Health-Care Backfire

From The Pilot:  October 28, 2009

A reader came by the other day to vent about two mailings he had recently received from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
The first one informed him that his health insurance rates would be going up by more than 10 percent next year. Just as he was getting over that, another flier arrived from Blue Cross, this one urging him to send an attached post card to U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, demanding that she vote against any health-care reform bill that includes a "public option."
"The whole idea behind a public option is that the competition might help keep insurance rates under control," sputtered our visitor, who preferred anonymity. "Yet here you have an insurance company raising my rates with one hand, while with the other trying to get me to badger Kay Hagan to vote against something that might help keep costs down. And how much of that rate hike is due to these kinds of lobbying expenses?"
Turns out our caller wasn't the only one turned off by this one-two punch, which was a little like the proverbial youth murdering his parents and then begging for leniency on the grounds that he was an orphan. Cries of outrage have gone up all over the state from policy holders complaining that their premium dollars were funding a self-serving corporate campaign.
The thing has even backfired. Some policy holders have phoned Hagan's office to voice support for the public option. Others have altered the post card and sent it along with the opposite of the intended message. Blue Cross acknowledged that the timing of the two back-to-back mailings may have been "unfortunate."
Ya think?

Smith for Council

From The Pilot: October 28, 2009

Last November, when the huge election had folks lined up for quite a bit, I was standing in line to vote and a gentleman walked by and asked for votes.
I asked if he was endorsed by The Pilot, and he said that his opponent was. I assured him that I would vote for him since I was voting against The Pilot's endorsed candidates.
People around us applauded and several thought that was an excellent idea.
I urge folks who like Southern Pines as it is and has been to vote for Marsh Smith and David Woodruff, as they are for a clean and uncluttered town. I have known Marsh Smith for 30 years and admire his principles and his stance against the good old boys who would mess up our gracious and spacious town and county.
George McManus
Southern Pines

A Vote for Smith

From The Pilot: October 28, 2009

Over the past two weeks I have heard from many voters in Southern Pines asking my thoughts about the upcoming election and candidates running for my unexpired term.
I would like most to be there myself, working with the citizens, mayor and council members, as I deeply care about the issues that continue to face our town.
We have made giant leaps from the business-as-usual attitude that I found when I became involved in town government.
The outcome of this election will determine whether or not our movement forward to enhance the quality of life for all citizens was a brief blip in our town's history, or if we have established a true beginning of creating a sustainable economy that benefits all.
While both candidates are highly qualified, it is important to consider where each will fall when a decision must be made. I believe that Marsh Smith is the only candidate who will put the spirit of Southern Pines first and act to protect the qualities of life that define our town. As both a citizen and council member, I observed Marsh's enthusiasm at town meetings, even when few other citizens were there to witness his concern for Southern Pines on a wide range of issues and his commitment to finding solutions beneficial to all sides. I seldom recall seeing Mike Fields at a meeting, except in support of the PUD and to encourage the sitting council to vote on Pine Needles Village prior to swearing me in.
I know that on council Smith will work hard for Southern Pines to ­protect and preserve both the natural beauty of the area and the special character of our town.
Please vote for Marsh Smith on Tuesday.
Abigail Dowd
Portland, Maine

Local Democrats Honor Capel, Gilmore at Event

From The Pilot: October 28, 2009

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall turned to that notable philosopher Kermit the Frog of Sesame Street to encourage Moore County Democrats Saturday.
"It's not easy being green," she quoted Kermit as saying, adding her own observation that "It's not easy being a Democrat in Moore County."
Marshall, an announced candidate for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Richard Burr, was keynote speaker Saturday for a Moore County Democratic Party fundraiser luncheon at Little River Resort and Golf Club.
She was referring to the Republican majority in the county's voter registration, a factor that means the GOP controls county government and most legislative seats.

