As chairman of the Moore County Democratic Party, I cannot remain silent and witness State Rep. Jamie Boles, in his July 31 column, providing inaccurate information about the budget standoff in Raleigh.

Warning: America is going straight to the dogs. Propelling this downward spiral is Americans’ love for dogs. Consumer Affairs reported a survey of 2,000 pet owners where 63 percent said, if they had to choose, they’d choose their pet over a significant other. One guy explained that “dogs don…

Normally I try to stay away from politics in this column, but today I may come close.

As we enter the fourth week of the new fiscal year, the budget standoff continues. Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the budget because it did not expand Medicaid. This action blocked critical funding for projects all over the state, specifically several million dollars that would go directly to Moore …

I’d like to take a survey: How many of you have trouble negotiating your technology of choice, specifically personal computers and smartphones, or should I say not-so-smart phones?

Tariffs kill jobs and raise prices for consumers. This was a lead story in a recent edition of Forbes magazine, never a left-leaning liberal source. And while this truism is well-known among economists and in the business community, it’s a lesson often lost on politicians, including the pres…

If you are like me, you’re concerned about all the rawest of rhetoric emanating from Washington and our leaders there. It has infected everything.

Homelessness in America is baked-in. Income inequality, entrenched racial bias and “not-in-my-neighborhood” sentiment ensure that homelessness will remain as solvable as war in Afghanistan.

The United Way of Moore County recently sent notices to 17 local nonprofit organizations representing 18 programs that they would be receiving grants this year.

July is usually the peak time when families get in their cars and hit the road. I remember the first time my family took a long-distance car trip.

On July 4, we celebrated America’s Independence from Great Britain, right? Wrong. Well, right, we do celebrate on July 4; but wrong, we should celebrate on July 2.

There is only one living species of alligator in the United States, alligator mississippiensis.

The Supreme Court held last week that federal judges have no authority to correct partisan gerrymandering. In a 5-to-4 decision, the court decision allows politicians to keep drawing electoral districts that entrench their power by manipulating voters into contrived areas determined solely b…

Two mega-firms — the third- and fourth-largest cellular communications companies— want to merge. Is it a good idea? Is it permissible?

Close your eyes. Play like you’re hearing a sonorous, authoritative voice say, “In the future there will be no need for tedious meal preparation. Housewives will not have boring house-cleaning duties. Traffic jams will be a thing of the past.”

Fifty years ago this month I reported for duty aboard the USS Sutter County (LST1150), a ship that would be my home for the better part of the next two years.

On Dec. 8, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress and the American people about an incident that had shocked the nation. “Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked…

A good case can be made that people in love and contemplating marriage are nuts.

In its May 12, 2019 editorial “Time to Change Charter Funding,” The Pilot endorses a Moore County Board of Education proposal to the county Board of Commissioners to create a separate fund to cover “the per-pupil cost for all (public) charter students who never attended Moore County Schools.”

Let’s say you want an epitaph to hedge against nothingness. Why not have a serious conversation with yourself about becoming a tattoo? You do know you can become a “memorial tattoo,” right?

Until I looked it up, I had no idea who Roe and Wade were, but their names are on top of the news.

Editor’s note: This is the third of three columns dedicated to education funding in Moore County.

Reprinted with permission by The News & Observer of Raleigh

There is no manual provided on the day of your birth on How to Navigate Life: The Pathway to Living. Life is not one size fits all; each experience is as different as each person.

The words “socialism” and “socialist” are thrown about loosely in the news today, and as such will probably increase steadily through the next election.

An estimated 80 percent of adult Americans own a smartphone. I don’t. I have a two-year degree in computer technology and a computer network engineer certification.

On a beautiful day last week, our community was struck by tragedy. It was the last day of class at my alma mater, UNC Charlotte. Seniors were preparing for graduation, and underclassmen were anticipating the summer break when suddenly gunshots rang out.

Most wars have names — the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the World Wars, the Gulf War, even the Cold War. But there is a war that has been going on throughout history and has been the justification of every war ever fought. It’s the real war between the people and the oligarchs.

Her T-shirt announced, “I’m giving up religion!” As she turned around, the text on the back explained, “Now I’m on a true search for God.”

Last May, local voters gifted the families of Moore County with three new elementary schools. This was a dream unimaginable only a few years ago.

I’m registered unaffiliated but voted for Obama twice, then Clinton in 2016. I wanted to see a female president. Still, I can’t agree with Clinton’s one-world-open-border-mindset. Nor am I blind-drunk on Haterade about Trump or about his build-the-wall-mindset.

President Trump frequently promotes the idea that when the United States places a tariff on imports from another country, that country pays the bill. This is simply untrue, but he keeps saying it.

The Roman Catholic Church has been striving for survival for the past 10 years or more. We are all familiar with reports of priests, and even bishops, who for decades have sexually abused children who were members of their parishes.

If you are like me and going on a trip that involves the use of an airplane — despite the security procedures one must go through at the airport — you get excited about flying and, if it’s a clear day, seeing the passing landscape below.

There is an assault on the power and authority of local governments in North Carolina. The perpetrators are the state legislature and special interest groups.

I am a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division. I consider myself liberal and registered as unaffiliated. I support both formal political parties.

As my husband and I leave North Carolina — we’re moving closer to grandchildren — I must say good-bye to the column I’ve been writing for the Point/Counterpoint series.

Editor’s Note: These remarks are derived from the author’s introduction last week of New York Times best-selling author Amor Towles at his Pinehurst appearance.

In this country, we promote and respect the principle of a strong work ethic.

Last week, 684 rural advocates from 89 North Carolina counties travelled to Raleigh to let their voices be heard by our state leaders.

The “dead cat” lies at the door of the Congress when it comes to budgeting and appropriating. It’s broken under the dome.

Reprinted with permission by The News & Observer of Raleigh.

I read Steve Bouser’s recent column regarding his perceived need to correct our founding fathers’ terrible mistake of incorporating an Electoral College “layer” into the selection of president.

March 28, 1979 —Forty years ago this month, the people living near the Three Mile Island nuclear energy plant in Pennsylvania experienced a crisis that could have been a complete disaster. My own experience was devastating but it could have been much worse. It seems a proper time to revisit …

Given today’s partisanship, it was refreshing to read the editorial written by our Republican junior senator, Thom Tillis, that appeared in The Washington Post on February 25. In that op-ed, the honorable senator waxed on about President Trump’s Declaration of National Emergency regarding th…

On March 5, James Freeman, editor of Best of the Web for “The Wall Street Journal,” wrote that Democratic candidates running for president in 2020 “have also voted for an abortion policy so expansive that it allows adults to decide the fate of children even when they are no longer in the womb.”

While the county’s contribution for Moore County Schools may not reflect the large percentages found elsewhere across the country, these dollars are vital to the operation of our school system.

So ... I have now been sidelined for over three weeks — two separate occasions — with winter ailments. Here’s what I’ve learned: