Letters to the editor - Tuesday (10-6-09)

Citizens need more than 'courtesy'

County Manager Gary Page has most obviously just moved here from the now-defunct Soviet Union. I read with interest in today's Post his comment that "Commissioners may have a 'courtesy' public hearing" to allow public comment regarding a location of a planned jail annex.

Let me review our nation's Declaration of Independence: "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Building a prison down the street from my residence would ensure the restriction of those rights.

Mr. Page must be reminded that he works in our government, not for himself. Mr. Page must be reminded that as elected leaders, I do not wish to hear about a "courteous" public hearing. I want to hear about several public hearings in which "We the People" of Rowan County can have our voices heard.

In fact, I hereby call for a referendum on the subject as to where to build the county jail annex.

Forget Mr. Page's arrogance of offering his employers, all of us, a "courtesy" hearing. I ask the county commission to replace Mr. Page, since he obviously does not feel "We the People" deserve a voice in where "We the People" wish to house a county jail annex.

I wish to start my public hearing right here in the Post. I do not wish to have my neighborhood life disrupted from a prison escape. I do not wish my county taxes to be wasted on a satellite facility; keep the facilities central to one another to save money. I work all the time to increase my property value, not decrease it.

Stand corrected, Mr. Page, my voice is your job, along with the rest of the 140,000 residents of our county.

— Dave Lannon

Salisbury

Vote 'yes' in Nov.

It would be refreshing if information was made available to all taxpaying landowners by simply sending this information to all county real property owners so that they may truly see the big picture and not what the Salisbury Post wants its community to read. The Salisbury Post is famous for stirring the pot; it is evident in its printing every single day. By omission of important, valid information, the general public can not make intelligent, informed decisions.

I applaud the county commissioners on their research. I understand their decision after digging, making several calls, and weighing in on all the facts involved to come to the right decision.

I will vote in November for the jail annex to be on the county-owned property on Heilig Road and agree to a small increase in sales tax where everyone shares in the costs, and not just the landowners.

Please get all the pertinent information out to the Rowan County taxpayers. Too long the landowners have been footing the bill for all the citizens of Rowan county.

— B.C. Hudd

Granite Quarry

Show respect

"People need to stop being stupid and give some respect to one another." I borrow this quote from a recent submission, one of two in response to the trapping of cats on one's own property. In the letter, it is assumed that no communication has occurred with the neighbor regarding the animal, that the animal has likely made a temporary escape from its home and that it has fallen victim, purposely lured from its own yard.

In the interest of perspective, I offer from experience that not all cats are house-kept and not all owners behave responsibly — this stated in the second response with regard to spaying/neutering. Such owners may be quite aware their animals haunt neighboring yards and, though having been informed by those neighbors of the annoyance, fail to take action.

"To respect one another" indicates a reciprocal relationship. Therefore, the cat owner must also consider that perhaps the neighbor does not wish his/her yard to serve as a litter-box and his/her vehicle walked upon; that cat fur may trigger an asthmatic/allergic reaction in certain people; or that the neighbor may simply appreciate wildlife in his/her yard, which roving cats tend to keep at bay.

Rationally (and legally), the same boundary which determines to whom a property belongs also determines who has influence over it. Simply put, if the animal remains on the owner's property, it should be safe. But if constantly allowed to disturb the neighborhood, where then is the desired respect?

Finally, though I possess no cats, I do have a good friend who is a cat, well-cared for by his owners. A total house-cat, he aggravates only those who enter his home. When I visit, he cannot wait for me to remove my shoes so that he can lie on them.

— Erik M. Griffen

China Grove