Many accomplishments
Agnes David was a friend of my family since she and her husband, Andy, came to Winston-Salem in 1946 (“Agnes David, a founder of Arts Council, dies,” Sept. 28). She was an absolutely wonderful woman. As has already been reported, she began many endeavors that continue to this very day. And on a more personal note, she was my youngest daughter's kindergarten teacher. And even before that, both daughters loved to go to their house while my wife, Irene, and I played bridge with Agnes and Andy. They had full range of Agnes' art supplies and toys and would play for hours.
Another important contribution to the children in our community that has not been mentioned is that she had a radio program on WSJS just for children. She and Andy were quite an asset to Winston-Salem and they will both be missed by many for a very long time. But their accomplishments live on.
JOHN A. COMAS
Winston-Salem
Obama’s agenda
A letter writer in the Sept. 28 Journal admonished voters to re-elect Obama and give him control of Congress so he can accomplish the things previously” obstructed” by Republicans (“Can’t stop there”). She is either in denial or is ignorant of the fact that Democrats controlled both houses of Congress from 2007 through 2010 and still control the Senate.
Furthermore, examine Obama's agenda: making the U.S. into a European-style nanny state, with big government the answer to all our problems, and our status as the leading democracy in history diminished, led by this man who chastised President Bush for a national debt of $10 trillion while presiding over its rise to over $16 trillion; who promised to save the economy while presiding over an unemployment rate of over 8 percent his entire presidency; who promised to unite the nation while pursuing a policy of class warfare, denigrating those who have worked and achieved success; who uses the Justice Department to do battle with states enforcing immigration laws and who, in fact, refuses to enforce certain laws passed by Congress.
I do not believe that Americans will allow this dishonest and incompetent man to serve another term, in which (as he told the Russians), “I will have more flexibility.”
Vote for a man who loves America and does not despise it, who honors and believes in God, and who will work to save America from the scourge of Obama, Mitt Romney!
WILLIAM C. SIDES JR.
Clemmons
A better way
For some time, editorial-page editor John Railey has had something to say about the crime of forced sterilization performed on some of our citizens (“When connecting in the pain is all you can do,” Sept. 30). He says that $50,000 each would help compensate them.
I strongly disagree for this reason: The $50,000 would certainly not fix what has been done to these victims.
So what is the answer?
My suggestion would be to give each victim free medical coverage for life. Nothing will ease the stigma of what has happened, but it seems to me to be a far better solution.
It may cost the state more in the long run. If so, so be it.
DENNY R. HOLDER
Kernersville
A bit puzzled
I’m a bit puzzled over two current subjects in the news lately. One is voter ID. In all the years I’ve voted I’ve never been asked to show my voter registration card. So it seems that proving I am who I claim to be has never been an issue. So what's with all the fuss now?
And if I have to show some form of ID, big deal. It seems this is just another smokescreen to make the public think the elected officials are at work earning their pay. After all, you need an ID for everything else.
Two is the same-sex issue. I’ve been having the same sex with the same person for 15 years and it’s better than ever! People should worry less about what others do in private and stay focused on themselves. Let God do his or her work in church where it belongs and not in the polls.
People do have the right to believe without trying to recruit others who don’t share their views.
MIKE CHARLES
Winston-Salem
Finish the Thought
Briefly complete the sentence below and sent 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.
“A woman will be elected president when ...”
LTE #2: I'm cautious of letter writers that use the word 'agenda'. First of all, the word has become an over used buzz word. Secondly, this over used buzz word has become a favorite of conspiracy theorists to indict the president simply because there is a need to tie someone to a whipping post. Even though the president doesn't make policy, no one is willing to tie the failed GOP congress to the whipping post. 90% of the members of congress historically win subsequent elections yet there's a 10% approval rating even as we continue to elect them to what effectively becomes life terms. How about we put term limits on congress, too?
ReplyDeleteLTE #4: Amen.
Re finish the thought: Speaking of the failed GOP congress...
Failed GOP? The GOP didn't spend $1 trillion on a failed stimulus plan.
DeleteThe Stimulus plan was actually a success.
DeleteBy whose standards, Obama's?
DeleteBy my standards of analysis of actual economic data and by IHS Global Insight, Macroeconomic Advisers, and MoodysEconomy.com.
