A fiddle instructor is needed for the Jackson County Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program. 

Twenty-two of the top high school marching bands from the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee will be competing for the title of grand champion and other honors at the 18th annual Tournament of Champions, which will be hosted by Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band on Saturday, Oct. 20.

My husband is newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and I don't know where to start as far as what foods he should eat or what I should be looking at on food labels...can you help? 

To the Editor:

This fall's election will include six proposed amendments to the NC Constitution. All were drafted exclusively by the General Assembly without public hearings or debate. None of these amendments is needed, and all should be opposed by voters. 

Two amendments are designed to reduce the power of the governor and to shift appointment powers to the legislature. The first reduces the size of the Board of Ethics and Election Enforcement, and transfers appointment power from the governor to the legislature; the second removes the governor’s power to appoint judges to fill vacancies and effectively transfers that power to the legislature.

According to The Charlotte Observer, Sept. 5, 2018: "All five of NC’s living former governors unite against constitutional amendments.” 

“Don't hijack our constitution," said former Gov. Pat McCrory at a gathering of all five of North Carolina's living former governors. The group convened to warn voters about constitutional amendments that would shift power to the legislature.”

Another amendment is a continuation of the legislature’s efforts through regulations and what has now been determined by the courts as illegal partisan gerrymandering of voting districts: to suppress voting rights and reduce effectiveness of minority and urban voters. We are being asked to vote on an amendment to require photo ID for in person voting. And the regulations and specific language will only be written — by the legislature — if and when the amendment is approved! We don’t even know what is being proposed and how it will be implemented. It has been shown repeatedly that voter fraud is essentially non-existent, or is so small as to be irrelevant — but that voter ID regulations routinely have the greatest impact on those with the fewest advantages: people in lower income groups, urban environments and minority populations.  

One proposed amendment seeks to reduce the maximum income tax rate to 7 percent from the 10 percent it is today. This amendment will have absolutely no impact on anyone’s tax bill, since the rate currently is 5.499 percent. It only has the effect of tying the hands of policy makers in the future — and perhaps protecting the rich from a future progressive tax structure where rates might increase on the highest brackets of income. A reduction in maximum allowable tax is designed to have an emotional, populist appeal — but this addresses another non-existent problem and can only be viewed as a cynical way to get voters in the mode of approving amendments. 

A similar amendment addressing a non-issue is one “to protect the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife.” These are rights that already exist under North Carolina law and certainly don’t require a constitutional amendment. This can only be seen as a transparent effort to put an amendment on the ballot which will entice a “yes” vote — sort of like creating an amendment to protect the right to eat apple pie. This is not what the constitution, or the amendment process, is meant for, and should be rejected accordingly. 

The final proposed amendment is one to highlight, add to, or enumerate rights for victims of crime.  gain, most of what is called for are things that already exist, such as rights to be informed of judicial process; to consult with prosecutors, to be treated with respect, to be informed of judicial outcomes. In general, it is another “sounds like it might make sense” amendment, but far from what should actually rise to the level of requiring a change to the Constitution.

Thoughtful voters should oppose all six amendments. And we should expect the legislature to focus on building our state’s economy, protecting our environment and improving people’s lives — not pushing any measure they can think of to entrench power or cement partisan divides. The Constitution should not be a political football.  

Dan Chasins

Cashiers 

To the Editor:

I was raised as a Republican and in my youth voted Republican. And I still concede that the GOP was once a political party with defensible principles that cared about middle-class Americans. But this is no longer the case.

“Republican” is now just a brand that has been sold to a handful of unscrupulous mega-donors (such as the Koch brothers, the Mercers, and Betsy DeVos) who use the trust placed in this brand to manipulate and dupe “consumers.”

Think of an American company that you've really admired for a long time that makes one of your favorite products. Now imagine that some Chinese — or Russian — conglomerate buys this company, moves the factories overseas, and begins manufacturing a cheap, shoddy, totally unreliable version of your once-beloved product. The brand is the same, but the product is not — no matter how much an expensive advertising campaign tries to convince you it is. That's the situation of the GOP today. Would you keep buying a product just because of its brand name even after it's proven itself to be degraded junk?

The GOP has been bought. It's the victim of a hostile takeover. The new owners are counting on you to maintain brand loyalty no matter what. When complaints pour in, instead of listening and making the product better, they abolish the Complaints Department. You tell them you want guaranteed coverage of preexisting health conditions, and they say, “No you don't.” You say you want to preserve net neutrality, and they say you're mistaken. You say you don't want tax cuts for billionaires, and they say, “Oh yes you do.” Finally, you say you don't want such toxic levels of corruption and criminality in your politicians, and they say, “Our politicians’ level of corruption and felony is well within the newly relaxed limits.” 

