Do the right thing: repair Lincoln Pool
I’m not quite sure what has caused Salisbury City officials to think that Lincoln Pool should be closed. However, I dare say that this bright idea was certainly not well thought out. Salisbury is a small town with little or no public recreation for its youth. Yet, the mayor and city officials think that replacing the only public pool with a splash pad is sufficient. How in the world would a splash pool accommodate all the children that use the pool?
The fact that the pool has fallen into such disarray rests squarely on the shoulders of city officials! Madame Mayor, it’s your job to see that such facilities run smoothly and remain in operation. Therefore, it’s your problem to solve. The children that use the Lincoln Pool should not have to absorb the brunt of the city’s lack of concern for them. If the mayor, her supporters and city officials were really concerned about Salisbury’s youth, the pool would not be in such terrible condition. Mayor Kluttz, you should have ordered the pool inspected annually for leaks and such. I mean, after all, it is the only public pool that the city has to maintain, DUH!
I, along with many others, enjoyed swimming at Lincoln while growing up in “Dixonville.” For a period of time, it was the only pool black kids could use in Salisbury. I had my first swimming lesson at Lincoln! Needless to say, it is still the only pool that the majority of economically challenged children are able to use. Therefore, I say to the mayor and other city officials, take full responsibility for your lack of action regarding Lincoln Pool! Pay up and have the pool repaired because it’s your fault. To close Lincoln Pool is to take the coward’s way out.
ó Brenda L. Peoples
Salisbury
Judge was urging positive extremism
I felt compelled to respond to the Jan. 24 letter to the editor regarding The Honorable Patricia Timmons-Goodson, associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Judge Timmons-Goodson spoke at Mt, Zion Baptist Church for the annual MLK celebration and Humanitarian Awards Day.
It was obvious to me that the writer of the letter had difficulty accepting Judge Timmons-Goodson’s endorsement of “extremism” in her speech. He was quoted as calling for her to be “reprimanded” and held responsible for her comments.
In my view, the comments by the writer were extremely unfortunate, misguided and reflected a lack of understanding of what the judge really meant by the use of the term extremism.
Extremism was used to refer to Dr. King’s letter to a group of white clergymen while he was confined in the Birmingham, Alabama jail during the midst of the civil rights movement. Dr. King posed the following question: Are you willing to be extremists on behalf of education, community service, achievement and good citizenship? Extremism was interpreted to mean activism and working diligently to fulfill Dr. King’s unfinished dream in positive and meaningful ways.
At the conclusion of the program, six extremists from the local community were recognized and honored for their achievements and contributions.
I say, thank you, Judge Timmons-Goodson, for delivering such a motivational, uplifting and encouraging message. That’s just what all of those in attendance needed to be reminded of and to recommit themselves to continue working towards keeping Dr King’s dream alive!
ó Quentin Woodward Jr.
Salisbury
Could Tiger World take bite out of crime?
I am a neighbor of the big cats coming to Tiger World.
Most of the complaints come from people who don’t even live around here.
I have listened to the tigers’ call every evening for 11 years. I have never felt unsafe because of them being there.
The thing that excites me is that one of them just might get out one night. So, I want all of you thieves that might be sneaking around here stealing things off our porches and out of our garages to remember that one of them just might get out one night. You guess which night.
ó Bill Rainey
Rockwell
Spending won’t solve our debt problem
It is no mystery that debt is the cause of our current economic problems. On the federal level, we have hand-out programs rather than hand-up programs. How does a hand out solve a problem? We continue to spend money we do not have on a questionable war in Iraq.
What is the true motivation here? Follow the money, and you will find the answer. On the state and local level, we continue to pump money into education and the high cost of crime. Where are our parents? Does the whole village have enough money and resources to raise everyone’s children? On the personal level, our banks and lending institutions allow people to borrow money for things they cannot afford. Is this the fault of the bank or the people who are not living within their means?
It is time to pay the piper. The trouble is, all of us will have to pay the piper for the tunes many of us did not hear. Some of us managed our money well, and we did not buy things we could not afford, but we will be paying the piper, too.
Now our government, in its infinite wisdom, is going to grant rebates to help and fix the problem. Are the people who owe the piper going to use this money to pay him, or are they going to continue to purchase items they cannot afford?
The problem is debt. The solution is not more spending. We still owe the piper, and if we don’t start paying him, he will make us a deal we cannot refuse.
ó Gordon Correll
Salisbury
Make poverty an issue in the 2008 elections
As a member of the poverty-fighting movement called ONE, I’m a voter who cares about the battle against extreme poverty and global disease. It’s a fight that involves both the emergency raging now in the poorest parts of the world and the tremendous opportunity America has to beat it back, secure a more stable world and set a shining example of America’s purpose and principles.
In this presidential election, which is ramping up with the usual charged rhetoric and coverage of polls and political strategies, ONE members across America have been working to secure concrete commitments from the candidates on the issues surrounding extreme poverty.
Today, in the most vulnerable corners of the world, a child dies every three seconds because he or she doesn’t have enough food, can’t get to clean water or has been stricken with a preventable and treatable disease like diarrhea or malaria. Millions of children never attend school because they don’t have enough money. Instead of an education, they are left to fend for themselves against teachings of hate and extremism.
All candidates will say they want to change these conditions. But ONE members want more than vague talk. So we’ve challenged the candidates to go “on the record,” and we’ve gotten presidential contenders from Hillary Clinton to John McCain to go on camera and describe in detail their commitments on such issues as erasing malaria, increasing access to clean water and getting AIDS drugs to those who need them. I urge all voters to view the results at the Web site www.onevote08.org/ontherecord.
There will be a lot of noise out of the presidential candidates this election, but some things are too important to be drowned out. Break through the noise and add your voice to the call for a better world at ONE.org.
ó Olivia Currin
Salisbury