Category: Opinion

An Afternoon at DaVita By Alan Pitts, Community Activist, Artist, Disabled Individuals Advocate, Political Analysis               The people around me are always asking ‘how’s the dialysis going.’ A couple of weeks ago I didn’t even know how to spell dialysis. It’s Halloween and my mind is on my eldest son who was living just one block away from the Ocean on Bath Avenue in Long Branch, New Jersey. In our last conversation, I scolded him for not evacuating to Monmouth …

The brush has been cut back on the southeast side of the intersection with William Street and when my husband saw two workmen there today, he went over to thank them for the improvement and came back with some astonishing news. They were Department of Transportation workers and  said  the project to widen Chavasse from William to Raleigh Road is finally going to take place. The sidewalk will be built and a wide berth will go over the tracks so …

There are some friends of mine who have suggested that campaign “season” of 2011-2012 was the best economic stimulus anyone could have imagined. My friend worries about the up tick in unemployment when all these political advisers are no longer employed. That there was almost two billion dollars spent on the race for the President, one candidate for Senate in Connecticut spent more than forty million dollars of her own money, and who knows what kind of total spending across …

Solid Waste Plan Update Jordan McMillen, Director Planning and Development, opened this topic explaining that every three years the Commissioners need to review the County’s ten year solid waste plan. To meet this end Mr. McMillen presented the updated Solid Waste Management Plan along with a resolution that the Commissioners needed to read and approve.  Mr. McMillen’s letter to the board included highlights of the plan among them the goal of reducing solid waste in general, an admirable goal at …

I’ve tried to stay far away from political commentary on here myself, so on this last election day, I thought I’d share my bombardment of flyers in my regular snail mail mailbox.  These are nicely printed flyers, full color, heavy stock paper.  I’ve tried to keep all I’ve received, but I may have let some slip in the trash, the numbers below are from my collection this season.  For the record, I’m registered as independent. 9 from Doug Berger1 pro …

By Alan Pitts, Political Analysis, Community Activist and Organizer, Disabilities Rights Advocate, Artist, Adult Anonymous  thanked City Attorney Zollicoffer for his most informative letter. You know the letter that any Vance County High School graduate should have no trouble digesting without any additional need for further questioning. What could be more American, ‘accepting as true everything that a politician tell you.’ You probably make a pretty good Nazi if only they made a fancy hat big enough, to match your …

Nothing else is as relevant as the famous saying, “When push comes to shove… the real Mitt Romney shows up.  This is the quintessential point of distinction between not just Romney and Obama, but between conservative Republicans and Democrats.  Conservative Republicans really do not care about the 47% of the country they do not identify with; people who actually work for a living, do a job, have a life, and have no interest of becoming Donald Trump.  The 2012 election …

This Presidential election offers a clear choice between two differing views.  It is a simple “what you really believe” evaluation.  The first perspective is that We are all Equal.  The second is that Some of us are Superior.  At its core the election pivots on this critically important philosophical view of contemporary American political society:  How we see Ourselves and how we see Others in relationship to Ourselves.  Or, more succinctly, Do we still believe in Equality or do we …

Can the City proceed to correct the wrongs in the Flint Hill area when two elected officials are invested in the neighborhood and have not addressed the problems?  Do they want the eyes of the city and state turned on this area?  Mike Inscoe’s company is invested in 13 houses and other lots in the Flint Hill Area on Hillside, Marshall, Booth, Champion and Chavasse. His company is listed as Hamlett Investments LLC with the Secretary of State and the …

Editors Note – This is an open letter from a North Carolina teacher in Union County published on another blog. A short excerpt is below, but you may read the full letter here:  dianeravitch.net/2012/10/27/nc-teacher-i-quit/ The Internet told me that the West Coast was not hiring teachers anymore, but the East Coast was the go-to place. Charlotte, North Carolina couldn’t keep up with the demand! I applied with three schools, got three phone interviews, and was even hired over the phone. My …

