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Athletes need to be students first, even at UNC Chapel Hill
The hypocrisy of college sports is that too many athletes are not real students.
College too often is minor leagues for the pros.
In the face of the Penn State scandal, doesn’t this horror story make UNC Chapel Hill’s Dean Smith and the Tarheel program all those years look stellar?
H.A.Thompson
Charlotte
NCAA ruling unfairly punishes those who remain at Penn State
Jerry Sandusky is in prison and Joe Paterno has passed.
Now all these other punishments are handed down to the college. They’re being forced on innocent people, especially the students.
It’s time for everyone to heal from this and move on. Penn State is still one of the best colleges this country has.
Jill Mick
Charlotte
That the Colo. killer used ‘legal’ ammo doesn’t cut it for me
In reporting the Colorado shootings, many TV and newspaper articles, along with gun advocacy groups, pointed out the fact that the weapons and bullets used in the tragedy “were purchased legally.”
And therein lies the problem.
I’m sure the families of these victims now feel so much better knowing they were killed by “legal” bullets.
Joseph Pepe
Charlotte
New sidewalks, crosswalks not enough to keep cyclists safe
Typically, an accident involving a car and bike is the result of a car driver not willing to share the road or a lack of bike lanes.
Improved crosswalks and new sidewalks do not improve bike safety. Bikers should share the road, not the sidewalk.
Including cycling accident statistics in an article headlined “Walking into danger” (July 22) is just another way to promote misunderstanding among your readers. And misunderstanding leads to unsafe conditions for everyone.
Robin Drechsel
Charlotte
In response to “Preoccupied drivers greatest road risk, they’re everywhere” (July 23 Forum):
Drivers who leapfrog a problem; need more enforcement on I-85
It’s aggressive, reckless and just plain rude drivers who are the problem on Interstate 85.
Have you ever tried to leave a gap between you and the car in front of you? Other drivers immediately fill it. I’ve seen drivers do this repeatedly, diving from lane to lane, then back again just to leapfrog a couple of spots. This kind of driving is far more dangerous than staying in the left lane and driving a few miles over the speed limit.
Perhaps consistent law enforcement and ticketing of this kind of behavior would make I-85 safer.
Lisa Buch
Concord
In response to “Problem isn’t the road, it’s ‘aggressive’ big-rig drivers” (July 22 Forum):
Truckers regularly use their signals; other drivers don’t
Forum writer Steve Ellington, it goes both ways; 99 percent of big-rig drivers give lane change signals. You’ve seen it out there, probably 30 percent of passenger vehicles do the same.
Bill Herrington
Charlotte
Way I see it, passenger vehicle drivers are the aggressors
I travel N.C. 16/Interstate 277 twice daily in a truck. Almost daily some aggressive passenger vehicle driver decides to squeeze in at the last minute, thinking that a truck can stop within the same distance as his/her vehicle.
When I have elected not to let them in due to traffic or weather conditions, they usually decide to advertise their intelligence with the middle finger.
I invite Steve Ellington to spend one day with me. I assure him his opinion will change.
Glen Barras
Charlotte
Glad to see GOP’s Boehner, McCain stand up to Bachmann
Thanks for covering the story of Sen. John McCain defending Huma Abedin against the new McCarthyism being deployed by Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Sen. McCain and House Speaker John Boehner deserve kudos for standing up to the extreme parts of their party.
If the tea party wishes to be taken seriously, it need not let Michele Bachmann speak on its behalf.
Her low credibility detracts from their message.
Keith Wilson
Charlotte
Requiring voter ID won’t disenfranchise minority voters
Who takes minority voters to the polls to vote? Why can’t these same people take the individual to get a voter ID card?
It is more important to make sure every voter is qualified to vote than to worry about a little inconvenience in getting a voter ID. In states where voter ID is required, there are arrangements to get a free voter ID.
G. Wilson Miller
Charlotte
No N.C. cities bankrupt; you can thank unlimited tax increases
Good news: The overspending and city bankruptcies occurring in California cannot happen here in North Carolina! Long ago, Calif. citizens passed Proposition 13, severely limiting property taxes and property tax increases. Even without the ability to increase taxes, Calif. cities continued to overspend, increasing salaries, funding future investments and providing high pensions and benefits.
No worry; here in North Carolina, government can pass unlimited tax increases to pay for all those things. No city bankruptcies here!
Roy Brown
Matthews
