The difference between giving and buying

In case you missed today’s (May 3) “Common Sense” quote, here it is again: “If you are helping someone and expecting something in return, you’re doing business, not kindness.”

That can be worded a little different to help people who don’t understand what a donation is.

If you pay $1 for a book or $7 for pancakes you are making a purchase, you are not making a donation. Here is what a sign states in a well known store on Jake: Free Books!! (in large print) with $1 donation each to CMN (in small print). The books ain’t free; they’re $1 each. Here is what the sign should read: Books — $1 each — all money will be donated to CMN.

The people buying the books are just buying books, not making a donation. If you make a donation you are not expecting anything for your money. The well known store on Jake is making the donation to CMN with the money from the books you bought. The same with the pancakes; the club donates the money, not you. You ate pancakes for your $7.

Also, I would like to thank Elizabeth Cook for a most outstanding editorial today on the tobacco ban. Maybe Greg and Don and the rest of ‘em will M.O.V.E. now

Whitey Harwood

Rowan County

Hayes a bad choice for state GOP chairman

In my opinion, I think that the state Republican Party leadership has made a big mistake installing former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes as chairman.

In 2005, Rep. Hayes, after adamantly saying he would vote NO, switched at the last minute and voted YES to the CAFTA bad trade deal, which helped send thousands of North Carolina jobs south of the border! Mr Hayes violated his word of honor and betrayed our jobs. CAFTA passed 217 to 215.

In addition, Rep. Hayes has voted in favor of Trade Promotion Authority (215-214), foreign aid funding, United Nations funding, UN peace keeping funding, No Child Left Behind, national education testing, federal education grants and the Patriot Act. Twice he voted against withdrawing from the World Trade Organization and defunding the United Nations.

Mr Hayes misrepresents himself as a conservative, IS NOT a man of his word, is NOT a good example and is NOT the kind of chairman we need to lead our party in these uncertain times.

Robert L Simpson

Burlington

No sympathy here for long-term lockups

“ON HOLD Why are some inmates in jail for years?” Sunday, May 8.

Because they broke the LAW!! I will not apologize for being politically incorrect. If we as a nation are going to be SOFT on crime — criminals are going to be HARD on us. As a 31 year career educator, I witnessed an administrator say to a student, “You know this is your fourth second chance.” The administrator demanded of me to apprehend this student, just to set him free! This is a no-brainer — if perpetrators know we WILL pull the trigger on punishment — two things happen: that perp is put away and future perps will be less likely to pull the trigger on crime if they know they WILL pay for it. There MUST be consequences for actions because career criminals do make crime their career. I have NO SYMPATHY for those caught up in the system. Is it more important that the courts are expedient or is it important that career criminals stop committing crime?

John Morgan

Salisbury

Whose rights are really being violated?

Generally I mind  my own business about such things, but when a biological male identifies as female and then proceeds to shower, penis intact, with females, as he claims would be his right (VA federal case), whose rights are violated!

We used to call this indecent exposure.

M.B. Blankenship

Woodleaf

Outsiders connected with voters because establishment did not

The establishment in both parties this election cycle didn’t get the issues that voters cared about like the economy and jobs. That’s why outsiders who were not politicians were able to identify with the voters. People who are in their twenties who went to college and couldn’t find a job. People who are angry at the federal government over seeing no progress and change. I am not here to support a candidate but simply to say outsiders like Donald Trump connected with the voters and the hard working people of this country.

Sterling Pless

Rockwell

Offering some facts on Rowan County’s spending on schools

In recent articles involving school consolidation, numerous individuals continually repeat misinformation regarding the amount of money the school system receives from the county for capital projects. The figure consistently quoted is $2 million dollars per year. This is TOTALLY false! In John 8:32 the Bible says: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Well, here is the truth …

According to the 2015-2016 Rowan County budget, the schools will receive a total of $10,405,500 in capital expense funds this fiscal year. Of course, everyone wants to overlook the fact that all but $2.2 million of this money is debt service on PRIOR capital projects undertaken by the school system. If you want the facts, simply go to the Rowan County website, go to the TRANSPARENCY tab, and look for the BUDGETS tab. This should be required reading for all school board members.

It is also interesting to note that the figures for capital do not include the almost $36 million given to the school system for current expense. It also does not include the more than $4 million that goes to RCCC. Of the almost $139 million county budget, more than $50 million goes to education. Of the more than $10 million that will go to debt service for the schools in 2015-2016, $906,500 is INTEREST. That is almost $1 million each year that does not go to educating children in Rowan County.

Those are the facts … at least some of them!

Jim Sides

Salisbury

Sides is a former Rowan County commissioner.

FDA ruling a slap in the face to smokers

The FDA has decided to regulate e-cigarettes. It fits the pattern that public health will find something wrong with anything to do with tobacco or smoking. Even if they have to make it up or rewrite the rules.

In 1993 the EPA ruled smoking should be banned because the smoke was found to be a carcinogen. The method used to do this was found to have violated the EPA’s and the National Cancer Institute’s guidelines. These failings stopped nothing, tobacco smoke is banned almost everywhere. Now e-cigarettes give off a vapor in the likeness of theater fog or a shower. Water vapor has no harm attached to it. Regulation is still requested although the smoke is harmless. Why?

The e-cigarette has been greatly praised by smokers and some anti-smokers as a tool to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes. Its effectiveness is better than alternatives such as patches, gum and cold turkey. Why is the FDA ignoring this fact?

This ruling will likely have many lawsuits filed against it. The e-cigarette manufactures and retailers will have no choice but to go out of business because the hand of regulation will be so heavy and so ill advised. Losses will be heavy.

The anti-smoking regulators put many restaurants and bars out of business, and losses were in the billions nationwide in the last 20 years.

Ask anyone and they will tell you, don’t stay in an abusive relationship. Do you hear that FDA? Smokers will fight back.

Dave Pickrell

Katy, Texas

Pickrell is president and founder of Smokers Fighting Discrimination, Inc.