I attended today’s Economic Development Commissions (EDC) Board of Directors meeting.  This was the meeting announced on the front page of Tuesday’s paper.  The meeting was intended for the EDC board to meet with Jim Trogdon, the Department of Transportation’s Chief Operating Officer and Chuck Watts, a DOT board member representing our region, to discuss the transportation issues for Vance County.  The public was invited and did not attend.  In fact attendance was sparse in number and long on those …

Certainly anyone observing the events of the past year or so can agree that this political season is most contentious in resent history. The divisions that we are witnessing in America today are as broad and distinctive as in the days of the civil rights struggles of the 60s and 70s when urban skies lines could be seen clouded with the dark smoke of burning tenements set ablaze by disenfranchised individuals who felt their voices could not be heard.  Underscoring …

The public meeting held at the noon hour on Monday was intended for the City Council to be advised of an opportunity to apply for $2,000,000 of Community Development Block Grant money for something called the Catalyst Program.  Mr. Michael Cirello, Plannng Director for Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Government, started the session with a presentation of his ideas for the catalyst program.  Mr. Cirello’s expertise is in city planning.  (Mr. Cirello’s presentation is posted on HiH.)  The list of possibilities …

Henderson City Center Catalyst Now I know I am angry and I should take some time to reflect before writing but there is no time. This is a letter to the City Council members because they are the only ones who are privy to what is going on if they have read their agenda. The council is having a public hearing on Monday at noon to hear the opinions of the public on catalyst grant money. But the city employees …

New Business The sixth new business topic out of seven presented by the Mr. Griffin is titled Consideration of Approval of Resolution 12-A-74.  Sounds like the other resolutions the Council was asked approve except for Mr. Griffin’s comment ‘this has to do with the hotel.’  Mr. Griffin said that resolution 12-A-74 is basically a bookkeeping entry to return $3,500 to the Economic Development Reserve Fund.  The same $3,500 approved on August 27, 2012, as an incentive “… to a privately …

One of the realities of elections is that you only vote for a few people, but what you get is a whole lot more people. That is, when you vote for the President and Vice-President, you get all those cabinet secretaries, advisers, experts, appointments and staff people. It is not just Obama and Biden, it is his whole staff. It is not just Romney and Ryan, it is all the people they would bring with them. That is a great …

1.   Scattered Site Program The Commissioners awarded $70,000 of taxpayers’ money (CDBG) to Mel’s Plumbing for the demolition and rebuilding of one home in the Scattered Site Housing program.  Karen Foster, Council of Governments, said because Mel’s Plumbing is a licensed builder, electrician, and plumber they avoid subbing out costs achieving the lowest bid.  One could argue that that an all in one contractor defeats an objective of the Scattered Site Housing Program, “… expanding economic opportunities.”  Unless the increase …

The right to vote.  Democracy has been the great ideal of the United States. It is the right to vote that has been a signature virtue of this country. The idea that government will be selected by the citizens by private vote has been the keystone to this country from its creation.  The great march of democracy in this country has been to expand the right to vote.  The struggle to give women the vote. The struggle to give blacks …

Regular Short Meeting Henderson City Council held a scheduled short meeting and a regular work session.  The short meeting included two major topics.  First was a presentation of the 2011 Life Safety Achievement Award to the men and women of the Henderson Fire Department.  This is an award for the Fire Department’s dedication and service to those individuals in potentially dangerous circumstances and for the citizens to recognize the duties, responsibilities, hazards, and sacrifices of the Henderson Fire Department in …

One of our readers sent in this article to share from the New York Times:  Young, Gifted and Neglected BARACK OBAMA and Mitt Romney both attended elite private high schools. Both are undeniably smart and well educated and owe much of their success to the strong foundation laid by excellent schools.   Every motivated, high-potential young American deserves a similar opportunity. But the majority of very smart kids lack the wherewithal to enroll in rigorous private schools. They depend on …