Thank you for Christmas Bureau generosity

Thank you for Christmas Bureau generosity

The 2011 Christmas Bureau of Catawba County held at the American Legion Fairgrounds was once again a huge success due to the generosity and support of our community. We had 1,373 pre-registered, eligible families with 2,844 children and 394 teenagers who were served. The families with children and teens received toys, clothing, Christmas stockings, an opportunity to win a new bicycle and helmet, winter coats and food cards.

The volunteers went above and beyond as they served the families that came through “The Christmas Bureau Toy Store.” For many of you this is a “tradition,” something that you plan each and every year, for others it may have been your first time. Regardless, we heard many of you say “This is what Christmas is really about” as you assisted the parents to carefully select the perfect gifts for their children and watched their faces fill with the anticipation of taking home a new bike. Without your hard work and dedication, we could have never shared the spirit of Christmas with so many.

For those who contributed financially, we would like to express a sincere thank you. Private donations and those from anonymous foundations enabled us to provide support to the many in our community who are unemployed, experiencing medical difficulties or other emergency situations. In other words, the families who wouldn’t have had any toys or food for Christmas 2011 without your generosity.

Specials thanks to Honda Cars of Hickory who helped purchase many of the new bicycles for children up to age 12 that were given away; to the Hickory Fire Department for the assembly and storage of the bikes; to the Safe Kids program for providing helmets; to The Salvation Army and Toys for Tots for providing the toys in the “Toy Store” and to the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry and Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry for writing grants for food cards. Also, to the Catawba County United Way and its volunteers who again this year were able to help families with teenagers whose families were being served by the Christmas Bureau and to the employees and management of Steve White Motors whose generosity allowed us to provide bikes for teens.

Thanks to the staff and volunteers at Catawba County United Way for maintaining the data base to avoid duplication of services. The Volunteer Center recruited nearly 200 hundred individuals who assisted. We want to especially thank the American Legion Fair for the use of the building and grounds, Pepsi Cola for their support, the three school systems for assisting with the applications process and Technibilt for supplying shopping carts.

The local dry cleaners that participated with cleaning of winter coats that were donated and distributed to needy families provided a great blessing. It meant so much to families to be able to walk out with warm winter coats for members of their household.

We also want to express our thanks to all the news media outlets for your coverage and support. The service you provide to all the community is greatly appreciated.

On behalf of our community, we would like to thank everyone for their generosity, support and donations. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such a giving community. Please accept our heartfelt thanks for making a wonderful difference at Christmas for so many.

Thank you and May God bless each of you,

Jennie Connor, Catawba County United Way Executive Director

Rev. Robert Silber, Executive Director, Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry

GOP contenders need finance course

The Republican leadership needs a basic course in finance. They are obsessed with Frank Luntz’s creation of “don’t increase taxes on the job creators.” From personal experience, I am here to tell you that income tax rates are the last item to be considered in a major, job creating investment decision.

The first consideration in any investment decision is the revenue projections. What are the competitive and pricing assumptions? Once the market is settled, cost of the investment and cost of manufacture is considered. Assuming profit can be made, cash flows are then projected and payback periods and rates of return are calculated.

Only in cash flow projections do income tax rates come into the discussion. Without a market and demand, without consumers in their pocket, tax rates never enter the equation.

Alice Deal

Hickory

Thank you for holiday generosity

What a wonderful community this is! Without the support of everyone in the surrounding area, South Caldwell Christian Ministries, a United Way Agency, would not be in existence today. 

We have seen our clients cry with joy that someone cared enough to help their children with Christmas. The food boxes we provide along with fruit, bread, and a case of water have been joyously received as well.

SCCM would like to express our gratitude to all of the companies, organizations, churches and individuals who have generously supported our mission this holiday season and throughout the year. Thank you.

Deborah Thomas

Director

South Caldwell Christian Ministries

Granite Falls

We are taxed too much

The writer who provided average earnings for the upper 10 percent and the bottom 90 percent needed to go further to say that over half of the lower 90 percent pay no federal income tax at all.

His suggestion that they might be willing payers if they earned more is better than confiscating others’ earnings. It would make them stakeholders in how government spends our taxes. Rolling back job-killing regulations and runaway spending would help by re-directing capital to economic growth.

Then, he calls the flat rate Social Security tax every wage earner pays, which should be each individual’s contribution to his/her Social Security retirement account, and not used to run the government “regressive.” At higher income levels, this retirement saving is taxed. Unfortunately, those Social Security savings were spent by earlier congresses to run the government and the fund is empty.

Lastly, he mentions the seemingly favorable 15 percent capital gains tax on investments in businesses, which is available to all taxpayers. In fact, the capital gains rate is zero for taxpayers in the two lowest tax brackets.

Also, the capital gain tax is the third time the same income has been taxed. It was taxed first as income before being invested, then a second time in the investment as business income and a third time when paid out as a capital gain. There should be no additional tax on capital gains, dividends and bank interest, all of which have already been taxed at least once.

Ed Schott

Hickory

Thanks for museum’s garden fountain

On behalf of those of us who visit The Hickory Museum of Art Founders garden, please allow me to publicly thank Lise Swensson, Director of the Hickory Museum of Art, and Mr. Les Whicker for their time and efforts in returning the garden’s small fountain to working order.

For we folks who enjoy the garden, the sight and sounds produced by the now operating fountain always enhance our visits.
 
Gary (Uncle Bear) Eklund 
Hickory