If you still consider yourself a Republican, you may be focusing more on the brand than on the actual product.  If you value healthcare, women's rights, the full Social Security benefits you’ve earned, consumer protections, and a protected environment — but are still buying the dreck that the co-opted GOP is selling — it's time for you to switch brands.

Bill Spencer

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

On a religious broadcast, the host commented that 80 percent of Evangelical Christians voted for the current President. An editorial in a local paper called for Christians to stand up and speak out for our faith and country. These two statements caused me to wonder who we as Christians really are and just what do we believe? 

Whether we are fundamental, evangelical, moderate or liberal, Christians hold to certain basic beliefs concerning truth and faith. As followers of Jesus, Christians believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we sometimes differ on how God inspired the Bible, but there is no doubt in our minds that the Bible contains the truth God wants us to know. In the Bible, we find the way to salvation and how to live joyful, productive and meaningful lives. We believe in the Bible. Does our President? 

As followers of Jesus, we believe the worship of God is at the top of our to do list. We differ on the methods of worship, but we do not disagree on the primary importance in worshiping God.

Does our President worship God? Almost every Sunday while Christians are attending worship our President is teeing up a golf ball. Can God be worshiped on the golf course? Yes, but how often does a golfer get a hole in one?

As followers of Jesus, we believe in God given moral values such as integrity, telling the truth, obeying the law and love of neighbor. The list goes on but our President must not have seen the list. 

As followers of Jesus, we place family values high on our list. Faithfulness to a spouse, training children in the way to live and respect for all persons are on a Christian's code of ethics. Does a man who has been married three times, had several affairs and shows no respect for anyone really deserve our vote?

When asked “Why do you support the President?” many Christians answer because the economy is doing so well. Translated this means we have more money to spend. It is nice to see our bank accounts healthy and to be able to pay our bills, but when did Jesus tell us to worship money? 

Does a person who thumbs his nose at basic Christian values, who demonstrates a disdain for immigrants, women and children, who has trouble telling the truth really deserve the vote of Christians?

Fellow followers of Jesus think on these things. Pray and ask God for guidance. Then summon forth the courage to do what is right. November is coming.

John Davis Jr.

Waynesville

To the Editor:

The column last week by Chris Cox does not address the question which is raised: “Is this the demeanor of a Supreme Court justice?”

There is no mention or evaluation of Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications, education, work history, opinions, citizenship, husband, father, volunteer, etc. The writer meanders through his heartfelt concerns over unreported sexual attacks upon women but never addresses the point. He writes of feelings and belief, of downtrodden women, beer drinking students. He talks of people, not ideas. This hearing is not about sex or people; it is about the rule of law, the ideal enshrined in our Constitution which gives everyone the presumption of innocent until proven guilty. 

The article is a biased, emotional, slanderous, rambling rant, attacking and condemning Judge Kavanaugh because, it appears, the writer has judged other drunken college students as bad people, and as everyone now knows, Kavanaugh drank beer and he really liked it.

Constitutional lawyer, Harvard graduate and Democrat Alan Derschowitz calls this new unfounded allegation tactic employed by the Democrats to halt the judge’s elevation to the Supreme Court as “sexual McCarthyism.”

The fantastic drama that played out over the past few weeks is the stuff of books, movies, and documentaries. The United States is at a turning point. Will we protect our right to presumption of innocence under the Constitution or will we allow lies, deceit, and big money funding mob demonstrations to become the new rule of law?

Kathryn van Heyningen

Franklin

The Highlands Biological Station and Nature Center’s Patrick Brannon was recently named 2018 Environmental Educator of the Year by the Environmental Educators of North Carolina. 

Karen Babcock, former director of Folkmoot USA in Waynesville, has been hired as the WNC Nature Center’s new executive director. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway Association has hired Frederick “Tubby” Kubik as its new executive director, replacing previous director Tom Hardy, who retired after 36 years with the Association. 

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest now has a new trailhead map, replacing a sign that was previously stolen. 

The emerald ash borer has been found in Jackson County for the first time, making Jackson the 37th county in North Carolina where this invasive insect has been detected. 

The 2018 Midterm Elections are upon us, and there is still time to register and learn where local and state candidates stand on important issues before early voting begins on Thursday, Oct. 18.

Mountain Projects, in conjunction with the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency and the North Carolina Community Action Coalition, will hold an exercise designed to give participants a glimpse of what it’s like to be poor. 

Is it bad to give my child fruit juice? One of my friends is giving me a hard time because she says juice is full of sugar.

