Too many favors in political arena
I wasn’t too surprised when I read that Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., took the initiative to suggest a list of people to replace U.S. Attorney Anna Mills Wagoner. I would bet that Mrs. Wagoner has had excellent success as U.S. attorney, and she should stay right there in that position until she decides to give it up. There are too many political favors given out by some politicians, and having a list of people to replace good solid people with is nothing more that hogwash.
I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, from state government to Washington, people should not be terminated just because they don’t register the right way on a piece of paper that means hardly nothing.
Had Elizabeth Dole worked harder, she would have won the election for senator, and we wouldn’t be have Ms. Hagan stomping through the Capitol Building wanting all her people put in office. She can smile all she wants to, but in three to four more years, somebody just might wipe that smile off her face.
Ms. Hagan should leave Anna Mills Wagoner alone and get her fanny up to Washington and get the mess up there straightened out. That stimulus package will not be a correct-all and put the country back to being the great, prosperous land itwas 10 years ago. Obama can’t do it, Kay Hagan can’t do it, but somebody should be working to try to get something done.
Leave well enough alone, Ms. Hagan, and tend to more important business of these United States of America. Bet you can’t do it!
ó David Rodgers
China Grove
Honor Guard deserves thanks I just want to respond to some comments I heard about the way the veterans of the Honor Guard hold their rifles when firing at a funeral.
My husband is one of these honorable men. He and most of the men are over 80 and, on top of that, they have had strokes and heart attacks, plus they have had knee injuries and arthritis in their arms and shoulders. It is remarkable that they can even hold a gun in the first place; the guns weigh 8 1/2 pounds and are very heavy.
We should all be proud of these volunteer veterans and the job they are doing in loving memory of their comrades that have fallen.
ó Jean Morris
Salisbury
Meaningless vote on annexation I understand the vote option in the House Bill H524, to be a “we don’t have a prayer” vote provision. How this fits into reality with forced annexations or city invitations to join their planning, please see the example using the town of Cary as an example:
The Town of Cary is a medium-sized city. Medfield Estates, a community of 400 homes, would have to collect 13,000 signatures (from registered voters only) to force a vote, and then mount a campaign to convince city residents to vote against the annexation of our neighborhood. The forms to collect petition signatures would have to be obtained from the town of Cary by a registered voter only.
Let’s say there are 1,000 people in Medfield Estates. Rule out the children, the elderly and infirm from that number to determine the number of people who would have to collect 217 signatures per day to reach the goal barely in time to meet the deadline.
Based on experience with recruiting volunteers who could take on this task, there would probably be 50 people, at best, trying to collect the signatures on a part-time basis in less than two months.
In order to get the full two months to collect signatures, we would have to be watching the Cary Council closely to know that they passed a resolution of intent.
If we were somehow successful at getting the signatures needed, and all the signatures qualified as valid, we would then have to be prepared to run a political campaign at our own expense to counter the campaign using tax dollars that the city would launch at the next municipal election to defeat any chance that the vote would go against the city.
This is not giving us a fair chance at getting a vote or winning one.
In smaller towns, with fewer names required on the petition, it would not be as difficult, but not easily done either. I feel that all citizen-property-owners of North Carolina should get the same advantage of a vote, if any gets one, to be more democratic. After all, our country is set up on democracy, and citizen land owners outside of city limits have never voted for city officials or their League of Municipalities in any fashion. This is not democracy! Perhaps the Senate will do better.
ó Julie N. Perkins
Tryon
Ploy indeed on annexationRe: Annexation bill a ploy (Letters, July 7):
Keith Bost is correct in his analysis of Rep. Hugh Holliman’s referendum amendment. Mr. Holliman barely retained his House seat in the last election, largely due to the issue of forced annexation.
We should all be encouraged, however, that “our” legislative leadership feels it necessary to resort to such as this, along with the shouted oral voting and the unamendable bill titles. Remember what happened last year to the moratorium passed by the House? Leadership in the Senate refused to allow it to come to the floor for a vote, rightly fearing that it would pass.
Along with the growing anger and frustration of the citizens fighting forced annexation is the growing support for real reform of this horrendous law.
Don’t forget to thank those who have actively and publically come to our aid!
ó Marie Howell
Rowan County