Editor’s note

As Tony Dillard notes in this guest column, we’ve printed two other opinion pieces over the last two weeks by Waynesville aldermen Chuck Dickson and Jon Feichter regarding this annexation and the issue of whether these housing developments fit into the character of Waynesville. It’s unusual for The Smoky Mountain News to then give this much space to a third opinion piece, but given the importance of this issue — how will we grow — we decided to give Mr. Dillard the opportunity to voice his concerns. To note, Dillard is a private citizen in Waynesville.

— Scott McLeod, SMN Editor 

To the Editor:

Viktor Orban, oppressive dictator and former Hungarian Prime Minister, made one colossal mistake — he allowed an election to take place. Ergo, he was tossed from office in a landslide.

Our own president (a thirsting wannabe dictator himself) knows he faces a similar fate, possible impeachment, conviction and imprisonment if he loses control of Congress.

To the Editor:

“The prior administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child murderers and cop killers,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.” 

On April 14, the Waynesville Town Council voted 4-1 to annex the Queen’s Farm/Valleywood Farms Phase 2 property into the town limits. As part of the Town of Waynesville, an annexed property receives services, is subject to zoning and other town regulations and pays property taxes. 

I voted to annex Phase 2 of Valleywood Farms, and I want to tell you why. 

To the Editor:

There’s no better time than tax season to take a hard look at our absurd federal tax code — the single biggest reason the so-called “1%,” and the wealthy more broadly, have been pulling away from the rest of us for the past 50 years. Consider this: tech founders like Mark Zuckerberg famously take a $1 annual salary. They pay no income tax on that salary.

To the Editor:

A lot of us know that Congress isn’t doing its job. But when Trump went on recent Truth Social rants using obscene language and threatening an entire civilization, most Republicans sat back and said nothing. Bad language is unbecoming of any President, and if Biden and Obama had done such a thing, the Republicans wouldn’t have wasted any time making an effort to censure them. 

To the Editor:

With deference to David Crane’s credentials (“The 7th Crusade — U.S. folly in Iran,” March 18 SMN) and respect for his opinions, I would offer a contrarian view.

If the Treaty of Versailles had been enforced as de Gaulle and many others vigorously advocated, then perhaps WWII could have been avoided. What would it have taken to enforce that? Could it have been accomplished? We’ll never know. 

The war with Iran is not only a perfect metaphor for Trump’s presidency and the MAGA movement in general, but it is also revealing of a basic truth that MAGA opponents can never quite seem to grasp: Trump’s supporters do not now, nor have they ever, looked to him for consistency, coherence, dignity, wisdom or even decency. 

To the Editor:

In reading the official press release from March 31, “USDA Prioritizing Common Sense Forest Management, Moves Forest Service Headquarters to Salt Lake City,” one would think, “All right, common sense!” 

To the Editor:

In Western North Carolina we’ve been insulated from the horror and tragedies across the country. We haven’t seen the ICE raids, but sadly I recently learned that ICE is around. We don’t have the details but in Asheville a friend of one of one of my friends was picked up and sent to Atlanta.