Opinion
Don’t change districts in Macon County
To the Editor:
“No taxation without representation” the patriots cried 260 years ago. Now there is a move to change the voters’ representation of District 2 on the Macon County Board of Commissioners. Currently there are five commissioners, each representing approximately 6,000 voters in Macon County.
‘A civilization to be proud of …’
“Here’s why the original neocon thinkers — people such as Irving Kristol, James Q. Wilson, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan — can be so helpful right now: They focused their attention on the bloody crossroads where morality and politics intersect. They saw politics through the lens of not only polling and social-science data, but also literature, philosophy, psychology and theology.
Trump’s immigration policies misguided
To the Editor:
The Immigration Act of 1990 was the last time significant changes were made to legal immigration and is considered outdated for today’s challenges. In 2013 a bipartisanship bill passed the Senate with a strong majority, including provisions for border security, E-Verify and a pathway to citizenship, but failed to get a House vote due to lack of support from House Republicans.
Stein should prep for the vote steal
To the Editor:
I recently sent this letter to North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein.
I fear that the current deployment of ICE, CBP, a federalized National Guard, the FBI and the DEA is actually practice for the Trump administration’s seizure of voting machines in historically Democrat voting areas in the 2026 General Election.
Appalled at killing in Minnesota
To the Editor:
I wrote this letter to Congressman Chuck Edwards and thought it might be of interest to some others.
First of all, let me say that I am writing you because I am appalled at the killing of another American citizen on American streets by members of federal ICE and/or Border Patrol forces in Minnesota. This does not represent any sort of “immigration enforcement” I voted for.
Jackson commissioners making poor decisions
To the Editor:
I want to address the financial issues involved with the decision by the Jackson County commissioners to leave the Fontana Regional Library System.
This past June citizens of Jackson County experienced a significant tax increase. The commissioners made a show at the June meeting of “lowering” the tax rate.
Losing library director makes matters worse
To the Editor:
I’m sorry to read that Tracy Fitzmaurice resigned as head of the Fontana Regional Library System, and I want to say something clearly in defense of Tracy.
Tracy has given decades of steady, public-minded service to the Fontana Regional Library community — she’s been with the system since 1991 and stepped into the director role in January 2023. That kind of institutional knowledge and calm competence isn’t replaceable on a 30-day timeline.
A great leader grows roots, not weeds
Even
After
All this time
The sun never says to the earth,
“You owe me.”
Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the
Whole
Sky.
This poem by the 14th century Persian poet, Hafiz, was cited in Wayne Dyer’s book “Change Your Thoughts — Change Your Life.”
More voters are choosing “independent”
To the Editor:
In response to guest columnist Walter Cook’s recent article, “Don’t expect better results with the same choices,” (Dec. 31 edition of SMN) Mr. Cook accurately describes a political reality in Western North Carolina: for far too long, many voters have cast ballots strictly along party lines — then wondered why so little changes, or why things get worse.