"Your hard work is very valuable," she said. "In the face of adversity, don't give up. This is not a county that gives up." Marshall, the first woman elected to statewide executive office in North Carolina, reminded her audience of Democrats that their votes added thousands to her grand total in the last general election.
The event, with a theme "Celebrating Community Leader-ship," honored Felton Capel, a Southern Pines businessman and community leader, and the late Voit Gilmore, a philanthropist, scholar and civic leader. The two men are recognized for their successful and peaceful efforts to end racial segregation in Moore County in the 1960s.
At the end of the program, the party presented a $1,000 check to the Coalition for Human Care. Algene Johnson made the presentation on behalf of Moore County Democrats in honor of Gilmore and Capel.
In accepting the gift, Caroline Eddy, Coalition executive director, said the money would be used to buy food, prevent utilities from being cut off, pay rent for people facing eviction and meet medical needs of needy families throughout the county.
'Can't Stand by and Watch'
In what was clearly a campaign address, Marshall focused on the health-care reform issue now commanding the attention of both congressional chambers.
"We can't stand by and watch as health-care costs keep going up," she said. "We can't stand by and watch. We have to have a public option of some sort."
She urged Democrats to call their congressional delegation despite the differences in their political affiliation and let them know they want health care reform with a public option.
"It won't make a bit of difference to Howard Coble, but call him anyway," she said. "It won't make any difference to Richard Burr, but call him anyway."
Coble, who represents Moore County in the U.S. House, is a Republican.
Gilmore's Legacy Continues
Eddy made the presentation on behalf of Voit Gilmore, who died in 2005 at the age of 87.
"Voit Gilmore was friend, father, husband, and philanthropist," she said, explaining that these characteristics are in addition to his service as a human rights leader and a travel expert.
Eddy went down a lengthy list of contributions Gilmore made to the overall community, including a gift of land to Pinecrest High School, a gift of 10 acres to the town of Southern Pines for the Head Start program, and more land to house the Coalition for Human Care, the latter large enough to accommodate a community garden, where families can grow their own vegetables.
Elsewhere, Gilmore donated land to the park system, now accommodating the Appalachian Highland Learning Center. His estate has also established the Voit Gilmore Distinguished Geography Professorship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a doctorate in geography in his later years.
"Voit was changing the world when he was alive, but his legacy continues to change the world," Eddy said. "He was not afraid to take a stand."
Gilmore, who was white, and Capel, who is black, joined forces to carry out a joint integration of a movie theater in Southern Pines, a bowling alley, a golf course and other cultural and recreation sites in the county during the 1960s, when desegregation was an emotional and sometimes violent political issue across the country. In Moore County it was accomplished without violence.
"He was a visionary, a world traveler, a Tar Heel forever, a philanthropist and a Democrat forever," Eddy said.
Wilma Laney read a response on behalf of the Gilmore family, none of whom was able to attend the luncheon. His children are scattered across the United States and as far away as Ecuador.
'Be a Lifter, Not Leaner'
Jeff Capel II and Ken Capel deferred their comments on behalf of their father to their brother, Mitch Capel, a well-known entertainer and educator. Mitch Capel is best known by his storytelling persona, Gran'Daddy Junebug.
"I'm here to talk about my father, who taught me how to talk," Mitch Capel said. "We grew up Democrats in our household."
He recalled a childhood when on Election Days he wore a pin that said, "I'm too young to vote. What's your excuse?"
"My father was a great athlete, a great baseball player," he said. "He also taught us to be generous and how to do the right thing. He taught me to be a lifter, not a leaner."
Capel called Gilmore and his father "two of the strongest lifters I ever knew." He told of watching them as they integrated the Sunrise Theater, the bowling alley, the golf course and any number of other public places in the community.
He also paid tribute to his mother, Jean Capel, whom he called "a great woman."
Through the years, the elder Capel has received so many honors, awards and recognitions that his son said they really need to build another house to have enough wall space to display all these honors.
John "Bingo" Barringer followed the three sons but did not hesitate to list all the honors bestowed through the years but added that his long-time friend was the first black to serve on the Southern Pines Town Council and the first black Rotarian in Moore County.
"Fayetteville State University thinks so highly of him that they named the arena for him," he said. "So, he gets a good seat at all their games."
Mostly Barringer regaled the gathering with humorous anecdotes about Capel and his family.
In responding, Felton Capel said he could spend a lifetime telling all the things that Voit Gilmore did. He shared the fact that his affiliation with the Democratic Party dated to age three or four.
Finally, Ken and Jeff were persuaded to speak, although briefly, on behalf of their father.
"Voit Gilmore was a common name around the house when I was growing up," said Ken Capel, who recalled that Gilmore and his father accomplished racial integration peacefully.
Contact Florence Gilkeson at (910) 693-2479 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.

By Bruce Henderson
bhenderson@charlotteobserver.com

Posted: Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

 

Tim Will's $100,000 idea: Nurture new small farms, then link them with Charlotte chefs.

