Tuesday August 10, 2010
THOMAS SOWELL: Was it luck or achievement that got them there? TOMORROW
Opinion Page Editor: Vince Wheeler vwheeler@hpe.com (336) 888-3517
4A
America has changed, but not for the better Yes America, you’ve changed ... for the better? I think not. We have taken or have tried to take God’s name out of our government, schools, public gatherings, even holidays designated to honor Christian beliefs this country was founded upon. Our government no longer represents “the people.” Bailouts and health care reform demonstrated that. Our court system is in disarray and virtually nonfunctional. Schools are a failure as we graduate a vast number of completely unprepared young people for today’s job market. Our economy continues to decline and unemployment remains unacceptable. The national debt can’t be comprehended by most of us. Our borders are a joke. Immigration is out of control. Did I miss anything? How’s that change working out for you? I’m not talking politics here, I’m talking “way of life.” Yes, America changed; just not for the better. Maybe it’s time we return
America is an Englishspeaking country; make it official.
YOUR VIEW
---
to the core beliefs that made America what America once was – and I believe can be once again. America was founded upon Christian beliefs. Those offended have the right to leave. Put God back in our lives and take much of the government out! America is an English-speaking country; make it official. One national language has contributed to our strength. Secure our borders; allow orderly legal immigration. Put God, country, authority, discipline and rewards for success back in the schools. Demand fair trade policies. America will no longer support or sustain the world at our expense. Elect leaders based on experience, honor and moral integrity, not on influence from special interest groups. The morning the World Trade Center towers collapsed as a result of a cowardly act of war, there was no black, white, Hispanic, liberal or conservative. We were all Americans, and we looked to God and raised our flag over the rubble. ... Look at us now. MIKE HANCOCK Trinity
Leaders must tell the truth about our problems Our leaders think we are stupid. We know the country is in a mess, yet they keep informing us that everything is fine. In England, after the German blitzkrieg, the people were depressed. Then a great man came on – Sir Winston Churchill – and told them the truth, that they were in a mess and they could possibly be invaded. The attitude of the people changed to one of determination to save their country, which they did. We need someone who is honest and will tell us what a mess we are in. Not to continue lying to us. MAUREEN HUGHES Lexington
In politics, goal should be to do what’s best for country A recent contributor to Your View letters to the editor stated the “name of the game in politics is to defeat the opposition.” It is normal and understand-
able that persons have different philosophies and different approaches to governance, and that is probably a good thing. Furthermore, it is appropriate for persons to advocate for their position. But to say the goal of politics should be to defeat the opposition is, in my opinion, exactly what is wrong about politics in America – and probably in almost every other place. Blindly following the party line for the sole purpose of defeating the opposing party is not only counterproductive; it is unpatriotic. The goal of politics should be to do what is best for the country. Politics is not a sport. BOB RULE High Point
YOUR VIEW POLL
---
There’s a rally Saturday at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in support of Americans’ right to bear arms. Will you attend and openly carry firearms? Should such a rally be permitted on national park property? In 30 words or less (no name, address required), e-mail us your thoughts to letterbox@ hpe.com.
---
Johnson left her mark at Central
---
W
ith all the news and information outlets available today, it’s unlikely the federal government needs to spend taxpayer money advertising any legislation that’s passed, especially something so talked about as the new health care plan. The Andy Griffith television ad touting the Obama administration’s health care plan seems like an attempt at using a well-known and popular figure to influence political opinion on a highly controversial subject. And the initial $700,000 cost of running the ad is troublesome, too.
OUR MISSION
---
The High Point Enterprise is committed to this community ... and always will serve it by being an intensely local newspaper of excellent quality every day.
