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The Kings Mountain Herald
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SURVEY
BY EMILY WEAVER
THE HERALD
What is one of
the most impor-
tant issues that
politicians should
x Lynn Carter,
focus on this BannerEi, NC
“Cooperation between the dif-
ter m ? ferent parties. We're all one peo-
ple and they shouldnt waste
time fighting each other.”
Jeremy Cummings,
Mount Holly
“The war in Iraq. We need to
‘continue our work over there so
what happened in New York
won't happen again.”
Mary Meeler,
York, SC
“The war in Iraq. We need to
bring our soldiers home. We've
been over there long enough.”
Aaron Boggs,
Fallston
“Medicare is an important issue
and we need to fix it.”
Stephanie Hurt,
Kings Mountain
“We need to fix Medicare. A lot
of elderly people cannot afford
their medicines and it needs to
be fixed.”
GUEST COLUMNS
O’Reilly talks out of
both sides of mouth
I don't watch too much television, because most of it is such
tripe, but I do tune in to the talking heads of cable TV a little bit
almost every night.
The first time I watched Bill O'Reilly, I
thought to myself: "Now there's a good conser-
vative worth watching. As usual I was wrong.
O'Reilly is not a true conservative, nor is he a
true liberal. To tell you the truth I don't Know
what he is. He talks out of both sides of his
mouth.
Recently, O'Reilly, castigated talk show host
Rush Limbaugh because Limbaugh said that
Michael J. Fox was either acting or off his medi-
cine when he made TV commercials for
Democrats, where he rocked back and forth and
fidgeted, much like a person afflicted with
Parkinson's disease would do.
Fox has admitted in the past that he sometimes did not take his
medicine when making appearances.
In his book Saving Millie, Mort Kondracke wrote the following
about Fox after he had testified at a Senate hearing on Parkinson's:
"He
looked stiff and fidgety. I assumed that his morning dose of
Sinemet had yet to take effect. Later he told Diane Sawyer in an
ABC-TV interview that he'd purposely not taken his medicine so
that the world would get some idea of what Parkinson's does to
people."
The Democrats are using Fox in an all out effort to regain the
House and Senate. Some of the people his ads oppose have always
been in
favor of stem cell research. Some of the Democrats he has made
commercials for have actually voted against it.
This is just another individual the Democrats are using who they
believe cannot be challenged because of his illness.
O'Reilly's TV show is called the No Spin Zone, and he makes a
big deal out of not allowing anyone to engage in "spin" on his
show, anybody but himself, that is.
On a show a couple of weeks ago, the spinmeister told his listen-
ers it was OK for educators to discuss homosexual activity in
school
civics classes. This from an ex-school teacher. I don't know about
you, but I'd rather my children spend their school time learning
their ABC's.
English, history and math. I'll teach them the rest at home.
One of O'Reilly's frequent guests is Mike Ferrell, the liberal
Hollywood actor who once called a news conference to announce
that he had it on good authority the U.S. would attack El Salvador
in three or four days. It didn't happen, of course.
O'Reilly said on one of his shows that Ferrell never engaged in
personal attacks. What a laugh! Anyone who has ever heard Ferrell
talk about Dick Cheney will tell you O'Reilly doesn't know what
he's talking about.
O'Reilly has also said the Chicago Tribune is not a liberal news-
paper. That's right; he said the Tribune is not a liberal newspaper.
You can ask any conservative and some liberals about that, and you
will find that it is one of the top five liberal newspapers in this
country, right up
there with the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los
Angeles Times and the Boston Globe. Better yet, read a copy of the
Tribune and decide for yourself.
O'Reilly simply wants everyone to believe that in a world torn
between liberal and conservative viewpoints, his is the only bal-
anced view. :
It isn't true. I put him in a class by himself. I don't consider his
views liberal or conservative. I guess I just consider him insignifi-
cant and not important.
Oh well, people will believe what they want to believe, and I
guess that's the way it should be.