By Lori Wright • Guest Columnist

To all of my fellow teachers and parents, I only have one question: how much more do we have to endure? School has started again, and with that comes a yearly tradition. Once again, teachers like me are being forced to beg for basic school supplies. Some supplies I will be able to get from generous friends and families, but what will I do for the supplies I can’t get through donations? The same thing public school teachers are forced to do every year — pay for these basic classroom supplies out of our own pockets. 

To the Editor:

In October of 2005, I arrived in Ukraine as a Peace Corps (PC) volunteer. At that time, PC Ukraine was the largest PC program among served countries. Considering the size of the country and the geopolitical importance of the area, it was not difficult to understand why. I was there to teach English, as were most of my fellow volunteers. Around this same time, Paul Manafort began consulting for the pro-Russian political party which had lost control of the presidency the year prior.

Are you familiar with the Orange Revolution? Victor Yushchenko, a pro-Western candidate, had dared to challenge the ruling pro-Russian party candidate Victor Yanukovych. During the campaign, Yushchenko suffered from a mysterious case of dioxin poisoning. Although his health was greatly weakened and his face was pockmarked from the poisoning, he marched on with his campaign. 

On election night, the pro-Russian candidate, Victor Yanukovych, was declared the winner; however, due to the actions of some brave individuals with knowledge of the vote tally, word quickly spread that the election results were fraudulent. It has been estimated that close to 1 million Ukrainians wearing orange (hence the “Orange Revolution”) took to the streets of the capital demanding that their votes be fairly counted. The government consented to new elections, and this time Yushchenko officially carried the vote. 

Upon his arrival in Ukraine, Paul Manafort became the principle designer of the strategy of the pro-Russian party, sowing the seeds of discontent that would ensure Yushchenko be only a one-term president. Yanukovych, after having been rejected by the Ukrainian people just five years prior, would carry the vote. 

Like any good political consultant, Paul Manafort did what he had to do. And like any good dictator, Victor Yanukovych did what he had to do: eliminating dissension in his government, restricting freedom of the press, and restricting the movements and activities of his political rivals including the imprisonment of his chief political opponent. Four years later, after Yanukovych backed out of a partnership with the European Union due to pressure from the Russian government, thousands of Ukrainians once again took to the streets. But unlike the bloodless Orange Revolution, this time violence erupted as government forces fired upon unarmed protesters.

In the coming days, government resistance would collapse and Yanukovych would flee the country to Russia, where he supposedly resides to this day. Manafort would continue consulting for Yanukovych and his political party for some time after.

Paul Manafort worked against America’s interest in Ukraine, undermining foreign policy objectives of the Bush and Obama administrations and thwarting democratic progress, all while garnering millions of dollars. In August, a jury of his peers convicted him on eight counts of bank fraud and tax evasion. It’s hard to blame President Trump for hiring Manafort as his campaign manager; after all, Manafort was good at what he did. 

The puzzlement for me is why would President Trump defend a convicted felon, deemed guilty by a jury of his fellow Americans. It only furthers the impression that our president has no respect for the rule of law, whether judge or jury, or simply that he indeed has something to hide. Now that Manafort has struck a plea deal regarding the charges he faced in an upcoming second trial, a deal in which he pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy and has agreed to cooperate fully with special counsel Robert Mueller, we shall soon find out the truth.

Bill Covin

Haywood County

To the Editor:

Can we talk about voter fraud? It’s real, folks. And it’s spreading throughout North Carolina.

I’m not referring to what the GOP calls voter fraud, legions of illegitimate voters rushing polling places to influence an election. The N.C. Board of Elections put the lie to that falsehood. It found that of 4,769,640 votes cast in 2016, only 19 people were charged with voting illegally. That’s one illegal vote for every 250,000 cast. Honestly, does that sound like an efficient way to sway an election?

No, here’s what real voter fraud looks like: North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature’s effort to push through a “Voter ID” amendment this November.

Forcing people to produce picture IDs to solve a non-existent problem isn’t meant to protect our democracy. It’s a cynical effort to prevent many eligible citizens who have difficulty acquiring state-approved ID — generally low-income and people of color who the GOP fears won’t vote as it prefers — from exercising their Constitutional right.

I hope you’ll reject the “Voter ID” amendment on Nov. 6 ... and all the unnecessary amendments the GOP has tagged onto our ballot. But if you decide to support this cynical political ploy, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re protecting democracy. Wittingly or otherwise, you’ll be doing your bit to undermine the very principles you claim to hold dear. 

Stephen Advokat

Asheville

To the Editor:

We have seen, read, and heard a lot of fuss lately about the precipitous dangers of socialism undermining the American culture. We are rightfully leery of any extreme form of political governance, such as communism, fascism, or autocracies. But before we can the judge the influence of socialism on our society, we need to understand that there are many versions of socialism defined under the “socialism” umbrella.