Michael B. Starn Publisher Thomas L. Blount Editor Vince Wheeler Opinion Page Editor 210 Church Ave., High Point, N.C. 27262 (336) 888-3500 www.hpe.com
N.C. OFFICIALS
----
House of Representatives Rep. Laura Wiley (R) (61st District), 4018 Quartergate Drive, High Point, NC 27265, 3368410045; Raleigh, 919-733-5877
Rep. John Blust (R) (62nd District), 5307 Pondfield Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410, 336-662-0368; Raleigh, 919-7335781
M
A QUICK THOUGHT
Founded in 1883
Rep. Maggie Jeffus (D) (59th District), 1803 Rolling Road, Greensboro, NC 27403, 3362754762; Raleigh, 919-733-5191
OUR VIEW
ake no mistake: Revonda Johnson will be missed – by students, faculty and staff, parents and Guilford County Schools! As Johnson, principal at High Point Central High School since 2005, heads for a position as instructional improvement officer for Peoria (Ill.) Public Schools, “Parents have already started sending out e-mails saying they want the right person who will continue the programs they have,” to replace her, according to J. Carlvena Foster, District 1 representative on the Guilford County Board of Education. While guiding Central for the last five years, Johnson brought the school plenty of recognition – The Hubert B. Humphrey Jr. award, used for professional development in support of a new co-teaching system that will allow the school to serve exceptional children and special student populations more effectively; the 2007 “Best in Class” Secondary Principal of the Year for leading Central to higher academic achievements, meeting both state and federal standards; and the 2009 Humanitarian of the Year award by the city of High Point for her work for social justice and human rights. Johnson has set the bar high at Central, and her successor should have the same passion for constant improvement, a similar hands-on approach and outstanding leadership skills. We wish Revonda Johnson the best in her new pursuit.
An independent newspaper
A healthy dose of public skepticism is a good thing
F
or years, environmental activists have pushed state and federal officials to enact costly, far-reaching policies to combat global warming. They’ve run ad campaigns and endorsed politicians. They’ve attacked the reputation of scientists who don’t agree with their alarmism about climate change. They’ve produced books, websites, videos, even Hollywood movies to push their agenda. And they’ve failed. In Washington, Senate Democrats have just decided not to move a “cap and trade” bill designed to change the structure of energy production in the United States by raising the price of fossil fuels. In Raleigh, legislative Democrats created a commission back in 2005 to propose state laws and policies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from North Carolina households and businesses. The commission has just disbanded without recommending any major initiatives. Why have the alarmists’ efforts achieved so little? They offer a multitude of handy explanations, most of them based on crackpot conspiracy theories involving oil companies, real-estate interests, the Religious Right, and water-breathing space aliens set on melting the polar icecap as a prelude to colonizing the Earth’s oceans. OK, so I made that last part up, but it’s not much of an exaggeration of the absurdity of their allegations. There’s no need for elaborate explanation. A straightforward one will do. Voters are properly skeptical about any energy policy promising to make their lives better by raising the cost of driving their cars, heating their homes, buying their groceries and operating their businesses. No amount of environmental propaganda has been able to replace their skepticism with credulousness. In the midst of a painful recession, with North Carolina’s jobless rate remaining in
double digits for more than two years now, the idea of using government regulations or taxes to raise the cost of energy has little support. Not only would such policies impose additional hardships on households, but they would also OPINION make North Carolina less competitive for new or expanding John industry – while accomplishing Hood precisely nothing even if the ■■■ goal of reducing greenhousegas emissions was a reasonable one, since North Carolina’s share of global emissions is negligible. The voters have shown themselves to have more common sense than the alarmists anticipated. Offered pie-in-the-sky forecasts of green-job creation and long-term savings from expensive alternative-fuel subsidies, voters have come to doubt them. Treated to copious news coverage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, voters have concluded that stringent safety requirements need to be enacted and enforced – not that American oil exploration is a bad idea. And subjected to years of attempted indoctrination about the risks of catastrophic global warming, voters have concluded that scientists should continue to research the issue and study promising new technologies – not that Congress or state legislatures should immediately pass laws wreaking havoc on an already weakened economy and mandating fundamental changes in the way we live, work, shop and travel. The public’s priorities are clear at the moment: address the serious fiscal and economic problems facing North Carolina and the nation. Climate-change legislation would worsen them. So it’s going nowhere. JOHN HOOD is president of the John Locke Foundation and publisher of CarolinaJournal.com.
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEWSPAPER.
Rep. Earl Jones (D) (60th District), 21 Loney Circle, Greensboro, NC 27406, 336-2730840; Raleigh, 919-733-5825 Rep. Mary “Pricey” Harrison (D) (57th District), P. O. Box 9339, Greensboro, NC 27429, 336-2921953; Raleigh, 919-733-5771 Rep. Alma Adams (D) (58th District), 2109 Liberty Valley Rd., Greensboro, NC 27406, 336-2739280; Raleigh, 919-733-5902
LETTER RULES
----
The Enterprise welcomes letters. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity and decorum. Writers are limited to 300 words and to no more than one letter every two weeks. Please include name, home address and daytime phone number. Mail to: Enterprise Letter Box P.O. Box 1009 High Point, NC 27261 Fax to: (336) 888-3644 E-mail to: letterbox@hpe.com