Residents have no reason to fear pawn shops in town
Regarding the article ěSpencer residents speak out against pawn shopsî:
After reading the article in the April 14th edition, I felt that I had to respond.
I have managed a pawn shop for nine years, and I am still amazed at how little people know about the industry. We are highly regulated by both state and federal authorities, and work with law enforcement every day. A pawn shop offers short-term loans to clients for unexpected bills, like a car repair or utility payments. You bring in an item and we make a loan for said item, which we then store until you repay your loan. If you donít repay, we then will sell your item.
This does not show up on your credit history, and no foreclosure or repossession proceedings are necessary. Yet people still associate pawn shops with stolen property and thieves. The last place you want to take something stolen is a pawn shop, because you will be caught. People shouldnít be afraid of pawn shops or the people who frequent them. Pawn shops offer merchandise at a bargain price, and carry everything from hand tools to jewelry.
If you have never been inside a pawn shop, I invite you to do so. I think youíll be very surprised.
ó Todd Morgan
Faith
Apathy and ignorance
Do you know the difference between ignorance and apathy? Ignorance is when one does not know he shouldnít commit a crime, while apathy is not caring who gets hurt during the act of committing the crime. Ignorance is when one does not know he shouldnít cheat on a test, while apathy is not caring that it is not fair to his peers who donít cheat. Ignorance is when one doesnít know how to do a job, while apathy is when he doesnít care how his poor attitude or job performance affects his co-workers or customers. Ignorance is not knowing the rules, while apathy is not caring to follow them.
While one might say there is a lot of ignorance in the world, he should be able to see that apathy is far worse. In my lifetime apathy has grown exponentially. Too many people, young and old, do not care enough to follow even the simplest of rules. Criminals donít care because the legal system protects them too much. Workers donít care because they know they have to do something really bad to get fired. Young people donít care because things in their life are set up to give them multiple chances to do whatís right without them ever really getting punished. Society is failing all of these people by not forcing them to learn right from wrong and responsibility for their actions, which is the worst form of apathy.
If we as a nation donít care enough to enforce the rules across the entire spectrum of life, what will our country be like in another 40 or 50 years? Just think about that for a minute. Do you like what you are picturing in your mind?
ó Marty Lowman
Salisbury
A vote for drug testing
Great idea, by all means, for all those on unemployment insurance to take a drug test.
And extend it to all politicians, lawyer and doctors (MDs) ó especially the MDs, so that we may know the best pills to take!
ó R.D. Earnhardt
Spencer