I have often heard the myth that Republicans are for smaller government, reducing taxes and cutting government spending. Rep. Tim Moffitt, in his first term in office at the North Carolina House, put all these myths to rest. He has increased the size of our County Commissioners by 40 percent, and this was not in […]

Chad Nesbitt, chair of the Buncombe County Republican party, sure picked an interesting place to hold his fundraiser on Sept. 11. While rallying against “socialistic terrorism,” his fundraiser was held at a publicly funded and owned facility that provides the service of fighting fires in the community. It is our taxes that pay for those […]

Senator Burr’s letter to the editor (“Sen. Richard Burr Responds,” Aug. 18 Xpress) says that he voted in the past for unemployment benefits when cuts were made to other government expenditures. He seems to be concerned about the national deficit. I find that explanation odd in light of his repeated votes for funding wars in […]

I am often distressed at how our country and elected officials keep making war, war and more war. It is a failed and unproductive policy that will bankrupt us financially and spiritually, and has destroyed the lives of millions of innocent people. And there is no end in sight. Remember "shock and awe"? That bombing […]

Earlier this year, an Iranian-American journalist Roxanna Saberi was arrested in Iran for spying. She reportedly had some sensitive government papers on her. She was given a trial and sentenced to prison. More recently, two American journalists were arrested in North Korea for filming without permission. They were given a trial and sentenced to prison. […]

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had this to say in February 2003 about the upcoming war on Iraq: “It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.” It has now been six years that the U.S. military has been occupying the country of Iraq. And Iraq has been destroyed. Millions of people […]

Heck of a job, Brownie! I was at the Asheville City Council meeting on Nov. 25. I was there to support the group Common Sense at the Nuclear Crossroads in their efforts to stop the transportation of high-level nuclear waste through our mountains. Currently, this waste is stored at the nuclear power facilities. It is […]

On the very same day as the earthquake in China, the president of that country was on the ground telling people who were trapped: “Hold on, the army is coming to rescue you.” The army was on the scene the same day also, and they were working on rescue operations. Now compare that to our […]

I really miss reading Cecil Bothwell in the pages of the Mountain Xpress. Dismissing him from the paper was a real loss to our community. I hope the Mountain Xpress has enough sense to hang on to Jason Sandford, because he is doing excellent work. I want to comment on the shape of downtown Asheville. […]

Driving on I-240 recently, I passed a tan Explorer sitting on the left shoulder of the road, headlights flashing and blue lights inside. In front of this vehicle was a motorcycle, with a helmeted man standing there. As I passed, I noticed in the rearview window that the Explorer was pulling back on to the […]