RUTHERFORDTON Charged with growing entrepreneurs in rural Rutherford County, Tim Will surveyed foothills numbed by 14 percent unemployment and illiteracy and limited by few high-speed links to the global marketplace.
But one other statistic caught the newcomer's eye: the county's 6,000 small plots of land, much of it overgrown former farmland.
What if played-out cotton fields, Will wondered, grew fruits and vegetables again? And what if the produce was marketed online to Charlotte restaurants hungry for locally raised foods?
The result is Farmers Fresh Market, now ending its third year. Charlotte chefs log on to its Web site, clicking on the purple potatoes or haricot verts that please them. The produce is delivered to their kitchens within 24 hours of harvest.
This year, 87 Rutherford growers marketed their produce that way.
A San Francisco think tank, Civic Ventures, got wind of the market, which is believed to be the only one of its kind in North Carolina. Each year Civic Ventures awards "Purpose Prize" to social innovators over 60 who do good things in their "encore" careers.
That's why, today, Tim Will is $100,000 richer.
As you might expect from a former Peace Corps volunteer, affordable-housing advocate and inner-city teacher, Will shrugs off his role, crediting the community's effort.
"What's happened to them, they didn't cause this," he said of the boom and bust of the county's textile and furniture industries. "Over four decades, these people forgot how to grow stuff."
Purpose Prize director Alexandra Kent said Will, 61, was chosen as "an inspiring role model" from among 1,200 nominations.
Will won, she said, "for his innovative approach to solving important and timely issues: job creation, ecological sustainability and the preservation of family farms."
Rutherford County lost 7,000 to 8,000 jobs in the past decade, says local newspaper publisher Jim Brown, chairman of Foothills Connect, the nonprofit business and technology agency Will heads.
"Putting people back to work is as important as the product they sell," Brown said. "And the straw that stirs the drink here is Tim Will."
The pairing happened by luck. A few years ago, Will watched "The Last of the Mohicans," filmed partly in Rutherford County, and decided the scenic hills were so beautiful he would die in them.
He and his wife Eleanor pulled up stakes in 2006, leaving his teaching job at a Miami high school. He was stunned to learn that Rutherford County schools lacked broadband Internet access.
Will fell into a job at Foothills Connect, where previous experience as a system integrator - analyzing what industrial processes can be automated - paid off.
The technology for Farmers Fresh Market fell into place. A $1.4 million grant from the N.C. Golden Leaf Foundation paid for 100 miles of fiber-optic cable that spread broadband service across the county, including all schools, police and fire departments.
It took time to convince Rutherford growers that their small bits of land could profit in a market 74 miles away in Charlotte. Chefs, they found, were willing to pay more for rare varieties.
Steadily, borlotti beans, Bull's Blood beets and Lacinato kale sprouted in the red clay. Garden-variety tomatoes were replaced by heirloom varieties so flavorful, market manager Kirk Wilson said, that 20 minutes after eating one "you can still taste it in your mouth."
Jean-Pierre Marechal, executive chef at the Charlotte Marriott City Center, was the first to feature Rutherford County produce at the hotel's Savannah Red restaurant. The market now also sells to groups of Charlotte residents.
"The possibility to have vegetables picked in the morning and have it in your kitchen that afternoon, it's a new world," he said.
Foothills hopes to show the county's young people, many of whom leave for jobs elsewhere, that they might again make a living from farming.
The agency began a small-farm sustainable agriculture course, emphasizing business aspects, that has graduated 120 students. R-S Central High School's 3-year-old sustainable-ag curriculum has tripled to more than 200 students.
"We're not just losing our farms and our families, we're losing our heritage," said Jill Maner, one of the farm-school graduates. "We have to show that they don't need 160 acres of land and a $140,000 tractor."
Tim Will says Rutherford County is only the beginning. He vows to spread its business model across the state, through the state's six other business-technology centers, connecting growers with their land and consumers with their food.
"Getting change, getting things done, that's what's important to me and my wife," he said. "It's not my money. The community has earned it."
So he will give his $100,000 prize to the farm program.

Four-state alliance looks like sound investment

From an editorial published in the Hickory Daily Record on Oct. 21:

The South Atlantic Alliance formed by North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida is a good idea and reminiscent of regional pacts that were created in the past.
This alliance is aimed primarily at preserving and expanding coastal resources, resources the four states depend on for business and tourism.
The deal was signed by Govs. Bev Perdue, Mark Sanford of South Carolina, Charlie Crist of Florida and Sonny Perdue of Georgia.
"All four governors realize that we are facing considerable challenges to sustain our coastal resources for future generations," Bev Perdue said. "This alliance will enable us to work together to protect our ocean environment and the health and economic well-being of the people dependent on those resources."
Coastal erosion and the damage left by hurricanes are pressing issues. There are wildlife areas to protect, tourism dollars to consider and a burgeoning industry that runs from port traffic to individual fishermen. Cutting through the abundance of words, the main points of the pact are:
Healthy ecosystems
Working waterfronts
Clean coastal and ocean waters
Disaster-resilient communities
The four cornerstones of the alliance address quality of life and the necessity of thriving coastal areas in each state's economic health.
We are pleased to see business being given a priority. Each state has demonstrated that business and environmentalism can be maintained together.
The Atlantic and Gulf coasts are still attractive to investment, and there is money to be earned while keeping a high degree of protection for fragile wetlands.
This kind of regional commitment and cooperation could be a boon for all concerned. Just as cities and counties are finding cooperative ventures necessary for economic stability, so should states look for ways to pool resources for the common good.
This attitude would have been helpful when North Carolina gave the go-ahead to moving water from the Catawba River Basin. But interstate ramifications were not figured into the equation, and North Carolina and South Carolina are embroiled in litigation.
The alliance could be profitable for the four states. But equanimity must rule. If one state perceives it is the poor relation in the pact, the agreement could become a wedge instead of a unifier.

Playing Both Ends Against the Middle

From The Pilot: October 25, 2009

Last week, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr took part in an Alexander County ceremony celebrating a $2 million federal grant for a new fire station.
"This is a great thing for this county," Republican Burr said as he posed for pictures. "We're not accustomed to federal dollars in that magnitude finding their way to North Carolina."
Yes, well. Fact is, that $2 million would never have found its way to North Carolina at all if it weren't for last February's $787 billion economic stimulus bill, pushed forward by the Obama administration -- and voted against by Sen. Burr!
"In typical Washington fashion," Burr publicly and vociferously complained at the time, "we have thrown together a hastily written bill with little public input, little debate and very little thought about the long-term consequence of what we are passing. By spending nearly a trillion dollars on projects that expand the government but provide little to no stimulus, we are ensuring a massive debt for our grandchildren."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee lost no time in jumping on the recent contradiction, declaring that Burr wins "the gold medal in hypocrisy for trying to have it both ways," and it is hard to dispute that. After all, as committee spokesman Eric Schultz said, "This is somebody who, every chance he got, opposed the very funding that he went and had the photo-op about." Burr is up for re-election next year. His office tried to brush the matter aside, replying: "Sen. Burr was invited to the grant presentation by the Alexander County Commissioners and was happy to be there to recognize the community and the fire department for their work in securing this highly competitive grant."
That, of course, purposely misses the point.
It is one thing to come out in bitter opposition to a federal spending bill designed to kick-start the U.S. economy in hopes of helping blunt the effects of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Many members of the Senate and House, most of them Republicans, did just that.
But then to turn around a few months later and seek to gain a political bounce from the trickling-down to the local level of some of that federal money you tried to prevent from flowing in the first place?
Yep, "hypocrisy" is the word.

