WataugaDems.com: Watauga County Democratic Party Online

Guest Column Archives

Are the American People Suckers?

by Marsha Walpole

I’m a small business owner and a middle-class American. When I started this column for this newspaper, it was about how the middle class in America has been losing ground over the past 20 years. I’ve read lots of evidence that this is true, from Paul Krugman’s book on the topic, The Great Divergence, Timothy Noah’s ten-part series in Slate entitled “Why We Can’t Ignore Growing Income Inequalities,” and recent CNN stories on income stagnation.

Why Teachers Matter

by Donald B. Saunders

Have you ever seen the 1999 movie October Sky? Or read the memoir Rocket Boys, on which it was based?

It is the inspiring story by and about Homer Hickam Jr., who grew up in a West Virginia coal mining town during the 1950s and who became an aerospace engineer with NASA, and a prolific writer.

It Looks Like a War on Our Moms and Daughters

by Roberta Madden

All Americans - Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike - are concerned about our nation. We worry about the recession, about jobs, about the future. But rather than creating jobs for Americans, Republicans are pushing a reckless budget to deny women and their families access to critical health care services like cancer screenings, maternity care, and contraception.

Who Pays the Bill?

by Diane Tilson

Wall Street blew up the economy, causing the Great Recession. The taxpayers bailed out the bankers, and now working families are taking the hit, fighting each other over the few scraps left on the table.

What's wrong with this picture?

Teachers are getting laid off as school budgets are cut across the country. Colleges are hiking tuitions and shutting down course offerings. Public workers are facing furloughs, layoffs, and cuts in health care and pension benefits. Energy and food prices are soaring. And Republican pressure to gut Social Security and Medicare is rapidly escalating.

You Can’t Out-Think Men Who Aren’t Thinking

by Jesse Presnell

I’m sure I’m not the only one absolutely taken aback by the actions of our Republican commissioners in their on-again, off-again ¼-cent sales tax referendum.

First they voted March 1 for a referendum to be held in May. In pushing for the referendum, they complained about the County’s debt and warned about possible upcoming cutbacks in state funding for our schools. “We’ve got to do something,” said Commissioner Blust.

They then scheduled a public hearing for county citizens to weigh in on what they had already told the Board of Elections to plan for on May 17: a public referendum.

I Sure Wish Congress Would Get a Clue

by Marjory Holder

It comes as no surprise to me -- and I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to you, either -- that none of the incumbents in Congress have a clue what they’re doing in “trying to balance the budget.” I put that in quotes because it’s clear in reading the news (the real news, not the infotainment we’re fed nightly on TV) that no one in Washington is really trying to balance the budget the way we all balance our budgets at home.

We start with the big stuff.

We don’t start with the kids shoes. We don’t start with our children’s supper. We start with “not a new car this year” (or for most of us it’s “don’t replace the car until it falls apart”), and “don’t renovate the kitchen this year.”

Vouchers in Sheep’s Clothing

by Susan Phipps

Last November many new Republican lawmakers were swept into the NC General Assembly by promising more jobs and a stronger economy. Now that they have been sworn in and have begun work, they seem to have forgotten why the people sent them to Raleigh. Just recently, Governor Perdue had to veto a bill passed by them which would have removed funds from two economic incentive initiatives designed to bring new jobs and businesses to North Carolina.

What happened to the message voters sent in November?

Not only is the Republican majority in the NC House trying to take away funding to lure new jobs to North Carolina, but it is also trying to undermine a state asset that has traditionally encouraged businesses to locate in North Carolina – a strong public school system.

Fight in Wisconsin Only the Beginning

by Charlie Wallin

On October 3, 2008, President George W. Bush proposed handing over $700 billion to Wall Street. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress signed onto the bill believing that without an immediate bailout, the American economy would collapse. On his signing of the bill, President Bush said, “We have acted boldly to prevent the crisis on Wall Street from becoming a crisis in communities across our country.” And The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said, “With the American economy on life support, Congress took the necessary step to stop the bleeding.”

But the bleeding hasn’t stopped, and the crisis in our communities was not prevented.

