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March 29, 2012

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FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER Dee Long The Daily Southerner Thu Mar 29, 2012, 05:29 PM EDT

TARBORO — Why protect the Affordable Care (“Obama Care”) Act?

It gives families freedom from losing insurance or having it capped unexpectedly if someone is in an accident or becomes sick. It also provides small business owners power of competing with large employers by providing small business tax credits to make employees’ health coverage more affordable and by increasing their purchasing power through competitive private health insurance exchanges.

It frees Americans from fear of insurance companies raising premiums by double digits with no recourse or accountability and protects against discrimination when insurance companies deny pregnant women health insurance or refuse to provide coverage to children born with disabilities.

It provides a parent the choice of providing health coverage for a child (up to age 26) after finishing school. It gives people the freedom to change jobs without losing one’s health insurance or retire a little earlier without having to worry about losing one’s coverage. It provides seniors with freedom to get needed care, including free preventive care and it lowers the cost of prescription drugs and Medicare they can count on.

Finally, it frees our children from threat of out-of-control government debt and deficits by holding government accountable for its spending. Independent estimates show it will reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars by cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse and stopping hundreds of billions in unfair and irresponsible subsidies to insurance companies now paid by taxpayers.

These new choices, freedoms and options are possible because the Affordable Care Act holds insurance companies accountable.

With this law, insurance companies can no longer overcharge for insurance just to boost their profits and CEO bonuses. They won’t be able to deny pregnant women coverage and classify it as a preexisting condition.

The law has stopped them from denying kids coverage born with a medical problem or disability. They can no longer use fine print or legal tricks to deny medical treatments covered under people’s policies.

When insurance companies are free to pursue profits without any accountability, people have fewer choices, options and little recourse. By rolling back this act, Republicans will add a trillion dollars to the deficit. They would give subsidies of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars back to insurance companies. They would cut back efforts to stop waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending. We can not afford to add another trillion dollars in debt for wasteful spending and outrageous subsidies for insurance companies for our children and grandchildren to pay. Republicans in Congress want to repeal health reform and give control back to insurance companies.

And here is a link to FactCheck.org (which is a non partisan “fact-checking” web site run by the conservative Annenberg Foundation) that fact checks these ludicrous claims regarding the cost of the Affordable Healthcare Act — http://factcheck.org/2012/03/health-care-costs-didnt-double.

Dee Long,

Tarboro

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Mrs. Long noted that the information contained in her letter came from the Catawba County Democratic Party. Also, FactCheck.org notes that the cost of the $938 billion health care bill does not double, but instead increases by $822 billion)

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Opinion

We Salute...
Each Friday, The Daily Southerner will recognize individuals, groups and businesses in Edgecombe County who have gone “above and beyond” in their effort to make this a better place to work, play and raise a family.

May 17, 2013
Benghazi: We need the real truth
The American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, in Libya, was attacked on Sept. 11, 2012 by a heavily armed group. The attack began during the night at a compound that is meant to protect the consulate building. A second assault in the early morning the next day targeted a nearby CIA annex in a different diplomatic compound. Four people were killed including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Ten others were injured.

May 15, 2013
With much thanks and love …
The past month has been interesting, to say the least.
As I grew up, my first cousins — a group of us that have simply been referred to as “The Cousins” would often joke that when we died, we knew it would be as the result of a heart attack. That’s the history of the Walker family and my Dad and his seven brothers and sisters, as heir parents had, died of heart-related issues.
But along the way, something else happened, Cousins Joyce, Dudley, Don, Kenneth, Howard and Jimmy all died after a courageous battle with cancer.
Dudley and Don and Jimmy and Howard were brothers. But we were much more than cousins. We were a true Southern family in that no matter how far away we might move, we always wound up back at Granny Walker’s.

May 6, 2013
Favoring Immigrants over Citizens
Should Immigrants ever be given more favorable treatment than those of us who are already U.S. citizens? Apparently President Obama believes this should be the case when it comes to Obamacare. When it comes to the terms of the immigration reform bill and Obamacare almost 11 million illegals will be given a provisional legal status to live and work in this country.

