In response to "The Mackey factor" (May 7 editorial): Nick Mackey was elected for the same reason O.J. was found not guilty.
When he chose to run in a predominantly black N.C. House district against a white incumbent, the results were inevitable. His lack of qualifications and questionable reputation were irrelevant.
Joseph F. Thompson
Charlotte
Obama, Leake, Mackey show it's all about race
The 91 percent of the vote that went for Obama in Mecklenburg's predominantly black precincts shows this race is all about race -- and the victories of local candidates Vilma Leake and Nick Mackey show a candidate's record and reputation don't matter.
Keith Gamble
Charlotte
Leake takes her act to wider audience
Vilma Leake's being elected county commissioner would give even those people with no children in CMS reason to see her in action.If Leake wins again in November, I'm canceling my HBO -- nothing is more entertaining than watching her alternately do nothing and sulk.
John B. Hallman
Charlotte
Not all blacks support likes of Mackey, Leake
I'm free, black and over 21, and I'm embarrassed that Nick Mackey and Vilma Leake are elected officials in Mecklenburg County.
Shame on you black voters of Charlotte for valuing race over integrity!
Corey F. Mathis
Charlotte
Your racial analysis encourages polarization
I beg the Observer to stop breaking down our votes along racial lines. An American is an American, and one vote equals one vote.We don't need any help in becoming more polarized. Please refuse to participate.
Philip Loydpierson
Charlotte
Inmate to society: You got back what you sent
The writer is an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Center.
In response to "Church tries to understand `senseless' crime" (April 20):
I served time with accused killer Gordon Franklin McMullen at Eastern Correctional Institution. His arrest for robbery and murder of a 92-year-old did not surprise me.
Before McMullen was released in 2007, he asked prison officials to establish assistance for him to adjust to society, but no one complied.
McMullen was returned to society just as he entered prison: uneducated, unrehabilitated and non-religious -- a combination criminologists know results in recidivism.
Roy Lee Miller
Polkton
Wachovia wakes up to underachieving
In response to "Thompson out as Wachovia chairman" (May 9):Finally a major corporate board stands up to an executive with questionable business acumen.
Many other businesses, large and small, should take a lesson from Wachovia and rein in their top-level compensation packages when image falls short of reality.
Floyd Prophet
Charlotte
Talley's was real deal, but shoppers fell for `big'
In response to "Talley's is closing its doors after 17 years" (May 9):
I'll miss you dearly, Talley's.
What makes this closing even sadder is that advertising led shoppers to believe the larger green grocers were better and cheaper than Talley's. They weren't -- I've shopped them all.
These stores put up an organic front but carry as much conventionally grown merchandise as the big boxes.
Kris Solow
Charlotte
Kids with carts made shopping unappealing
The photo of the 2-year-old boy running through Talley's with the child-size shopping cart illustrates why I stopped shopping there regularly.The introduction of those carts turned a lovely neighborhood store into a playground. I can't count the number of times I was run into or nearly run into by unsupervised children while their parents were shopping.
On a few occasions I even left without finishing my shopping because children were chasing each other through the store.
Lauraine Cole
Charlotte
View from single mom: Parenting's about quality
In response to "Crime, school problems share single cause" (May 5 Forum):
I raised my 17-year-old son by myself for the first 14 years of his life. He had no father figure, and I never received any type of support.
Today he is in the top of his class, works two jobs, has never been in any trouble, is student body president and has been accepted to UNC Chapel Hill. I forgot to mention he's biracial.
He is proof that the issue isn't whether there are one or two parents in the home, but whether the parent or parents are actively involved in their child's life.
Laura Agerton
Gastonia
View from '30s: Being poor was incentive
If poverty were CMS's problem, then those who attended public schools between 1930 and 1945 would have become the lost generation rather than the "greatest generation."I remember vividly the clothing worn by my classmates: shoes with holes in the soles, socks darned at the heels, sweaters darned at the elbows. And lunches, carried from home, didn't amount to much.
Rather than being a deterrent to good performance, poverty was a powerful incentive to work hard.
Truman L. Koehler
Charlotte
Hitting up oil companies won't solve problem
In response to "D.C. finger-pointing as fuel price pops up" (May 4):
Stealing earnings from the oil companies with new taxes doesn't address the issue of supply and demand.
The problem is supply! After decades of Democrats such as Obama and Clinton supporting "No Drilling Here," it's time to unlock the door to the oil buried in our own back yard!
Bill Kniegge
Waxhaw
There's cause to ponder claims about HIV
In response to "Claims about HIV are just plain nutty" (May 5 Forum):
If it were commonly known that your purportedly good-hearted neighbor had in fact been the culprit who spray-painted hate graffiti on your car, would you really "need to have your head examined" for suspecting he also might well be the one who poisoned your dog?
Terry Robertson
Charlotte
