Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Social Security: Should we just allow the program to fizzle?
Suppose a big corporation forced its employees to set aside a certain percentage of their wages for retirement. Suppose it denied them the freedom to determine how these savings were invested. Suppose, instead, the company itself borrowed everybody’s retirement savings...Published: Nov 30, 2004 10:17 AM Full Editorial
Monday, November 29, 2004
WIC: Taking advantage of a give-away program
Even if you appreciate government efforts to provide proper nutrition for children, you can only be disgusted by what is happening in the WIC program. WIC, which stands for Women, Infants and Children, gives women vouchers which they can...Published: Nov 29, 2004 9:52 AM Full Editorial
Saturday, November 27, 2004
The West has no monopoly on color
Western North Carolina is, as you know, famous for its fall color. Usually the foliage is at its most vivid between the middle and the end of October. But have you noticed? That color has moved east. We always get...Published: Nov 27, 2004 10:01 PM Full Editorial
Friday, November 26, 2004
Landing field: Early suspicions are corroborated
Internal documents have corroborated the obvious: The U.S. Navy has been hell-bent on locating an outlying landing field in rural eastern North Carolina despite environmental concerns and the concerns of property owners and local governments. And it has orchestrated...Published: Nov 26, 2004 10:31 AM Full Editorial
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
How it started
I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed you are still not ready. I Corinthians 3:2 ——— Paul told the Corinthians that in a sense they were like babies and didn’t know...Published: Nov 24, 2004 10:14 PM Full Editorial
War and death: Marine acted out of caution
If you have to be on the alert every second to prevent someone from killing you, it makes you a little jumpy. After a while, if you are an ordinary person, you learn to act on instinct to erase...Published: Nov 24, 2004 11:42 AM Full Editorial
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Two freshmen: Obama and McHenry are people to watch
Two freshman faces in the U.S. Congress come January are certain to be watched closely by political party leaders not only in Washington but perhaps across the country. They are Sen.-elect Barrack Obama of Illinois and Rep.-elect Patrick McHenry of...Published: Nov 23, 2004 10:59 AM Full Editorial
Monday, November 22, 2004
Raper: Cutting the tether at last
Sometimes it is hard to break the tether, but a good father raises his children not to keep them but to set them off on their own, to make them self-reliant, free to move ahead and to grow into what...Published: Nov 22, 2004 10:51 AM Full Editorial
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Shock: Margaret Hassan’s killer
Someone bound the hands of Margaret Hassan, placed a hood over her face, and shot her in the head. Mrs. Hassan, who was 59, was the director of the CARE program in Iraqi. She worked to feed the hungry....Published: Nov 21, 2004 12:06 AM Full Editorial
Friday, November 19, 2004
Confidence wanes: Problems with election equipment are disturbing
There is speculation that a statewide election may have to be repeated to determine who will be North Carolina’s commissioner of agriculture. This would be triggered by an electronic voting machine foul-up in Carteret County. Elections officials have found...Published: Nov 19, 2004 11:15 AM Full Editorial
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Hypocrisy: Scott Peterson convicted of murdering unborn son
A jury in California said Scott Peterson was guilty of two murders. It said a lot more, too. It said juries are willing to convict people who kill unborn babies. Peterson, the jury decided, killed his wife, Laci, who...Published: Nov 18, 2004 12:05 PM Full Editorial
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Fleeing to Canada? A few helpful facts for disgruntled Americans
Canada’s official immigration Web site has been getting a lot more hits from the United States since the election. Apparently some people are so disgruntled over President Bush’s re-election that they are considering leaving the country. People threaten before every...Published: Nov 17, 2004 9:44 AM Full Editorial
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Sneaky: Anti-hunting letter writer aims attack at young boy
Gail Grantham said that if she had written what she really wanted to, her letter to the editor would have been unprintable. Her 11-year-old grandson had been subjected to an underhanded attack. As she explains in her letter, which...Published: Nov 16, 2004 11:00 AM Full Editorial
Monday, November 15, 2004
Eulogies for Arafat: Now is a time for candor
