While I have great respect for state Rep. Deborah Ross, her comment in your June 10 paper relative to the House's plans to increase taxes is disturbing at best. She says: "We need to ask people who can help others [by paying additional taxes] ...

Our legislators have hiked the tax on distilled spirits six times since 1995 while beer and wine taxes have remained the same. As an alcohol educator and researcher, this tax policy makes absolutely no sense to me.

A quick lesson in economics for all who are crying foul at tax or revenue increases to maintain services and education in North Carolina.

Countering the broad-brush commentary describing the pampered few at N.C. State University: Most faculty at State don't deserve such criticism.

It disturbed me to read about alleged abuse of a Sunnybrook Healthcare and Rehabilitation resident ("Abuse claims hard to verify if the injured can't speak," June 3).

When signing the credit card reform bill into law, President Barack Obama cautioned shoppers to act responsibly.

A June 16 letter-writer used the Eve Carson case to support his assertion that crime victims' family members would find it heartwarming if executions were to begin again in North Carolina and that resuming executions would reduce the number of murders in our state.

To avoid drastic cuts in needed programs, the state House is proposing to increase sales and income taxes. These are the two worst taxes that can be increased during a recession, unless their overall goal is to make things worse.

I'm a rising senior at Sanderson High. I think that the graduation project is extremely unnecessary. A lot of kids are having enough trouble getting through high school already, and there is enough stress on us as it is.

Thank you for your recent coverage of the remembrance service for John Hope Franklin in Duke Chapel. I watched the event on television, and was moved by the many stories of his service to historical scholarship and to his fellow man.

There have been a few letters recently stating that hookah bars should remain included in the recent anti-smoking law. I am not a smoker and believe smoking is a horrible and disgusting habit for many reasons.

Regarding the June 14 article on state employee perks: For state staff not subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the ability to accrue or use comp time must be approved in advance by the supervisor.

As a supporter of Wake County Commissioner Lindy Brown in the past, and as one who spoke and asked that the Board of Commissioners do something to prevent further cuts in human services, I am very disappointed in Brown's comments and her vote on the county budget.

After reading Rick Martinez's column "Cushy deals at the top" June 10, I have a one-word comment: Amen. It appears the members of the education profession are proceeding nicely down the same path the UAW took its sacred cow industry.

A particular problem that results in many 911 hang-ups was never mentioned in the June 13 Triangle Trouble Shooters article. In many corporate environments you are required to dial 9 to get an outside line.

Your June 10 article "Clout keeps generics out" overlooked a crucial point: Use of a preferred drug list (PDL) does not work.

Thank you for your June 12 editorial "N.A.S. Cherry Point?" Northeastern North Carolina is patriotic and military-friendly. But we recognize injustice when we see it.

This time of year marks the completion of a milestone for most, a time when they realize the reward that comes with the fruits of their labor. I was at a graduation this past weekend, one larger than my own by many multiples.

Regarding the June 14 article "Market outlaws wholesale bartering": State Farmers Market manager Ronnie Best looks to me to have a sure and bright future in the new anti-capitalism, totalitarian government of the present.

Thanks for your article about state employees' benefits and the effect on the state budget. I think our legislature has to consider these hidden costs when enacting our budget.

I attended the Knightdale High School graduation ceremony on June 13. I was embarrassed by the whole procedure. People were dressed in shorts, hats, ragged jeans and sunglasses, clothes not fitting for the occasion.

Your new replacement for the TV guide, Channels, leaves a lot to be desired. The conversion chart covers only three cities. Channels covered 15 cities.

With print newspapers losing readers to online editions, is this the right time to introduce a TV Guide-like magazine?

Opinion belongs on the editorial pages. To that end, editors should have ensured more, or even some, balance in the June 10 article "Clout keeps generics out."

I can't imagine why you removed the dew point forecast from your weather page. Dew point temperature amounts to a direct measure of moisture in the air, while humidity is temperature-dependent and changes throughout the day.

The N&O's lead story on June 14 ("Piled-up perks carry hidden costs") is an example of journalism that tries to lend clarity to an issue, but doesn't.

The news that lethal injections to enforce the death penalty may soon begin is heartwarming to not only myself but to families of victims who have been mercilessly killed, e.g. Eve Carson.