May 1, 2013
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Princeville, the oldest African American community in North America, through the years has had many hurdles and set backs since it was established.Yet with its resilience, it has some how, through some miracles has always bounced back to stay the course of normalcy as best as it could envision. Yet, we must be ever so reminded that our earthly job of being responsible and accountable for and to ourselves shall never cease, until our journey is finished.
This beckoning call for volunteers is being directed to all the local residents who are concerned and aware of the deplorable existing condition of the cemetery on N.C. Highway 111.
This appeal is specifically for churches, community organizations, and all concerned able body men, women and young folks to respond. The purpose of the tentative meeting is to organize a special committee of volunteers within the community, to assumed the responsibilities and duties of maintaining the cemetery. This is where our deceased loved ones are laid to rest and one day for sure some or most of us, if it’s God's will, shall lay rest in this cemetery. It's about pride and cultural respect and decency that we the living owe our beloved ones who's gone over.
Please call or respond to the contact information below and we'll get in touch and arrange a special meeting to start this project. It's no secret that it's an eyesore and a reflection of what we collectively think of ourselves as well as about of our deceased. This mindset can change. With the weather changing, the grass will be growing. Once again we'll be faced with the cosmetic upkeep. There are some simple tasks we as concerned residents can come together as a concerned unit/group to maintain the appearance of our cemetery.
Calling all concerned men and women and children residing in historic Princeville.
Those interested please call (252) 823-3740

Milton Bullock
Native of Princeville

April 17, 2013
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor,
Thursday, May 2, is the National Day of Prayer all over the United States. I would like to challenge every minister of the gospel to bring a group from his or her church and meet us on the Town Square across from Edgecombe County Courthouse at 11:45 p.m. Thursday for prayer and unity.
After looking through the phonebook and newspaper church page, there appears to be more than 300 churches in Edgecombe County of multiple faiths. Yet each year we barely have 25 people respond to the advertising for National Day of Prayer.
Prayer has no respective person and does not practice segregation, yet the church segregates itself every Sunday morning. As a blood bought believer in Jesus Christ, I ask all who believes that Jesus was born of virgin, died on the cross and rose on the third day to meet me with an expressive tongue of prayer for our local, state and national leaders. Are you up for the challenge.

Viola Harris

April 17, 2013
We Salute...
Each Friday, The Daily Southerner will recognize individuals, groups and businesses in Edgecombe County who have gone “above and beyond” in their effort to make this a better place to work, play and raise a family.

April 12, 2013
We Salute...
• ELLIS “BUDDY” HOOKS, on being named to receive the BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN AWARD.
Hooks will be officially recognized on May 14.
• ALL PARTICIPANTS in the 76th EASTERN CAROLINA 4-H LIVESTOCK SHOW, held this week at the East Carolina Agriculture and Educational Center.
• Members of the TARBORO HIGH BOOSTERS CLUB, employees of the TOWN OF TARBORO, members of the GOLDEN K KIWANIS CLUB and all others involved in the successul staging of the 20th TARBORO EASTER CLASSIC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT, Despite chilly, wet weather on Thursday, today’s weather is forecast to improve to the point of being a perfect day at the ballpark.
• Edgecombe County businesses recognized for their efforts to promote a safe work place, including Keihin Carolina System Technology, Inc., Air System Components, ABB, Inc., Piedmont Natural Gas, Tarboro Resource Center and QVC, Rocky Mount , Edgecombe-Martin County Electric Membership Corp., Hillshire Brands-Sara Lee Bakery and N.C. Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions, Tarboro Branch Office.
• LT. FLEMING THOMPSON, a 2005graduate of Tarboro High School, on being named the United States Air Force’s 23rd Bomb Squadron NAVIGATOR OF THE YEAR.

• • •

April 5, 2013
What makes smart people do stupid?
It really gets me to see those you would think are smart people do what are obviously stupid things. I’ve just read about what has been going on in the city of Stockton, Calif. The population of Stockton is about 300,000. It is next to a beautiful downtown waterfront and sports a handsome $46 million glass hockey arena and single-A baseball team, playing in a new taxpayer-financed stadium. Sounds great, but actually this is part of the terrible financial problems the city is experiencing.

April 3, 2013
Your Views
To the Editor:
In response to the column by Bob Harper, “Voter ID causing a great flap”, I have a few thoughts to share. This is the first time in my memory that Mr. Harper has written about something being provided free to citizens by the government (IDs for those without one) without stating that nothing is free, and complaining that the cost is taken out his taxes. So enfranchising voters must surely be one cause he is passionate about.

March 27, 2013
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