On one end of the scale is totalitarian communism, a form of autocracy where self-serving political power is concentrated in small group of political leaders who manage the social and economic policies of a society with an iron hand. Stalinism is the foremost example this form of socialism. 

On the other far end of the socialism spectrum is the social market economy. This is the socioeconomic model most associated with European economies, and certain aspects of this model are supported by members from all American political parties. The social market economy combines a free market capitalist economic system alongside social policies that establish both fair competition within the market and a welfare state. 

The social market economy was designed to be a third way between laissez-faire economic liberalism and socialist economics. It was inspired by the tradition of Christian ethics. The social market economy uses the organic means of comprehensive economic policy planning which can influence the economy, but specifically does not plan and guide production, the workforce or sales. Effectively combining monetary, credit, trade, tax, customs, investment and social policies as well as other measures, this type of economic policy creates an economy that serves the welfare and needs of the entire population.

The social market approach rejects the far left socialist ideas of replacing private property and markets with social ownership and economic planning. The “social” element to the model instead refers to support for the provision of equal opportunity and protection of those unable to enter the free market labor force because of old age, disability, or unemployment. These are, in fact, some of the guiding principals that have shaped the modern social contract between the federal government and its constituents, the American people.

The influence of the social market approach is illustrated by these examples: the GI Bill implemented at the end of WWII, which subsidized the cost of higher education for soldiers returning from the war; the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees the equal protection of the laws; Social Security, a retirement system funded by American citizens and managed by the federal government; federal regulations intended to limit the harmful pollution of our water and air by businesses, by local, state, and federal governments, and by individuals.

The notion that capital economies and social economies are mutually exclusive and competing in a zero sum game is simply not true. Our American economy has been shaped by principals derived from both capitalism and socialism, and we citizens are well served by the influences and judicious implementation of features from both systems. Fomenting fear and mistrust by spinning a view that these influences from either side are immoral or unethical only serves to further divide and alienate whole segments of our political culture.

John Barry

Franklin

To the Editor:

We moved to Burnsville just over two years ago about two months before the 2016 election. When I registered to vote, I chose the unaffiliated classification. I did so as I was unfamiliar with the politics of my new home and did not wish to commit myself to any one party when I did not know how individual candidates from the two major parties chose to serve their communities.

I have now gone through one election and have two years to observe how my community is represented.  I also receive communications from both parties due to my unaffiliated classification. This is what I have learned.

Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Burnsville, does not shy away from language that divides us. She tries to draw clear lines of “Us versus Them.” She also embraces misleading language to promote positions she favors. This is evidenced in the attempt to mask the effort to suppress voter registration and the more recent support of ambiguous and misleading wording of the proposed amendments to the state’s Constitution.

On the other hand, I have found that Rhonda Cole Schandevel talks about serving the people. She talks about preserving health care and restoring North Carolina’s educational system to the prestige that once characterized it. While we are blessed with some very good teachers, they lack the system and support to ensure that all of our children have the education that they deserve. I believe Ms. Schandevel will work to reverse this condition. I am also convinced that she will fight for the health care needs of all North Carolinians and not simply for the privileged few. I will be voting for Rhonda Cole Schandevel.

U.S. Congressman Mark Meadows represents me in the U.S. Congress. Now that I live in North Carolina, I have had a chance to observe Rep. Meadows and here are my conclusions. Rep. Meadows really looks the part. He dresses, grooms, and speaks as if he belongs in Washington. The accolades stop there. 

He is the leader of the Freedom Caucasus and no legislation, resolution, or action of any kind is allowed to the House Floor without the blessings of the Freedom Caucus. This group of representatives, which is a minority of the House’s representatives, holds the House hostage due to the influence of the Tea Party voter. This means nothing gets done. We are paying him and providing him a staff to ensure that the House remains stagnant. He is purposefully cutting off the voices of others. Our founding fathers believed that voices needed to be heard regardless of position.

Here is what I have seen on Phillip Price’s website, “Phillip Price will strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” Now that is a stance that I can get behind and it is a stance that comes closest to my own personal values. Mr. Price also speaks of the importance of reaching across the aisle and working with others regardless of party affiliation. I will be voting for Phillip Price.

Finally, as a new voter in North Carolina observing our elected officials, I wish to say a word regarding Sen. Richard Burr. I have watched Sen. Burr in his role as co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He appears to work well with his co-chair, Sen. Mark Warner, and seems to conduct himself with forthrightness and integrity. These are traits that I will support in any politician, even if there are policy differences between that person and myself.

