Had it not been such a serious subject, I would have smiled over the “new math” obviously invented by our current school board when they announced $20,000 would be saved with the purchase of additional property in the 500 block of North Main.

Hmmmm. Let’s analyze this. The school system will pay $118,000 plus another possible $8,000 in demolition expenses. That’s a total of $126,000 in order to save $20,000. Is my math correct? Or is it now obsolete? How is it possible to save $20,000 when we are spending an additional $126,000?

 I admit to not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it irks me that our teachers are operating without needed supplies and even books and our students are forced to study in mobile classrooms while school administrators have the potential to languish in a $7.5+++ million Taj Mahal. Let them work in a mobile classroom. If it’s good enough for our teachers and students, it’s certainly good enough for those people.

We attended a wonderful musical gala at a local school this past August and were met with horrific heat. The audience was filled with small children and elderly (of which I am one!) and we were told our illustrious school superintendent said the air conditioning could not be turned on because of “budget constraints” and that this would indeed be the last such event on the campus. It was my understanding that well-attended event has been a tradition for many years here in Rowan. Would the county have been prepared to pay medical expenses had someone become ill due to the excessive heat? I think not!

Perhaps it would better serve our schools and our dedicated teachers to take that $7.5+++ million and place it where it is needed — in the educational system itself on the campuses of our schools. Dr. “Money” would better serve our county by crawling back onto her high horse and moseying on out of town. She isn’t needed, nor is she wanted, here. We have better use of our money.

 — Gail Cauble Gurley

Granite Quarry

I routinely read the Post’s opinion page with interest and as with all opinions often see divergent views. Some I agree with, and some I don’t, but most are reasonably balanced and some thought provoking. Then I read “Counter–jihad is on alert” by Diana West last Saturday. This is simply extremist hatemongering and scare tactics in their most virulent form making their way into the mainstream press.

I’ve never heard of Diana West, but I do know the blog site “Gates of Vienna,” which as its introduction states “At the siege of Vienna in 1683 Islam seemed poised to overrun Christian Europe. We are in a new phase of a very old war.” I remember it as a website that helped radicalize Anders Behring Breivik, a right- wing Norwegian extremist who killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in 2011.

At its core the article is about fostering hatred. It has no place on the pages of a reputable newspaper.

— Andrew Walker

Salisbury

Why Skip the Turkey?

Next week, President Obama will pardon two turkeys to promote the turkey industry. Every one of us can exercise that same pardon power by choosing a

nonviolent Thanksgiving observance. It’s a most fitting way to give thanks
for our own life, health, and happiness.

The 240 million turkeys killed in the U.S. this year have nothing to give
thanks for. They are raised in crowded sheds filled with toxic fumes. Their
beaks and toes are severed. At the slaughterhouse, workers cut their throats
and dump them into boiling water, sometimes while still alive.

Consumers too pay a heavy price. Turkey flesh is laced with cholesterol and
saturated fats that elevate the risk of chronic killer diseases. Labels warn
of food poisoning potential.

This Thanksgiving, I won’t be calling the government’s Poultry Hotline,
wondering how that turkey lived and died, or dozing through the football
game. Our Thanksgiving dinner may include a “tofurky” (soy-based roast),
mashed potatoes, stuffed squash, chestnut soup, candied yams, cranberry
sauce, pumpkin pie, and carrot cake. An internet search on vegan
Thanksgiving and a visit to my local supermarket will provide me more
recipes and delicious turkey alternatives than I can possibly use.

— Sidney Piper

Salisbury

Do we really have a broken immigration system or do we have a broken immigration law enforcement system?

Approximately 60 percent of the citizens of the United States believe that we have a broken immigration law enforcement system, while less than 40 percent of the citizens believe that we have a broken immigration system. Which viewpoint you support may very well depend on which side of the political arena you support.

Is the immigration system really broken? How do we really know when the laws that are currently in effect are not being enforced? This lack of enforcement of current laws is not a new phenomenon but one that has gone on for decades. The administration of immigration laws under both political parties has been lacking for decades. Both parties have been equally incompetent in the enforcement of US immigration laws during their tenures.

The failure to enforce immigration law has wreaked havoc on our low income and middle income workers. The wages and salaries of our low income and middle income earners have remained unnecessarily low due to the impact of not enforcing the immigration laws. The failure to enforce immigration laws has not only affected their income the failure has also   pushed many down to the poverty level.

Not only has the lack of enforcement of immigration laws force many of our citizens into the poverty level the lack of enforcement has placed an unnecessary drain on many states’ coffers. This drain has prevented the states from supporting their citizens and enticing new industry into their state resulting in fewer jobs available for their citizens.

Because of the lack of enforcement of our immigration laws our borders have become very porous. The changing of our immigration laws without first stopping the flow of illegal immigrants into our country is more akin to throwing gasoline on a fire. They both will explode in your face causing many more problems for the future.

— Ray Shamlin

Nash County