Re: the alleged “socialist” takeover of the Democratic Party, what (Zohran) Mamdani and other Democrats won on on Tuesday (Nov. 4) isn’t socialism, it’s affordability.  

Whenever I hear Republicans trying to scare voters away from Democratic candidates by claiming that they’re “socialists,” my response is:

 “Oh, that’s what Republicans call affordability, your ability to afford food, housing, and insurance. Republicans don’t like to talk about that because they’ve increased the cost of living with tariffs, taken away food from people who get SNAP, and removed healthcare from people who previously had the ACA subsidies whose premiums are now doubling or tripling, and unless you elect a Democratic Congress in 2026, you’re going to see immediate and sharp cuts to Medicaid. They did all this in nine months. If you elect Democrats in 2026 we will repeal those Medicaid cuts, reinstate ACA subsidies, and end the tariffs.”

To paraphrase the immortal James Carville, “It’s affordability, stupid.” 

N.C. lawmakers urged to pause cuts in SNAP benefits, Medicaid 

This month, 1.4 million people across North Carolina are experiencing the impact of cuts to SNAP benefits and Medicaid and yet the N.C. General Assembly has failed to act. 

Instead of investing in the people of this state, state legislative leadership have continued to enact tax cuts that have cost North Carolina $18 billion since 2013 in lost public dollars — that is more than half of our entire General Fund budget, and it could have been used to fund our schools, health care and child care. 

I am strongly recommending that North Carolina pause the tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy in order to support food assistance and health care to our families.  

Pausing the cuts is the first step and we must go further. We can use this moment to open the window for broader revenue reforms that make our tax system fair, sustainable, and capable of meeting our state’s needs. 

My sister is struggling with the cost of her health care and will be emotionally and financially devastated if she loses her Medicaid coverage. 

Likewise she will be unable to afford to buy insurance on the ACA Marketplace. 

Reckless tax cuts have pushed North Carolina toward a fiscal cliff. 

Without action, our state will lose $14 billion by 2030 — the size of the entire state budget. 

Lawmakers should act now to pause these cuts and ensure everyone — not just the wealthy — can thrive.

Daily Planet’s story termed lacking in perspective

To its credit, the Daily Planet tried to be fair and only reported on the case without offering an opinion.

They (the newspapaper) meant well!

However, to be truly fair, the Daily Planet should have reported that Michael Absher had been accused before by kids and he was overwhelmingly proven innocent and acquitted.

Had the Daily Planet pointed that out, it would have provided perspective on the charges.

And on the man.

And on the kids who he deals with.

They aren’t Opie Taylor or Punky Brewster or the Brady Bunch!

 EDITOR’S NOTE: Pope added the following postscript to his letter to the editor:

 Even if he (Absher) is guilty, which is a big “if,” you shouldn’t send him to prison, where he would be gang-raped dozens of times, and possibly killed, for basically snapping a towel against a kid’s bare tushy!

 It would not be in proportion to the crime. 

 EDITOR’S NOTE: Southern heritage activist H.K. Edgerton, a frequent letter-writer and columnist for the Daily Planet and an Asheville native, is a patient at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Following is a recent letter he wrote: 

Trump, the Nobel Peace Prize — and me in Mission Hospital

After hearing the news about the Middle East and President (Donald) Trump, I’ve reconsidered my position on the Nobel Peace Prize for him. I am in favor. He should have gotten it.

And he should be awarded a second one when America’s Peace Memorial is returned to Arlington National Cemetery IF it is in place by July 4, 2026, when we celebrate the 250th birthday of America.

Right now, there is no peace between the people from the South and the people from the North. 

Yankees like (U.S. Senator) Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ty Siedule (a retired United States Army brigadier general, the former head of the history department at the United States Military Academy, and the first professor emeritus of history at West Point) have the South in their sights —and they aren’t giving up. 

They and their minions destroyed the era of peace that President (William) McKinley, alongside the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the old veterans of both sides, themselves, punctuated with the Reconciliation Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

We need to have unity in America and stop the endless division. All of America’s heroes need to be respected, starting with (Robert E.) Lee and (Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall”) Jackson. It is our history.

Lee’s father fought under George Washington, as did many other Southerners. They loved the old union their fathers and grandfathers fought to establish. They should not be persecuted for fighting to preserve the way it was created and signed on to by their states.

The 250th birthday with bands and marchers marching down Pennsylvania will be incomplete and one-sided, if the band can’t play “Dixie” and the Boys in Gray can’t march alongside the Boys in Blue.

I see on the program for the 199th Birthday Observance for Moses Ezekiel at Arlington National Cemetery that a retired Army brigadier general will be speaking at the Moses Ezekiel birthday observance. His talk is titled “The Spirit of Reconciliation.”

I appreciate the numerous calls and prayers, and the good care I have been receiving and all the calendar orders and donations. I can’t wait to get back to work, with your support and God’s hand.

Chairman, Board of Advisors Emeritus, Southern Legal Resource Center

Member, Save Southern Heritage Florida

Founder, Veterans Defending the Arlington National Cemetery Reconciliation Memorial Cenotaph

It is Trump’s behavior that is deranged, Wisc. reader claims 

 On Jan. 6, 2021, Daniel Rodriguez repeatedly drove a stun gun into the base of police officer Michael Fanone’s skull, causing him to lose consciousness and suffer a heart attack. Rodriguez was sentenced to over 12 years in prison, and the judge called him “a one-man army of hate.”

After his blanket pardon of Rodriguez and his fellow cop-beaters, (Presidemt) Trump claimed these violent felons did not attack anyone, and that, in fact, they were the ones who had been attacked. He further stated that pardoning them was “a great thing for humanity.” 

In an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, Trump even defended the rioters’ “Hang Mike Pence!” chants.  

Trump asserted: “Well, the people were very angry. ... It’s common sense, Jon. It’s common sense that you’re supposed to protect. How can you, if you know a vote is fraudulent, right, how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress?”

“Trump derangement syndrome” is a term of propaganda coined to discourage criticism of the appalling statements and decisions for which Trump is responsible.

A central tragedy in American politics is the success of figures such as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Vice President JD Vance, in constructing narratives that normalize Trump’s egregious behavior.

For example, Johnson claims that Donald Trump should be the leading candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize — a man who boasted that other countries are “kissing my a**,” and who chose as his ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Notably, Huckabee has stated  that “there is no such thing as a Palestinian.” 

The danger to America lies not in outrage at Trump’s conduct, but in the silence that greets it.