I don’t see how an appeal would help in this case. In my opinion, the argument to move the Board of Elections and Veterans Service Office to the mall was effectively made and shown to be aligned with the city plans. The issue is that the case was made for moving these two specific groups while the permission that the county is requesting is to allow them to move any group they decide in the future to the mall, permission that would certainly conflict with city plans. Seems to me like aligning the presented information with the request (either arguing that the full permission is acceptable or requesting specific permission for these two groups) would be a better recourse. In this case, I don’t think the city is being unreasonable.

— Shaun Brixey

This appeal is, at its most basic level, for the same reasons and thus has the same legitimacy as the threatened lawsuit by the School Board against the County over funding.

“We, a government body, asked for a consideration that was within our bounds to ask for and have every expectation to have that need/want met. It was not and we feel it should have been.”

— Eric Shock

Six years ago the county’s architect did a needs assessment and saw that DSS was growing and would need 65,000 to 70,000 square feet of total space in the very near future. Six years ago, the county ignored this information and instead decided to renovate/build 46,000 square feet of drastically tiny offices to shoe-horn more people into the same amount of space the department moving out of. Now Pierce says that no one could have know six years ago that DSS would need more space? We did know and they were told. Now DSS is busting at the seams and they have the biggest employee turn-over of any of the county departments. If we’re finally going to make Rowan County a better place, we’ve got to stop approaching our county’s needs in cheap, stop-gap fixes and yes, actually PLAN for a better future and then FOLLOW that plan.

— Pete Bogle

Sides’ “…intent from the beginning was for the mall to be entirely governmental services.” Wonder why the public couldn’t have been informed about that nugget, up front, and given some input into the decision? …

Guess we’ll never know cause Sides’ chief water hauler and vice-chair (Greg Pierce) told us to shut up cause ‘we know what we’re doing’ and ‘stay home and talk to your wives.’

— John Blair

The intention “… for the mall to be entirely governmental services,” only came about after the LGC gave Sides and Gary Page the what-for when they said they wanted to mix uses and effectively compete with private industry.

— Roy Bentley

These leases are at $3.33 and $3.11 a square foot. Note to every private developer. The county is now competing with you and severely undercutting market rates.

— David Shelby

“Now, when I get a call requesting a donation, I tell them to call the White House.”

— Bert Jennings

Rowan County United Way agencies are there to provide emergency responses to accidents on the road, on the water and on athletic playing fields (Rowan Rescue Squad); to assist families whose homes have burned (American Red Cross); to provide a hot meal to shut-ins (Meals on Wheels) and a safe place for older citizens to spend the day (Trinity Living Center) and engage in activities to keep their minds and bodies healthy (Rufty-Holmes Senior Center); to teach adults how to read (Literacy Council); to help young people become responsible, productive adults (Youth Services Bureau, Boy Scouts, YMCA, Communities in Schools, Families First, Salvation Army); to provide a safe place for women and children fleeing domestic violence (Family Crisis Council); and to provide opportunities for developmentally disabled children, adults and their families (The ARC and Rowan Vocational Opportunities).

When you look at that list, I would venture that there are few citizens of this community who have NOT benefitted from the services of at least one United Way member agency. !

— Karen South Jones

Congratulations to both couples. Love is love!

— Jamie Beinkampen

I guess some people should read their Bible. That is unseen in God’s eyes. Better them than me. I honor the Almighty God.

Just sayin!

— Pamela Bowles

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

— Greg Page

It’s intriguing how, less than a month before a contentious election, such an issue arises.

— Jeff Morris

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Yes and it will be interesting to see how the school board will handle this with this upcoming election. If there is a way to put off any decisions on this until after the elections, I would bet they will find it. This subject is as hot as a “hot tater” to any candidate right now.

— Steve Poteat

Why would you want to throw a stick to hit a church??? … The Bible at least teaches children how to honor their father and mother, be respectful, teaches them not to steal, or not to kill and so many other good things … People would rather it not be taught so the young people can grow up and be in and out of courts the rest of their lives instead of trying to better themselves.

— Teresa Harrison

Back at East Rowan in the late 1960s, Mr. Wayne Trexler taught Old and New testament in a most professional manner, making them two of the most interesting classes of my high school days.

— Mack Williams

Whether it is optional or required, the teaching of Bible in public schools violates the law. If a community insists on teaching a religion in a public arena, it should teach all faiths and beliefs, in my humble opinion. Insistence on teaching one religion in a public setting teaches intolerance.

— Reginald Brown

Good job, western Rowan County. We flew under the radar until another political campaign needed some fire. We did the unthinkable in the ’70s — we had Bible in school and a few feet from the building were pickup trucks with rifles in the gun rack and no one ever got shot. Gun safety was taught at the middle school, as well as Bible; all were elective.

— Brenda Chunn

I guess it is alright to teach that same-sex relationships, same-sex clubs, evolution and the likes of such are acceptable for our schools, and the Bible classes that have been a part of our schools for years are not. Bull! God’s people had better stand up for what few freedoms we still have left.

— Mary Barger Foster

To say that something is unconstitutional is a significant matter, and it is only proper that it should be sincerely considered. Let us go straight to the proper source of information to consider this.

The First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

— Tom Hervey

You can’t have bible study in public schools. This was settled by the Supreme Court in 1948. See their decision in McCollum v. Board of Education.

— Barry Rein

Ken Houston: American War Weariness

It doesn’t matter what you call it, WAR, Conflict whatever. It is still the military that is involved. Now war is war I guess no matter what you call it people still die, Be it 1 or 1 million it is too many. I spent 1968 and 1969 in Vietnam, as a combat Marine and I just called it hell….

— Ken Beck

Really, as a Persian Gulf War vet I can assure you that a lot of people died. The fact that they were on the other side does not diminish the fact that they died and it was hell. As a vet you should know better than to minimize the service of any vet on either side of the conflict. We shipped out in service to our country when it called. Sorry it wasn’t enough for you to only give us partial credit because we did our job efficiently and made the other side pay and didn’t die in the process. War should be rare and a last resort. And after over eleven years of constant conflict and more on the way I am weary for my professional military comrades that are serving multiple tours in constant peril. And they are in a war whether you think so or not.

— Bill Greene

Ken Houston Thank you for your service, and for taking the time to write this column. I’d add that the media, being liberal, always takes our liberty and freedom for granted. We have a Marine rotting in a Mexican jail for months on end; but our President says nothing, so the media remain silent. Saying we are “war weary” is just a way of dissing our military, in a sneaky, cowardly way. They’d rather do it the way John Kerry and Jane Fonda did during Viet Nam, but they’re afraid they’d be criticized these days.

— Steve Pender

Letter: Freightliner numbers raise questions

The numbers are fudged.People are onto freightliner and the company controlled union. It’s a way to get temp workers in there which is prohibited by union contract union don’t care as long as it gets it monthly fees,I know from experience when I was hired in 2004 we were guaranteed 10 years worth of work it lasted 3.

— Jerry Cook

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Jerry Cook and I almost never agree, but he’s right. Despite selling the new hires down the river as far as top-out pay, they will probably enjoy a higher rate of membership from them than they do from current employees, so the dues will keep flowing. As the old guys retire, eventually the union becomes strong enough to prompt a new plant elsewhere, probably South Carolina or Tennessee. To another point, it is not the responsibility of a business to offer second chances; it is the responsibility of each of us to grow up, clean up, step up and stop expecting somebody else to make our lives easier.

— Bruce LaRue