Today I came across a list of supporters, who are also celebrities in one form or another, which backed President Chump, Oops I mean Trump, during the general election. After reading the list, I actually became prouder of the fact that I didn’t vote for him. Let’s look at some of the names on the list. Kanye West – YES! This was the name that began the list! Need I say more? Kirstie Alley – I’m surprised that she was …
Category: Opinion
Scott Hughes: More Political Reasons
I have strong personal beliefs when it comes to human rights, politics, the current state of worldly events, and anything dealing with discrimination. I’m constantly writing about these issues. However, it seems that the wider I open my eyes, the more I want to quickly shut them back and pretend that I never saw the world as it has actually become. I guess this is how Neo from The Matrix felt after swallowing the red pill. My choosing the red …
Scott Hughes: Sanctions and North Korea
Just when I think that our current Presidential Administration couldn’t get any worse, I’m again proven wrong. The bar set by our previous Presidents has most definitely been lowered by this buffoon. This is one of the many examples of why I pray that this President will be a 1 termer. I just hope that we can all survive these 4 years. Answering the question “what is Scott talking about this time,” allow me to share my thoughts that are …
Scott Hughes: The War on Drugs in America
In 1971, President Richard Nixon signed into law “The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act” otherwise known as “The War on Drugs.” My question is, how’s the war working out? We hear about some form of addiction, or actions that result from addictions, on a daily basis but how much do we really know about this war? During the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, information was reported to the American People almost on a daily basis. We know the costs …
Scott Hughes: The Twitter and The Trump
When Trump was elected does anyone remember what his first major issue and debate was? If not, allow me to tell you. It was whether or not he had more people come to his inauguration than President Obama. This is really true. I asked then, “what difference does that make and who gives a&*%#?” With all of the important issues it seemed somewhat ridiculous and childish to even mention that in public. Earlier today, I asked the same question. Who …
Scott Hughes: Talk Radio With No Substance
Recently, I listened to a local radio show here in Henderson. At the risk of sounding negative, I wasn’t at all impressed with what I heard. Had it not been early in the day, it would have probably put me to sleep. I’m sure that they run out of things to talk about and if a caller doesn’t call in to bring up a topic, they are, for the most part, stagnant. Media sources are valuable resources for the community …
Scott Hughes: The Real Definition of Economic Socialism
Mr. Webster tells us that Capitalism is “an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods.” He goes on further to say “investments are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.” When my eyes are reading those words, my brain is telling me “blah blah blah.” My personal definition of capitalism is less favorable than Mr. Webster’s and I believe there …
Scott Hughes: Socialism vs. Capitalism
Recently, during a discussion about politics that I was having with another individual, I asked the man what he thought Socialism was. His reply did not surprise me at all because what he said was what I’ve heard many times before. We are in the South East and it seems that ideas like Socialism, for whatever reason, are taboo. I responded to him objectively and told him what Socialism really is in regards to commerce and the workforce. His definition …
Scott Hughes: 9/11 – Their Truth Versus The Real Truth
September 11th of 2001 was by for one of the worst days in American History. Many lives were needlessly lost and other lives changed forever. Any way you look at it, the attacks were bad. There are multiple ideas as to who was responsible but, regardless of who the culprit was, by the very definition of terrorism, it was a terrorist attack. I want to make clear that I, in no way, am trying to minimize the damage done during …
Richard Brand: A New Beginning
For the last few years nothing has been more obvious than the fact that Congress and the American government is not working. The gridlock is preventing any action on all major issues. Except for the few folks who believe that the best thing government can do is nothing, the rest of us believe that the Congress should work to enact the things that the constitution says they are supposed to do: “establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common …
Richard Brand: An Ugly Record
In the year 2010 the Republican Party made a historic victory. They won the right to redraw the voting districts in the state. From that moment on their record appears to be nothing more than a constant attention to how to grab more and more control and power in the state. It is a very ugly and insulting record to the whole idea of democracy. They show little interest in the “will of the people.” Their only concern appears to …
Election 2016 Political Ads
This year, I collected all the political ads that were in my mailbox. I live in North Carolina, and am registered Independent. Check out my analysis of the numerous flyers in my mailbox this election season. First up is an complete picture of all of the ads. Lets get into some more detail.
Richard Brand: New Senator Needed
There is complete agreement that government in Washington DC has not been working. The Republican members of the Senate have banded together to oppose every proposal for progress and for the benefit of the country. They have refused to allow action to be taken on immigration reform. They have refused to allow debate or action on climate change. They have most recently refused to do their responsibilities and hold hearing on Supreme Court nominee. They have voted down a comprehensive …
Richard Brand: In God We Trust
Last Monday night Vance County Commissioners voted to place on a number of the county buildings the motto “In God We Trust.” This new action immediately raised a major question for me. Which God? Does the word “God” in that motto refer to a particular God, does it have specific identification or does the word merely refer to a generic God, an abstract concept of a Holy being? But then I started thinking about it. Maybe it is …
Richard Brand: The Great Divide
There is nothing that illustrates the great divide between the wishes, the hopes, the passions, the compassion of the American public and the members of Congress more than the current sad treatment of the military veterans. The citizens, the average person, the people in the street care deeply about the veterans. They have and continue to respond to the great number of programs and charities that have sprung up to support our veterans. So many companies have created programs where …
Richard Brand: Try Our Souls
These are differently times that try our souls. Maybe not at the same level yet as Thomas Paine’s times but the whole fever of this country is troubling. No one can deny that there is a great dissatisfaction with the whole way our national government has not worked. It is simply that those responsible for doing the job have just not done the job. They do not stay in Washington to meet. They do not hold committee hearings as often …
Gardenia Hobbs: HB2 is About Abuse of Power, Deception
The protection of religious liberties has become a tool of convenience that is being used as a smoke screen for the passage of bills that legalize discrimination and exclusion. Religious liberties extend far beyond our ability to worship freely and make moral decisions in our daily life. Religious liberties also encompasses the ability to contribute to the common good of all Americans irrespective of their persuasion. HB2 neither contributes to nor is reflective of this common goal. HB2 is not …
Justin Williford: Putting the Ass in Asinine—Small Town Sexism
Vance County, North Carolina?—4th in teen pregnancy, 88th in SAT scores, and 1st in blatant sexism. That appears to be the county’s new tagline after the recent five-day suspension of Sandra Wiggins?—a history teacher at Southern Vance High School who has worked with the school district for almost twenty-six years. Sandra Wiggins did the inconceivable—she said “ass” in a classroom filled with seventeen and eighteen-year-old students; students who, whether their parents would like to believe it or not, use language …
Rusty McMahon: Domestic Economic Terrorism
For decades, so-called leaders in Vance County have tripped over themselves trying to give away taxpayer money to every con man, huckster, charlatan, or self-professed genius that came along and uttered the words “job creation, sustainable, or green”. They could not wait to waste our money on harebrained schemes. And they’ve wasted millions. Some years ago, an even more sophisticated and insidious version of this confidence game emerged and local companies are now cashing in. In this latest con, companies …
Rusty McMahon: Do Taxpayers Matter?
A brief history of citizen input and public hearings… We told County Commissioners that we neither needed nor wanted county zoning. 7000 citizens sent them post cards asking them not to zone the county. They publicly threw the cards in the trash and enacted zoning anyway. We told them that we neither needed nor wanted county water. We got county water good and hard. We asked them not to spend tax dollars on Paint Reclamation International. They did it anyway. …