Sound Off highlights anonymous, brief takes on the news offered via telephone by Daily News readers.

I’m calling in reference to the person in Thursday’s paper asking about the small, brownish bird he or she saw. Possibly, they could be a tine siskin. It’s a small member in the finch family, and they sometimes appear around our area in the winter and other winters they don’t. A couple of years ago, I had several at my bird feeders, and I looked them up, so I’m hoping this will help.

I would like to say a big “thank you” to Dottie Walker for the wonderful “Pets of the Week” photos she takes. It has certainly been a help with adoptions to showcase some of the beautiful, loving cats and dogs that are available at our shelter. Thank you, Dottie. Keep up the good work.

I agree with the person who called into Sound Off regarding Vidant Health. I received two stitches in the emergency room there in December, and my bill was $1,199.73. I do have insurance, but my deductible is $2,700. That’s because of the high premiums and the cost of health insurance. We do need an urgent care facility that is open during the week and weekends. These kinds of prices for medical emergencies are totally ridiculous. I was staggered when I opened my bill.

Your Progress 2012 magazine is terrific. Pick it up again and look through there. There’s lots of stuff that I didn’t know was around.

I’d like to say that whoever wrote the editorial for Thursday’s paper, I think he or she is a snob, too.

This is why our health care is so bad in the United States. Companies like Vidant and insurance companies drive up the cost because they insist on huge profits. Guess who pays? Our health care is more expensive and ineffective than almost anywhere in the world because the money-grubbers have taken it over.

All tax loopholes must be closed right now, and the same goes for all subsidies — all of them. Has anyone noticed we absolutely cannot afford this stuff? Why should millionaires and billionaires pay a lower tax rate than the middle class? It’s absolutely insane.

Dear Sound Off caller: Vidant will hear you loud and clear. Longer waits, less service, more cost. Now, what options do you have? What are your options? All that smells like roses is not roses. Vidant is going to make money if it has to shut everything down.

To the person who on March 2 said “Here’s one more of your readers who loves Gene Lyons’ column.” That makes two of you.

Since the city’s visitor center has moved to the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce building, a visitor would have a hard time finding it. There should be prominent visitor-center signs on all sides of the chamber building so people walking on the waterfront or driving on Stewart Parkway would know where to go.

Washington sure is looking nice. Two new bridges, new boat ramp, city employees cleaning the grass off the sidewalks. I may consider opening a business here.

I just want to say thanks for printing the letter to the editor in Thursday’s paper. I wholeheartedly agree with his comments and am in favor of keeping the Inner Banks Urgent Care Center as it is. It has been a great help to many sick people.

Yes, this is in reference to Mrs. Midyette’s editorial letter. Yes, we also have a bullet hole in our den and the bullet landed in my husband’s chair. We live in Macswoods. Those people who are shooting don’t really care if they injure anybody, especially since they are shooting near a residential area. Good luck.

What the taxpayers of North Carolina need to know is if we can afford to run the ferries free or whether we’re pandering to a bunch of people who are crying because they’re going to have to pay a little bit more. They do have jobs, evidently. A lot of people don’t have jobs. If we can’t afford for them to go free, then they should pay something. This is getting ridiculous. If the governor wanted it, let it be.

How sad I saw in the legal notices in the back of the paper that another church is moving some early tombstones. These tombstones were the people who bought the land there at the church, the people who were buried there at one time and founded the church.

I see in the legal notices about the church on Second Street that is going to dig up all those long-dead people. I believe that’s wrong. They have been buried. They are at rest. How dare that church dig up those bodies and move them for no other apparent reason than for what? A parking lot? To make that church bigger? Those people were buried and put to rest. They have no one to speak for them. Yet, they’re going to dig them up, if they get them all up, I doubt it. They’ll probably get some of them up. It’s just a shame.

If the purpose of the reorganization of the city is to save money, would it not be wiser that the reorganization of city operations focus first on unnecessary spending like the $202,000 for economic development or the $406,000 for the airport before reducing the number of personnel that provide services to the city residents?

I just read in Saturday’s issue of the Washington Daily News what our mayor said about public safety. Is that why the City Council gave the city’s 911 service over to the sheriff’s office?

On the sports section in the box called “What’s on tap,” the ACC games should be listed. This is ACC country. There is an ACC local channel. I even sent the newspaper the list of the ACC basketball game season coming up. It will not list them. Why not?

I have a question that needs to be answered by all these extreme conservative or liberal politicians. I am a moderate. Who represents me? The good of the country has never been served by extremes of anything.

Call 252-946-2144 ext. 235 to comment, (30 seconds maximum time). (All submissions are subject to editing).