Triad Today

I applaud President-elect Biden for moving quickly to create his own COVID task force, and for stacking it with people who actually know about and recognize science. Among other things, the task force is assessing the development of effective vaccines, and making plans for distribution and administration of same. That’s all well and good, but keep in mind that a vaccine is a preventative, not a cure, and that brings me to the here-and-now.

Last month, less than a week after the CDC first reported 100,000 new cases of COVID in one day, that number jumped to 185,000, and by the time this column goes to press, we’ll probably be well over 200,000 cases per day. Experts predict that unless we take steps to curtail the virus, we’ll see half a million cases per day by March. And guess what? Young adults are contracting COVID at a higher rate than the elderly, and they’re taking longer to recover than when the pandemic began. Meanwhile America’s death toll continues to rise, with over 2,000 people dying each day. The reason for these spikes is simple: as more and more states relaxed their guidelines for closures and public gatherings, people began to congregate in larger numbers, AND doing so without wearing face masks. That means until such time as a vaccine is readily available, only three things will stop the spread: social distancing, keeping everyone at home, or mandating the wearing of face masks.

The problem with social distancing is that there is no medical consensus on how far apart we should be. At first we were told to stay six feet apart from other people, then that was upgraded to ten feet, then back to six. Now, some reports indicate that COVID droplets hang in the air much longer than originally believed. Translation? Maybe even ten feet apart isn’t enough. So what about a lock-down option? Thus far, Biden hasn’t embraced the idea of shutting down the country, and I hope he never will. First of all, it would throw us into a major depression. Second, it would only delay the spread of COVID, not wipe it out. In the early days of the pandemic, a number of states, including North Carolina, operated under stay-at-home orders, primarily to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed, and to that extent, the strategy was effective. However, the various shut-downs and limits on crowd size proved devastating to businesses, and to millions of people who depended upon those businesses for a living. By process of elimination, then, our only hope to save lives over the next six months is a national mask mandate, and that’s something Trump will never call for. Therefore, cities and states are stepping up to the plate in the interim.

Over the past week, an increasing number of Governors and Mayors have issued mandatory mask orders which carry with them stiff penalties for anyone who doesn’t comply. For example, North Dakota’s Doug Burgum, a Republican, was one of the first governors to enact a $1,000 fine for anyone not wearing a mask in public, and last week, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines went one better. He added jail time to the fine. Given that our unmasked breath could kill someone, I think these penalties are reasonable. So do researchers at the University of Washington, who just released a report in which they concluded that if 95% of Americans would wear masks consistently, over 68,000 lives would be saved by March 1.

Of course, there are those who say mask mandates would violate their individual freedoms, but the fact is, we already live under a set of laws that do just that. We do not have the freedom to run a red light or drive drunk, or at high speeds. We do not have the freedom to smoke in most buildings, or carry a loaded gun into most stores. We do not have the freedom to take whatever we want without paying, or hold a parade without a permit. In truth, we would be a much freer society under a mask mandate. If everyone wore a mask, we’d be free to once again attend indoor concerts. We could go to bars, hotels, restaurants, gyms, tourist attractions and sports arenas. And we’d be able to attend large family gatherings, fill up a church pew, and be better able to visit immediate family members who are hospitalized or home-bound. Our economy would rebound faster, and so would our mental state. Best of all, under a strictly enforced mask mandate, the American people would eventually kill off COVID, instead of the other way around.

Presidents are only human, so they make mistakes. Bill Clinton hooking up with Monica Lewinski, or Donald Trump calling neo-Nazis “very fine people.” I’m talking about John Kennedy, and how he misread history, unintentionally insulted the Commonwealth of Virginia, and was compelled to make amends.

The story begins on Wednesday December 4, 1619. That’s the day 38 English settlers from the London Company navigated their ship down the James River and onto Berkeley Hundred (Harrison’s Landing), in what is now Charles City, Virginia, just 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, which had been settled twelve years prior. The landing party was led by Captain John Woodlief, who, as prescribed in the company charter, ordered a day of Thanksgiving to be observed upon their arrival, and every December 4th thereafter.

Over time, Berkeley became known for its historic firsts. The first bourbon whiskey was made there in 1621 (by a preacher no less). “Taps” was played for the first time while the Union army was encamped at Berkeley in 1862. And, of course, it was the site of America’s first Thanksgiving. More on that in a moment.

In 1907 Berkeley was purchased by John Jamieson who had served as a Union drummer boy during the army’s encampment at the plantation. Ownership later fell to his son (and my friend) Malcolm, who passed away in 1997. Mac loved Berkeley and was aggressive in marketing the historic site, including through the use of promotional videos and commercials which I helped to produce. He invited the public to tour the house and grounds, sold Berkeley boxwoods and bourbon, and held an annual Thanksgiving pageant which attracted tourists from across the country. But the celebration wasn’t always widely recognized.

One hundred years after his father beat the Yankee drums at Berkeley, Mac was upset by something another Yankee did. In the fall of 1962, President Kennedy issued his yearly Thanksgiving Proclamation in which he recognized his home state of Massachusetts as the site of America’s first Thanksgiving. And so, on November 9th of that year, Virginia state Senator John Wicker was prompted by Mac to write to the President, and point out Kennedy’s faux pas. In his telegram, Wicker referenced historical records about Berkeley’s celebration, which took place one full year before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620.

Later that year, Kennedy confidant and noted historian Arthur Schlesinger sent a reply to Wicker with a tongue-in-cheek apology from the President. According to Berkeley records, Schlesinger “attributed the error to unconquerable New England bias on the part of the White House staff.”