Heim Now Heads Physicians' Group

From The Pilot:  October 23, 2009

Dr. Lori J. Heim of Vass has assumed the role of president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
Previously, she served three years as a director on the AAFP Board of Directors and one year as president-elect. Heim was elected president-elect in September 2008 by the Congress of Delegates, the AAFP's governing body.
The AAFP represents more than 94,600 physicians and medical students nationwide
A practicing family physician for 20 years, Heim currently serves as a hospitalist at Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, where she manages the inpatient care of adult patients referred by primary care physicians in the community. Hospitalists bridge the gap between hospitalized patients and their primary care doctors to ensure continuity of care.

Heim is the first family physician to serve as a hospitalist at Scotland Memorial Hospital. She is joined in the hospitalist program by four internal medicine physicians and two family nurse practitioners. Previously, she was in private practice in Pinehurst. As president of the AAFP, Heim advocates on behalf of family physicians and patients nationwide to inspire positive change in the U.S. health-care system, a news release said.
A member of the AAFP since 1985, Heim served as a delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates from 2000 to 2004. She served on the Commission on Health Care Services and on the Task Force of Linkages to Practice Improvement. In addition, she held the offices of president, vice president and member of the Board of Directors of the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians.
Heim earned her bachelor's degree with honors from Portland State University in Oregon and was then commissioned in the U.S. Air Force and earned her medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md. She completed her residency at the Family Medicine Residency, Andrews Air Force Base, Md. She then completed a fellowship in faculty development and research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
She is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and has the AAFP Degree of Fellow, an earned degree awarded to family physicians for distinguished service and continuing medical education.
Heim's appointments with the Air Force included staff physician, clinic chief, residency director, assistant professor, university health center director, chief of the medical staff and commander. She was stationed internationally in Turkey and domestically in Washington, D.C., Florida, North Carolina and Washington state. She retired as a colonel from the Air Force in 2007 after 25 years of service and relocated to North Carolina.
She has lectured worldwide, and her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals. She has participated in humanitarian missions and volunteered in medical clinics in underserved communities.
Heim has received numerous decorations including the Air Force Meritorious Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal. Her awards include the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Humanitarian Service Award and the National Defense Service Award.

The Real Liars

From The Pilot: October 23, 2009

In his Oct. 7 letter, Jack Olsen laments what our society has become because Americans "tolerate and applaud" and "raise up" liars.
He says that supporters of liars exhibit "shoddiness in [a] philosophy," which "doesn't hold water." Finally, he postulates that those who "scorn the truth tellers" have "neither the respect nor the trust of others" and will be "unable to govern." In short, people who ignore facts and raise up liars while spreading their lies, then condemn the truthful, cannot be respected.
What prompted Olsen's ire was President Obama's remark that the health-care reform bill would not cover illegal aliens. Olsen supported Rep. Wilson (R-S.C.), who called our president a liar. If Olsen wants to condemn such people, he had better check his facts.
The truth is, the health-care reform bill does not include coverage for illegals. In fact, it forbids payments to cover their medical bills. Go to factcheck.org, a nonpartisan group, part of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. (The Annenbergs are not millionaire liberals like George Soros. Indeed, they were close personal friends of President and Nancy Reagan.)

Conversely, Olsen "raises up" Wilson (the true liar in this story) and promotes and repeats his lies. Therefore, Olsen and his Republican heroes are the ones to be scorned and mistrusted. If Olsen's premise is accurate, the Republican "philosophy" "won't hold water," and the GOP will be "unable to govern." Look at eight years under the Bush administration. I rest my case. My thanks to Olsen for making the Democratic case for good governance and health-care reform and against Republicans.
Rick Gagliardo
Pinehurst

Smith for Council

 From The Pilot: October 23, 2009

Marsh Smith and I have been good friends for more than 10 years. I know Marsh very well, and that is why I am voting for him.
Southern Pines is his hometown, and Marsh deeply cares about what is best for all of us, not just the few. His vision is of a sustainable community in which we will all be happy to live and flourish, not just now but in the future.
Marsh is a man of great vision, and he walks his talk. He is actively involved in so many areas of Southern Pines as a community advocate and volunteer and has already brought many positive changes to our lives.
Marsh cares about all of us. Imagine what he can do for us when he is on the Town Council. He is our advocate. I am going to get up early on Nov. 3 and vote for Marsh. I hope you do, too. You'll be glad you did.
Tom Thompson
Southern Pines

Health Reform: It's the Right Thing to Do

From The Pilot: October 23, 2009

Much has been said and written since Joe Wilson's outburst in which he shouted "You lie!" after President Obama said that health-care reform would not extend coverage to illegal aliens.
Democrats point out that the president didn't lie because section 246 of H.R 3200 states, "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States." Republicans counter that without status verification (like a national ID card) the provision will be difficult if not impossible to enforce.
What seems to be at issue here is relative levels of commitment to excluding illegal immigrants from health care. Nobody's arguing for including them. Why is that? How is it that this country, once the world's foremost champion of human rights, is last among developed nations to accept health care as a basic human right?
Rep. Wilson is a supporter of teacher-led school prayer in our public schools. Christianity is central to the "traditional values" that inform his stand on issues -- Christianity, the religion whose namesake proclaimed, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

