Darned If You Do …
Dear Editor,
My Obamacare’s getting cancelled. Then I’ll have nothing – and he’s going to fine me.
I liked my previous plan, but he wouldn’t let me keep it.
Austin Morris
Lukewarm for Burr
Dear Editor,
I continue to see what seems like endless commercials for Deborah Ross. It seems that all she does is berate Richard Burr for taking money from special interests, but I have yet to see one that outlines what she would do for North Carolinians if she were elected.
I admit that Burr hasn’t exactly distinguished himself in Congress – after all, the primary reason for wanting to be in Congress is that the compensation is great and you don’t have work very hard. I get the feeling she is simply jealous of Burr’s good fortune and just wants a piece of the congressional pie for herself.
By the way, Mrs. Ross, since you are outspending Burr, where are you getting your financial support?
Glenn Buckland
Seeking Dramatic Changes
Dear Editor,
We have two choices this election and either candidate will dramatically change the direction of our country.
I fervently hope that the path espoused by Donald Trump will prevail. If his goals can be achieved, we can all breathe easier for at least four years. As a non-politician, he will institute change in the government that will cut down the waste, the bureaucratic regulations and taxes.
Our economy will greatly improve with more jobs created. He will finally secure our borders and put a stop to the insane immigration flow into the country. We will again be a force to be reckoned with and respected once again by our enemies and allies alike. He will appoint a Supreme Court justice who will uphold the Constitution. And, he will dismantle Obamacare and replace it with a system whereby the people receive quality health care at affordable insurance rates.
The woman candidate on the ballot should not even be allowed to run – she should be in jail. Why would any informed American believe she is fit to be president? This is a person that stood over the caskets of four dead Americans and lied about the cause of their deaths to the parents as well as to the American people.
All of her adult life she has been involved in scandal after scandal. She has put the country at risk with her intentional use of an unsecured server, possibly resulting in classified information being scrutinized by foreign governments. Her released emails have revealed her dislike for Israel as well as for Christianity. She has no shame.
She is one of the most corrupt individuals seeking more and more power and money through the fraudulent Clinton Foundation. I don’t know if America would ever overcome another Clinton presidency. It would be a national disaster, with the left’s agenda forever changing the fabric of the country. In addition to having no integrity, she has a voice that can totally drive you up the wall.
I hope the people of the country and in particular North Carolina appreciate the seriousness of this election and vote Trump.
Debbie Hill
Voting Yes for Bonds
Dear Editor,
Smart communities make smart investments to keep them growing, thriving, relevant. The Triad Real Estate & Building Industry Coalition (TREBIC), the Greensboro Builders Association, Piedmont Triad Apartment Association, the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and the Guilford Merchants Association have carefully studied the bonds on this year’s ballot. We have decided to support all four bonds because it’s the smart thing for our city to do.
They get us a great return on investment. Only $126 million leverages over $200 million of federal and state funding – that’s your tax money coming back home. And that’s not counting the jobs they will generate, or the millions of private dollars that will be invested in public-private partnerships on some of the projects. And all at historically low borrowing rates.
They are for the right projects: street repairs, upgrading aging infrastructure, downtown and neighborhood revitalization, bolstering our “tournament town” status and getting out in front of the emerging national and local housing affordability crisis.
They also help us finish some strategic investments, like the downtown and A&Y greenways, the Ole Asheboro Street Neighborhood and site work for the South Elm redevelopment project.
It can be hard to exactly measure in advance the economic development benefits of having a vibrant, first-class city with good roads, a cool downtown, strong neighborhoods and tournament-level facilities. But there’s no denying them either. Now’s the time to invest to secure a very bright future for Greensboro.
So go vote, and be sure to go all the way to the end of the ballot and vote yes for all four bonds.
Marlene Sanford
TREBIC President
Freedom to Believe
Dear Editor,
Good morning. Welcome to America. This is my country. This is your country. I want it back
I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I consider myself a constitutional American.
The American Constitution, which has lasted the longest in history, was written by men inspired by their creator. I believe it to be second only to the Bible. My belief is that the Constitution gives me and all my brothers and sisters freedom.
We need all legal American citizens who abide by the rules and regulations of the greatest country in the world to work together. The country works the best when the pendulum comes near to the center with all philosophies being shared. We can see from recent history when a certain ideology moves the pendulum too far to one side we have problems.
