Traffic circle great decision
Congratulations to the decision makers, Murphy Town Council members and Town Manager Chad Simons for pushing ahead for the traffic circle and the new lane configurations. It definitely allows traffic to move faster.
I go through the circle probably 10 times a day since my office overlooks the traffic circle. My observation is drivers have no problems, and even large tractor-trailers easily get through. Traffic moves faster because of the circle.
Once the four corners get landscaped and repaving completed, the traffic circle will add more beauty to the wonderful town of Murphy. Great planning and great jobs to all involved.
Charles McHan Sr., Murphy
GOP to not cut Medicaid
The guest columnist on page 5A in the April 23 edition of the Cherokee Scout made some interesting statements. Allow me to state how sorry I am that her family is having such a difficult time, and I do hope for the best for them.
The new administration is not gutting Medicaid; as of today, no cuts to Medicaid have been planned. Quite a few Republicans are slugging it out on what to cut or change and start reducing the overall financial crunch we find ourselves in.
Tax cuts have historically proven to stimulate economies and increase funds into the government treasury. Something we need to do given that our $37 trillion debt is putting us dangerously close to bankruptcy. And if we go bankrupt, all programs will be affected, and not in a good way.
Some other factors to keep in mind is that there are quite a large number of people on Medicaid who maybe should not be on the program. In 2022, it was estimated that 21% of the nation was on Medicaid. That is 60 million-plus people. Two years later, I am sure this number has increased significantly – all of which adds a burden to the overall treasury.
Newsweek, not exactly a Republican-leaning publication, had this to say on the subject:
“The federal government spent nearly $1.5 trillion on health care in fiscal 2022, with Medicare taking up $747 billion, and Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program costing $609 billion, according to the Tax Policy Center. ...
“Due to these high costs, it could prove difficult to meet the budget’s proposed cuts without making changes to Medicaid. However, as the budget proposal stands, House Republicans are not calling for $880 billion in cuts specifically to Medicaid, which makes up around 10% of all federal spending.”
Brendan Fogarty, Murphy
Who are ‘Tooth Fairy’ voters?
Who can remember losing your first tooth and putting it under your pillow in hopes the “Tooth Fairy” would replace it with a prize? How many become adults and still believe in the Tooth Fairy? Do these people exist today?
Sad to say, they do! They’ve replaced the pillow with a voting booth and their tooth with their vote. The prize is a politician who will give them free health care, free education, food stamps, housing and a partridge in a pear tree.
Who are these people?
Before the ink dried on the U.S. Constitution, Thomas Jefferson warned, “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
Our founders knew the Tooth Fairy would have great influence on voter 200-plus years later. They believe socialism uses free programs to address our shared interests controlled by elected representatives. They use public broadcasting, the Internal Revenue Service and public schools. They never mention our nation is more than $30 trillion in debt.
In the 1960s, even liberal Democrats recognized the direction we are headed. U.S. Sen. Edward Long said, “The IRS has become morally corrupted by the enormous power which we in Congress have unwisely entrusted to it. Too often it acts like a Gestapo preying upon defenseless citizens.”
Jefferson, Madison, Washington and Patrick Henry had power warnings as well. Jefferson said, “Experience hath shown, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”
Suppose the Tooth Fairy is right about socialism. How long would it be until a Fidel Castro is elected? How long until Henry is proven right? Think about it America; election time in 2026 is near.
Ed Huber, Copperhill, Tenn.