To the Editor:

I want to share with you three times in my life that made me appreciate how important our Democratic vision is to the people of this state and this country.

First, it is clear to me the Republican Party sees women as second-class citizens. I attended a public meeting last year where our state senator said poor women have no business having children. I was appalled that he had the audacity to tell women who should and should not have children. If this outrageous Republican view had prevailed at the time and my mother had been influenced by it, I would never have been born. Democrats, as opposed to Republicans, believe all people whether rich or poor, male or female, black or white have the right to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve as human beings.

Second, my parents started out with little money, but they worked hard started a business and were doing well. But when I was just 9 years old my father died suddenly from a heart attack. Thank goodness for Democrats who believe our government should be concerned with the welfare of all citizens and had provided a safety net. The Social Security program the Democrats had passed and funded helped my mother provide for me and my brothers and sisters at this crucial time in my life.  

Third, thanks to the strong public education system that Democrats have supported for decades in North Carolina, I was able to get an outstanding education through the public school system that allowed me to get into and succeed in college. My college and medical school education was made affordable through publicly funded scholarships and loan money. Emphasis by Democrats on public education for all our citizens has made a real difference in the quality of my life.  

The Republicans in our state legislature have made drastic cuts in every single level of public education. Huge cuts in funding for pre-school education for disadvantaged children, to K-12 education, to the community college system, and to our N.C. public universities. Republican Sen. Jim Davis falsely wrote that teaching jobs had been fully funded, when in fact as a result of budget cuts by the Republicans thousand of teaching jobs and teaching assistants jobs have been eliminated in North Carolina. These cuts may not affect you and me too much, but will play havoc in the lives of our children and grandchildren.

We Democrats stand for women’s rights, we stand for increased opportunities for poor and middle class citizens, we stand for a strong public education system that serves all of our citizens, we stand for affordable health care for everyone whether rich or poor, we stand to support Medicare and Social Security that has been so valuable in the lives of our citizens. Democrats’ vision of the future will give our children and grandchildren a better life in Macon County, in the state of North Carolina, and in these United States of America.  

Ed Morris

Chairman Macon County Democratic Party