Saving Wendell Potter’s Soul

by Pam Williamson

This is the story of how a man named Wendell Potter saved his soul.

Mr. Potter used to be the top spokesman of one of the biggest health insurance corporations in the world, CIGNA. He made a ton of money, and he got around on private corporate jets with leather seats, and he was served gourmet lunches on gold-rimmed plates. He could afford whatever he wanted. He could send his children to the finest schools. Life was good.

Affordable Care Act good for health care

by James W. Shine, M.D., and Susanne M. Shine, M.D.

No more exclusions for pre-existing health conditions, no more rescinding of insurance when people get sick, no more lifetime caps on coverage. Extension of health insurance benefits to children up to age 26, "doughnut hole" rebates now and eventual phase out of this cost to seniors, small business tax credits to help pay for health insurance.

These are but a few of the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

Blessed by Health Care Reform

by Marsha Walpole

The holidays are traditionally a time of year when we count our blessings. One of the blessings I am grateful for is finally having health insurance, after going 10 years without.

You see, I have pre-existing conditions, and no private health insurance company in North Carolina would cover me. Thanks to the new Affordable Care Act, I now am able to purchase health insurance under the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, called Inclusive Health in North Carolina, for about the same price that state employees pay to cover their spouses under the state health plan.

Why I Am a Democrat

By Ruth Laughlin

Why?

The Blue Ridge Parkway
Rural electrification
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Social Security
OSHA
Medicare
Head Start
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps)
State Children’s Health Insurance Program
Dramatic decline in out-of-wedlock pregnancies

Why I Am a Democrat

By Katy June Abrams

It would be easy enough to lay the fault of my political beliefs at my mother’s feet. I grew up listening to her left-wing diatribes, like “What has the right ever done for me?” or (my favorite) “If one more person refers to me as a ‘welfare-mom’,” and they were ingrained pretty deep, and pretty early.

She was adamantly opposed to policies like giving government money to faith-based organizations and assuming they were going to serve the best interests of our needy populations, or the idea that the government should have any power over a woman’s body. And those ideas certainly resonated with me from a young age, as I found myself to be a blossoming feminist and staunch agnostic at the wise age of 9 years old.

BP Disaster Reveals Differences in Political Philosophy

By Marjory Holder

Sitting up here in our mountains, waiting for the tomatoes and squash to ripen, it’s easy to forget that a few hours south of us, the world has caved in on working Americans along the Gulf Coast -- again.

Most of us have seen the photos -- globs of oil floating in the Gulf, aerial shots of huge oil slicks, sickening brown fingers sliding across a blue sea, ineffective oil booms lying in fouled marshes, shrimping and fishing boats moored at docks while the families who work on them worry about how to feed their children when they can’t go out and earn a living.

And this is a direct result of 30 years of de-regulation by the politicians in Washington.

Did You Pay Lower Taxes This Year?

By Katy June Abrams

You wouldn’t know it from all the April 15^th protests, but most working Americans paid lower taxes this year than ever. Thank goodness.

After nearly a decade of no real wage growth, coupled with skyrocketing healthcare and educational costs, most of us have been feeling pinched in the wallet ever since the end of the economic growth of the Clinton years. And the tax cuts that came during the recent Bush administration didn’t affect most of us ... unless we happened to be millionaires.

Something’s Been Missing in the Health Care Debate

By Herb Hash Jr.

Along with many other folks in Watauga County, I’ve been thinking a lot about health care reform now being discussed and argued in Congress. And I am disturbed because I believe that something of great importance is either being left out or pushed to the sidelines -- the Jewish/Christian values which have had so much influence on our nation since its inception. I am referring to biblical values such as the love of God and neighbor as highlighted in both the Hebrew Scriptures (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18) and the New Testament (Mark 12:29-31).

Make Sure Americans Have Real Choice in Healthcare

By Marsha Walpole

Like many of you, I’ve been watching the health-care debate very carefully. I’ve either been self-employed or worked for other people’s small businesses for most of my adult life, and I’ve seen first-hand what a huge struggle small businesses and individuals have paying insurance premiums. For many years, my own business paid more in health insurance premiums than we did to rent our storefront. In fact, for many businesses, health insurance is the single largest non-salary expense they have.

