Candidate of good character

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage the people of the Southwest Ward to re-elect Dan Besse to the Winston-Salem City Council. Dan is a candidate of good character who knows the issues that matter most to everyday people and who can work well with other city-council members to get the city's business done. He has represented our ward well in the past and will continue to do so.

Also, the location of our neighborhood makes it attractive to a few commercial interests, but twice in the past three years, Dan has stepped up and kept the zoning board (with the help of other city-council members) from further compromising the integrity of our neighborhood. For that alone, Dan has my vote on Nov. 3.

DAVID CURRY

Winston-Salem

Prayer policy

The prayer policy of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners may be inconsistent with separation of church and state. And prayers at public meetings may also be inconsistent with Scripture. In Matthew 6:6, we read: "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

CHARLES E. WILSON

Winston-Salem

Cares deeply

Having worked with Dan Besse on our church's social action council, I know firsthand that he cares deeply about the public good, social justice and our environment. He brings to any meeting or forum an even-tempered sense of fairness, as well as keen intelligence and carefully thought-out views.

With these positive attributes, Dan will continue to serve our neighborhoods well on the Winston-Salem City Council. He helps neighbors and developers work out conflicts in a constructive manner whenever possible, so that well-designed developments can move forward. He also works with neighborhoods on planning and zoning issues, to help ensure that they are protected against invasive, poorly designed or sited development. In addition, Dan works to encourage redevelopment in existing commercial areas that have declined over time. This redevelopment improves our city and creates jobs while protecting residential neighborhoods.

Dan works diligently to serve and strengthen our community, and I fully support his candidacy for city council.

CARRIE GALLOWAY

Winston-Salem

Supports our neighborhood

I live in a small, not well-known neighborhood in the Southwest Ward that is represented by Dan Besse. He has been a supporter of our neighborhood and has worked hard for our neighborhood on zoning issues. I am writing in support of the Dan Besse campaign.

I am encouraged by Dan's work to keep our tax rates low. He has helped cut spending with new requirements for efficiency of city vehicles, fuel and energy use. He led the successful opposition to a tax on residential trash pickup and recycling. Most important for our neighbors, Dan has never voted for a property tax increase.

NANCY V. JOHNSON

Winston-Salem

Great evils of socialism

Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, universal health care and help for the poor are all certainly great evils of socialism. Let's add the interstate highway system, the police, fire department, military, and inspecting our air and water to meet federal standards. These must be great evils as well, as they are paid for with our taxes.

Sorry, but it's been the Reaganomics of the past 30 years that put this country on the brink of disaster: Constant deregulation, breaking up unions, cutting taxes on the wealthy while enriching them and hoping for a "trickle-down" to the rest of us. While corporations got rich, the rest of us were forced to shoulder the burden. America was becoming a country only a corporatist would love.

Well, it's time for some cold, hard truths to smack these people back to reality. Government can and should do some things to enrich and better our society, and we should pay taxes to support it.

Not only that, but those who benefit the most should pay the most. The America of the Republican Party is one of class warfare, debt shouldered by the middle class and poor, and hopelessness. It will take time to fix what 30 years of Reaganomics and self-centeredness have caused. I hope that the Democrats and the American people are up to the challenge.

ROWDY SCARLETT

Winston-Salem

Totally dedicated

I have known Dan Besse for many years and he has been a very good Winston-Salem City Council member for me and my neighborhood. Council Member Besse is honest, hard-working and totally dedicated to helping the average person in the Southwest Ward.

In addition, he has done many good things for the city of Winston-Salem.

He has been a leader in the efforts to create a clean and green community, something that affects the quality of our daily lives. Besse's support helped our city hire more police officers and increase neighborhood patrols, and led to the passage of tough pawnshop rules, making it harder for criminals to dispose of stolen property.

I will be voting for Dan Besse and I recommend to everyone else in the Southwest Ward that they vote for Dan Besse for Winston-Salem City Council.

PATRICIA SISSON

Winston-Salem

Take a closer look

Regarding the letter "Where we're headed" (Oct. 26), rather than say, "Don't look now," I would urge the writer and others to take a closer look.

Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare have relieved the misery of millions of Americans who otherwise would have lived hungry and homeless lives and died, from treatable disease, without a shred of dignity. The banks "taken over" by the government drove us to the brink of another Great Depression while pretending to self-regulate, and even now continue their spendthrift ways. The auto companies came to Washington hat in hand after 30 years of ignoring the safety features and fuel economies Americans wanted and could find only in imports. Greedy lenders approving bad loans and then outsourcing them to the highest bidders created the mortgage mess, not the government.

Yes, the national debt, much of it from the Iraq war, is shocking. But repairs cost money and, like a beautiful old house that has been allowed to deteriorate, our country needs to attend to the things we've neglected for too long. We need health-care reform now; conservative banks like the old Wachovia, with sound regulations to keep them in line; and attention to our crumbling infrastructure and viable automobile companies to put safe, efficient cars on safe roads and bridges, for starters. It ain't free, folks, and can't be done without the government, which is us.

Money wisely invested now will pay off handsomely for future generations, who will not thank us for fiddling while Rome burns.

LEE PULLIAM

Winston-Salem