Lee Sease

Burnsville

To the Editor:

About the political cartoon of September 12: Please don’t make horrible political divisions worse by repeating brain-bypassing, emotional-button-pushing, negative phrases, whether to describe Democrats, Republicans or independents. 

Tell me one stand Sen. Elizabeth Warren has taken that makes her anything other than a caring, rational woman. Consumer Protection Agency? The American Association of Pediatrics just announced their own review of research and industry-funded/distorted “research” into plastics’ effects on children and babies’ health. They concluded that the FDA and private industry has suppressed independent science for decades. The result? Babies and children with cancer. We do need protection from big industries whose heads can rationalize a few babies’ deaths away so long as they keep raking in the cash.

Look at what Bernie Sanders actually stands for — and why so many independents as well as Democrats supported him, especially young adults. Although his and Joe Biden’s age-mate, I would like to see younger candidates (I would include Warren because she isn’t so old) from both parties running for president and vice president in 2020, but with the same integrity and values and policies as Sanders and Biden: universal health care that stops America being the only country in the “advanced” world where you can go bankrupt from getting sick, even if you have insurance; protection from greedy corporations that kill us slowly with carcinogens in plastics, water and air; the same stringency for gun ownership as for driving a car or getting a fishing license. How radical is that?  

Let’s all try thinking and acting like Sen. John McCain, who disagreed without name-calling, who found ways to meet people with opposing ideas halfway and find sane compromises. A hero who endured unimaginable torment and stayed captive two-plus more hellish years because he wouldn’t leave his fellow captives behind while going free as an admiral’s son. The Republican who co-sponsored the campaign finance reform, which was later overturned in the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision to the everlasting regret of anyone who values democracy. Sen. McCain was a man who understood that many of the greedy rich — not all the rich — are destroying our democracy and making a mockery of all we purport to stand for.  

What appeals to young adults in the politicians whom your cartoon ridicules is their condemning big money donors in political campaigns, because they really are the root of all our country’s evils. 

Mary Jane Curry

Haywood County

To the Editor:

Despite the best efforts of reporters, a newspaper article will not contain the entire story. This letter to the editor is in defense of the Haywood County Tax Office. I work there.

Morale: Contrary to what you may read, the morale in the office is high. The tax collection clerks agree with the policies of the office, which were established by Tax Collector Mike Matthews when he took office. These policies are to treat everyone who walks into the office or calls on the telephone with helpfulness, compassion and courtesy.

Interest: With the approval of either the tax collector or the deputy tax collector, the clerks did occasionally remove interest. This was done with the belief that the elected tax collector and deputy tax collector had the authority to make such decisions. We have no knowledge of missing codes. Only someone with an intimate knowledge of Keystone, the computer software used to collect and process tax payments, could go undetected in manipulating or removing codes from the Keystone record.

Training: Our training is three days of lectures and an exam in all aspects of property tax assessment and collection law. Again, education helps, but it does not prepare you for the multitude of unusual questions and situations you encounter daily. On-the-job training, what you learn from more experienced employees, is essential. Other collection clerks train us, and co-workers in other departments generously answer our questions. Referencing the Machinery Act, a 399-page book of law that governs property tax assessment and collection, happens often.

Performance: Mike’s record as tax collector speaks for itself. When he took office, he was given a property tax collection rate goal of 96.96 percent by the county manager and the commissioners. He has exceeded that goal every year with collection rates above 97 percent and surpassed all the collection rates of the previous administration. In addition, Mike has drastically reduced total outstanding delinquencies. Please judge the effectiveness of the tax collection office for yourself by speaking with Mike or requesting a more detailed copy of collection rates for tax years 2009 through 2018 from office personnel.

While results are important, Mike takes pride in the way his office works with taxpayers, giving them every opportunity to pay these tax bills in a manner consistent with the taxpayer’s circumstances. The election of a good man to the position of tax collector, a man who makes decisions based on respect for and fair treatment of taxpayers, is highly desired and makes the government responsive to the people.

Politics: Election years bring change in workplace dynamics. Understandably, people want their candidate to win, but some purposely use character assassination and actively work to prevent the incumbent’s efficiency in office. I have no desire to defend accusations and insinuations made in newspaper articles or to air behind the scenes, political intrigues in a public forum, but a good man is being maligned and his office is being hampered from doing its job effectively. 

The tax collection office is operating to the best of our ability despite the partisan politics swirling around us.

Cindy Chaffy

Maggie Valley

Repairs have been completed to Beechertown Road and the Nantahala River access there in the Nantahala National Forest near Franklin. 

Initial estimates for crop damage and livestock losses in North Carolina due to Hurricane Florence are expected to top $1.1 billion, easily outstripping the $400 million seen after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. 