Virginia Foxx Comes Clean

By Diane Tilson

We thank Representative Foxx for coming clean (guest editorial, Winston-Salem Journal, 19 Aug. 2009) and admitting that what she said in the past about the proposed health care reform plans was not true. We are glad Ms. Foxx is now willing to confess that the health care plans currently being considered do not pay for abortions or euthanasia and are not plots to put seniors to death.

We Need a Public Health-Care Plan

By Pam Williamson

Janet works full time and has employer-sponsored health-care insurance. When her son was diagnosed a year ago with leukemia, she figured the last thing she had to worry about was paying his costs, but she soon found out her insurance benefits were capped at $1 million. The cost of her son’s care reached that figure in less than one year. The family has now drained its savings and is filing for bankruptcy.

The Life Cycle of a Nurdle

By Marjory Holder

I’ve been thinking a lot about plastic lately. No, this isn’t a bad re-make of The Graduate (as the well-dressed man leans over to whisper in the young man’s ear, “I have one word for you, son. Plastics!”), but all the rain we’ve had lately has kept me out of the garden and given me too much time to think about the planet we’re leaving our children and grandchildren.

The Face of Conscience

By Faisuly Scheurer

Born and raised in Medellin, Colombia, I saw things I will never forget. I have vivid memories of weekend trips from the city to the country. The drive was long and tedious, but it gave me opportunity to observe the landscape of Colombia.

Food Security and Watauga’s Locavores

By Marjory Holder

I confess I love Winter. When it’s cold and blustery and the snow starts piling up, I happily try to calculate just how slowly it will melt and join the watertable that feeds our well. I mull cider, bake bread, and cook dinner from scratch -- anything that goes in the oven, warms up the house, and produces a smell that brings the kids downstairs to ask, “Whatcha cooking?”

Eye-Witnesses at the Inauguration: Wataugans Go to Washington

By Watauga County Democrats

Many Watauga County folks went to Washington last month to attend the Inauguration of America’s 44th president. These are some of the memories they brought home.

Greenbacks for Green Jobs

By Marjory Holder

I’m feeling a little like Mr. Rogers today. Partly, that’s because I’m keenly aware that our youngest child is in the second half of his last year at home, and I’m waxing a little nostalgic for when the kids were little and Big Bird and Mr. Rogers were a permanent part of my afternoons. And partly because, as I write this, we’re swearing in a new American President.

Christmas Memories

By Members of the Watauga County Democratic Family

Even though retailers are looking at a potentially glum holiday season in this period of economic hardship and declining sales, I think this could be a truly joyous Christmas for families.

America, Role Model for Democracy

By Thomas G. Carpenter

I recently read an article by Marsha Mercer, a columnist out of Washington, D.C., who came to North Carolina to get a feel for how we practice politics. I was disturbed by what she found. She talked to many people who said they did not intend to vote in this election. I, too, have personally heard individuals say they’re so mad at the Washington crowd they want nothing to do with anyone associated. Others have come right out and said they couldn’t vote for a black man. This just isn’t right.

Why Is This Election So Important?

By Diane Tilson

Chair, Watauga County Democratic Party

Groucho Marx said, “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.” That pretty much summarizes what’s been taking place in our country for the last eight years. As a result, we have a country that is literally “running on empty.”

Why I Became a Democrat

By Bricca Prestridge Sweet

I spent most of my adulthood serving in the U.S. Army, convinced that in politics the candidate’s party affiliation was secondary to the candidate’s strengths as an individual. I was registered as a Republican because that had been my family’s party, particularly my father’s. Dad is a lifetime member of the NRA and something of a single-issue sort of fellow. I changed my registration this spring to the Democratic Party because I could no longer tolerate the divisiveness that the Republican Party has come to represent and because I believed that the Democrats have come to stand for the ideals that I wore our nation’s uniform to protect.

What’s in Your Wallet?

by Matt Walpole

Have you looked into your wallet lately? If it’s like mine, the lint-to-cash ratio has been trending heavily towards the lint.

