The pandemic is hurting all of us in one way or another. While we deal with our immediate health and economic concerns, we might also take this time to think about the country, state and community we want to live in when we have the COVID-19 crisis more under control.
At the national level, our president and many of our senators are taking advantage of the immediate crisis to continue a relentless attack on the environment. While the federal government has been chipping away at environmental protections, the North Carolina state government has also passed legislation that rolls back protections that should instead be strengthened — go to websites like the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club, MountainTrue and Southern Environmental Law Center, for examples.
Gov. Cooper is generally good on environmental issues, but we need more men and women in the North Carolina General Assembly who care about our natural heritage. Those of us voting in District 113 have a chance to make a difference in the North Carolina House by electing Sam Edney. Sam has deep North Carolina roots and a deep love of the people and the natural heritage of North Carolina. Sam is a small-business owner and knows that encouraging a strong economy does not mean giving free rein to our largest and most powerful corporations. Please vote in November. Now more than ever, your vote is vital.
Many of our local Earth Day celebrations were canceled, but we can still be mindful of the fact that the first Earth Day marked the beginning of an era of environmental protection legislation that led to dramatic improvements in the quality of our air, water and soil. Please help stop the current trend to reverse the progress by voting for candidates like Sam Edney.
— Elizabeth Dicey
Tryon
Editor’s note: Dicey reports that she is volunteering with Edney’s campaign.
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