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Opinion
Smoky Mountain News
Half of 2020 is behind us, thank goodness I
Trump is not fit for office To the Editor: Major news sources inform us that Russian operatives have paid mercenaries to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. What does the Commander in Chief have to say? His knee-jerk response is that he had not been briefed. Not responsible. Will Trump fire those officials who failed to call it to his attention? Should the Commander in Chief be held accountable? Or will congressional Republicans blame it all on Putin? Does the buck not stop at The Resolute Desk anymore? I have never been the president. Never boasted that I don’t need daily briefings. Never claimed to be the only person who can fix things. Never said I was “the chosen one.” Never said I know more than the generals. Never belittled an American war hero. Never dodged the draft with “bone spurs.” This latest troubling news has cast an even darker cloud over Trump’s ability/intent to protect Americans. Indeed, what are his basic motives? Perhaps, it is now time for Republicans in Congress to listen to what former National Security Advisor John Bolton says: Trump is “unfit for office.”
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at all that people close to me were able to qualify for unemployment benefits as jobs disappeared by the millions. All of this, and we haven’t even mentioned George Floyd’s May 25 killing. The social and cultural shockwaves roiling this country are forcing us to acknowledge the still-present systemic racism. It’s going to take a long time to see how we come to grips with this realization and what changes will Number of PPP business loans from the SBA of less than $150,000
Scott McLeod
was walking my animal last night at sunset, enjoying the evening views and cool temps, thinking back to the July 4 weekend. Along the way, it hit me that half of 2020 is now in the history books. The verdict is still out as to how this time will be viewed by those who look back, but hell, it sure feels like the world is in a different orbit. During the Christmas and New Year holidays, I had what now is an unbelievable, almost laughable vision for what this year was going to mean for me: a whole bunch of positive, fun stuff. My daughter Megan was to be married on June 6 (now we are looking at August 29, maybe); my youngest child, Liam, is set to graduate from college in December (though this year has been different for him, he’s still on track); and at The Smoky Mountain News, we had hired a new sales professional, secured some new contracts, developed some new digital offerings, shuffled around some positions, and the table was set for what I was confident would be our company’s best year ever. Then whatever normalcy any of us expected burst, and like water pent up behind a dam, a torrent of upheaval the likes of which the world and this country has never seen was unleashed. As Covid-19 began to tighten its grip, things that were normal became distant memories: shaking hands, hugging friends and going to concerts and movies. Words like “social distancing” and “contact tracing” once sounded strange and almost nonsensical. And as I write this, we are told more than 130,000 Americans have died from this pandemic. All of us have watched small businesses close, some partially re-open, some perhaps never again able to make their business viable. We’ve wondered why WalMart was essential but not the jewelry store on Main Street or the galleries and other small, niche retailers that sell similar products. I can’t stand people mooching off the government, but I wasn’t upset
Bryson City Canton Franklin Sylva Waynesville
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come, but fundamental reforms are coming. For some, it’s going to hurt; others will rejoice. My fear is that some will resort to even more violence and more extremism. The very character of our small mountain towns is on course for a major reset, at least if you consider the smallbusiness community part of that character and appeal. For me, shopkeepers, restaurant owners, building supply, hardware store and other workers and entrepreneurs are all friends and neighbors, and this whole group of people and their businesses are part of why I’ve come to love this region and call it home for so many years. So, I hope most of them, no, all of them, survive this. I was looking at the Small Business Administration’s recent release and started counting the number of businesses who applied for and received Paycheck Protection Program loans (count
LETTERS Bolton is a staunch Republican. Dave Waldrop Webster
Act now and vote absentee To the Editor: I hope every eligible North Carolina resident plans to vote in the November election; the opportunity to vote is both a privilege and a responsibility for all of us. As new residents of Swain County and a military family, we have moved 14 times. Now, Western North Carolina is our home. I am an unaffiliated registered voter. Today, downloading the request form from the N.C. Board of Elections website (NCSBOE) is easy. Go to: https://www.ncsbe.gov/votingoptions/absentee-voting When I was active duty, absentee ballot was how I voted. I never wondered if my ballot was counted; I trusted the system. In North Carolina you don’t need a reason. Five
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SMN and Smoky Mountain Living in this group). This is the money that is supposed to turn into a grant if the businesses follow SBA guidelines and spend it properly. The sheer numbers are staggering. Just counting those who were approved for PPP loans of less than $150,000, you have 227 in Waynesville, 217 in Franklin, 121 in Sylva, 74 in Bryson City and 53 in Canton. I didn’t look at some of the other smaller towns, but I’m sure the total number tops 1,000 in this four-county region. And there’s a good likelihood that many of these also applied for and received the Economic Injury Disaster Loans that do have to be paid back. Dozens of other businesses in our region got PPP loans of over $150,000, and the SBA actually has a database that allows you to search for those businesses by name. If you search, you’ll see many millions of dollars of loans to local companies. Look, the loans are a great thing. They have been a lifeline for way too many businesses trying to keep paying their bills and keep people working while we distance, wear masks, stay at home and try to get this pandemic behind us. But the sheer volume of businesses and the dollar amounts do make me worry that many won’t survive. They may make it through this year, perhaps, but when the payments come due some will likely fail. I hope I’m wrong. As I said earlier, many of these folks are friends and neighbors. How to describe first half of 2020? That’s just too big a question with too much still unknown. When the phrase “lifechanging” seems like an understatement, well, let’s just say we’re in uncharted territory. But I’m always hopeful, always the optimist. Humans adapt, take our setbacks and the sucker punches and get back up, roll up our sleeves and get to work. What are the other options? (Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)
states — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington have all-mail voting. In these five states every voter receives a ballot by mail. Study after study has debunked any claims of fraudulent voting. Voter fraud almost never happens. Voting by mail is necessary to safely allow increasing voter turnout during the time of this pandemic. Recently, North Carolina’s Legislature passed an election reform law. It expanded absentee voting and made in-person voting safer amid rising concern over the ability to hold smooth elections during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The law requires an online absentee request option for state voters, who formerly could only request such ballots by mail or in person. The law also reduced the number of witnesses who must sign a voter’s absentee ballot from two to one. Just because you request an absentee ballot doesn’t mean that you can’t still vote in person if you choose. A significant number of people will be requesting absentee ballots this year. It is a sound decision knowing the lines may be long and social distancing during these times is so important; the convenience is obvious. Don’t wait until the last minute to request your ballot — do it now! If you don’t have computer
access, you can request the application for an absentee ballot at your county Board of Elections. Voters need one of the following types of identification: N.C. driver’s license, N.C. special identification card for non-operators, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Every position on the ballot is important — at this time our world is particularly stressed and sound leadership at every level of government is important. Everyone has a role to play in good governance and protecting each other as best we can. Our local governments are stressed and budgets require creative utilization of dwindling resources. That is another reason to pay attention to the local elections. Local elections are vitally important. My request form to Swain County Board of Elections will be mailed today, giving plenty of time for it to be processed for the November election. It’s not too early to request it. The request must be received by 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 27, 2020, one week before the election. Let’s keep each other and the people who work the polls safe and get it done! Mary K. Buranosky, CDR USNR-Ret Whittier
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