Jim Heffner
Jim Heffner is a reporter for the Belmont/Mount Holly
Bannernews and is a longtime columnist for The Herald. Contact
him at Jim@bannernews.com
New program beneficial to seniors
By GOV. MIKE EASLEY
RALEIGH * Health care is a
critical issue in North Carolina,
especially for our seniors. The
cost of the prescription medica-
tions they need to maintain their
health is skyrocketing.
The federal government pro-
gram, known
as Medicare
Part D, offers
seniors an
insurance
plan to cover
prescription
medications.
In too many
cases low
income North
Carolina sen-
iors are not eligible. In other
cases, they try to apply but give
up because of confusing and
cumbersome paperwork.
Seniors on fixed incomes make
difficult choices every day.
When it comes to their health,
the choice should be simple.
The new North Carolina Rx
prescription drug assistance pro-
gram will provide financial assis-
tance and personal guidance so
low-income North Carolina sen-
iors can get the medicines they
need.
North Carolina Rx will help
pay manthly premiums so many
of the federal plans will be free
or very low cost for qualifying
low-income seniors. Just as
important, we are providing a
toll-free number (1-888-488-
NCRX) as a resource for citizens
trying to navigate the complicat-
ed federal system.
We will help all seniors, no
matter what their economic sta-
tus, find and apply for the
Medicare Part D plan that fits
their income and needs. Help is
a telephone call away.
There are more than 1.3 million
Medicare beneficiaries in North
Carolina. Since last January,
North Carolina seniors could
choose from a variety of pre-
scription. drug insurance; plans.
* For 2007, there will be 51 plans
offered to North Carolina sen-
iors. To participate in Part D,
seniors must select a plan and
pay the monthly premium. Plan
premiums range in cost, from
$17.80 to $85.90 per month for
2007. Seniors will be able to start
signing up right away for the
coverage that will begin on
January 1, 2007.
EMS
From 2A
ice.” QRVs, Quick Response
Vehicles, are fully-equipped
ambulances without the
stretchers and additional pas-
senger room.
“Each shift has a Captain,
Lieutenant, and a Field
Training Officer (FTO) with
eighteen additional
Paramedics and Intermediates
that work together to provide
the most efficient care and
assistance to the people of
Cleveland County,” the web-
site stated.
According to “Cleveland
County EMS - Past and
Present,” written by Lord,
“Before Cleveland County
began serving its residents
with ambulance services in
1976, volunteer rescue squads
and local funeral homes pro-
vided all local ambulance serv-
ices.” Before 1989, most of the
county residents were served
with basic level pre-hospital
care provided by Emergency
Medical Technicians (EMTs).
More training was developed
in ‘89 for EMTs to become
EMT-Ps (Emergency Medical
Technician-Paramedics).
Opinion Page Policy
The Herald welcomes your letters to the editor for
publication in each Thursday's paper. All letters
must be signed, and for verification purposes
include the address and phone number. Letters
should be limited to 500 words.
Mail your letter to Editor, The Herald, P.O. Box
769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086; fax to (704) 739-
10611; or e-mail to KMH Letters@kingsmountain-
herald.com. Letters sent by fax and e-mail must
also include name, mailing address and phone
number for verification purposes.
Letters may be edited.
Letters to the editor and columnists who appear
on the editorial page do not necessarily represent
the views of the Kings Mountain Herald.
The county EMS works with
Cleveland Regional Medical
Center to provide Specialty
Care Transport Units and serv-
ices to transport critically
injured patients from one med-
ical facility to another. “Today
CCEMS transports approxi-
mately 800 patients a ‘year at
the Critical Care level,” he said.
“Currently, CCEMS staffs nine
Critical Care Paramedic ambu-
lances and three QRV's during
normal peak times.”
Starting a couple of decades
ago with just a group of volun-
teers, the Cleveland County
EMS now employs up to 19
paid staff members working
around the clock with special-
ized training and equipment to
keep the county safe. Their
new base in Kings Mountain
will help them continue to stay
on the cutting edge of emer-
gency response.