How is it, then, that in the classroom, Christianity is the applicable traditional value, yet, when it comes to caring for the poor and sick, Mr. Wilson turns away from the teacher who chastised the money changers for turning the temple into "a den of thieves"? Profit is the traditional value Mr. Wilson applies to caring for "the least of these." It might be ­interesting and informative to see how many ­senators and representatives who support school prayer also oppose a public option for health care.
This is not to suggest that we should ignore legitimate security, legal and economic concerns, throw open the borders and extend full rights of citizenship to everybody who makes it into our country. We have an obligation to look out for our national interests. We are right to try to control immigration and to deport those who violate our sovereignty. But how is it good health policy to deny care to sick people regardless of their legal status?
I worked with a gentleman for several years who didn't have health insurance. One Friday morning he asked me to take him home shortly after we got started. I didn't think that much of it. People get sick. Still, it was out of character for him to miss work, and I should have suspected that something was really wrong.
In fact, he was admitted to the hospital later that day as his condition continued to deteriorate. Over the next couple of weeks, he got so bad that a priest administered last rites. At one point he actually flat-lined. He wound up spending months between Moore Regional Hospital and the hospital at Chapel Hill and several more weeks in physical therapy in Pittsboro.
In all, hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent, and a good man (a son and a father) was nearly lost to a condition that could have been diagnosed and treatment begun in the course of a $100 physical.
That's the price we pay when people lack access to health care. In my friend's case, it was diabetes. But for another uninsured person -- whether it is because of poverty, the loss of a job or because of one's legal status -- it might be hepatitis or swine flu.
In cases of infectious diseases, all people who leave conditions untreated for longer than they would if they had access to affordable care raise the level of risk for an entire community. You don't have to know them, you just have to use the ­shopping cart after them in a grocery store or pick up a box in an aisle where they coughed at the pharmacy.
Health care should be regarded as a right, and that right should exclude no one -- not the poor, not the unemployed and not even those who lack legal residency. We should do this because we are morally compelled to and because it is in our own best interest. It is the right thing to do.
Kevin Smith lives in Aberdeen. Contact him at kevinasmith@gmx.com.

Ill-Founded Claims Concerning Obama

From The Pilot: October 21, 2009

There were much easier ways for Allan Jefferys to critique Obama's performance to date than the ill-founded constitutional claims raised in his Sunday, Oct. 11 column.
The one easy way he did choose -- Obama's "wasting millions of dollars" flying to Copenhagen -- leads one to wonder why, in the past, he withheld comment on President Bush's 77 trips to Crawford, Texas, on Air Force One (a consequence of which was, per US News, his absence from Washington for 490 days).
More seriously, Jefferys accuses Obama, directly or inferentially, of violating his oath of office by appointing "czars" without the advice and consent of the Senate. While citing the clause in the Constitution requiring consent to presidential appointments, Jefferys omits mention of the qualification in the same clause permitting appointments without Senate consent, i.e., "the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone."
Without this power, government would be paralyzed. It would be analogous to requiring the CEO of General Electric to consult his board for the appointment of each staff member.
Accounts vary, but according to a compilation in Wikipedia, Obama has created 32 so-called czar positions. Bush created 31 during his tenure. A president is confronted with a huge, multifunctional organization and sorely needs advice as to functions that often cross organizational lines. How he chooses to get that advice is quintessentially a management decision. The presidents have usually used the term "czar" as a convenient description of scope. Obama's more extreme critics have managed to conjoin it with their equally absurd charge of Obama's fascist, socialist (or preferably Marxist) march toward the establishment in the United States of a Muslim totalitarian theocracy.
J. Thomas Tidd
Pinehurst

An American Crisis

From The Pilot: October 21, 2009

I am one of millions of Americans who depend heavily on health insurance, but our monthly premiums are ridiculously high!
Do I want to pay more taxes? Of course not, but I will if it means each American receives the same opportunities I have. This is America -- not some poverty-stricken country!
I am encouraged to fight this cause with Obama because of Sarah, a special person I mentored. I met Sarah in her early teens and was so impressed with her maturity and intelligence. She became like family.
Sarah was raised in a trailer park with deaf parents, and her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia in Sarah's infancy. Sarah earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan.
Unfortunately, as with many other victims that experience the cruelty of mental illness, the onset of the illness developedsoon after Sarah graduated. Her first hospitalization was followed by others. She now lives as a single mother. As many others in this country, she has become unemployed despite her qualifications. But she has stabilized her bipolar diagnosis with the help of the right medication to control her illness.
Her treatment is due for review as a result of cutbacks with mental health facilities and funds such as Medicaid. If she is left without medication, she will have further episodes without intervention. She could become ­vulnerable to fall in with others who fight mental illness, which can lead to homelessness, crime and suicide.
What will happen to her innocent child? What will happen to Sarah? Is this fair to any individual? Is this a country we can be proud of?
I urge each one of you to consider supporting Obama in his fight to reform health care. With your trust, he will be able to help all Americans with equal, balanced rights.
Cindy Continenza
Southern Pines

