Even the Roman Catholic Church has come around to apologize to Galileo. Some of the old wars between science and religious dogma have been settled and peace treaties have been signed.  There may be some people who still believe in the flat earth, but we do not teach that in school.  There are still a [...]

If it looks like a rose, and smells like a rose, then you can assume it is a rose. This logic does not play out in the election for NC House of Representatives in the new District 32.  The campaign signs look like our elected Jim Crawford’s signs with the same font and colors that [...]

Connect with Me on Facebook Today!  My Facebook page is a great place for you to get information and updates about what is happening in Washington and in the Second District.  It is also a place where you can share your concerns and engage with others. If you are not already following me on Facebook, [...]

Annual Medicare and Social Security Trustee’s Report On Monday, the trustees who oversee Social Security and Medicare released their annual reports on the current state of the programs.  This year’s reports brought more bad news and underscored the dire need to reform these programs.  The reports make it clear that the insolvency of these programs [...]

In this newsletter you will find information about my work in Congress this week including video from the hearing I chaired in the Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology, awards I received from the International Food Distributors Association and the Healthcare Leadership Council,  and news items regarding last week’s Small Business Tax Cut. Thank [...]

The General Assembly held two short sessions earlier this week where very little business was conducted. Many of my colleagues in the House attended the Monday session to protect against any attempts at a surprise vote, and there were none. In the Senate, however, Republican legislators used the special session to introduce another bill to [...]

We have been told long enough that if you say the same thing over and over, pretty soon people will believe it.  So I guess that means that you have to object to those messages ever time in order to try to prevent those words from becoming the perceived reality. Like there is a constant [...]

Recognitions and Presentations After completing their preliminary activities the Council meeting started with introduction of the Leadership Vance Class of 2012.  The members of the class stood and introduced themselves.  The Council followed the pattern set by the school board and mimicked by the county commissioners.  No quid pro quo introduction of themselves just a [...]

The issue foremost on Americans’ minds this week was taxes.  Each year, tax day serves as a harsh reminder of our broken tax code and the punitive nature of our tax system. In fact, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study recently found that Americans spend $107 billion a year just to make sure they are [...]