Winston-Salem Journal LTE TH 04/12/12

For Bost

John Bost is a true servant leader. His common-sense approach to all issues will make Forsyth County a better place to live and work. Please vote for John Bost for Forsyth County commissioner.

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ROBERT S. "BOB" PARKER

Winston-Salem

Required for votes

Here are three things citizens not in the top 1 percent should require for their vote:

• No tax bills without public hearing and accountability. Stop the routine practice of inserting favors into tax bills by tacking these onto other bills, often late at night, with no debate. Every tax bill should be the subject of open debate with the names of the sponsors attached. Transparency is good for taxpayers overall, bad for the favored few.

• No more separation of legal and economic ownership. Congress should stop allowing corporations to keep two sets of books, one for shareholders and the other for the IRS. Whatever a corporation tells its shareholders is its profit should be the profit figure on which it is taxed. This would be fought by those companies and industries current law is rigged to favor, but at least they would be in a position of having to defend special treatment.

• State legislatures and Congress should eliminate the limited liability partnership form for lawyers and accountants. Its very nature breeds misconduct into the system. Those in corporate professions will say it leaves them exposed to unlimited liability; however, society functioned well for decades under the old system of unlimited liability, and those who insist on the highest ethical standards by their colleagues have nothing to fear. At the worst, Congress could cap liability at a reasonable level, but one high enough to disallow special-interest protection and those whose conduct least deserves it.

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JANET JOYNER

Winston-Salem

No to amendment

Our Republican legislature has given the people of North Carolina a rare opportunity on May 8 to show the world that we are open, inclusive and embrace equal rights for everyone. Let's take advantage of this opportunity by voting "No" on the proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage.

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WILLIAM A. DAVIS

Winston-Salem

Finish the Thought

Last Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence:

"A race between Mitt Romney and President Obama would come down to ..."

* * * * *

"…a victory for Romney, which will be a win for the American people and an exit from Obama's socialist, progressive destructive four years. If not, this country is doomed."

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LEE JOHNSON

* * * * *

"… the best example of class warfare since the French Revolution. Obama will vilify Romney for having the audacity to be successful, rather than just the audacity of hope. The difference being wishing and doing. Successful people actually have done something, not just explained why their plan failed for the lack of even more money.

"Obama will invigorate his supporters with even more handouts.

"We have created a government-dependent class of people, both recipients of the largess and the ever-increasing number of government employees who have to be hired to dole it out. I hope a President Romney will begin to reverse that trend and allow our society to invest not in 'overhead' but in true growth.

"The government generates nothing but cost and it uses our money to do it."

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KEN HOGLUND

* * * * *

"… skin color."

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ANNE GRIFFIS WILSON

* * * * *

"Between Romney and Obama, I think it will come down to the people that are receiving some type of assistance, like, unemployment, food stamps or some other freebie."

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HAROLD DYSON

* * * * *

"… Obama winning the election. Seriously, folks."

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WILLIAM SAMS

* * * * *

"… the lesser of two evils."

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MONA POTTS

* * * * *

"… the devil and the deep blue sea."

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JONI SWEENEY

* * * * *

"... history. The last two times an incumbent president lost was Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton. Romney is no Reagan or Clinton and he cannot beat Obama, the incumbent."

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KAM BENFIELD

* * * * *

"… whether we want war or diplomacy, whether we want women to make choices about their own body or whether we want a theocracy or religious freedom."

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NAOMI J. DAVIS

* * * * *

"… the whole country losing. What a shame that this is the best this great country can produce to run for president."

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EDWIN J. HALL

* * * * *

"… the economy. It always comes back to the economy. Obama would probably lose to my neighbor's (four doors down) second cousin's twice-removed brother-in-law this year. It really won't have so much to do with Romney, in my opinion. The spend-happy Republicans in Congress failed the Americans and were replaced in 2006. Obama and the Democrats have since failed us — on an even greater scale — and will be replaced in 2012.

"First and foremost it will begin with President Obama. Look for the Senate Democrats to be replaced with a majority of conservatives this fall as well. Americans have awakened, and anyone placed in power in D.C. will in turn be given a short leash — regardless of party. Remember, Bush (more specifically, a Republican president) was removed in 2008. But that removal began with House Republicans two years prior. We are on the cusp of seeing history repeated this year. The Democrats were removed from the White House, with it having begun in the House of Representatives two years ago. When will D.C. get the message?"

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WES PATTERSON

* * * * *

"... money power (SuperPACs spending on political attack ads) vs. people power."

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BOON T. LEE

Election Deadline

Letters about the primary election must be received at the Journal by 5 p.m. April 26 to be considered for publication. Campaign workers and family members should please acknowledge their relationship when they write.