Editor:

My family and I met a friend at a local restaurant for dinner. After a pleasant meal and good service, we parted ways. Little did I know, I would be scammed by the server who pleasantly gave my two-year-old daughter a small bowl of ice cream "on the house."

Two days after that dinner, my husband checked our electronic banking account, as we do from time to time, and noted that the restaurant had charged us an additional $4 over the amount of the tip that I included. I called the manager and asked her to look at the receipt, only to find out that my $4 tip had been changed to $8. In essence, my 15 percent tip had been changed to 30 percent. I was told that a manager generally has to sign off on all credit card receipts, but that night, no one did.

Using credit cards poses a risk to consumers at restaurants. We can verify the amount on our ticket, but not what is actually charged until it hits our bank account. By then, it might be too late. I want to remind anybody who uses a credit card to check all amounts, not only on receipts, but on your statements to ensure that fraudulent individuals do not get away with this behavior.

Samantha Knapp

Charleston

Let's work together to solve our problems

Editor:

"RIP USA." This was the hand-lettered sign on the rear window of an SUV I found myself following on the highway two days after the election. I understood the sentiment. I felt the same way in 2004 when George W. Bush was re-elected. Life goes on, America goes on.

Serious issues continue to confront our great country. The deficit, the economy, continued solvency of Social Security and Medicare all need immediate attention. Whatever our differences, now is the time to unite for a common purpose and for the greater good for our citizenry.

I encourage all those who voted on Election Day to contact their representatives and senators in D.C. -- call them, write them, email them -- to let them know we expect them to work together to tackle these issues. This is no time for extremism by either party. After all, if a workable compromise to solve these problems is not achieved, we -- Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and independents -- all go down together.

Karen Glazier

Malden

I am a proud Arab-American, born in West Virginia as were both of my beloved parents. Our ancestral homelands are Syria and Lebanon. I am not a Palestinian by birth, but I am a Palestinian by identity and I have always been in favor of a two-state solution in the Holy Land after the creation of Israel in 1948 by the United Nations. This has not been a popular idea in either Israel or the United States because American policy in that land has been determined, not in Washington, but rather in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. This is truly unfortunate because the Palestinian people have been denied their basic human rights in the land in which they have dwelled for thousands of years. Israel has always insisted on determining the fate of Palestinian Arabs and have never agreed to a two-state solution, even after face-to-face negotiations between Jews and Arabs, with Arabs walking out in frustration.

On Nov. 29, the United Nations granted non-member observer status to the Palestinian State, by a vote of 138 nations in favor, 9 nations against, including Israel and the United State and 41 nations abstaining. This overwhelming vote is one step short of full statehood for the people of Palestine. Of course, because of the approval in the U.N., United States funding for Palestine will now be at risk. Hopefully the 138 countries that voted in favor will make up for the possible loss of funds from the USA. While I have personally voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012, I am terribly disappointed that he did not do the honorable thing for a people who have suffered greatly at the hands of Israel. Many years to the people of Palestine. Their day has come!

Rev. George S. Corey

Charleston