‘Conservative’ Hendersonville may be slouching toward wickedness of Asheville, reader laments

If we now define a “conservative” city by feeling safe with no panhandlers, then that would make Hendersonville “conservative.”

If, however, those problems haven’t yet manifested themselves with a “progressive’” city government and mayor who pushes “progressive” things for the first time in (Hendersonville) city history, like Earth Day and a Pride Festival in a city park, then we are slouching towards an Asheville Gomorrah. 

Slow, but sure. 

We have seen what happens with “progressive,” i.e. taking a step forward in the wrong direction, so it’s on us if Hendersonville becomes an unlivable South Asheville.

Let Buncombe residents vote for Asheville City Council

I read your newspaper regularly, and thank you for your conservative and insightful content.  

I am not a native North Carolinian, but have lived here for 35 years. When my husband and I moved here, Asheville was a nice, Southern, conservative city, and nice to visit.

Then the liberals moved in, and it has, literally, gone to pot. What sort of logic dictates that if you defund and remove support from your law enforcement people, things will get better?

My question is, why don’t the citizens of Buncombe County get to vote for City Council?  

What they do, or don’t do, affects the rest of us in the county, so to my way of thinking, we should get a say in who they are.  

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily Planet strives to present all sides on issues in its news coverage, with its opinion pages also balanced by its columnists — two conservatives, a liberal and, even further to the left, a progressive.

Fix broken politics by telling those running N.C. to ‘stop’

It’s an old story: Family businesses struggling to survive hard times after politicians bungled the economy.

President Biden, Congress, political cronies, tell us recovery is at hand. But – unless you trust politicians – you can hear a distant rumble of thunder.

When COVID struck, politicians spent trillions they didn’t have – and borrowed (printed money may be a better word) to pay for their spending.

But printing trillions came with a price – it made a dollar worth less. Inflation soared, prices shot up on everything from hamburgers to gasoline and working families, family businesses, struggled.

But the same inflation handed politicians a gift. They’d borrowed trillions – at what’s called fixed rate debt – and as the dollar shrinks in value their debt shrinks too.

That’s a story we’ve seen before, too – in Argentina, the Weimar Republic, and third world countries. The difference is... now we’re seeing it in the grocery store here.

We’ve all stared up at clear blue skies on gorgeous summer days but, sometimes, staring up you hear the rumble of thunder – and know it’s time to head for shelter.

We have to stop this storm before it turns into a hurricane. But politicians can’t do that. 

‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill? A veto override would trample rights

When the N.C. General Assembly comes back from Summer recess next week (in early August), GOP leadership will likely call for veto override votes on the so-called Parents’ Bill of Rights that would outlaw content in Grades K-4 about LGBTQ identities.

I’m a parent, and it seems to me my rights are being trampled. I want to raise children who are equipped to navigate a twenty-first-century world. 

I want to raise compassionate, empathetic kids who embrace differences. You’ll hear the argument that the bill refers only to “instruction” on these topics.

Teachers aren’t teaching this in K-4.

In other states that have passed this kind of legislation, teachers are fired for reading a picture book, librarians threatened with prosecution if they give the wrong book to a kid, teachers forced to lock up classroom libraries for fear the ideas inside might be catching. 

Books are pulled from shelves on the say-so of a handful of parents. 

I don’t expect teachers to parent my children, and I certainly don’t want a small group of parents deciding what is taught (and not taught) to my children.

When I was a kid, I read whatever I wanted. 

If something confused me, I asked my mom, my dad, or a teacher. 

Those discussions were pivotal in my upbringing. 

Don’t parents want to have these conversations any more? It’s no wonder there’s a serious teacher shortage and kids aren’t reading for pleasure.

Why are educators and books being picked on? 

Trust me, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but none of them came from between the covers of a book.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter to the editor was emailed to the Daily Planet with a subject line stating, “An open letter to (Florida) Gov. Ron DeSantis.”

DeSantis ripped for remark about slaves learn a trade 

What kind of man are you? 

How preposterous of you to proclaim that slavery was some kind of jobs training program — “Slaves learned a valuable trade.”  

By assuming that set of facts, you have disqualified yourself from ever holding higher office! 

God help you.