Is religion now part of Rowan’s rebranding?

And we pray. While I can see the value in prayer as a catharsis — i.e. an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress — I fear that Rowan County has stepped in a big pile of pooh, and it’s starting to stink.

If Rowan is wishing to rebrand itself as a more progressive and vibrant community, you may have just failed. However, Rowan may wish to rename some towns. We already have Faith so that’s a start. Maybe we could change Spencer to Bethlehem and Salisbury to Jerusalem — I hear there is already a Jerusalem in Davie County. I also hear that the Volvo Group invested $2.6 million in Davie and a $35 million Avgol investment created 40 new manufacturing jobs in Davie County.

Where are our jobs? I, however, own a mall that I paid twice market value for and bid against myself for the privilege of paying that exorbitant price and with no real use for the behemoth, other than being removed from the tax books and to bleed off the downtown. I would hope the commission would be concerned about the uneducated kids, the poor, hungry and homeless. And we pray …

— Mark Lyerly

Salisbury

 

Democratic hypocrisy on redistricting

The hypocrisy of the minority party Democrats in their sudden support for a non-partisan redistricting commission is earth shattering, but I guess it shouldn’t be, given the partisan politics of the day.

Let me share some personal history with you.  In 1971 as a freshman Republican senator from Rowan County, I introduced a bill to provide for a non-partisan commission to handle redistricting for congressional and legislative districts. Not only did the majority party (Democrats) refuse to allow the Senate to consider the bill, it would not even allow discussion and a vote in committee. Republicans continued to introduce the bill for at least the next 30 years with no serious consideration from the majority Democrats.

Despite this partisanship, I continued to support an independent redistricting commission for the next 40 years. However, because of the partisan hypocrisy on this issue, I have changed my position. After the Republicans have handled the redistricting for 140 years as the Democrats did with a heavy hand, I will switch my support again in favor of a non-partisan approach.

I would suggest that every time a Democrat urges a non-partisan approach to redistricting, ask him or her what year they took that position. In most cases, they will respond if they are honest that it was after their party lost power!

 

 

Good Samaritans

My brother, Ronnie Sellers, was shopping at Walmart one Saturday night, and they couldn’t accept his check and he couldn’t get to the bank. This one woman told my brother to pick out what he needed out of the things that he was going to get. He had my great-nephew Aidan with him. She paid for what he got. On another day, my mother, Louise Curlee, and my brother went to the produce market in Rockwell when another stranger, a male one, helped them buy a watermelon. We all want to truly thank these good Samaritans. It really meant a lot to our family that they helped out. We do not know their names, but we want to truly thank them.

— Crystal Curlee

Salisbury