Don’t throw away school
I received the Cherokee Scout and was sickened to see one of the headlines read, “County set to give back $50M grant.”
I cannot see the logic of Cherokee County not taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in the most important commodity in your county or any other county in North Carolina – our kids.
Cherokee is the only county I know of in western North Carolina that is still trying to support three high schools.
Friends, you are not only increasing taxes by trying to maintain three campuses, and doing this you are depriving the kids of a deserving education. You cannot provide the education that is needed for our world today unless you have enough students in one school to be able to attract the better teachers and provide courses of study that your students need to compete with other kids for college, jobs and abilities to have a better quality life.
You couldn’t find a better location than the one that has been selected. It is the center of your population and convenient to other educational opportunities.
As for “helping grow your county,” the best way to do this is through your educational system. This can only be done with by improving facilities and being able to have students in one location to qualify for a state-supported curriculum.
Most industries or businesses seeking to relocate want to know about the kind of schools that are available for their children. Your school system would not be very attractive.
As for athletic facilities, this should not take precedence over the quality of education.
It is my sincere hope that the good people of Cherokee County will put aside nostalgic thinking and do what is best for their children. Don’t wait another day. You have waited too long.
Joseph Morrow, Waynesville
Allow voice to be heard
In September 2022 several news agencies reported members of the U.S. military were being asked to take Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. The cause was stated as inflation. The inability to keep up with inflation and pay those that protect us brings military readiness into question.
Prior to these events, a Naming Commission was charged by U.S. Congress to identify military assets related to the Southern Confederacy. In their final report, the Naming Commission recommended the renaming of bases named after Confederate soldiers and the removal of the “Reconciliation” Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery designed by Moses Ezekiel. The total cost of the recommendations is $61 million.
The facts stated in the two previous paragraphs are extremely concerning because it sends a clear message of a desire to remove history at any cost. At a time when the people who defend this country should be able to support their families and need support from their fellow Americans, why should the government be focusing on erasing history? Further, the Memorial was endorsed by previous Administrations, starting with President William McKinley, with funding approved by the 56th U.S. Congress on June 6, 1901.
As to current public opinion, a poll was performed by Kaplan Strategies asking the question “do you agree or disagree that U.S. taxpayer funds be diverted from the U.S. military budget to remove a historical Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.” The result was 60 percent of respondents stated they disagreed, 25 percent say they agreed and 14 percent stated they were unsure.
The proposals of the Naming Commission are being considered. What is your opinion? Do you feel it is better to erase history or take care of those currently serving in our military? Should taxpayer dollars be used to erase history?
Contact your federal representative and allow your voice to be heard or call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
R.S. Jason Boshers, Commander-in-Chief Sons of Confederate Veterans
and Walter “Donnie” Kennedy, Lt. Commander-in-Chief Sons of Confederate Veterans Columbia, Tenn.
For details, call Michael Berlin, commander of The Sons of Confederate Veterans, Cherokee Guards, at Michael Berlin at 828-644-3397 or email meb1951@gmail.com.
Global control is the real goal
Commencing with President Joe Biden’s inauguration, the fossil fuel industry has been under attack. His administration stopped constructing the Keystone XL Pipeline, restricted drilling leases on federal lands, shutdown drilling in the Arctic Refuge, returned to the Paris Climate Accords, introduced restrictions on oil refineries and reversed many of former President Donald Trump’s policies that support U.S. fossil fuel independence.
The justification for destroying our fossil fuel industry is supporting policies that reduce man’s carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint. Activists who support man-made climate change claim this gas impacts on the weather “crisis.”
Climate scaremongers ignore basic facts about energy and gases. Consider the following:
1. No one has proven that increasing CO2 endangers life on the earth.
2. All plants need CO2 to grow. The level of CO2 now at 420 parts per million is low. Plants really need more, but much is confined in limestone deposits and the ocean.
3. Fossil fuels made America the greatest nation on earth for over 200 years.
4. Electric cars (EVs) were introduced in 1914 but were abandoned when gasoline cars demonstrated practical advantages.
5. EV batteries depend on external power grids for recharging. The EV doesn’t emit greenhouse gases; but, they are part of the pollution cycle. Since 61 percent of electricity generated in the U.S. is from fossil fuel, accordingly 61 percent of EVs emit greenhouse gases.
6. EV battery production requires scarce and heavy toxic metals. The world doesn’t have enough heavy metal resources to replace batteries every 10-20 years for all electric cars and trucks.
7. Battery rare earth minerals, like cobalt, depend on foreign mines that operate without environmental controls and utilize child labor.
8. When batteries are depleted, they must be replaced. A new EV battery cost more than the car is worth, so used electric cars will have little cash value.
9. Wind turbines and solar panels eventually wear out and must be replaced. They are constructed from unrenewable materials and difficult to re-cycle.
10. Eliminating fossil fuels, especially oil, prevents manufacturing over 6,000 items.
11. The operation of steel mills uses fossil fuels. Natural gas is the main source for producing fertilizer.
12. Oil is the source for all plastics. Imagine no paint; no toys; no wiring insulation; no cell phones; no computers and no appliances.
Pressure against fossil fuels has nothing to do with climate change. Climate alarmists have been predicting the end of the world in ten years for over 52 years and life has continued normally.
Eliminating fossil fuels, though, has a lot to do with control. This is part of Marxists plans for global tyranny, to take control of every life on the planet.
Terry Payne, Marble