A thanks to Granite Quarry

To the citizens of Granite Quarry,

Thank you so much for the privilege of serving as your postmaster for the past 18 years.

I will always cherish being a part of your families, your lives and your delightful town I will miss you and the “hidden treasure” that is Granite Quarry. I will now change directions and live out my dream of teaching kindergarten.

—Susan Ledford

Granite Quarry

Questions remain about growth in North Carolina

Currently, the North Carolina House has set up a select committee to study transportation Recommendations from counties and townships would be welcome I feel sure. This committee should address roads, rails and ports, among other things. The committee will be continuing after the short session this year.

What are the House and Senate doing about our state’s long range vision?

We are a destination. Our secret is out. We are No. 9 in population according to the latest US Census.

Now the question is do we have a vision for our state?

There are far more questions than answers. Decisions made by bureaucrats and politicians address the immediate not the future. Unborn babies aren’t voting yet. They’re also not appointing secretaries of departments and agencies.

With exponential growth comes exceptional challenges and issues. A few come quickly to mind: water, health, government services, public transportation, education, waste disposal, private transportation, adjudication on the changing landscape of torts and privacy.

Each Charlotte area township and city should draft their preferences to these issues. A think tank made up of a broad cross-section of people could give the vision and explore courses of action and correction.

Without a long rang sustainable vision encompassing all vital areas of growth and development, Rowan, Cabarrus and North Carolina could become the next place to move away from in 75 years.

The cycle of change needs a paradigm shift if we are to maintain our revered way of life.

The short answer: we need a group of ideas about how something should be done, made, or thought about that is different than the existing mode. That takes compromise by understanding the needs of one another.

Representative democracy is our voice and the vice that creates the critical relationship between government and the people it serves.

— W F “Bill” Smith

Kannapolis