A full week after Ohio resident Mitzie Sue “Susan” Clements, 53, went missing in the Clingmans Dome area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, crews from a three-state area are still trying to find her. 

The ancient Cowee mound in Macon County, once home to a thriving Cherokee town, now has interpretive signs to pay homage to the place’s storied past thanks to three years of collaboration by the Nikwasi Initiative and its partners. 

Phil and Connie Haire have donated a kayak to Southwestern Community College’s Outdoor Leadership Program.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ historical and cultural connections with the land now home to Western Carolina University were commemorated last month as representatives of the tribal and university communities gathered for the unveiling of a sculpture based on the Cherokee syllabary character “wi.”

There will be a DVD release party for acclaimed writer Gary Carden’s play “Birdell” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 

The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved a reduction in North Carolina counties required to perform yearly vehicle emissions tests. 

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce held a STIR Business After Hours event at the newly re-opened Jarrett House in Dillsboro. The chamber ambassador team also held a grand re-opening/ribbon cutting ceremony for the historic inn and restaurant built in 1884. 

A major law enforcement operation targeting drug trafficking in and around the Qualla Boundary has resulted in the arrest of more than 75 individuals on federal, state and tribal charges. 

Macon County Superior Court recently saw guilty pleas and lengthy prison sentences of two drug trafficking defendants. In unrelated cases, Jason Warren Hill and Natasha Bates DeHart both plead guilty to trafficking in methamphetamine and related charges. 

Health insurance may disappear under GOP

To the Editor:

It makes no difference if you support the current administration or not — they’re coming for your health coverage.  

It’s no secret the president and Congress are trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) little by slow, piece by piece. There is so much political noise right now that many do not realize there are quiet but continuing efforts in the courts to remove the most popular piece of ObamaCare — coverage of pre-existing conditions. That is, banning insurance companies from denying coverage to people with ongoing conditions or recent illness. 

It is estimated that as many as 130 million adults under age 65 have at least one condition that could result in not being able to get health insurance. The Kaiser Family Foundation puts the number at about a quarter of the country’s citizens under age 65. These are people like you and me, your neighbors and friends, your family members. Who does not know someone with cancer, diabetes, arthritis, cerebral palsy, emphysema, epilepsy, heart disease, hepatitis, kidney disease, mental illness, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, pregnancy (yes, pregnancy), sleep apnea, just to name a few. 

Many of us remember what it was like before ObamaCare became law in 2009. Insurance companies routinely declined those with preexisting conditions. Even the few companies that did offer coverage often excluded or imposed long waiting periods for those particular conditions. With the click of a computer key, insurance companies could cancel coverage for people who became ill once their policy year ended. Many went without treatment until showing up in the ER … living with unnecessary pain and disability … dying prematurely. ObamaCare made those practices illegal. We cannot go back there. 

If Republicans still hold Congress after the November election, anyone with a history of medical problems who doesn’t get health insurance from an employer will likely lose coverage. How do many Republican politicians feel about taking health care away from millions who have done nothing besides have past medical problems? Well, this is what Republican politicians have been saying they wanted all along.  

Consider the example of our Rep. Mark Meadows, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, who attempted unsuccessfully to ram through full ObamaCare repeal including preexisting conditions just last year! After the fact, he claimed he didn’t realize that pre-existing conditions was part of the deal. Yah, right! 

And if you think none of this matters because you’re covered by Medicare, think again. If Republicans control the Senate in November, they’ll be coming after Medicare next in order to help pay for their tax cut for the wealthy. Who said so? They did!  

Voters need to understand the stakes in these midterms. It will be the voters that will determine whether people with medical problems get the health care they need.

Elaine Slocumb 

Bryson City

We must protect our rights

To the Editor:

One of our local newspaper’s police activity section featured an officer asking a person he had pulled over if they had anything in the vehicle that he should know about. This violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution — by asking the person to incriminate themselves — and also indicating that the officer did not suspect anything specific (and thus did not have a reason for a search).

Americans are dying overseas to protect our values and way of life. This seems to me to be playing fast and loose with our constitutional rights. I respect our law enforcement officers, and realize they are doing a hard job. However the end doesn’t justify the means.

David Stearns

Otto

Workers suffer due to cost of living

To the Editor:

Granted, “The American worker is not getting their due” (www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/25493), but I have a little different take on the reasons why. I don’t think it’s as much the low wages as the high cost of living.

There are many factors involved, not the least of which is the ever-widening gap between the very rich and the rest of us brought about mainly by greed which worsens with each passing day. But let us consider simply the changes in the cost of living. 