Why I Am a Democrat
By Leisa Gunter

I chose the Democratic Party based on my family and my roots. I come from a long line of Southern Democrats. My great grandparents, Jefferson Nathaniel and Lillie Jane Cook, lived in these Appalachian mountains all their lives and eked out what little living they could make as farmers. They struggled to raise seven children. My grandmother, Nannie Bell Robinson married my grandfather when she was 13 years old and he was 30. My grandfather lost his farm in the Great Depression, and he and my grandmother struggled to raise 9 children -- always in rented houses. There was a disabled uncle who moved in and lived with them until he died -- he had nowhere else to go -- and my grandparents, struggling so hard to feed their own family, took him in. There were no government programs to help.

Why I Am a Democrat
By Carole Hatch

Loyalty to the Democratic Party was a part of my childhood belief system. My grandfather was able to support his family by working in New Deal projects during the Great Depression. My father and many of my friends’ fathers returned home from fighting in World War II to enjoy the benefits of VA home loans, the GI Bill, and jobs in a growing economy. My grandparents were able to survive in their later years with the help of Social Security. All these were Democratic initiatives.

Why I'm a Democrat
By Marjory Holder

This column has been a long time coming. I suppose that’s because -- about so many things in my life -- I’m an intensely private person. And though there is no doubt about my political orientation among my friends and many of my acquaintances, I wear many hats during which I do not discuss politics. I generally don’t discuss politics at church, for example, and that is, perhaps, odd -- because church informs my political decisions. Let me explain.

I didn’t start life as a Democrat. I grew up in Georgia at a time when there were only two political parties there -- the Democrats IN office and the Democrats OUT of office. But my parents voted Republican in national races, and I was a staunch Republican as a teenager ... staunch enough to be very active in the Young Republicans.

I Resolve: Democratic Hopes for the New Year
compiled by Marjory Holder

The Watauga County Democratic Party invited a cross-section of the county’s voters to submit New Year’s Resolutions for 2008. As always, the diversity of viewpoints and freshness of perspective speaks well for a representative democracy, and for the people who call these mountains "home.”

I resolve to continue to work hard to make our home, state, nation, and world a better place to live, work, and play … Steve Goss, State Senator

I resolve to buy things locally grown, locally made, or from local merchants as often as possible … Gerry Richardson, New River 2 precinct

I resolve to work ever harder for the Watauga and Ashe County citizens I represent … Cullie Tarleton, State Representative

Open Letter to Boone Voters
by Jeanie & Tim Futrelle

In the October 9th Boone municipal elections, voters will choose a Mayor and three Council members - NOT by political party, but by what we want Boone to look like, in the near future and for many years down the road.

For the last few years, our town council members have been working hard to make sure Boone remains a livable town - a place where people actually want to live and work and raise their children, a town that retains its mountain character. These council members have worked to improve downtown Boone and promote small businesses. They have increased buffer requirements for some developments in an attempt to address storm runoff issues, and they are wrestling with one of the most important issues Boone has ever faced - a serious water shortage.

A political action committee has formed to oppose their efforts. The committee calls itself "Citizens for Change" and has spent thousands of dollars in the newspapers and on the radio attacking incumbent Council members (with the exception of one incumbent whom they support).

Primarily, Citizens for Change opposes the Steep Slope and View-shed ordinances, opposes the town's efforts to monitor water availability, claims that retailers like Target and Best Buy cannot build in town, and accuses the town of not getting along with ASU.

Democrats Do A Better Job
by Herbert H. Hash, Jr.

Since becoming eligible to vote I have regularly voted Democratic, even though on occasion, when I have felt that the best candidate was a Republican, I have voted Republican. I have not been an active member of either party, other than to vote, until recently. I have now become so disturbed by the rhetoric and actions of the Bush administration that I have become more active in the Democratic Party. In addition, I have publicly protested the Iraq war on the streets of Boone and in Asheville, and I have written a number of letters to the editors of several newspapers expressing my views with regard to the overall policies and practices of this administration.

I have been particularly distressed with regard to the concept of "pre-emptive war" and the keeping of "enemy combatants" in Guantanamo Bay and other places for long periods of time without benefit of legal counsel and without charges being brought. And I have been very disturbed at the torture of prisoners in our care at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and other places, done with disregard for the rules of the Geneva Convention of 1949 and apparently with the approval of the administration. As Senator John McCain has so rightly said, "It is not about them. It is about us."

