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Our View: Bang, bang — you’re closed
Imagine the scene: You and a couple of friends are out on the town on a Saturday night. Your group decides that a few drinks, some music and a little dancing is the perfect answer to unwinding after a killer week at work. As the evening grows long, the club begins to get a bit too crowded for your comfort. Stepping outside for a smoke with your friends and, suddenly, a few yards away in the shadow of the back door, voices are raised, th...
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Rep. Hudson
This Week in Washington for May 25, 2013
“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.” — George Washington Happy Memorial Day! For many, Memorial Day 2013 will be filled with barbeques, community parades, outdoor games, and relaxation with family and friends. But this holiday is much more than that. Me...
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The attached painting is from the U.S. Library of Congress and is by Jean Ferris about the George Washington delegation meeting with Betsy Ross on our national flag. She is showing them how to do a five-pointed star. Many historians do not accept this story but after checking this story, we find it to be true. Women readers, especially, are interested in this story.
Notes on Quotes: The origins of our U. S. flag
“We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty.” — George Washington For Americans our flag is the symbol of national unity. It reminds us of our struggle to preserve our freedom, our ideals of justice, freedom of expression and democratic form of government. Many patriots sa...
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Reform case in four numbers
In the spirit of keeping things simple, the case for reforming North Carolina’s medical-assistance programs can be expressed in four numbers: 12, 15, 17, and 48. These are all national rankings. North Carolina ranks 12th in the nation in state mental health spending per capita. North Carolina ranks 15th in Medicaid payments per child or working-aged adult enrolled in the program. North Carolina ranks 17th in state and local taxes as a perce...
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Tar Heel View: STD bill puts more at risk
If judged only by the stated intent of its sponsors, legislation before the North Carolina General Assembly that would require parental consent for children to have access to a wide array of medical care might be considered noble. Those supporting the bill contend that such difficult decisions are best made when children, especially teenagers, have the wisdom of parental guidance. However, it does not take much imagination to envision the l...
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Tar Heel View: Don’t close gun records to public
It’s not enough that North Carolina lawmakers are poised to loosen the state’s gun laws allowing weapons on college campuses, in parks and greenways, and in bars with liquor-drinking patrons. They’re also on course to keep secret gun permit information - making it impossible for watchdog groups to hold accountable those who issue such permits. The absurdity of allowing guns on college campuses, in bars and in parks has raised eyebrows acros...
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We commend you for taking the extra effort
Dear Editor, It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to you expressing our gratitude and appreciation for your generous support and participation in our Scholarship Golf Tournament. We commend you for taking the extra effort to ensure that the children of our community have a chance to receive higher education. Through your generous efforts we were able to award $6,000 in assistance to twelve local high school and college stude...
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Along These Lines: Be careful what you sew
I’ve slept easy the past year, knowing that 93-year-old Sharlotte Hydorn and her menacing sewing machine are both off the streets. One year ago, she was sentenced to five years supervised probation after she failed to file federal tax returns. And for that, we can all thank the twelve, brave FBI agents, who stormed Ms. Hydorn’s La Mesa, Calif., home in late 2011, and confiscated her appliance. One can only imagine how the shakedown played...
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Smart Start not only makes a difference, but also excels
Dear Editor, A study ranking Richmond County one of the state’s unhealthiest counties includes adult obesity, low high school graduation, unemployment and children in poverty as health factors where Richmond fails. These are areas where Smart Start not only makes a difference, but also excels! Despite yearly cuts in funding, Smart Start programming, implemented through Richmond County Partnership for Children, addresses these issues throu...
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Sen. McLaurin
Priorities will include education, new jobs
The NC Senate budget has been released this week. We will have discussions and deliberations in our committees on the state budget proposal as put forth by the Senate leadership and will likely have floor debate on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. After the Senate approves a budget, it will be sent to the House of Representatives for their consideration. My priorities will be education, job creation, a fair and balanced tax reform plan, a...
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Campbell
My Spin: Human trafficking in North Carolina
Sometimes it feels that just one more problem will overwhelm us, but there is one that needs immediate exposure and urgent attention: the growing problem of human trafficking, defined as the illegal trade of humans for purposes of reproductive slavery, sexual exploitation, forced labor or other modern-day forms of slavery. Trafficking has become one of the fastest growing and most lucrative crimes, estimated to generate 32 billion dollars per...
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With your support
Dear Editor, On behalf of the Hamlet Depot and Museums, I would like to thank you and your staff for the article and the Community Calendar listing of National Train Day. With your support, we were able to tell the community about National Train Day, attracting around 500 participants! Your support is truly appreciated. Miranda Chavis Hamlet Depot and Museums Manager
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Hamilton
The Invisible Lawmakers
Want to know what’s causing a lot of people in Washington to work long hours right now? Here’s a hint: it’s not immigration reform or gun control or, for that matter, any other legislation coming down the pike. Instead, it’s a pair of three-year-old laws. Health care reform and the Wall Street reform act known as “Dodd-Frank” both became law in 2010. Most people consider these old news, but they’re not. Because after a bill becomes law is w...
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Remembering the Merritts of Merritt’s Store
If you mention Merritt’s Store anywhere around Chapel Hill, most often you will hear something like, “Oh yes. Best BLTs I’ve ever tasted.” And it is true. A bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich at Merritt’s Store, together with sweet iced tea flavored with the fresh mint growing in a box beside the store, is one of the great taste treats in my world, right up there with the peach cobbler at Stamey’s Barbecue in Greensboro or a small chopped b...
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This Week in Washington for May 18, 2013
We’ve all heard the phrase, “elections have consequences.” Recent news about the IRS singling out conservative groups for extra scrutiny is a “consequence” I never hoped to see. When I first learned the IRS had targeted conservative groups during the most recent election, I was outraged by the reports indicating a nonpartisan government agency was actually engaging in political activities and using taxpayer-funded resources. Perhaps the mos...
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