I graduated high school in 1957 and a year later was managing a small plastics factory (in rural Massachusetts) that employed just four people. I earned $60 a week and took home $54.20 of that amount. On that salary plus what I could earn mowing grass in the summer, shoveling snow in the winter (both with hand tools only) and parking cars nine days in the fall at a nearby race track, I supported a wife, baby, a two-bedroom apartment, a car, tithed to our church and had money left over.  

How much would a high school graduate have to earn to do that today, 60 years later?

In 1958, my salary paid the rent ($15 a week), which was our biggest single expense, and allowed us to live middle-class. A new house was about $13K, a new car $2,500, a loaf of bread 20 cents, a dozen eggs 30 cents, coffee $1 a pound, and gas was 25 cents a gallon.

Teachers earned about $5,000 a year (an average wage) and always seemed happy. I like to think it was because I was in their classroom, but it could have been because all 30 to 40 of their students behaved themselves and paid attention.

The owner of the plastics factory earned about seven times what I did. Today he’d want 700 times more and I doubt I’d make a living wage. But, in 1958, with Eisenhower in the White House, Nixon the VP, and smiling Sam Rayburn Speaker of the House, with a three-cent first-class postage stamp and a year at Harvard costing $1,000 ... life was good.

David L. Snell 

Franklin

The bridge over the Lake Junaluska dam is now open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. All are invited to attend a grand opening at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19.

A man and a bear are dead following an ill-fated ginseng hunt in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Although Yesenia Navarro grew up with few material possessions, she always believed one catalyst for change was within her grasp — education.

To the Editor:

Today the American economy is strong. The percentage of American unemployed is down, the Dow Jones industrial average is north of 25,000 and millions of jobs, most of which require some degree of higher education, are going unfilled. So what kinds of jobs are available to people without much education? Jobs that do not pay enough to live on.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines a “working poor” person as someone below the poverty line who spent at least half the year either working or looking for employment. In 2016, there were roughly 7.6 million Americans who fell into this category. Most working poor people are over 35, while fewer than five in 100 are between the ages of 16 and 19.

Over the last 40 years, corporate profits have risen, but real wages have remained flat for workers without a college education. Since 1973, American productivity has increased by 77 percent, while hourly pay has grown by only 12 percent. If the federal minimum wage tracked productivity, it would be more than $20 an hour, not today’s poverty wage of $7.25. 

One of the most effective antipoverty solutions is a decent-paying job, scarce as they are. Today, 41.7 million laborers — nearly a third of the American work force — earn less than $12 an hour, and almost none of their employers offer health insurance. The most recent tax cut package was supposed to raise wages and spur hiring, but instead a record amount of stock buybacks and dividend payouts took place after the tax cut, benefiting investors and company executives over workers.

How much did corporation benefit from this tax cut? The Commerce Department said that after-tax profits across the U.S. rose 16.1 percent in the quarter ended June 30 from a year earlier, the largest year-over-year gain in six years. Because of the lower corporate tax rate signed into law last year, taxes paid by U.S. companies in that quarter were down 33 percent from a year earlier, according to the government data, or more than $100 billion at an annual rate.

“More than 70 percent of this [tax cut] will be returned to workers,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a January press conference.

However, companies have instead used the extra cash to spend billions of dollars buying back their own stock, boosting the value of shares held by investors. Buybacks reduce the number of shares on the market, immediately increasing the value of the shares that investors already hold. Over the past year, S&P 500 companies have given their shareholders a record $1 trillion in the form of buybacks and dividends.

Clearly, there is enough corporate profit to share with employees, but large corporations act as if there is no incentive to share profitability with their workers who drive corporate success but live below the poverty level.

In July, the White House Council of Economic Advisers issued a report endorsing work requirements for the nation’s largest welfare programs. The council favored “negative incentives,” which means recipients must work to receive aid, and the council dismissed “positive incentives,” like tax benefits for low-income workers, because the former is cheaper. The council also claimed that America’s welfare policies have brought about a “decline in self-sufficiency,” a claim that has no factual basis and which maligns every member of the working poor who need assistance to feed, clothe, and shelter their families.

One of the claims made buy ardent supporters of a “pure free market capitalism” is that a rising economy necessarily lifts up the financial fortunes of all members of society, including the poor. Unfortunately, the need for public assistance is a direct result of the failure of capitalism to deliver on that promise.

John Barry

Franklin

By Hannah McLeod • Guest Columnist

The vote to approve Brett Kavanaugh for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States, scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed until the Senate judiciary Committee can hear testimony by Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault.

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has requested the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to conduct a criminal investigation into a former HCSO detective’s activities as well as an outside consultant to oversee a complete inventory and audit of the Office’s evidence room.

