I want to see if Burr, Tillis represent me or special interests

Trumpcare will hurt rural hospitals

I encourage a vote in the Senate on the Trumpcare bill. That would force Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr to take a stand on the effects of the proposal.

Will they support their constituents, the residents of this state, or will they blindly support their party with a bill that is nothing short of shameful, heartless and irreversibly damaging to some of their strongest supporters?

Let’s have a vote and see if Tillis and Burr represent us or the rich, special interest folks who would be the biggest beneficiaries of Trumpcare.

Trump focused on increasing U.S. jobs

As I visit all the small towns within an hour of Charlotte, I still notice all the textile and furniture factories that no longer house jobs for North Carolinians.

The Trump campaign commits to bring jobs back to USA and last week the president brought that focus to the lawn of the White House to support Made in America Week.

The president is trying to help put Americans back to work, especially in states hit hard by Asian-made, outsourced products, like North Carolina.

If any president has ever supported Made in America/hire Americans more than Trump, I don’t know who it would be.

This isn’t a game; put country before party

Forum writer Ed Hinson is correct: Health care should not be a game. Nor should governing be a game.

The Republicans and Democrats all need to get out of this zero-sum game mode. They need to put country in front of party and get something done!

There are a lot of us in the middle who don’t strictly espouse the values of either party. Instead we share traits of both.

Let’s get on with governing to the best benefit of all!

Trump exceeds my worst expectations

Richard Land of Southern Evangelical Seminary said most evangelicals would agree that as president, Trump has “exceeded our expectations.”

Unfortunately for some of us Trump has lived up to our worst expectations.

I find the lying, deceit and hypocrisy engaged in by the president and some of his staff – and seemingly acceptable to some evangelical Christians – to be completely antithetical to the teachings of Christ.

Parents, put down your kid’s devices

It’s not just the work-life balance that’s being skewed by video games. There’s a very obvious blurring of the lines between juveniles and adults, as well. It’s inevitable when kids see their parents playing with the same toys that they are.

When was the last time your kid observed your driving or watched you demonstrate anything that will be a useful skill for him/her in the future, instead of being anesthetized by some gizmo?

The addict’s predictable response? “Nothing wrong here!”

If MLS stadium is a go, tie in greenway

Before money slated for greenways is committed to the proposed soccer stadium, consider a possible compromise:

It’s clearly going to cost several million to connect the greenways along Sugar Creek between the parks north of I-277 with the one just below Fourth Street. Why not kill two birds with one stone and create a state-of-the-art greenway entrance to the proposed stadium?

People could bike and walk via the greenway to the new stadium.

In divisive times compassion shined

The outpouring of compassion, shown by the number of items left at New Hope Baptist Church for victims of the Woodscape apartment fire last week, speaks volumes about our community.

No matter the divisive nature of our politics, this community still responds to those in need.

This story was originally published July 23, 2017 at 12:00 PM with the headline "I want to see if Burr, Tillis represent me or special interests."