DeleteBut while the word "stimulus" may well be toxic from a political perspective, the notion that the stimulus "failed" is debatable at best. Most independent economists say that the Recovery Act - a $814 billion package of tax cuts, domestic spending and money for safety-net programs - has been responsible for more than 2.5 million jobs and has boosted gross domestic product by $400 billion. Without it, according to chief economist for Moody's Analytics Mark Zandi and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Blinder, the unemployment rate would now be at 11%.
LTE #1 - Couldn't agree more. Agnes' son Roger, who was one of my childhood friends, just died a few weeks ago while on a bicycle expedition in the Rockies. He was a pretty terrific guy.
ReplyDeleteThe writer of the letter was an early on-air personality on radio station WSJS and was later general manager, before the station went to the all-blather format.
LTE #2 - If people are going to write letters parroting Rush Limbaugh, they ought to give him co-credit at least, or just sign his name instead of theirs.
LTE #3 - The writer asks "…what is the answer?"
My reply is "I don't know." Nothing can make up for what happened.
LTE #4 - "I've been having the same sex with the same person for 15 years…" Like that!
I agree with most of this LTE wholeheartedly.
But this I disagree with: "After all, you need an ID for everything else." That is a Limbaugh ditto head line.
Not true. There are thousands of people living their lives right here in W-S who do not have picture IDs and would have a difficult time getting one because of the variety of documents required and the amount of travel needed to get them, not to mention the cost of taking time off from hourly pay minimum wage jobs.
A statement like the above is a Romneyism in that it assumes that everybody is just like them, but they're not. Poor people have a lot less of everything, but they still have right to vote. The Republicans have no interest in preventing voter fraud…they are simply trying to disenfranchise the poor.
The proof is in the pudding…almost all attempts at voter fraud in recent years have been precipitated by those very same Republicans. Fools who blather on about illegal aliens voting have not been able to prove any such thing, but they keep on braying…who needs proof? If we just scream loud enough and keep on foaming at the mouth it will seem true.
Finish The Thought - "A woman will be elected President sooner rather than later. Don't be surprised if 2016 is the year."
I'd give more credibility to Rush LIMBAUGH's name and his written/oral content, than your name and jibber jabber, uh Rush.
DeleteLTE #2...Obama's Agenda
ReplyDelete"She is either in denial or is ignorant of the fact that Democrats controlled both houses of Congress from 2007 through 2010 and still control the Senate." First of all perhaps the writer was neither in denial nor ignorant, but to some everything is either black or white, good or evil, with us or against us. Second, having "control" of the Senate does not give either party control over legislation, that takes a super majority of 60. Under the current administration, the Democrats only had control of Senate legislation from September 24th, 2009, through February 4th, 2010, 134 days. After the 2008 election, Senator Al Franken (the 60th Democrat) was not seated until July 7th 2009 because of his legal battle with Norm Coleman. By that time Senator Edward Kennedy was to sick and died on August 25th, 2009. His replacement Paul G. Kirk was sworn in on September 24th, 2009, giving the Democrats the 60 votes needed for cloture. By special election, Scott Brown was sworn in on Feb. 4th, 2010, thus ending democratic control over legislation in the Senate. What was presented in this letter is not technically wrong, it just did not present all the pertinent facts.
"European style nanny state" is an overused absurdity. The national debt on January 20th, 2009 was 10.6 trillion and the budget for 2009 was signed in 2008 by GWB. Let's remember that President Obama took office in the middle of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the economy had already lost 4.4 million jobs and the month he took office it lost 820,000 jobs. The Recession which started in 2007 didn't end until June or 2009. Since the recovery began, the economy has added 5million private sector jobs. If by refusing to enforce certain laws passed by Congress, the writer means DOMA, the Executive Branch has NO obligation to defend a law being challenged in court.
I met Agnes when I went to St. Anne's. Sweet lady.
ReplyDeleteIf you've ever been a supervisor or are currently one now. Employees generally fall into one of three categories.
ReplyDelete1) The ones have you have to say nothing to, because they are always doing their jobs, and correctly,
2) The ones you have to admonish after mistakes,
and,
3) The ones you have to get them in early in the morning, and start chewing their butts out, long and hard, telling them about the mistakes they are going to make during the day, and not to make them.
Rush, would fall into category #3, if I were his supervisor.