Opinion

To the editor: Once again, property owners in Brunswick and other coastal counties get slammed with another property insurance increase. Whatever happened to the insurance concept of “shared risk?”

To the editor: This is one of the few letters that is not registering a complaint.

I live with my little four-legged companion in a modest old house on Ocean Isle Beach, and I’m so content I plan to live out my days here if insurance and/or taxes don’t force me to move off the island.

When I crest the bridge, I feel like I’ve entered a little corner of heaven. I’m a happy lady. I have five children with families in and around North Carolina whom I adore, lots of friends I appreciate and love, which leads to the reason for this letter.

There are things I am just not good at keeping.

In the past year and a half, I have gone through eight cell phones. Don’t ask me how; let’s just say that the extra $3.99 a month for the insurance is well worth it.

I have to buy a new Chapstick at least once every two weeks. For some reason, my dog has an internal Chapstick detector and can fish it out of my purse, even when it’s zipped in an inside pocket.

But most recently, I have had a battle with any and every umbrella that has come my way.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

—Winston Churchill

Even in tough times, people find ways to give back. Dealing with difficult times makes us realize the importance of helping others.

During the holiday season, many charities saw more people pulling together to donate what they could to make things better for those in need. But the need doesn’t stop once the holidays are over.

To the editor: I was so dismayed to see the picture of the beautiful bobcat killed by Mr. Faircloth. I don’t see the point of killing that animal. They are rare in these parts.

I hope you are proud of yourself, Mr. Faircloth, because I certainly am not. I would love to see such a beautiful animal out in the wild, and I would have shot it too, with a camera.

To the editor: To the Washington bureaucrats: 1) If you really want to jump-start the economy, give that remaining money back to the taxpayers, the ones who put it there to begin with. If you politicians really want to give money to jump-start the economy, do this math equation: $350 billion divided by 250 million taxpaying Americans and you get $1,400 per taxpayer, more if there are fewer taxpayers.

To the editor: I have noticed that Mr. Stocker, who lives in Gastonia, has a lot of time to write about problems down at the coast. Evidently he does not have time to properly assess a situation before he writes his letters.

Who should pay for the billions of dollars in damages tornadoes create that could happen, even in Gastonia? It seems we all pay for them, as this is the way insurance should work.

As Brunswick County continues to grow and its population continues to increase, so does its need for more quality, affordable health services.

Many residents are anxiously awaiting the completion of Brunswick County’s newest hospital—the facility that will replace the current Brunswick Community Hospital. Slated to be completed in 2010, the new hospital will encompass 252,604 square feet, with an additional 75,000 square feet of future medical office space. The $107 million hospital will have 74 acute-care beds, four observation beds and five operating rooms.

Growing up in central Kentucky, I’m used to winter’s cold temperatures, snow, wind, rain and ice. Although it’s nothing compared to many northern states, Kentucky has plenty of below-freezing days during winter months.