Noise citations

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What happened to the noise ordinance and giving out tickets? … Something needs to be done now.

Butterfield wrong

I attended Congressman Butterfield’s town hall meeting in Rocky Mount where he indicated he hadn’t read the bill and was speaking from talking points … I find it unconscionable he can indicate he is for health care reform when he doesn’t know what he is talking about. I am for health care reform but I am not for the takeover of our health care by our government … You and everyone knows if government gets involved they will force out the private insurers because it won’t have to complete all the paperwork the private insurers do, don’t pay taxes and don’t have oversight … in five to 10 years there will be no private insurance it will all be public. We elected Butterfield and I am sure he won’t be elected again.

Selfishness

It takes a selfish, narrow-minded person who has access to subsidized health care through their employment or Medicare to oppose it for others … Do they have any idea how many millions of Americans can’t get in to see a doctor because they can’t afford the cost of health insurance? … It’s embarrassing to see how so many of the privileged people in the world really are.

TV report

Recently on Channel 5 WRAL there was a report of a violent act at Halifax Regional Medical Center … Nothing else was ever said.

Editor’s note: The original report on WRAL-TV was wrong. There was not a violent incident at the hospital. WRAL-TV corrected its report in a later broadcast. What occurred, according to the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, was a large group of people gathered at the emergency room after an individual was brought in for treatment. The crowd caused concerns for hospital security. The police were called to help with the crowd dispersement and no arrests made.

Court aims

The courts mainly benefit lawyers and secondly criminals.

Revise the judging

I recently attended the Roanoke Valley Junior Miss competition and I believe all things can use improvement especially this pageant. Standards and ideas of evaluating America’s Junior Miss Participants are universal, based on qualities and characteristics — lasting values, which make up the total young woman. The basis of the selection and the format are emphasizing excellence in scholarship, fitness, creativity and in human relations. Almost half of the procedures are behind the scenes in scholastic achievement and interviews. Onstage presentations make up the other 55 percent-talent, fitness and self-expression. Self-Expression is grace under pressure the ability to communicate, confidence, naturalness in carriage, posture and poise. I understand that a big part of the scoring goes to scholastic achievement and the interview however there were girls that night who did outstanding in talent, fitness and self-expression and I am sure they did great with their interviews which are done behind the scenes. As a parent I believe that grades are very important, however with the way this system is, you really do not have to be that good at talent, fitness or anything else you pretty much win because of your grade average. All students are not as smart as others however they do try so I think the rules should be changed and there should be equal points for all the competition that gives everyone a fair change. Just because your grades are better does not mean you are better at all the other parts of the competition. There were girls there who were great in talent, fitness, poise and self expression and they lost just because there grade average was not as high as some I feel that in a way this is a form of discrimination let’s include grades by all means however let us not make that such a big percentage in the scoring department. In my opinion, the person who won could have only won on grades and possibly her interview because I truly believe there were girls there that night who were better in talent, fitness and self-expression. Kudos to all the girls who did not win and probably should have if their grades just would have been better. You may not have been number one because of your grades but you are number one to your parents, family and friends who supported you. Hold your heads up high you are all winners!

More money for the classroom

I was shocked to see the salaries of our school superintendents and assistant superintendents recently published in your paper. Of course any school system needs a good manager but in the old days we didn’t also pay high salaries for assistants to do their work. I would always say yes to higher wages for better teachers, but we need to cut the high salaried overhead in all of our school systems.

Glacier

President Barack Obama’s recent demonstration of megalomania in insisting on beginning the school year by simultaneously addressing all public school kids in the United States elicited a concise response: “It’s sick.” Radio talk show Michael Medved notes, “For those who consider this an appropriate use of classroom time at the very beginning of the school year, ask yourself the question: How would you respond had President Bush ordered teachers to get students to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president? ... The idea of using government schools to force students to bond with the maximum leader might seem appropriate for Cuba or North Korea, but it’s clearly out of place in a constitutional republic.”

Editor’s note: President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush both talked to the nation’s school children about the wisdom of doing well and staying in school. President Bush asked the youngster to write him and tell him what they thought should be done in the nation.

Sagging pants

I was a patron in the LAC at HCC last Monday and a young man came in wearing sagging pants. He stooped to sign in and his pants dropped almost below the end of his underwear!! Gross!! (HCC President) Dr. Ervin Griffin Sr. loves interviews informing the public of the hundreds of thousands of dollars the college receives promoting “Men of Distinction.” Why can’t he use some of the money to enforce a dress code policy “No Showing Your Underwear” on the college campus? It is time the city of Roanoke Rapids adopt the same policy!