Take a Second
Dear Editor,
Grunts and groans about the presidential election aside, 2016 will be remembered for many things – the Rio Olympics, the latest Harry Potter sequel, the Powerball-winning Chester County recipient (OK, only interesting to people in Pennsylvania), and Black Lives Matter protests in Baltimore, Maryland and other cities across the US.
Included on this list, however, should be another momentous event that we all have long sought: a little more time. On Dec. 31, 2016, the US Naval Observatory will add another second – a leap second – to our calendar year. (It is actually the second second added since 2015.)
So what will you do with your leap second?
Here are some suggestions: smile, laugh out loud, take a deep breath, take a sip of water, make meaningful eye contact with a stranger or give thanks.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope you make this extra second count.
High five a friend, shut off your phone, kiss a loved one.
Everyone’s second is different and this is a great opportunity to appreciate the little ways that we can positively impact others and improve our own lives.
So join me during this special second in being mindful of how, although time is fleeting, it’s how we spend it that really counts.
Erin Collins
Let My People Speak
Dear Editor,
I know who wears the pantsuits in Chuck Mann’s family. I have reached my end with his constant liberal editorial rants to the N&R and Rhino Times. He has helped contribute to the liberal wussification of America.
His message to the Rhino Times, July 29, about the church not being allowed to express political speech takes the cake.
He states, “millionaire evangelist Jerry Falwell wants to see the repeal of a law that bars churches and nonprofit organizations from expressing political speech.”
Let me see now. Hmmm, do the Revs. Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton ring a bell? I bet they never preached to their congregations on who to vote for during any election season. As a matter of fact, I bet you can go visit any number of our local black churches as November draws closer and hear many a pastor, minister or preacher praise the Democratic Party and tell the congregation what time the buses will be at the church to drive them to the polls.
Mr. Mann should put on his best pantsuit, sit in a pew and tell me I am wrong. Having been baptized in the liberal waters he will be welcomed with open arms.
Jason Stewart
Picking Buffett
Dear Editor,
Which businessman would you want to do business with? A man who is one of the richest men in the world, who is giving away 99 percent of his wealth to charity, a man who lives in the same humble home he lived in when he started? This man is audited every year and always releases his tax returns. His net worth is $67 billion. Thousands of investors have become rich by investing in him.
Or would you choose a man who claims to be worth $10 billion but who will not release his tax returns. If he has given the first dollar to charity, he has never shown it. He has gone bankrupt at least six times. He puts his name on everything he owns or is associated with. He is being sued right now for false claims he made about a phony university he started. He has been sued countless times in the past by creditors he stiffed.
I pick the first man. His name is Warren Buffett. The other guy, you might choose him, but buyer beware. By the way, Buffett backs Clinton for president. The other guy thinks the election is rigged.
James Bennett
Not For All Progress
Dear Editor,
Say it ain’t so. The last manufacturer of videocassette recorders, Funai Electric, is going to stop making VCRs at the end of this month. A VCR is an analog device, and a DVD recorder is a digital device. I know that digital is better, and I am all for ‘’progress’’ and technology, but there are some things that we should keep in mind. Digital signals can be traced, tracked, recorded and hacked. We need to bring back VCRs. Once that is done we should bring back pay phones.
Chuck Mann
Vote Third Party
Dear Editor,
We often forget that all nations compete economically with other nations. In this this regard, our globalized economy helped us when we had a high-tech advantage. Back then, our middle class was reported at about 33 percent. Today, it has been on a steady decline that has shrunk to about 15 percent, and it hasn’t ended with Obama.
We need more small businesses creating more jobs and wealth for our nation. Herein, the Libertarian Party, headed by former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico and his VP choice of William Weld, a former governor, can both lay claim to these kinds of satisfactory results when they were governors.
The Libertarian Party believes in more individual freedoms, less federal interference and is big on civil liberties. Thusly, all peoples of all races and backgrounds should have an equal opportunity to become successful. With November near, this is how Thomas Sowell describes our choices; “Hillary inspires distrust and Trump inspires disgust.” Therefore, the way things are shaping up, a Libertarian Party vote might not be a wasted vote this election year.
Ray Hylton
Let Good Times Roll
Dear Editor,
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was ruled unconstitutional, in large part of the awareness of this legislation’s aim as a national strategy for keeping certain populations under the watch and control of the government.
It is the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 which made cannabis the illegal commodity it is today, giving rise to a billion dollar industry. Not coincidentally, the executives of this industry otherwise would be put out of business if legislative steps were taken to control the means of production and distribution. This industry will continue to run smoothly despite its (unfair) illicit status.
The war on marijuana is an inexcusable and inadmissible failure. This was a billion dollar industry during the times of unreasonable systemic criminal punishment and will continue to thrive as civil reform and common sense slowly spreads throughout the country, weakening the punishment on entrepreneurs who differ only in ethnicity from the operators of speakeasies of the Prohibition era.
Let us work cooperatively and constructively to enact change for the good of the State of North Carolina, and focus our resources on issues that truly matter, such as Rep. Alma Adam’s Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2016.
J.H. Alston
Editor’s Note: In the early 1900s, most states had laws making marijuana illegal. Criminal laws are usually a state issue, not a federal issue.
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