty that, if not heartfelt, is no pledge at all.
Students should learn about the pledge, especially the word "liberty." A good illustration of our liberty would be why the pledge should not be mandatory. Freedom from unnecessary government coercion is one reason America is great. It is ironic, but accurate, that forcing a student to recite the pledge is un-American.
DAVID GREENWOOD
Wilkesboro
Finish the Thought
Briefly complete the sentence below and send it to us at letters@wsjournal.com. We'll print some of the results in a few days. Only signed entries, please, no anonymous ones.
"Citizens should only be allowed to use deadly force if …"
How government works. An oxymoron. Anyway, 700 large for the court house is a good deal and is, last I heard, in upset bid period. I suspect owning an entire city block can be exciting. At one time I owned all the houses along one side of a city block and thought that was really something. The group that buys the court house will have their work cut out for them as their expenditures will quickly exceed their initial investment. Then, they have to recoup their investment as quick as possible.
ReplyDeleteKind of what I thought too, but you have more expertise to evaluate the sell than I do. I imagine it is quite expensive to renovate an old building like that, keep it's historic architecture intact and upfit it with modern amenities, safety, HVAC and electrical requirements.
DeleteAgreed; I hope they keep the original architecture. It's a lovely old building.
DeleteThose horrid condos where Fowler dealership used to be are a perfect example of what NOT to do.
Wordly, this ought to make you smile-- TIGTA: IRS 21%-26% Error Rate Results in $14-$17 Billion/Year in Erroneous EITC Payments
DeleteThe Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration yesterday released The IRS Is Not in Compliance With All Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act Requirements (2012-40-028):
The IRS estimates that 21 to 26 percent of EITC payments were issued improperly in Fiscal Year 2011. This equates to $13.7 billion to $16.7 billion in EITC improper payments
Our renter is still current.
DeleteOn the other hand, just got notice of request for unemployment insurance for one of our former employees after he's been gone for a year. The first time he requested unemployment we did not challenge his request, but it was initially denied based solely on the information he supplied the employment security commission. (Got to love the people we employ and rent to). It seems he's already blown through is EITC for this year. He does have custody of his children his wife is the sorrier one of the lot. After he was separated from our employment, and managed to get his own unemployment initially denied he did find another job which gratefully lasted longer than I ever thought it would.
He's one of the ones that spends himself silly when he is momentarily flush with cash during tax season. I also believe he does side jobs for cash which if reported would probably reduce or eliminated his EITC.
Bullying. Ie human nature. Authority over others is a powerful narcotic. A civil representative republic allows room for competing ideas. Fascism 101 begins by silencing opposing voices because of weakness of the fascist position. Our Constitution protects the equality of individuals--not equality of ideas or outcomes.
ReplyDeleteThe pledge...again. Learn what is being pledged and why and to what the pledge is offered.
ReplyDeleteCitizens should only be allowed to use deadly force if …". Tougher than it seems. Much has to do with the proximity of the deadly threat to you. Most cases a 911 call is best. In the meantime if you are in your home, the law is clearer. Outside your home things get murky. Still at other times rules, doubt and adrenaline all compete with judgement. In this circumstance the saying "better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6" applies. Pray you never have to be in this circumstance.
ReplyDeleteA 911 call is worthless if you are in an immediate life threatening situation with an armed, or in some cases, an unarmed assailant. That's why some citizens have chosen to arm themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhat people fail to realize is some people are not armed with same abilities as others in making the right common-sense decisions. If you read carefully in this forum, you will note the lack of those attributes in some individuals.
Deadly force usage: Just because a person is unarmed does not mean that an assailant could not be a threat to you. That person could strangle you, and/or he or she could start beating your head on a cement/asphalt road etc. Both of which could lead to your death.
What people should do, is wait until all of the facts come forward in the Zimmerman/Martin shooting and then start formulating their own opinions.
What has happened is the liberal media has whipped up a racial frenzy, much like they did in the Darryl Hunt case, to attrack viewers. That has resulted in racial animosity. Even though the shooter is a minority in this case Hispanic), the media has made him into a white man that shot an unarmed black boy. The media's conduct is, in my view, deplorable, and dangerously irresponsible.
"Citizens should only be allowed to use deadly force if …"
There are too many different types of circumstances to correctly answer the question.
Here's a question: You're a legally armed citizen. You come home, and you see an unarmed man raping your seven (7) year old daughter, should you shoot him, or call 911?
See my point?
You see someone destroying your online community. There is a virtual hit squad in the community and you have ample virtual currency to pay for a take down. Should you pay for the hit, contact the site administrator or continue to live with the menace?
ReplyDeleteI thought liberals liked diversity Wordly?
DeleteI say pay for the hit.
Delete"You're a legally armed citizen. You come home, and you see an unarmed man raping your seven (7) year old daughter, should you shoot him, or call 911?"
ReplyDeleteGotta love the fantasy world that that one comes from. Here's a far more likely scenario, one that has happened thousands of times:
You're a legally armed citizen. You come home, and you rape your seven (7) year old daughter. Should your daughter shoot you or call 911?
Her Mother should shoot you multiple times and call 911 the next day?
DeleteWhy next day? No reason to be in a rush.
Delete:)
DeleteThe NRA has essentially won the gun rights battle as there has been no serious effort to control gun rights since Al Gore lost his home state of Tennessee in the 2000 election. Instead of declaring victory and closing down or downsizing, the NRA with the expansion of the Castle doctrine and now "stand your ground laws" has found new purpose for its multimillion dollar existence.
DeleteThe only thing I hate worse than cops are wannabes who THINK they're cops, but are really just assholes with guns.
DeleteWannabe, indeed. Got some of them here, locally, that couldn't even make it as volunteer cops.
DeleteBelieve it or not, we have a pretty decent police force, especially the bike cops. Of course, there are always a few bad apples. Not long ago I had one of those control freaks lecturing me on how to cross a downtown street...since I have spent much of my life crossing streets in Manhattan and Chicago with the pros, I expect that I could give him a few lessons.
DeleteArthur is right about the wannabes...I believe we have one on this forum. They are more than assholes with guns...they are a serious threat to all law abiding citizens at any given time, and when one goes vigilante, as happened in Florida, disaster is sure to follow.
Unfortunately, the NRA fruitcakes have managed to pervert the 2nd Amendment into something that it was never intended to be by negating the first part. The amendment is about well-regulated local militias, which we had here (The Forsyth Rifles, an extremely well-regulated and well trained militia)from the formation of Forsyth County in 1849 until they were eventually absorbed by the National Guard in the 20th century.
The amendment was never intended to apply to frightened sissy gun nuts packing concealed weapons in public parks. That is, as my father used to say, "An accident looking for a place to happen."