North Carolina Newspapers

6 THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19,2016 Perspectives Cooper wrong, McCrory right on rainy day fund R ALEIGH — The aftermath of Hur ricane Matthew is devastating. The images are heartbreaking. The num bers are overwhelming. Dozens of lives lost. Hundreds of serious injuries. Thousands of people displaced into shelters. Tens of thou sands still without basic utilities. Hundreds of thousands still recovering from costly disruptions of their businesses, schools, and everyday lives. North Carolinians are resilient. We will comfort the mourning, help the needy, and rebuild the economic, social, and govern mental institutions that make North Caro lina a special and wonderful place. State government will have a critical role to play. For example, it is fully or partially responsible for public assets valued in the many billions of dollars — roads, bridges, classrooms, and other facilities. Across dozens of eastern counties, much of this infrastructure will have to be repaired or replaced. Fortunately, the state has some $1.6 bil lion in disaster-relief and rainy-day funds set aside for just such an emergency. This is no lucky break. It is the result of prudent leaders making difficult decisions over the past three years that earned them no political favors. In fact, Gov. Pat McCrory and the Republican-led legislature received mostly scorn from liberal politicians, newspa pers, and special-interest groups for saving North Carolina’s higher- than-expected revenues instead of bestowing virtually all of them on spending lobbies of various kinds. The Democrat who wants to re place Gov. McCrory, Roy Cooper, has been one of those critics. Just a few weeks ago, he blasted Mc Crory for “building up the rainy day fund in excess of what’s nec essary for the state,” and for let- i Columnist JOHN HOOD ting the money “just be sitting there” rather than spending it. Cooper’s allies and surro gates have said the same thing for months. These Democrats miscalculated, both fiscally and politically. Now, with an ever- escalating price tag for cleaning up after Hurricane Matthew, they’ve tried to distract attention from their poor judgment by de manding that McCrory and legislative lead ers immediately call a special session — in order to appropriate the very rainy-day funds that they said were excessive before the storm hit! It was a shameless political stunt, staged even as flood waters were still rising in Kinston, Lum berton, and other communities. Of course the General Assembly will need to act. But lawmakers need a thorough damage assessment and spending plan first. And many senators and representatives from eastern North Carolina are other wise occupied. When Hurricane Floyd did its worst in September 1999, then Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt and a Democratically con trolled legislature waited until ■ December to hold their special session. Are we to believe they didn’t care about the suffering of North Carolinians and the state’s infrastructure needs? Speaking of that event, the Floyd recon struction illustrates precisely why North Carolina needs the large rainy-day fund that Roy Cooper and other Democrats foolishly opposed. While Gov. Hunt and state law makers did come up with a large amount of money, about $840 million, to fund recov ery efforts, they had to cobble it together from several different sources, including re verted funds from the operating budget. As a result, the state had inadequate reserves in 2000-01 when a recession bit into state tax revenues, creating budget deficits. How did North Carolina Democrats respond? In large part by raising sales taxes. (It’s what they do.) Given historical patterns, it is highly like ly that America’s economy will dip into at least a modest recession in the next couple of years. Because Pat McCrory and legisla tive leaders have wisely built up $1.6 billion in rainy-day reserves — plus another $400 million in reserves specially earmarked for Medicaid—the state will be able to finance its responsibilities for Hurricane Matthew recovery while also funding schools, pris ons, and other basic services if a national recession materializes. Politically, the easier call for McCrory during the budget surpluses of the past three years would have been to spend the extra revenue. That’s what Roy Cooper has said he would have done as governor. It would have gotten effusive praise from liberal newspapers and special-interest groups. And as we now know, it would have been the wrong decision. John Hood is chairman of the John Locke Foundation. Letters to the Editor FBI Director Gorney lost his reputation with his decision Dear Editor, The single most consequential decision in this presidential cycle was made my FBI Director James Comey. His decision not to rec ommend prosecution of Hillary Clinton removed the mayor road block to the presidency. On the other hand, a recommendation to prosecute would most likely have assured Donald Trump’s election. One may justly wonder which consequence motivated Director Comey. Personally, I think he was motivated by politics: he wanted to save his job. The clues are ev erywhere. One. We now know that the case for prosecution was solid. FBI agents are telling us that the vast majority of investigators were convinced of that fact, in spite of actions by the Justice Department to impede the investigation, espe cially by preventing the interroga tion of immunized witnesses. Yet, Director Comey went against the recommendations of his own in vestigators. Two. President Obama did not want Hillary Clinton to be pros ecuted for two reasons: 1) As his successor, she would continue his policies, thereby protecting his legacy, and 2) A grand jury investi gation would reveal his complicity in the email scandal (see my letter in the 10/5 issue of this paper). Three. When Director Comey said that no reasonable prosecu tor would take this case, he was right: prosecutors in the Depart ment of Justice work under Loret ta Lynch who works directly for the President. Clearly, there was no way she