By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist

The proposed Mission/HCA sale could be the most significant event — negative or positive — to affect Franklin and the region for decades. As Franklin’s mayor, I have a duty and obligation to see that our residents and visitors are not shortchanged in this $1.5 billion sale of Mission to HCA.

To the Editor:

Repaving a perfectly good Smoky Mountain Expressway appears to be another classic example of government wasteful spending.

I used to work for a company years ago that did business with government contractors. Each year they would needlessly spend funds or risk having their budgets reduced for the next year. Is there an explanation for this repaving that citizens are not aware of? From my perspective (and others), we don’t see any purpose for this. It seems there are so many other needs that the city, county or state has and could use funds for.

If there is a reasonable explanation and if I’ve missed it, can you please reprint it?

Jack West

Balsam

To the Editor:

This letter will by definition have to be somewhat brief to avoid backlash from those seeking bias confirmation for opposing views.

The Sept. 5 op-ed in the New York Times titled, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” should (but probably will not) be read in its entirety by every American.

As the pundits pick and choose their ideas of the good or bad points in the op-ed, as they attempt to analyze it as biased or unbiased, as they classify it as self-serving or patriotic, I would make only one point. Read the article in its entirety and make up your own mind. Try to ask and answer your own questions. Judge it based on you own beliefs.

Richard Gould

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Decisions made at all levels of government (president and Congress in Washington, D.C., General Assembly in Raleigh and county commissioners, sheriffs, courts, etc.) impact your daily lives. All federal laws passed by the Congress directly impact us in our local communities. How our state representatives and senators votes on issues such as fracking, Medicaid expansion, education, etc., should be a concern to you. 

You have the right to vote in county, state and national elections. Many people have fought and died for this freedom. Take full advantage of this right as your vote does count. Many elections have been won by one or two votes. Voting makes sure your voice and opinions are heard. Convicted felons can now vote in North Carolina if they have served their time and are no longer on probation or parole. 

Be an informed voter. Don’t believe the negative ads you see on TV or what is mailed to you. If the person running for office is currently serving, check out their voting record. If they have not been in office, check out their platform and look at what they have done in their lives. 

The Electoral College applies only to the presidential election and does not have any effect on other political races. There are no presidential elections this year, but there will be in 2020. Whoever is elected president appoints Supreme Court justices whose appointments are for life and can determine the course of history for generations. 

You can register to vote at any time at your local Board of Elections during regular office hours. The date for the General Election is Nov. 6. Deadline for registering for the Nov. 6 election is Oct. 12. However, you can register and vote during the early voting period from Oct. 17 to Nov. 3. In the General Election in November, you can vote for anyone from any party. 

Regardless of what party you are or what candidates you support, please exercise your right to vote and vote by absentee ballot, early voting or on Election Day. The future of your children and grandchildren is at stake. 

Mary A. Herr

Cherokee 

To the Editor:

There has been a coup unfolding in the White House. Our Republic is in imminent danger of devolving into an autocracy. The senior White House staff, a group of appointed political supplicants, who swore an oath to the Constitution, have decided that expediency justifies their illegal thwarting of the Constitution. In the now infamous op-ed letter written by a senior member of the White House staff, that anonymous writer asks us to work together with this shadow government, to support their effort to keep Trump from doing less harm to our country than he is capable of. They have convinced themselves that they are patriots, even while acting outside the Constitution. These so-called patriots have likely been perpetuating this hoax from the very start of the Trump presidency.

We have a dangerously incompetent chief executive and his senior staff is a cabal of crass, egotistical, mostly incompetent, political know-nothings. Under this administration, the Supreme Court is being stacked illegitimately. Children have been abducted. Millions of Americans have been left without healthcare. Wealth has been stolen from middle and lower class and showered on the wealthy. Corporations have been anointed as super-citizens, with lower tax rates than for mere human citizens and with more influence on federal elected politicians through the enormity of their campaign donations.

Our Republic has never been so vulnerable. Federal policies are being implemented by unelected, egotistical leeches. The Rule of Law is fracturing. 

This administration has is no respect for our Constitution. The viability of our democracy has already been considerably damaged by these political pirates. Restoring respect for and adherence to our Constitution may take years.

What can we citizens do to restore sanity to our executive branch?

Vote!

We have heard these words before, “this is the most important election this country has held”. Usually these words are invoked when citizens are vehemently opposed to an opposing political party’s policies. The crisis this country is in now makes these previous political conflicts look like a teapot in a tempest. Your ballot in the upcoming mid-term elections is your tool to dismantle this governing aberration.

Vote! 

John Barry

Franklin

Chimney Rock State Park is now hike-in only following the start of work to stabilize its upper parking lot Sept. 4.