Recognize youth
for service to others
The Rowan Service Above Self Program was established in 1995 to recognize children and youth in Rowan County for their volunteer service to others. The program is sponsored by Rowan Rotary Club and Rowan County United Way. Teachers, parents, counselors, youth and children’s group leaders, neighbors and friends nominate young people to be recognized and receive awards. We need your help to nominate a child, youth or group for recognition for their volunteerism. Last year, we were fortunate to recognize 255 young people in our county who volunteered their service.
This year, all nominees will be recognized at an awards ceremony at Keppel Auditorium on Nov. 18. Awards will be given to student winners in each division. Individual winners in each division will receive a medal and a check, with one-half of the amount going to their school, as follows: First place $500, second place $400 and third Place $200 (so a school with a first place winner will receive $250 etc.).
Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations (like a church youth organization or scout organization) are also eligible for recognition and awards as follows: First place, $500 contribution and a plaque; second place, $100 contribution; and third place, $50 contribution. As for the school, Scout or church youth groups, I do not know of many who could not benefit from this award money.
I encourage you to consider the true value of what we are trying to showcase here. Service to others, without thinking of oneself, is a character trait we would all like to see more of. We are on this Earth to help others. Too often, we focus on the negative things about our children. Our children and youth do great things every day! I urge you to go to www.rowanserviceaboveself.com and nominate a child or youth. Help us make a difference with your nomination today.
ó Dr. Jerry Chandler
Salisbury
Chandler is chairman of the Service Above Self Committee and vice president of administration at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
Democrats aren’t answer
I feel like I’ve entered the twilight zone. I watch the news shows and hear that the economy is a strong suit for the Democrats! How can this be? Historically, the tax-and-spend Democrats have hurt the economy. Now, because we are struggling, we think Democrats know what to do?
Obama keeps talking about the economic policies of the last eight years. The fact is, when Bush took office, he inherited a recession. He showed leadership pushing through his tax cuts, and he then presided over several years of a booming economy. Main Street and Wall Street both prospered. It has only been since Congress was taken over by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid that our economy has fallen. It’s true that Bush should have been a stronger leader and not let them push through some of their harmful initiatives.
Three things have been particularly harmful to our economy, each of them attributable to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and their groups. First is the high price of fuel. It’s true that there are several factors to these costs, but the truth is that they would not be so high if the Democratic leadership was not beholden to radical environmentalists and we were allowed to drill for domestic oil rather than buy foreign oil. Secondly, in an effort to buy votes, the Democrats pushed through a minimum wage increase (and Bush wrongly gave in), which has increased inflation and unemployment. The third problem is Fannie and Freddie. This scandal has the Democratic Party all over it, from the corrupt Barney Frank and Chris Dodd to Obama taking more than $100,000 in contributions from Fannie Mae. Then, after their executives lose their jobs, he hires them as campaign consultants.
Wake up, America! The Democrats have never been strong on the economy!
ó Darin Wiggins
Mt. Ulla
Prepare for more mud
All’s fair in love and war, they say. And together ó emotion and conflict ó that makes up politics, so all’s fair in politics as well. Anything to win.
The weaker side soon stoops to grab mud to sling. More and more is slung as the election nears, and there’s less time to hose it away.
Remember the “Swift boat” smears and brace for more of the same.
ó Dick Taber
Salisbury
McCain’s recklessness
When John McCain selected Sarah Palin, he made a very reckless choice. It appears he did no thinking, no real background check, no foresight into what her selection would do to the future of our country if he won the election and she became vice president. We need a president who thinks rather than acts on emotion and swagger. John wants to show that he is bold and aggressive. That is fine if you put some thought into it and plan for the consequences of being wrong. Sometimes when things go wrong, you die. John is so reckless that he is willing to take a careless chance every time he meets a challenge where he feels he has no options. Recklessness, or as the dictionary defines it, carelessness, is the picture that he is painting of himself with the decisions that he has made in this campaign.
The thing that bothers me about McCain is that he does not appear to think about critical decisions in a systematic and thoughtful way. That is what is really wrong with the country today; we cannot trust the leaders of our country to think things through. It is time for a change.
ó Ted Williams
Spencer
Research election claims
When I saw the VoteVets’ ad on TV tonight, I was concerned that Sen. Elizabeth Dole would oppose spending money for the safety of our troops in combat. The ad said that Senator Dole “voted against” body armor for U.S. troops. I did a little research and found this claim to be false. In October 2003, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) sponsored an amendment to a funding bill (S1689) to cut $322 million from reconstruction in Iraq and spend it on “safety equipment” for U.S. troops. Debate on this amendment centered mainly on “CamelBaks,” an advanced hydration system, but vests were also mentioned in the debate. Senate Republicans argued that the military budget already provided money to purchase the safety equipment in question. For that reason, a motion was made to table the amendment; Senator Dole voted to table. The vote to table was 49-37. Therefore, Senator Dole did not “vote against” spending money to protect our troops; she voted to table the issue, because the money was already provided in the military budget.
As election day nears, we as voters must educate ourselves. Go to the Internet, do the research, get the facts. It took me less than 3 minutes to find the background on the claims made in VoteVets’ ad (by the way, VoteVets is a veterans’ advocacy group opposed to the Iraq war). I simply typed in “Elizabeth Dole votes against body armor for troops.” And there it was.
ó Jennifer Hudson
Salisbury
More on lodge’s name
Want to hear another story about how “For Pity’s Sake” lodge in Enochville got its name?
The story went around here that when Charlie Cannon bought the farm, he named it “Ruth’s Sake.” We heard that “pity” is Ruth in French.
ó Everette Overcash
Enochville
Endorsement letters
Letters endorsing local candidates in the Nov. 4 election must be received in the Salisbury Post newsroom by 5 p.m., Oct. 27. Please limit endorsements to 150 words.