Smoky Mountain News

To the Editor:

I was born January 1933, and I have been a student of our state and our nation’s political and legislative scenes for some 70 years and counting. During those many years I have been able to evaluate, for myself, many political figures and legislators. And there is a difference, in my view. 

One of the very best is Rep. Ray Rapp. Due to space restrictions, I’ll limit my superlatives here. In my 70 years, I can not recall a harder worker. Even when he had a close family member with a serious and mysterious illness, Ray kept going, night and day, to care for his kin and his elected job. He is very capable, honest, fair and dedicated to helping any and all of his constituents. Now, the N.C. Republicans and his opponent, Michelle Presnell, want to paint him as “being out of touch” with North Carolina. I say no way.

Because Ray supported keeping a 1 cent sales tax for schools, his opposition changed this to a “15 percent increase” that sounds worse. He rightfully says “if we do not adequately fund education, we are eating our seed corn.”

Meanwhile these no-tax people quietly let a state gas tax increase go in to effect. Of course, the gas tax increase did not punish the North Carolina Association of Educators, as the 1 cent sales tax did.

I would encourage anyone concerned about our children and our citizens’ futures to look past these mudslinging ads paid for by billionaires that do not care squat about you and I, the common folk, and reelect a fine upright man that fits the mold of a Democrat as defined by the late Sen. McGovern, “Above all, being a Democrat, means having compassion for others and it means standing up for people that have been kept down.”

May God continue to bless America.

 John C Scroggs

Clyde