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An open letter to our future president
Being a North Carolina resident and feeling a little left out of all the attention and hoopla surrounding the race for the White House, I decided to write an open letter to each of the remaining candidates for our nation's highest executive office. While residents, press and officials in states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have gotten complete access to the field of candidates thanks to their early primaries/straw polls/caucuses, I'm afraid that those of us in states with primary elections after Groundhog Day just aren't getting that opportunity. It's a shame too. I think the residents of this area, despite it being heavily leaning toward one party in its registration, could be quite helpful in asking the kinds of questions that could help the rest of the nation make this very important decision. Now, back to the letter. I plan to send it to the campaigns for each candidate. Though it's likely not to get much attention in the immediate future, since it will lack the postmark of a Super Tuesday states, like California or Georgia, I won't hold my breath on a response. Whatever responses I do receive, I will print on this Opinion Page. So stay tuned and see which candidates are more concerned about real people and less concerned about polling and punditry. Here it goes: Dear prospective Presidential candidate: I've enjoyed seeing each of you on the television, debating issues in New Hampshire, shaking hands in Iowa and making promises in the Palmetto State, our neighbor to the south. As a resident of North Carolina and the 10th Congressional District, one that's known as the most conservative in the nation, I'm afraid that we'll likely be left out of the process that leads up to choosing which candidates will compete in November for President of the United States. In anticipation of that, I'd like to ask a few quick questions in hopes of sharing your responses with the readers of our local newspaper here in Caldwell County. You may, or may not, have heard of us. We used to be the furniture manufacturing capital of the world. I'm afraid we've lost that title to overseas competitors, but we're trying hard to bounce back. Anyway, there are lots of good people here who would like to know where you stand on a few issues. Here are the ones that I'm most concerned about: € We've lost thousands of blue-collar jobs in the last decade, mainly to cheap labor in Southeast Asia. What kinds of action are you planning to help areas like this one recover from the pressure of the global marketplace? € Gas prices are really hurting a lot of people. Not only does it cost more to operate our vehicles, go on vacation or just drive to work, it's also increasing the prices of other items that we must buy, such as groceries. What can you do to help? € Social Security and affordable health insurance are big concerns, both for our growing retirement-age population and especially our younger residents. Some people spend entire paychecks just to pay for health insurance, while others are dedicating a large portion of theirs for a retirement plan that they likely will not ever get to enjoy. Is there a way to provide these services to Americans without having to dig deeper into our already lighter wallets? I know you each are busy with your campaigns and probably have thousands of other letters like mine. Just remember that by answering mine, you'll be speaking to thousands of potential voters and future constituents - even if we won't be able to help decide which one of you will represent your party this November. Thanks for your time. Edward Terry Editor eterry@newstopic.net
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