As is customary after a death, some world leaders are exalting Yasser Arafat and his life’s work. In truth, his legacy is one of carnage, of rejected opportunties for peace for his people, and of failure. Nelson Mandela hailed...Published: Nov 15, 2004 10:18 AM Full Editorial
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Good work: Board made complex election look smooth
One aspect of the voting in Wayne County has made us all happy — liberal, conservative or moderate. That is the way in which the election was conducted. This one was extremely complex. Congressional districts and state House and Senate...Published: Nov 13, 2004 11:36 PM Full Editorial
Friday, November 12, 2004
Government vs. the people: Watch court’s decision in Connecticut case
The Supreme Court will tell us next year whether we must redefine our concept of individual freedom. If it votes in favor of a Connecticut city’s government in an eminent domain case, Americans — and especially poor Americans —...Published: Nov 12, 2004 11:04 AM Full Editorial
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Stop it now: Only firm action will curb anarchy
There is a big — and grave — difference between legitimate peaceful demonstrations and anarchy. That mob of 100 rampaging in Raleigh in the wake of the General Election clearly falls in the latter category. They tried to burn...Published: Nov 11, 2004 11:28 AM Full Editorial
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Dell’s incentives: They wouldn’t cost the state $242 million — or anything
From a practical standpoint, the General Assembly acted wisely last week when it approved a $242 million incentives package for Dell Inc. The huge Texas-based electronics company had said it would build a plant here if the incentives were...Published: Nov 10, 2004 12:08 PM Full Editorial
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Strange case: Former judge made bizarre allegations
Bizarre. That’s perhaps the best word to describe the actions of a former District Court judge whose conduct is being studied by a disciplinary panel of the State Bar. Former Judge Pattie Harrison, a Republican from Roxboro, was appointed to...Published: Nov 9, 2004 11:30 AM Full Editorial
Monday, November 8, 2004
Looking ahead: Kerry, Bush unite in call for healing
Whether the national media like it or not — and they unquestionably do not — we’re going to have four more years of George Bush. The president did not receive a mandate, as he suggested. Rather it was a victory...Published: Nov 8, 2004 11:05 AM Full Editorial
Saturday, November 6, 2004
What the Democrats lack in the elections
What would happen if, next go-round, the Democratic Party nominated a presidential candidate who was at least as conservative as his average fellow countryman? What if a Democrat ran on a platform that promoted the moral values of Middle America?...Published: Nov 6, 2004 11:01 PM Full Editorial
Friday, November 5, 2004
Deserter: 30 days constitutes a slap on the wrist
Army deserter Charles Robert Jenkins is an admitted coward. He told a military court that he crossed over into North Korea in 1965 to avoid “hazardous duty” on the Korean peninsula and perhaps subsequently in Vietnam. He not only...Published: Nov 5, 2004 11:42 AM Full Editorial
Thursday, November 4, 2004
A bag of rage: Newspaper blasted for accepting an ad
It was an unusual advertisement, to be sure, and it must have seemed dynamic to people who disagreed with its message. It was that red, white and blue bag in which the News-Argus was delivered Monday. Oh, the fuss...Published: Nov 4, 2004 11:42 AM Full Editorial
Wednesday, November 3, 2004
Don’t worry: Dr. Barnes inspires one more thought
Good for Jonathan Barnes! His column on the News-Argus Health Page is usually pretty good, but last Thursday’s was particularly insightful. Dr. Barnes, a psychologist, is the clinical director of Eastpointe, the multi-county mental health agency. He offers his...Published: Nov 3, 2004 11:30 AM Full Editorial
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
It’s over! The electioneering is done, and we’re still neighbors
The intensity of people’s views about the elections has strained friendships and caused all manner of bent-browed consternation. It’s time to lighten up! The election is over, we are all still here together, and God is in His heaven....Published: Nov 2, 2004 12:07 PM Full Editorial
Monday, November 1, 2004
Standing by those ads: They call this reform?
One interesting aspect of this election has been the new “stand-by-your-ad” requirement and how the candidates have used it. That’s the requirement that when a candidate runs a television or radio commercial he must announce therein something like: “I’m Joe...Published: Nov 1, 2004 11:51 AM Full Editorial