I am writing to inform Brownie Newman (whom I once had sincere admiration for, thanks in part to his strong stance on curbing air pollution in North Carolina) and his three partisan-election-pushing cronies (whom I also voted for) that there are more than two letters in the alphabet. I’m all for simplifying one’s political affiliation with a letter tacked onto one’s name, as long as we can include the 24 other letters in the English alphabet, including I for independent, G for Green, L for Libertarian.
The Ds and Rs have a strong hold on this country because they write the laws and have rigged the system to keep out third parties. Why would they want to split the political pie into thirds, or even fourths or fifths, when they can each have half? The Ds and Rs will sooner vote for each other to sustain their two-party monopoly, than vote for an independent candidate who happens to muster enough gusto to crash the party lines and make it on a ballot. And I’d bet the farm that if Jesus Christ himself ran for high office, he’d be as crooked as a mountain creek if and when he landed a high office. But, of course, Jesus was a communist, and the C word just doesn’t fly in this country; C is not a letter that will in future elections have a conventional broccoli’s chance in Earth Fare of appearing on Asheville’s ballot, anyway. I hope everyone will be happy with a two-party Asheville that really equates to one homogenous, backslapping party.
Are we citizens really so foolhardy as to stand by and watch such an obviously antidemocratic and power-consolidating move by City Council? I thought I’d never say this, but hurrah for Council member Mumpower and his attack on this shameful ploy by the majority of City Council. It may be the only issue he has handled appropriately. Even if it’s just a last-ditch effort to keep Republicans on Council, it is the right move nonetheless. The two-party system that perpetuates the pitiful lesser-of-two-evils stance is getting old. Have we not grown to see this?
— Tim Green
Asheville
Let’s not forget the consistent opposition to council’s action by Democrats Terry Bellamy and Jan Davis.