America's Problems Aren't Simple, and Neither Are Solutions

From The Pilot:  October 21, 2009

"What is Barack Obama trying to accomplish as president?" several pundits have recently asked. "Why isn't more being done to lower the unemployment rate? Why is he hesitating to follow the recommendation of Gen. McChrystal and send more troops into Afghanistan?"
These questions reflect the typical impatience of our populace and media, and a superficial understanding of the fact situation that confronts the U.S. This situation is defined by structural causes, developed over a long period of time, that do not lend themselves to short-term solutions.
I believe that President Obama understands these causes and has two overriding missions -- one domestic and one international -- to respond to this situation. Today, I want to address the domestic mission.
The domestic mission is to restore the middle class and the advancement opportunities that have historically been provided by a strong middle class and middle-income jobs. For the past 25 years, an ever-increasing percentage of the U.S .wealth and income has accrued to a very small segment of the population.
Between 1979 and 2005, the average after-tax income for the top 1 percent of earners increased by 176 percent, for the top 20 percent of earners by 69 percent, and for the middle 20 percent of earners by 21 percent. This trend -- which represents the greatest increase in income inequality among the developed, rich nations -- has given the U.S. the highest income inequality among those nations, and the highest in this country since the pre-Depression year of 1928. This result cannot be adequately explained by education, skill and productivity differentials.
It can be explained by tax and deregulation policies that allowed a limited number of individuals to accumulate massive wealth, not by growing companies and creating quality job opportunities for workers, but rather by financial manipulations, including mergers and acquisitions, that result in companies "too big to fail" and generally produce workforce reductions.
We are experiencing a national economic version of "Barbarians at the Gate," the story of how leveraged buy-out artists acquired profitable but undervalued companies and then systematically withdrew funds through cost reductions and the sale of assets.
In many cases, these actions diminished the capacity of the business to survive, much less continue to grow. Of course, the funds were used to make big payouts to stockholders. The other results? Laid-off workers, bankrupt pension plans which became the responsibility of the federal government, and a loss of production capacity in the economy.
What do we see in the U.S. economy?
-- A steady shift away from goods production, which tends to increase wealth in the economy, to services and entertainment, which simply consume existing wealth.
-- Investing in construction of retail shopping malls, office buildings and sports arenas rather than modernizing plants, equipment, transportation and education systems, and utility grids.
--Deferring the downstream costs of environmental pollution and inadequate health care to future generations.
--Making major payouts to high-income earners through lower tax rates.
We have allowed our capacity to produce goods that will generate future income for the U.S. economy to diminish while providing significant short-term income gains to a limited number of Americans. Our economy has been supported, until recently, by the borrowing power of the country and individual consumers, but we have reached the limit of that power.
Until we can redirect this trend, establish a stronger focus on goods production as a significant component of the economy, and strengthen the earnings of the large number of workers (and, thus, their buying power), we will not be able to experience a significant drop in unemployment.
President Obama understands that this redirection will not be achieved by short-term quick fixes, but will require significant new investments in the infrastructure needed to support business growth, particularly for small and medium-size businesses.
This explains his policy focus on using stimulus funds to improve transportation and education, modernize utility systems, develop environmental technologies, and reduce one of the most significant costs to businesses, workers and the US government -- health care.
Yes, these investments are expensive, and they should not be simply passed on to future generations. Those who have disproportionately benefited from the current situation should be expected to disproportionately pay the costs of getting us out of it.
Brian Deaton, who lives in Pinehurst, is a former chairman of the Moore County Democratic Party.

Are Flu Shots Now a Conspiracy, Too?

From The Pilot: October 18, 2009

I tell you, folks, it's plumb discouraging.
I've said on several occasions that the problem with doing satire these days is staying ahead of reality. I make up something that's so absurd that I assume people will realize it's a joke, and then suddenly something comes along that makes that absurdity look positively normal in comparison.
Until recently, though, I thought I was doing a decent job of staying ahead.
Not any more.
You may recall that last week, I talked about the rejoicing on the Right over the fact that America wasn't getting the Olympics in 2016. Folks like Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin and Rush Limbaugh were dancing a spiteful jig because President Obama had lobbied to bring the Olympics to Chicago (which, despite what the wingnuts may tell you, really is part of America. Just like Hawaii). If Obama wanted it, their "reasoning" went, then it must be a good thing that it didn't happen. I went on to suggest that, since Mr. Obama had recently signed an order forbidding federal employees from texting while driving, then obviously the thing for any good tea-party patriot to do was go out there and text away behind the wheel. The absurdity there was that anyone would actually think that it was a patriotic idea to do a dangerous thing because Obama said not to. It was a joke, I swear it.
Little did I know that they really have gone that crazy. As Exhibit One, I give you the de facto leader of the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh.
Mr. Limbaugh recently pitched an epic hissy fit on his nationally syndicated radio show over, of all things, flu vaccine. Seems that El Rushbo got his rage on because Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had done the unthinkable: She'd gone on TV and said that it would be a good idea if people got vaccinated against the flu.
Now, to any reasonable person, this would make sense. After all, the new strain of H1N1 flu is a nasty critter. The family and I had a mild brush with it ourselves, and I can certainly tell you we wish the vaccine had been widely available a couple of weeks ago.
Not Rush, though. He blew a gasket at the very idea. "Screw you, Miss Sebelius!" he shouted on the air. "I'm not going to take it precisely because you're now telling me I must!"
It should be noted that nowhere in any of Miss Sebelius' statements recommending the vaccine did she use the word "must," nor is there any suggestion in any public pronouncement that vaccination should be mandatory. The actual Sebelius quote is: "We strongly urge parents to take precautionary steps. Flu kills every year, and we've got a great vaccine to deal with it."
But apparently, even the suggestion that a swine flu shot would be beneficial to children, coming from an Obama appointee, is tyranny on the same level as the massacre at Tiananmen Square.
"It's not your role, it's not your responsibility, and you do not have that power!" Rush sputtered to a version of Secretary Sebelius that appears to exist only in his head. "How are they gonna make me take it if I refuse to take it? Who the hell do these people think they are?"
Umm ... actually, Rush, public health is actually part of Ms. Sebelius' role and her responsibility. It's the "Health" part of "Health and Human Services." But again, no one is "making" anyone do anything. You want to risk getting the swine flu, have at it, and I wish you joy.
But you folks can see my problem. You have a major leader of American conservatives going on national radio to holler at the top of his lungs that he's not going to do something that no one is trying to make him do.
You have a prominent Republican leader going completely ballistic because a member of the Obama administration "strongly urged" parents (a group to which he does not even belong) to get flu shots for their kids.
How do you even begin to parody these people?
Dusty Rhoades lives, writes and practices law in Carthage. Contact him at dustyr@nc.rr.com.

