Letters to the editor - Monday (6-22-09)

Cuts discouraging for future teacher

Four years ago I decided to go back to college to become an elementary school teacher. At the time I entered college, teaching was the way to go, and it offered good job security. Now, teaching positions are being cut and becoming scarce. What happened? I understand some cuts are needed, but what about those of us who worked so hard for four years and need teaching jobs now?

I also want to know what happened to the funds from the Education Lottery. Where did all the money go? The No Child Left Behind Act is supposed to be for the students, but I believe all these cuts will hurt their education in the long run. It is hard enough trying to give each student one-on-one time, but adding more students to the classroom will make it that much more harder. After all, the population isn't getting any smaller!

How are teachers supposed to be effective in the classroom? What will happen during EOG time? Teachers are the ones that teach the children. They don't make a lot of money as it is now for the work they are required to do, yet the government wants to cut their pay, increase their class size and decrease the number of school days. All this is supposed to help how?

I love children, and I want to be a teacher, but I am beginning to wonder if my four years of college are going to pay off. I hope things will get better before things get worse. I encourage everyone to contact your legislators and voice your opinions and concerns. Let's not let the children's education suffer any more than it has to!

— Amy Kluttz

Rockwell

Risdon has only himself to blame

If Dave Risdon wants to see who's responsible for the failure of the racetrack, and the failure to pay the N.C. Finishing Co. workers, he has only to look in the mirror. This project has always been a house of cards; it was only a matter of time before it collapsed. Risdon never approached it professionally — doing the planning, securing the permits, providing the financing, paying the bills. This was never a sound investment, and investors knew it. After following his carrot on a stick for more than four years, Rowan county is fed up.

What Risdon is good at is telling people what they want to hear, preying on their hopes and dreams — and blaming someone else.

I never did anything but hold this project up to public scrutiny, something it needed more, not less, of. Risdon could not possibly have spent a "tremendous amount of money and time" fighting me. I was never more than a minor fly in the ointment until he needed a scapegoat. I haven't bothered with him at all for several years.

I'm sure he spent a tremendous amount of money on publicity, lawsuits filed by Ellen McGuire and creditors, who knows what else. According to liens on the property recorded by the Register of Deeds, Risdon's burned his way through more than $2.8 million in loans. He had enough money for almost everything but the mill workers.

I'm just glad this unpleasant episode is almost over, and I think most of Rowan county is, too. Let's hope we learned a useful lesson in the process. The next time a project supporter yells excitedly at a pubic hearing "there's gold in this, you can all have some!" don't believe them so readily.

— Ann Brownlee

Salisbury

Congress should fix energy bill

The Associated Press recent ran a story saying Congress is abandoning President Obama's clean energy jobs campaign promises. Oil and coal lobbyists have badly weakened the big energy bill in Congress, even though it still has good parts.

The current bill wouldn't require any more clean energy than is already in the works. Wind and solar create more than twice as many jobs as coal and oil, so this bill won't create the new jobs we need in our community.

Even worse, the bill would repeal parts of the Clean Air Act, preventing Obama from cracking down on dirty power plants.

For the sake of our economy and our planet, we need our representatives in Congress to fight to fix the energy bill. Congress is voting in less than 10 days.

— Michelle Ruff

Granite Quarry

Beach trip's a go, thanks to support

Salisbury High School's DOVE Class (Developmental Occupational Vocational Education) would like to thank all family, friends, community, and Salisbury High School for all the support and donations that allowed us to reach our goal of $5,000.

A special thank you to all of the businesses for your donations that helped make our raffle a success. Our appreciation goes out to Outdoor Power Equipment for their generous donation of the grand prize Traeger Grill.

I personally would like to thank my teacher assistant, Sharon Corpening, for all of her hard work gathering all of the prizes. Without her dedication this would not have been possible.

Due to all of the efforts put forth by everyone involved, my students will be able to experience a once in a lifetime trip to the beach.

— Jacob Pace

Pace teaches DOVE classes at Salisbury High. The students' beach trip is planned for September.