Correct answer is obvious

The writer is responding to a Jan. 28 letter in the Post, “Celebrate no tobacco.”

Thank you, Donna Waldron from Hickory, for pointing out again what the feckless leaders, past and present, of Rowan County could have and should have taken care of years ago. I think it’s time for another S.O.Y. (Shame On You) Award.

We already have two winners (read: losers) from the parks department, two from the health department, but only one from the county “bored.” So to bring balance to this elite group, we need another one from the “bored.”

At the Stump and Stew a few years back, I had a list of four very easy questions to ask each candidate. Each question should have been answered with a simple yes or no. I explained this to each person before asking any of them the first question.

Just one of the five I interviewed that day could comprehend the questions, so he was the only one to answer all four questions. Bless his heart — he didn’t get elected.

I would love to give a full report on all the questions and answers that day, but it can’t be done in 300 words.

So I’ll just do question No. 3, with just one candidate.

“Do you think tobacco should be banned in Rowan County parks?”

“Absolutely not!” was her very loud and firm answer, not the simple yes or no that I asked for.

Now this person is on the Healthy Rowan committee. Maybe one of the Post’s 110,000 readers could check out this Healthy Rowan to see what they are all about.

So, Shame On You, Judy Klusman. I don’t want you having anything to do with me and my health.

But I do have a new committee for all you S.O.Y. Award receivers. You should call yourself Six Of Rowan’s Recognized Yo-yos.

Or just plain S.O.R.R.Y. for short.

— Whitey Harwood

Rowan County

Police need raises

A growing healthy community has a well-trained and well-paid police force focused on preventing and quickly solving crime.

Does this describe Salisbury?

While our council spends time on debating the merits of a tool designed to protect the safety of officers, our police suffer from low morale and low pay. We have a shortage of 15 officers and a hard road to getting more hired.

If you want to start on a path to making Salisbury all it can be, the first order of business should be to immediately increase police pay and give incentives to hire new officers.

Hiring a new police chief and not giving him the tools to get the job done is counterproductive. If it takes a tax increase to accomplish this goal, so be it. The safety of citizens and officers should be our primary goal.

Council and citizens must support our police. Without them there is nothing but anarchy.

— J.R. Montgomery

Salisbury