Climate Chaos Threat Call for Leadership
by Marsha Walpole

The day after Earth Day, I was hanging my laundry on the clothesline (or "solar dryer" to you 21st-century types) and pondering the weekend that had just passed. I remembered the ecology movement in the ’70s, celebrating Earth Day at Freedom Park in Charlotte, resplendent with my ecology flag handbag and tie-dyed t-shirt.

My brother and I even had a neighborhood recycling business which we actually started in 1969, the year before the first Earth Day. I wish I could tell you that we had totally altruistic motives, but we were mainly looking to supplement our meager allowance.

Through the years, Earth Day has been mostly celebrated on college campuses by "tree-hugging" types much like me and in elementary school classrooms, because children are natural environmentalists.

Not so Earth Day 2007.

Looking Forward to Voting
by Marsha Walpole

This year is one of those years some of us really look forward to. You know how it is...some years you vote against people because you’re mad at them...some years, you hold your nose and vote "for the lesser of two evils". We all know how it is.

But this year, it’s different. Maybe it’s something in the air. Maybe it was partly because this year the leaves turned richer colors than they have in years. Maybe it’s because my kid's doing pretty well in school. Maybe I’m just in a good mood. But this year, I’m looking forward to voting. I feel as if I actually have good choices......that I’m voting FOR, not AGAINST.

Sure, I can be mad about the direction this country is headed - with massive federal debt, and not enough good jobs to go around, and friends who can’t afford to go to the doctor if they get sick. I can be mad about all the money we need to fix our roads. I can be mad about the folks who still don’t want to build the safe, decent high school our kids deserve. But I’m not mad.....I’m hopeful.

Talk Is Cheap
by Diane Tilson,
chair, Watauga County Democratic Party

In the September 29th issue of the Watauga Democrat, the local Republican Party published its platform.

It contained all the usual double-talk: "We do not believe in big government. We do not believe in unfunded mandates. We are the party that knows how to manage money. We believe in high ethical standards. We believe we should let corporations take responsibility for environmental stewardship. We believe in listening to the people."

Classic.

Celebrating Faith and Freedom
By Charlie Wallin

As our minds are still full of patriotism from the celebration of the independence of our country, I can’t help but look back on the hard work and insight that our forefathers had in establishing this country, specifically their efforts to preserve the intent of the original colonists and their search for independence from religious tyranny.

In the early 17th century the Puritans tried to establish a settlement in Massachusetts Bay based on a holy commonwealth and covenant with God. The other religious sects of this time (Baptist, Jews, Quakers) said that the civil authorities of Massachusetts had no authority to involve themselves in matters of faith. The true church was a voluntary association of God's elect. Any state involvement in the worship or God, therefore, was contrary to the divine will and inevitably led to the defilement of the church. These initial feelings shaped the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson and his views on religious liberties.

Gas Prices Burn Up Watauga County
By Larry Turnbow

As I write this, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is around $2.90. The price for diesel is $2.87 and experts all seem to think the price will be above $3.00 a gallon all summer long. Why do I worry about that? Can't we all just take shorter vacations this year?

I worry because at this point, the price of gasoline is not just about family car trips to see the Grand Canyon...it's about survival. I've talked to a lot of people in recent weeks. Gas prices are the #1 topic on their minds. One woman told my wife that if gas gets much higher, she would no longer be able to afford to drive to her minimum wage job in Ashe County. That's a story you'll hear repeated all over Watauga County - jobs here don't pay that much, and now it's getting too expensive to even get to them.

Faith and Politics
By Steve Goss

A former parishioner called me a few weeks ago. We had served together on multiple committees while I was her pastor for several years. A faithful member of the congregation for decades, she rarely missed an opportunity to study the Bible and participate in worship as well as other church-sponsored activities and ministry opportunities.

When she called she said, "Steve, I have known you for a long time, and until your candidacy for the NC Senate was announced, I had no idea whether you were a Republican or a Democrat."