The state will cover monthly
premiums for North Carolinians
with annual incomes at 175 per-
cent of the federal poverty level,
that is individuals making less
than $17,150 with assets worth
$20,000 or less (not including a
home or car) or married couples
making $23,100 with assets of
less than $30,000.
During the next two and a half
years, we estimate that about
50,000 people will sign up for the
Medicare Part D state assistance
plan. We have dedicated $24
million from the Health and
Wellness Trust Fund to pay for
the program.
We have set up a special web
site, WWW.NCRX.GOV, to direct
seniors to the information they
need to sign up for. the plan that
they qualify for and best suits
their needs. And do not forget
the special toll-free telephone
line, 1-888-488-NCRX (6279)
with specially trained advisors to
provide information and assis-
tance to seniors to sign up for the
program.
North Carolina Rx is an impor-
tant resource for seniors who are
attempting to navigate the com-
igi
wR
BLOODMOBILE SCHEDULE
plicated federal drug program,
providing seniors with trained
professionals that can help them
choose the best program to fit
their individual needs, handle
paperwork and make sure it is
properly filed. It will also pro-
vide a “medication therapy man-
agement” program so pharma-
cists work with patients to make
sure seniors are taking the med-
ications they need and avoiding
possible drug interactions.
I want to enlist everyone's
assistance in getting the word
out about this new program. If
you have an elderly parent,
neighbor or friend who may
qualify, please make sure they
call our toll-free number or visit
the website information.
TW Body yn 4 me
When ‘our seniors do not get
their medicines, they get sick
and have to go to the hospital.
That is more suffering for them
and more expense for the tax-
payers. So North Carolina Rx is
not only the right thing to do, it
is the smart thing to do.
Our seniors were there for us
when we needed them. Now, it
is our turn to be there for them.
The Cleveland County Red Cross has announced the following
bloodmobile visits for November and December:
Nov. 2 - Central United Methodist Church, Kings Mountain, 1:30-
6 p.m.
Nov. 6 - Ambassador College, Lattimore, 12:30-5 pm.
Nov. 7 - Swoogers, Kings Mountain, 12-7:30 p.m.
Nov. 21 - Christian Freedom Baptist Church, Kings Mountain, 2-
6:30 p.m.
Nov. 22 - Polkville Volunteer Fire Department, 3-7:30 p.m.
Nov. 25 - Buffalo Baptist Church, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Now. 28 - First Baptist Church, Shelby, 2-6:30 p.m.
Now. 30 - Grover Street Fire Station (chili visit), 1:30-6 p.m.
BLOODMOBILE SCHEDULE
By Kenneth Kitzmiller
Oct. 25-31 Year Ago
Total precipitation 1.03 0
Maximum 1 day 1.03 (27th) 0
Month of October 4.74 6.29
Year to date 44.76 40.18
Low temperature 42 (29th) 36 (28th)
High temperature 74 (30th) 70 (31st)
Avg. temperature 57.1 46.7
Be Car Care Av
What do I do now?
The serpentine belt on my car chirps like a bird. I had the belt replaced but the noise remained.
The noise you're hearing is probably cause by a worn belt tensioner. The tensioner is a spring-loaded pulley
that automatically keeps the proper tension on the belt. As the tensioner wears it begins to cock out on the
bottom causing the belt to run crocked. This misalignment of the belt causes it to chirp. To correct this prob-
lem you will need to have the tensioner replaced.
Rick Walker ASEMT
Until next week Maintain Your Vehicle for Safety, Dependability and Value
ASK RICK!
Rick Walker owner of Rick’s Automotive
ASE Certified Master Technician
“Certifying the Automotive Pro
Send all questions to Ask Rick care of
Rick’s Automotive ® 1001 East Main Street ® Cherryville, NC 28021 or call 704-435-3801
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