Prize Recognized Obama's Strengths

From The Pilot: October 16, 2009
 

The conversation about President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize has omitted an important consideration -- presence. Much of what I read is that he hasn't done anything to merit such recognition. I disagree.
Obama has opened the door to worldwide ­dialogue. Conscious presence includes listening, respecting, clarifying, understanding, experiencing the others' path without relinquishing our own position -- opening our hand to those willing to unclench their fist.
Conscious presence seeks common ground rather than stubbornly defending our own ­position. It's not an accommodation or a giving up of our self, thoughts or beliefs.

What we think and believe, if it includes respect for the other side, grants us the capacity to hear, be present, understand and respond without compromising our own position. Out of mutual respect comes a direction -- not so much a compromise but a way to work together -- a new place that leads us beyond bias, a place where disagreements are held in creative tension with agreements.
We stop demanding, defending and do more listening and clarifying. This respectful process moves adversaries from restrictive defensiveness to constructive openness. It's a scary proposition because it feels like we're compromising and losing control.
Yes, anger, frustration and exasperation may be part of the process, but in the end, presence helps us achieve balance and respect.
In my opinion it takes incredible strength to enter into dialogue with those who see reality differently than we do. Of course, there are those who laugh at this position and see it as naive.
Extremists would see it as an opportunity for conquest. We don't fight or argue with them. We seek common ground with those who want respect and peace.
The Nobel Committee recognized Obama for bringing this presence to world dialogue.
Charles Griffin
Seven Lakes

Insurance Firms are Buying Votes

From The Pilot: October 16, 2009

What a money trail -- The New York Times reports that the health insurance industry is spending $1.4 million per day to defeat health care reform.
So it now seems clear who's bank rolling some of these negative ads. CNN reports a mathematical relationship between how much industry money a legislator has accepted and that legislator's position on health care reform. The more money accepted, the more likely he or she is to oppose reform. These latter figures, speaking as they do to a powerful, corrupting influence, should be publicized more widely.
For myself, I have been listening to Wendell Potter. For close to 20 years, Potter, as a Cigna Communications executive, saw the contradiction between what was real and what he told the public. Mindful of his hypocrisy, and disgusted with the business, he left Cigna. As a result, he easily sees through what's going on right now.
His accounts remind me of what insiders in another industry had to say about their former employers. That industry? Big tobacco. Big tobacco knew the truth for years but told the public the opposite. That fight for honesty has been going on for four decades. Indeed it's still not over.

Potter's analysis only helps confirm what the money trail above already says. Health insurers are using health care premiums to finance the defeat of health care reform. Surely, we can deal more effectively with the health insurance industry than we have been doing with the tobacco industry. Surely we are not going to be fooled by the same sort of double talk -- a campaign Potter has called "disingenuous" and "duplicitous" from the beginning. Why succumb to these distortions? We don't have to give in. I have written to our North Carolina Senators and Congressman. I urge you to do the same!
Edward N. Squire Jr.
Seven Lakes

Freedom of Choice

 From The Pilot: October 11, 2009

Allan Jefferys worries over the loss of our freedom of choice in his Sept. 9 column in The Pilot. In typical far-right language, he preys on the fears of that portion of the populace who rely on others to do their thinking for them.
I found it amusing that he manages to contradict himself in every other paragraph. He rants on about keeping our freedom of choice, then goes on to tell us that your freedom of choice must be limited to only certain things.
No way we can choose to pursue any "radical ideas." Just come up with an idea and the right will tell you if it's radical or not. All those not agreeing with their views are "ignoring the Constitution" and trampling on the Bill of Rights. On this point, I'll have to say that the Republican Party has some experience, given the last eight years of its administration.
One of the most laughable comments was about marriage, where Jefferys stated that you don't want to lose your choice to "marry above your station or below it or even choose your own gender." Gee, I guess I forgot the folks on the right were in favor of gay marriage and were doing everything in their power to see that you have that choice.