A Democrat Opposes the War...
and Supports our Troops
By Barbara Daye

I am a Democrat, and a volunteer who works to coordinate the efforts to provide assistance for the soldiers of the National Guard’s 1451st Transportation Company and their families. I find these two positions to be perfectly compatible.

I spend several hours each week working to fund-raise and friend-raise for these soldiers and their families. People are often surprised to hear that I am a Democrat. A Democrat? Working to support our troops? How can that be? Am I an "unusual Democrat"? No! Is my position unique? No!

Address to the Watauga Democratic Women's Club
By Susan Reed

Shifting Paradigms for a Just, Peaceful and Sustainable World: The launching of a new social movement, and The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right, by Michael Lerner

I want you all to fill in the blank: It’s the ______, stupid!

If you are like me, I am sure you all have heard or read the phrase more times than you want to think. “It’s the Economy, stupid!” Coined by Democratic Party strategist James Carville during the 1992 Clinton campaign, the slogan became a mantra for Democrats, and the unquestioned conventional wisdom guiding subsequent campaigns. It was recycled in election years since as “It’s still the economy, stupid!” In our post-9/11 world, “It’s Security, stupid!” has been added to the mix. The day after the 2004 election calamity, conservativehq.com published commentary entitled “It’s the values, stupid!” by Richard Viguerie, dubbed the "funding father" of modern rightwing strategy. He said,

Make no mistake - conservative Christians and ‘values voters’ won this election for George W. Bush and Republicans in Congress. The issues of abortion, homosexual marriage, stem cell research and judicial nominations drove voters to the polls en masse, and it’s crucial that the Republican leadership not forget this - as much as some will try. On November 3, 2004 Republicans were given a mandate by the American people. … There is no room for compromise on moral values.

Now, it can be argued whether Richard Viguerie would actually pass a “moral values” test, if there is such a thing – In the 1980s he was saved from debt by a generous grant from Sun Myung Moon, who had also raised money for Viguerie in the name of Korean orphans -- only 6% of whom received the money, the lion's share of which went to the conservative strategist. (Wikipedia). It can also be argued that there are other more frightening and sinister reasons for the 2000 and 2004 election results that have put and kept Bush and the neocons in power.

But it turns out, according to research by the Institute of Labor and Mental Health conducted over a period of more than 25 years with over 10,000 working people, Viguerie was – at least in part – right.

Growing Our Values at Home
by Winston Kinsey

My wife and I have lived in Watauga County for 36 years, and we truly call North Carolina -- and these beautiful mountains -- "home." As a point of personal privilege, I would like to first thank the citizens of Watauga County who have provided such amazing support to me and to my family during my recent illness and subsequent recovery. In return, I consider it an honor to share my values, priorities, and concerns with you.

As a County Commissioner, I want to help build a new high school -- now. The people of Watauga County have spoken through a lengthy feasibility study, involving open meetings throughout the county, and the message was loud and clear: We are finished renovating renovations, and we want a new structure worthy of the consistently distinguished achievements of Watauga High School!

In September, the architect showed clearly that necessary renovations of the current building would exceed costs of a new structure by several million dollars. The wisdom of Scripture speaks to us in the 21st Century: "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins" (Mark 2).

She Made It Perfectly Clear … Rep. Foxx Does Not Like Questions
By Diane Tilson, Charlie Wallin, and J.W. Williamson

On Wednesday, January 25, U.S. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx held a “Listening Tour” in Watauga County. The event was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, and invitations went out to hundreds on the Chamber’s e-mail list. Here is the invitation:

The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to host a Listening Tour for the Honorable Virginia Foxx on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at the Mountain House Restaurant in Boone. This is an opportunity for the Congresswoman to hear from her local constituents in a social setting. You are invited to join us beginning at 8:00 a.m. for a Dutch Treat breakfast. The program will start at 8:30 a.m. Come prepared to share your priorities and concerns with Virginia Foxx.

Proud to Be Liberal
by Eula Mae Fox

Last month’s article by Brooke Johnson about how he became a Democrat made me ask myself how I became one. Having grown up with two parents who never once considered voting any way except for Democrats, I basically inherited my political choice. However, as I grew up, learned history, began to read newspapers, listen to and later watch news reports, I realized that I believed in the things the Democrats Party stands for.

