Colin Austin is absolutely correct when he states that “Fear is on the rise in North Carolinaâ€. I believe, however, that he has focused on only one aspect of the fear. He has ignored the fear of a mother in Burlington who must send her children to a school where gang violence is steadily increasing,…
Category: Opinion
Letter: Choices in May
For the first time in years, we’ve got some difficult ballot choices in an “off time†election. Local citizens would benefit by giving them some thought. For democrat and independent primary voters, there are real choices in candidates for president and for NC state senate. Corporate Clinton or Orator Obama? Perhaps the candidate whose income…
Letter: Transfer tax misinformation
Misinformation about the proposed transfer tax for Orange County is being disseminated to voters who will make a decision on the transfer tax on the May 6th ballot. I wish to correct that misinformation by showing what the effect is on the five counties that have had the transfer tax for many years.
Transfer tax needed
By Pam Hemminge At the March 20th meeting of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, we adopted a resolution in support of the Orange County Commissioners’ decision to place a Land Transfer Tax referendum on the May 6 ballot. It is projected that the Land Transfer Tax would generate approximately $3.5 million annually…
Clarification
FYI to the busy professionals, the casual readers and those who were just plum flummoxed by the idea of an aerial tramway coming to downtown, please note that it was an April Fool’s jest. And be forewarned, we intend to make this a regular event. So keep your eyes peeled next year. See you on…
Letter From the Editor: A few thoughts about basketball
Whenever the team is encountering difficulties or perhaps in a close contest, Woody Durham, the enthusiastic voice of the Tar Heels, can often be heard telling people to “go where you go and do what you do.†Usually this happens during a timeout or other breaks in the action, so one could assume that he…
Immigrant rights, the rights of us all
By Colin Austin Fear is on the rise in North Carolina. This was the topic of most concern at El Foro Latino 2008, a statewide gathering of Latino leaders held earlier this month near Asheville. Fear of leaving your home, fear of being separated from family and fear of law-enforcement officers. Participants at El Foro…
Drought requires big-picture thinking
By Grady McCallie For those of us living in communities with water restrictions, the current drought is a wakeup call. As with all droughts, there’s no telling for certain when it will end. But even after rains and full reservoirs return, a central lesson should stay with us: Rapid growth in total demand for water…
Another lesson from the lottery
By Chris Fitzsimon On July 28, 2006, the day before the 2006 short session of the General Assembly adjourned, lawmakers passed House Bill 2212, which set up the Lottery Oversight Committee. Gov. Mike Easley signed it two weeks later. The law requires the panel to meet at least four times a year to review how…
Letter From the Editor: Free Tibet
I have not heard back from my congressman, who I wrote to several days ago concerning the violence visited upon protesters in Lhasa and other places in Tibet. I do not expect much help to come from the United States government in this area. Officialdom abandoned Tibet long ago in pursuit of the markets and…
Buckhorn Village: Diving for dollars?
By James Carnahan Last chance for citizens to speak to the Orange County Commissioners about Buckhorn Village is Tuesday, April 1 (no fooling). The project seems to have a lot of momentum, but is its approval in our best interests? The potential revenues are being touted as clean & easy dollars, but I think nothing…
The politics of tuition
By Chris Fitzsimon Tuition at University of North Carolina campuses is the subject of the latest skirmish between Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and state Treasurer Richard Moore in their battle for the Democratic nomination for governor. A Moore television ad accuses Perdue of “leading the charge†for tuition increases in her position as chair of…
Peace: If not now, when?
By Anthony Fleg As our community feels the painful consequences of violence, with an unidentified 16 year old and UNC senior Eve Carson both being shot within walking distance from UNC’s tree-lined, picturesque campus, it puts an added perspective on the five-year anniversary of the violence of the Iraq war. As much as we are…
Coming home
By Robert Dickson  When Mary Beth, Kirk and I walked into last year’s Community Dinner, I felt a bit like a deer in the headlights. There were so many people I wanted to meet and talk with but in that big crowd I really didn’t know where to start. Somewhat audaciously, I had added the…
For the Record: 03/20/08
Welcome to Volume II You hold in your hands issue number I of Volume II of The Carrboro Citizen. Whether it is the first time you’ve picked up a copy of the paper or this is the 53rd time you’ve delved into one long enough to reach the Opinion page, please know that we could…