Many better uses for $160 million
This has been on my mind for several days, ever since I heard on the news that the estimated cost of the Inauguration and the celebrations in D.C. was more than $160 million.
Everyone wants change, talks about change, wants us to take care of our own, which I agree whole-heartedly we should be doing. How many Habitat Homes would $160 million build? How many pairs of shoes, coats, groceries, medications, would $160 million buy? I understand the need for the actual inauguration ceremony, but is there a definite need to spend that much money on all the celebrations?
The celebrities that are putting out their own money for some of these celebrations are the loudest about spending money on needless things, when we should be putting it to better use. I can list even more things that $160 million can be spent on that I can consider “better use.” What about you?
ó Lena McLeod
Salisbury
What change?We’ve been told that Roland Burris can’t be seated in the Senate because the Illinois secretary of state didn’t sign off on his appointment, but after a little nudging by Obama the Senate decided to seat him anyway. Tim Geithner will undoubtedly be seated as Treasury secretary despite not having paid $34,000 in back taxes until only recently. Eric Holder, nominee for attorney general, advised President Clinton on the pardon of Marc Rich, whose ex-wife made contributions to the Clinton Library and more recently to the Clinton Foundation.
Hillary Clinton will be secretary of state, despite the fact that the Associated Press has uncovered at least six instances where she has favored companies that donated to her husband’s foundation. Not to mention all the foreign countries that have done so, and no doubt look forward to her appointment.
Now, President Obama says some of his campaign promises will be postponed.
Sounds like business as usual in Washington to me. So when does “the change” you people voted for start?
ó Todd Morgan
Faith
Build it downtownRegarding the Jan. 10 letter “Take another look”:
The “powers that be” should look at the done deal being slipped under the taxpayers’ rug. Rowan-Salisbury School officials appear to have decided that they will build it (a new headquarters) on Old Concord Road, and they will come! Let’s step back and do what is right for the school system and also benefit downtown Salisbury at the same time.
If the only thing that will meet the school system’s needs is a new building, why not revisit the idea of a combined school system headquarters/ conference center on city-owned property at the corner of Bank Street and South Main? Yes, there was once a grand vision of building a new civic center/convention center on this property, but feasibility studies at the time revealed that folks from across the region had little interest in bringing their meetings here. Then someone proposed a joint venture between the city of Salisbury and Rowan County to build a multilevel facility that would house school system headquarters on the upper floor(s) and a conference center space on the main level. The conference center would be used for school system meetings as well as for external events such as Main Street U.S.A. meetings, etc.
One could even envision conference-goers staying in a restored Empire Hotel across the street. Additionally, a facility on this site would bring people to struggling downtown businesses and restaurants during the day and evenings. It would also produce many of the other benefits detailed in Michael Young’s Jan. 10 letter to the editor.
Let’s do the right thing for our schools and for downtown Salisbury! Bring the county’s largest employer downtown!
ó Berry Robinson
Salisbury