I was in elementary school in 1936 during the presidential election between Franklin Roosevelt and Alf Landon of Kansas. There was a lot of talk at that time among those who opposed Roosevelt that the New Deal cost too much money. My class conducted a mock election that fall, and I was the only one in the class who voted for the Roosevelt ticket. I was made fun of for that vote, and I learned that sometimes political choices can make us the subject of ridicule and social isolation. But doing the right thing is not always easy.

Why I Registered As A Democrat
by Brooke Johnson

The day in 2003 when I walked into the Watauga County Board of Elections and changed my official voter registration from “Unaffiliated” to “Democrat” signaled what had become for me a moment of personal commitment to the future of my beloved country.

I had always considered myself an “independent” voter and was registered that way. I grew up in Cherokee County in north Georgia in a family that was never very political. My first presidential election was in 1956, when I voted for Eisenhower. (I remember my “I Like Ike” button!) In the election of 1960, while I was a student at the University of Georgia in Athens, I voted for John F. Kennedy. Political party meant very little to me. The personal philosophy and vision of the candidates were much more important.

The Hypocrisy Of Virginia Foxx
by J.W. Williamson

Rep. Virginia Foxx was one of 11 members of the United States House of Representatives to vote against the $51.8 billion supplemental aid package for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Immediately after that vote, Rep. Foxx instructed her spokesperson, Amy Auth, to explain that her boss voted against the bill because there was no “accountability” in it. Simultaneously (or thereabouts), her official website posted suggestions to contractors on how to seek FEMA contracts arising out of the Katrina relief she had just voted against.

When criticism of and embarrassment about her vote arose from numerous quarters, Rep. Foxx, again through employee Amy Auth, slightly revised her statement about accountability (there’s “not enough,” rather than none). “Auth said Foxx did support relief efforts and had voted for the initial $10.5 billion supplemental relief bill the week before.”

In other words, Foxx wanted everyone to know she voted for Katrina relief before she voted against it.

The Cost Of Education
by Jim Deal, Chair,
Watauga County Board of Commissioners

John Kennedy once said, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.”

The minds of our students in Watauga County and the development of these minds will determine the future of our county.

Consistent with this thinking, we Democrat Commissioners believe that true human values equal making tough choices about our county’s priorities. Our children are counting on us to make the right financial decisions. Consequently, a modest tax increase is necessary to renovate Watauga High School.

Changing Times
by Delmas Parker, 2nd Vice Chair,
North Carolina Democratic Party

The recent closings of Thomasville Furniture and Jefferson Apparel in Ashe County and Bristol Compressors in Alleghany County sadly point out how market forces determine economic policies, shape our lives, and reorder the society in which we live. This reminds me of Bob Dylan’s grand old song ”The Times, They Are a Changin.' " Times certainly are changing for the 50-year-old worker stranded by plant closings and forced to search for a minimum wage job without health benefits. Recent trade agreements, a free market philosophy, and corporate campaign contributions have created an economy in which many American workers are forced into low paying jobs or onto welfare rolls.

Why I Switched From Republican To Democrat
by Cathy Fallows

I have watched the political climate in Watauga County for thirty-four years. I have been a republican even longer that, and, though I have avoided being too active until the last several years, I have become convinced that the republican party is a problem. Not only does it studiously avoid solving existing problems, but it seems to perpetuate and cause to escalate problems that prevent Watauga County from achieving its full potential. Who suffers? The taxpayer. You and I.

Why I Switched From Republican To Democrat
by Ron Chivers

I have lived in Watauga County for the best part of 22 years. My wife and I built our home in the Seven Oaks subdivision in 1978, and we basically raised our two girls here.

During the early years of our home ownership, the valley below us was a pristine dairy farm. Our neighborhood was a peaceful and beautiful place to live. I was very conservative, politically. Our life began to change in the early 1980s when the dairy farm went out of business, and the owners decided to lease the land for other purposes. After enduring a series of intrusive and disruptive businesses on the former dairy farm, in February of 1997 a real ton of bricks fell on us.