In 1911, at the age of 19, my father migrated to America. He was drafted in 1918 to fight for America in World War I. He received a purple heart for his wounds. This was before he became an American citizen. He learned English, went to night school and became an American citizen, which he was very proud of. He bought land, built his own home, got married and raised four children in freedom.
In the late 1940s, when his sons were out of high school and working, one son went to Dad and said, “You came to America from Russia in 1911. You have never gone back. You haven’t seen your parents or brothers or sister since. We have saved up enough to send you and mom to your old country to visit your family.” Dad responded, “Save your money, son. This is my country.”
I tell my story because I believe we all have similar stories to tell about our ancestors’ trips from oppression to the freedom provided by the great American Constitution.
Please, my brothers and sisters, do your homework, pray and vote for our great American Constitution, which I have the right to believe was inspired by our creator.
Thank you, Rhino Times, for this freedom of the press. The son of a legal Russian immigrant.
Alexander Kohanowich
DGI Chief Says Vote Yes 4 Bonds
Dear Editor,
Downtown Greensboro is growing vigorously, including Carroll at Bellemeade, Union Square Campus, LeBauer Park, Lincoln Financial investment, the Southeastern Building, Andy Zimmerman’s projects on Lewis Street and much more. These projects represent over $150 million in private investment in downtown and there is an estimated over $200 million in the pipeline.
These are private investments that increase job growth, tax base and quality of life for all citizens of Greensboro. In addition to these new investments, the central business district in Greensboro has an estimated value of almost $1 billion located in a very small geographic area, and downtown Greensboro has over 1.2 million people visit every year.
These private dollars need complimentary investment from the city, county and community in order to continue the growth and to ensure the success of future projects. Investments made in a community’s center city create the highest return on investment, which produces significant tax base for the entire city and county. In other words, the taxes generated in downtown Greensboro are used to fund projects throughout the community including parks and recreation, public safety, transportation and more.
At a recent Power Breakfast hosted by Downtown Greensboro Inc., Mayor Knox White of Greenville, South Carolina, stated that when they are recruiting corporations to grow jobs in their area, the first place they take the prospect is downtown. “Everyone wants to see a vibrant downtown. A warehouse or large corporate park does not sell the area, a vibrant downtown is essential for jobs,” he stated. The Community and Economic Development Bonds are essential in growing the vibrancy of the center city and thus aiding in job growth.
The City Council has made it clear they want to utilize the Community and Economic Development funds to promote strategic growth downtown and to connect the adjacent neighborhoods.
To make downtown more vibrant and strengthen our core, we must connect all areas of downtown with better lighting, walkable sidewalks, outside dining and lively streetscapes. Downtown Greensboro is currently working with the internationally recognized MIG organization to put forth the overall plan based on a successful vote on Nov. 8.
The time is now for our community for economic development.
It has been over 30 years since the City of Greensboro put forth a downtown project that will accomplish this goal. We must continue this positive growth. Greensboro was once the second largest city in the state and we are currently trying to maintain a top 5 position. These strategic investments are needed for Greensboro to compete for jobs so we can capitalize on our colleges and universities, as well as on our children and grandchildren having the opportunities to work in Greensboro.
Please join me in voting yes for the bonds and voting yes for Greensboro. www.yes4gsobonds.com.
Zack Matheny
DGI President
Election 2016 Calm Compared to Storm of 1800
Dear Editor,
The general populace suffers from a strange disorder – presidential election amnesia. Every four years we convince ourselves that this is the worst election in American history and we can’t wait for it to be over. Then, the Wednesday after the first election, we forget all of it. Gone.
But elections are frequently a rehash of the exact same issues, driven by hyper partisan supporters.
The current election probably would not manage to make it into the top five of the 57 presidential elections we have had. Part of the problem is that most people do not study elections. I can’t imagine why not, because they read better than any novel. Frankly, the current election pales in comparison to those in the 19th century.
We tend to think of our founding fathers as figures carved in stone. Men who only argued in marble temples about the rights of man, liberty and equality. In truth, these were very human people who drank a lot, loved a lot and knew how to be viciously mean.
The first contested election was in 1796 – John Adams versus Thomas Jefferson. (George Washington ran unopposed in 1788 and 1792.) Adams and Jefferson are two of the nations most revered intellectuals. They’re revered for their calm and for their writings as founding fathers. Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence at the request of John Adams.