Even the Dusty Rhoades column that appeared on the same page offered irony on the subject. Rhoades discussed how the U.S. Congress phone service was attempting to allow each member of Congress to choose their own music selections while callers were on hold. The right-wingers exploded in outrage and accused Nancy Pelosi of hating patriotic music, which is what is now played as on-hold music. So much for having that choice, which Jefferys felt so strongly about.
Jim Russell
Vass

Have We Fulfilled Jefferson's Vision?

From The Pilot: October 9, 2009

"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government." -- Thomas Jefferson
Ah, Thomas, howd'ya like us now, eh? Have we fulfilled the vision? Have we exceeded your expectations? You put the word "life" in front of liberty and happiness. Was this a result of phonetic cadence, or did you itemize those three words in order of importance?
Glenn, Rush and Bill tell us not to dwell too long on such niceties, and yet, I cannot help but wonder why they're so adamant we pay no attention whatsoever to your words in lieu of their Coors Light, OxyContin and "falafel" sponge-induced talking points?
Are your words worthy of deeper investigation, Thomas? Could it be you surmised the social consideration of the care and quality of human life in our fledgling nation to be paramount above all else? Would this not make you, according to the Three Stooges mentioned above, a communist Nazi who wanted to kill my grandmother via death panel committee?
Thomas, I have objectively studied history. I am able to contextualize what you wrote so many years ago against my contemporary self-interests. Despite traditional Christian values that state I should sacrifice all I am, and all that I have, for the common good of those around me, I cannot be sure (according to Glenn, Rush and Bill) that I am right. Should I abdicate common sense for common suspicion, Thomas? Is forsaking fact and demonstrable consideration for an intense, irrational and insatiable hatred of anyone who opposes pedantry a viable course of action? Do we still need the compassion and selflessness of our Creator when we can take shelter in the bourgeois social protectionism of Fox News?
Tell me, Mr. Jefferson -- I need to know.
Timothy B. Smith
Southern Pines

What Ever Happened to 'Country First'?

From The Pilot: October 9, 2009

After the International Olympic Committee announced that Rio de Janeiro and not Chicago would be getting the 2016 Olympics, many Americans were disappointed that the event wouldn't be held on our soil. Certainly President Barack Obama was, since he had flown to Copenhagen to lobby personally for his adopted hometown.

Not those good Americans at the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard, though. "Cheers erupt at Weekly Standard world headquarters," wrote Editor John McCormack in an online post titled "Chicago Loses! Chicago Loses!"

Glenn Beck was also beside himself with glee. "Please, please let me break this news to you. It's so sweet," he chortled on his radio show before reporting that a foreign city would be getting the Olympics rather than an American one.

Rush Limbaugh was unapologetic in his joy over America's loss: "I don't deny it. I'm happy," he said.

The right-wing Web site NewsMax, which last week ran an article fantasizing about a military coup against the government, showed us that they were down with that crazy Internet-speak all the kids are using these days. "Chicago PWNED!" they Twittered.

(In case you're not familiar, PWNED is one of those online misspellings that's become so common it's used as a substitute for the actual word. So, PWNED equals OWNED, which equals "decisively defeated.")

Why were they so pleased? Wouldn't hosting the Olympics be a good thing, not just for Chicago, but for the U.S.A.?

Actually, whether the Olympics are that big a boon depends on who you ask. Some cities, such as Barcelona, got a boost in prestige and tourism from the Olympics. Some, like Montreal, reported losing money on the deal, at least in the short run.

But the folks celebrating the loss never reached that argument. To the leaders of the modern conservative movement, whether or not something is good for the country is irrelevant if they think it gives President Obama a black eye.

Rush Limbaugh said it explicitly. "Anything that gets in the way of Barack Obama accomplishing his domestic agenda is fine with me," he said.

"No Obamalympics," Michelle Malkin agreed.

Remember how right-wingers used to be so outraged about "liberals" being happy when America loses (while never being able to actually point to any real people who ever expressed any such joy)? Just look at them now. So much for "country first."

But what's next? After the rich, warm glow of spiteful satisfaction from this loss wears off, where can the concerned wingnut go to show President Obama he won't knuckle under to his Muslimcommiefascist agenda?

I have just the thing for you. Last Wednesday, President Obama signed an executive order forbidding federal employees to text while driving. The order, according to The Washington Post, "covers federal employees when they are using ­government-provided cars or cell phones and when they are using their own phones and cars to conduct government business."

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood claimed that the ban "sends a very clear signal to the American public that distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable."

On the surface, this may seem like a sensible precaution. But ­remember, anything President Obama supports, whether it be working hard and staying in school, bringing the Olympics to America, or paying attention to where the heck you're going when you drive, is something that you, as a good conservative, must oppose to your last breath.

So make sure your cell phone is equipped to send texts (or, as we'll be calling them from now on, "Freedom Messages"). Then gas up the SUV, get out there on the road, and start tap-tapping away. Spread the word far and wide that you won't be cowed by the foreign-born Islaminazi Marxist and his evil agenda of safety.

And why restrict yourself just to text messages? Twitter. E-mail. Check out the latest funny cat ­pictures on-line. Show everyone that there are still some proud, freedom-loving patriots out there willing to take a stand and push back against anything that President Obama's for.

Wear your dents and accident-related injuries with pride. And if, God forbid, the worst should happen, be sure to leave instructions that your tombstone should read, "I Really Showed YOU, Barack Hussein Obama!"

C'mon. Do it for Liberty.

Dusty Rhoades lives, writes and practices law in Carthage. Contact him at dustyr@nc.rr.com.