was going to impli cate her boss in this scandal; she did not want to make a decision that would cost her her job, her reputation, or both. She needed a scapegoat. Four. Even though it wasn’t his role, Director Comey recommend ed against prosecution. By doing so, he took Loretta Lynch off the hook and enabled her to close the case without getting her hands dirty. You can bet that when she had that little meeting with Bill Clinton she knew what Comey would do. The fix was in. Director Comey saved his job. But his reputation for integrity has been shattered. He will have to live with that. Claude Milot Hertford Conditions at Cedarwood Cemetery are horrible Dear Editor, It is with pure frustrations and disgust that I write this letter to you. I am appalled at the Town of Hertford for the care and consid eration that they give in caring for the Cedarwood Cemetery. We put flowers on graves in memory of our loved ones only for them to sit in high grass; un less, like myself and others, have taken it upon ourselves to cut the grass and weed eat our own plots. This is totally wrong. Don’t those who pass before us deserve better than this? Shame on you Town of Hertford for disrespecting those we hold dear. Monica Ranhorn Elizabeth City Vote, it can make a difference You can only vote for one Dear Editor, The Presidential Election is on Nov. 8. The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.. If you are a Per quimans County resident, you can see a sample ballot on the Perquimans County Board of Elections website at http ://www. perquimans- countync.gov/departments/ board-of-elections.html. The website also lists the polling places. Voters will not be re quired to present photo identification at the polls. This requirement was struck down by a federal court of appeals in July. You must register to vote. The one-stop early voting and same-day voting regis tration period begins Thurs day October 20 and ends on Saturday Nov. 5. During this period you can register to vote the same day you vote. The hours for early vot ing and same-day registra tion are generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Nov. 3 and 4 the hours are extended until 7p.m. On Saturday Nov. 5 the horns are 8 am. to 1 p.m. To confirm the hours please call the Perquimans County Board of Elections at 426-5598. The deadline for submit ting an absentee ballot is 5 p.m.on Tuesday November 1. The Perquimans County Board of Elections web site has an absentee bal lot form you can print and submit. This form may be mailed, faxed, emailed, or delivered in person. Call the Perquimans County Board of Elections if you have any questions about submitting an absentee ballot. For those individuals who are hospitalized or living in nursing homes or other care facilities, please call the Perquimans County Board of Elections for as sistance. Please register and vote. Your vote can make a differ ence. Nancy Theodore Hertford Dear Editor, As the final election day for many federal, state, and local offices draws ever so near, I feel the need to help educate and inform the local area citi zens of the county regard ing our current process at the local level. Perquimans county cur rently has a commission board comprised of six total seats which serve four-year terms. Most boards or councils have odd numbered seats of 5 or 7. In my opinion having an even numbered board allows for more 3-3 split votes and no changes be ing implemented. The Chair person elect ed by the board should as sume the responsibility of moderator and facilitate the proceedings, and only vote when another mem ber is absent or recused. Every two years, three of the seats become avail able through election. This year we have four candidates running for those three seats. Due to voting equality concerns and complaints in early 1990, the local board ad opted several changes that are still currently in place. There are no districts in the county and all seats are “at large”. Although there are three seats avail able, you may only vote for one candidate. While I don’t agree with being allowed to vote for only one candidate, since there are three seats available, it is the current law and design. I hope this helps some of the local voting citizens be better pre pared when they go to the polls this year. When cast ing your vote this year, please remember who is helping to keep the public informed and educated to the processes and systems in the county. Alan Lennon Hertford the perquimans weekly A PUBLICATION OF COOKE COMMUNICATIONS NORTH CAROLINA, LLC ADDRESSES : NC SENATE Bill Cook (R) N.C. Senate 300 N. Salisbury Street, Room 525 Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 (919) 715-8293 Bill.Cook@ncleg.net NC HOUSE Bob Steinburg (R) 919-733-0010 NC House of Representatives 300 N. Salisbury St., Room 306 A2 Raleigh, NC 27603 bob.steinburg@ncleg.net US HOUSE Walter B. Jones Jr. (R) 202-225-3415 252-931-1003 2333 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 congjones@mail.house.gov US SENATE Richard Burr (R) 202-224-3154 or 336-631-5125 217 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 http://burr.senate.gov/public/ Thom Tillis (R) 202-224-6342 G55 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Perquimans Weekly (DSPS428080) is published each Wednes day by The Daily Advance, 215 S. Water St, Elizabeth City, NC 27909. Subscription rates are $27.00 per year plus sales tax in Perquimans, ESTABLISHED 1934 111 W. MARKET ST. HERTFORD, N.C. 27944 252-426-5728 MIKE GOODMAN, PuBLISHER/EdITOR BEV ALEXANDER, Advertising representative PETER WILLIAMS, News Editor and $31.50 per year mailed to all other addresses in the continental US Sales tax is required for delivery to all Neath Carolina counties at the sales tax rate in that county. Single copy newspapers are 50 cents plus PERQUIMANSWEEKLY@NCWEEKLIES.COM CIRCULATION DELIVERY, CUSTOMER SERVICE, SUBSCRIPTIONS, sales tax where applicable. POSTMASTER - Send address changes to VOLUME 84 NO. 43 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: 426-1757 The Perquimans Weekly, 111W Market St, Hertford, NC 27944