The election of 1796 was brutal. Adam’s supporters vilified Jefferson as an atheist. They accused him of being a coward during the Revolutionary War. They painted him as being a puppet of the French.
The Jefferson campaigners, for their part, unloaded on Adams as favoring a monarchy and being a puppet of Great Britain. At the same time, Alexander Hamilton was trolling around trying to undermine Adams.
In the end, Adams would win, but in a quirk that would not be changed until the 12th Amendment, Jefferson would be Adam’s vice president. It was the only time in history that the president and vice president were from different parties. You think things are exciting now? Imagine President Barack Obama and Vice President John McCain or Mitt Romney.
The election of 1800 would be a rematch of Adams and Jefferson. The vice president running against the president. Hamilton inserted himself in the election again, looking for a more receptive president to his ideas. He would eventually die in a duel, another story that underscores how things used to be more intense.
The major topic driving the election? Immigration. No kidding. This stuff does not change. The Alien and Sedition Acts that Adams signed into law, get this, made it harder for an immigrant to become a citizen. It allowed the president to imprison non-citizens (Gitmo) and deport non-citizens (illegals) deemed dangerous. Parts of the laws expired by 1801, but the Alien Enemies Act is still in the US Code.
Jefferson’s supporters made the item political fodder by making the case that Adams was using it as a tool against his opponents. They complained that the laws were being used to suppress voting. Fast forward and portions of these laws would be used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to imprison Americans of Japanese heritage in camps during World War II.
This year, as we look at what could be a close electoral count, and look back at George W. Bush vs. Al Gore in 2000. Neither have anything on the Electoral College meeting of 1800. It is referred to by historians as the Revolution of 1800.
The shenanigans of the election of 1800 led to the adoption of the 12th Amendment. The political intrigue and maneuvering in this case are worthy of a movie. This was the beginning of the party system, as we would recognize it now, playing a huge role. Hyper partisan supporters set up newspapers and published smear campaigns across the country
The electors met with their own agenda that was contrary to the popular vote. Jefferson received 41,330 votes to Adams’ lackluster 25,952. Slam dunk, right?
Not quite.
In a wonderful turn of events, the votes of the electors’ would be counted by the presiding officer of the Senate, the vice president of the United States, Jefferson. The vote of Georgia, while favoring Jefferson and Burr, was not in correct form and technically should not have counted. Had they been disqualified, as technically they could have been, no candidate would have had a majority and there would have been a run off between the top five finishers. But Jefferson counted the Georgia votes, pushing Jefferson and Burr over the total needed for a majority but leaving Jefferson in a tie with Burr. The race was then sent to the US House of Representatives for them to decide.
We like to look at the 2000 race as one of high suspense and uncertainty because we forget a week in February 1801, where the US House cast 36 ballots and after much intrigue and letter writing (the tweets of that day and time) finally elected Jefferson as the third president of the United States.
The most significant part of the election of 1800 was that John Adams left the White House after being defeated. It was the first time in US history that a sitting president left office due to the results of an election. But as midnight drew on, his last night in office, Adams was busy filling newly created federal Circuit Court judges.
It is hard to believe, but politics today are more civilized now than then. Reading the newspapers of the day, they are shocking in their attacks. This election is not even close to the worst or most interesting. It is simply the current one.
James Piedad
This 82-year-old Woman Votes Trump
Dear Editor,
I love all the Rhino. Your articles are very informative.
As you’ve probably guessed from my handwriting and my spelling, I’m one of those older, uneducated ladies (82 to be exact.)
Some women seem to have been offended by Trump and the Clintons, but as a woman, my biggest fear is that as the Muslim population grows, and their religious beliefs are based on the Koran, aren’t women going to be second-class citizens? Is this what we want for our daughters. Plus there is the effect that would have on us and our sons.
President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton seem to want this. Could it be for votes?
If enough Muslims come in and control America’s government, it doesn’t matter if you’re American, black, white, Mexican, Asian, whatever, you will not be treated very nice.
Wake up, America. If you want to be like other countries, think about why people are dying ever day to come to America.
Maybe you can knock some sense into some liberal men and women.
Keep up the good work and may God bless you and America.
Anonymous
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