It should come as no surprise to anyone living in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina that the Triangle’s Independent Weekly newspaper named Rep. Tim Moffitt one of the top five “worst representatives money can buy.” (See the story at http://avl.mx/z6.)
It is refreshing to see that other parts of the state are paying attention to the harm Rep. Moffitt is doing to WNC. He was the primary sponsor of a bill that is attempting to force the city of Asheville to turn our water system over to a regional authority. This could ultimately lead to the taking of our water system as well as the 20,000 pristine acres surrounding the watershed, which would leave the citizens of Asheville with little to no means of protecting our water supply.
Rep. Moffitt is not looking out for the citizens he was elected to represent. He consistently voted for bills that would risk our clean air and water on issues such coal-ash pollution monitoring, making it easier for polluters to pollute-despite that we’re already facing the illegal pollution of our groundwater and the French Broad River from Duke Energy Progress’ Asheville coal plant. He also doesn't hesitate to risk polluting the air and water in other parts of the state, including, but not limited to, voting to delay the Jordan Lake Rules and promoting offshore drilling.
I hope that my fellow mountain citizens will remember Rep. Moffitt’s actions next time they vote. Let’s elect leaders who consider the best interest of our community — and neighboring communities — and not just their own personal and political motivations.
— Micah Fritog
Asheville
At this point, don’t you think it’s a little irresponsible to offer voting as the only means for people who are suffering (tried to get an abortion lately, or any healthcare without insurance? Tried finding affordable housing and access to fresh, non-processed food?) to redress their grievances? Whom, exactly are we to vote for in NC, where third parties are de facto banned from our ballots, with the exception of the Libertarian party who don’t differ much from Rep. Moffit (he may in fact be a crypto-Libertarian). Should we vote for democrats who insist on solutions to problems that are just as scientifically and logically dubious? It’s always been easy throughout our American history for those in a position of privilege to trn to those who are truly suffering and say “That other guy is to blame! Vote him out, but don’t question the system that got him there in the first place!” The truth is the problems most people face are endemic to the system itself, and voting will never change that. Only people who have a stake (read: a position of privilege to maintain) in maintaining the current system, albeit with some social reforms here and there to cover up its inherent deficiencies, insist that the afflicted use historically ineffective methods to seek solutions to their problems. “Angry? Go vote!” is the self-serving battle cry of the middle class professionals and middle management hacks who want to preserve their unsustainable lifestyles while assuaging their liberal guilt.