Some congressmen are guided by the concerns of their constituents when they are contacted by mail or phone; others use these contacts only to identify constituents who object to something, and to sell their contrary points of view.
I wrote several of my congressional representatives expressing my strong dismay with the Supreme Court's recent decision removing restrictions on corporate giving for campaign financing. I have just received a form letter from one, who incidentally ranks as one of the most copiously supported by corporate funds, and whose voting record attests to the effectiveness of this largess.
His letter first expresses the familiar argument about restoring First Amendment free speech to corporations and unions. Then comes the kicker. He states: "I want to assure North Carolinians that this (Supreme Court decision) does nothing to change those existing restrictions. Corporations and unions still cannot contribute to a candidate's campaign, nor can they coordinate with candidates to produce or fund campaign ads."
And, "those existing restrictions" are never identified.
I am tempted to write and ask how this man plans to distance himself from PAC contributions from corporations and unions.
The mind-set displayed by his letter makes it easier to understand why so many people are expressing disaffection with our dysfunctional Congress.
Junius A. Davis
Chapel Hill
Speeders, not deer, are real culprits
There are legitimate traffic safety concerns at Governors Club not being addressed, but reducing the deer population should be far down the priority list.
The March 5 Chapel Hill Herald included a column by Gary Gaddy that stated that deer pose a safety issue in that community. While automobile accidents involving deer can occur within Governors Club as on almost any road in the Triangle, excessive vehicle speed primarily determines if an accident with a deer will occur and, if so, how severe it will be.
All streets within Governors Club have a posted speed limit of 25 mph, which many residents, visitors and contractors regularly violate. During January 2009 an independent study of Governors Club vehicles' speed was conducted and demonstrated that 44 percent exceeded the limit by more than 10 mph and 9 percent by 15 mph. Interestingly this study was conducted exclusively during peak deer activity times, i.e. morning and evenings.
While excessive speed has been a longstanding problem at Governors Club, the Property Owners Association has failed to take any significant action other than to install a few scattered speed bumps and occasionally a traffic speed monitor and warning sign. Interestingly, the report by the Ad Hoc Deer Committee specifically recommended, "Enforce immediately the current speed limit, which is consistent with minimization of deer accidents."
To date the Property Owners Association has done nothing to implement this recommendation, but rather has focused on initiating an unnecessary deer hunt that further endangers its residents' safety. Speeding continues unabated within Governors Club gates.
Paul Schwenke
Governors Club