The following year, on November 5, 1963, President Kennedy had to eat crow during his annual Thanksgiving proclamation, saying, “Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and Massachusetts, far from home, in a lonely wilderness, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” Kennedy’s New England bias wouldn’t allow him to disavow Plymouth entirely, but Mac was happy that Berkeley finally gained official recognition for holding the first Thanksgiving, even if it was a shared honor. Sadly, it was to be Kennedy’s last proclamation. He was assassinated seventeen days later in Dallas.

The holiday season is now upon us, and because of the pandemic, many of us will have to forego our traditional Thanksgiving gatherings. We’ll celebrate with loved ones via Zoom, Skype, and old-fashioned phone calls, and we’ll remember those who are no longer with us. And despite the tragedies and restrictions of 2020, we will find a way to give thanks for what we have and whom we’re with. Perhaps we would also do well to emulate those weary English settlers, and just be thankful for surviving another day of our long journey. So here’s a Berkeley bourbon toast to Captain Woodlief, a little drummer boy, old Mac, and to that Yankee president who finally set the record straight.

God bless, and Happy Thanksgiving.
 
 

Not too many years ago, North Carolina was considered to be a politically inconsequential state. That’s because our voting patterns were predictable, and our presidential primaries were held so late that we hardly ever figured into the nominating process. But as our population grew in both numbers and diversity, we became known as a “purple” state, and when we moved our primary from May to March, suddenly our 15 electoral votes became a valued prize for anyone seeking to occupy the White House. It is no surprise, then, that as 2020 began, North Carolina was deemed by many pundits to be THE battleground state to watch. In fact, both Biden and Trump made so many trips here in the closing days of the campaign, that they could have qualified for in-state tuition. In addition to our importance to the presidential contest, North Carolina was also home to America’s most highly touted U.S. Senate race, in which our votes could decide the balance of power in Washington. But a funny thing (or two) happened on the way to November 3rd.

First, the courts allowed us to accept military and overseas ballots up until November 12, and that delayed our being able to certify final outcomes until after the presidential election had already been decided. Second, the polls were wrong about everything, including that Biden would win North Carolina. But when the dust settled, we had changed colors again, this time from purple back to red. Finally, our aforementioned Senate contest lost steam over some steamy infidelities. Cal Cunningham, who had presented himself as a straight-arrow patriot and family man, managed to cheat on his wife with not one but two different women, one of whom was married to a disabled veteran. Cal’s double-digit lead over incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis dissipated amidst the sex scandals, he ended up losing the race, and Democrats ended up losing a legitimate chance to control the Senate.

Our gubernatorial contest also lacked suspense as Roy Cooper predictably beat Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, but the race was closer than had been expected. Democrat Cooper had been up by as many as 12 points in one poll, and ended up beating Forest by only 4. Still, I wonder if Forest might not have closed the gap had the news media focused more on Mrs. Cooper’s middle finger and less on Cal’s indiscretions. It seems that just days before the election, Kristin Cooper shot the bird to a group of Christians assembled for a get-out-the-vote rally because one of the families was holding a Trump flag. Later she arrogantly tweeted, “Was flipping off a brainwashed kid my finest hour? Probably not, but I can live with it.” Clearly the state’s First Lady had a dislike for Donald Trump supporters, but there was plenty of disdain to go around in this year’s elections.

Forest, after all, had sued Governor Cooper for overstepping his authority in handling the COVID pandemic. Meanwhile, Forsyth District Attorney Jim O’Neill is suing Democrat incumbent Attorney General Josh Stein for airing TV ads in which O’Neill was accused of mishandling rape kits. And just about every other North Carolina candidate accused their opponent of being corrupt. One thing’s for sure: these candidates spent a ton of money to spew their accusations, and I don’t just mean on TV. I went to my mailbox on the afternoon of November 3rd, and there, awaiting me, were no less than ten brochures advocating for Joyce Krawiec, and four more opposing her. My mailbox was so full of political ads that I couldn’t hardly get to my junk mail.

The only bright spot in this vitriolic campaign year is that we North Carolinians turned out in record numbers to exercise our right to vote. According to the State Board of Elections, over 5 million people voted, and that means nearly 75% of us made our voices heard. In addition, most of us split our ballot to vote for the person rather than the party, a not-so-surprising fact, considering that “unaffiliated” folks like myself now rank second among all registered voters. Perhaps North Carolina wasn’t the swing state that everyone had predicted for 2020, but that might change in four years, at which time we’ll probably all be voting by drones, and I will have collected over 15,000 Joyce Krawiec flyers.

Soon after the polls closed, I emailed YES Weekly publisher Charles Womack and editor Katie Murawski to let them know I would not be turning in a column for this week’s paper. For one thing, I wanted to write about how our state performed on election day, but since military and overseas ballots won’t even be processed until after November 12, such a column would be premature. Second, I was burned out from a year of writing about politics. Then, as I settled in to watch what turned out to be five days of election coverage on CNN and FOX, I became increasingly incensed by claims from Donald Trump that “they are trying to steal the election”. I wasn’t just angry because Trump lied, because he’s been lying about everything for four years. I was angry because he insulted the memory of my late mother, and no matter how burned out I was, I couldn’t let that insult pass.

My parents were dyed-in-the-wool Republicans, and not just as voters, but as volunteers. From the 1950’s through the 1970’s, Mom served in a number of capacities, including as an election “judge”. Along with her Democrat counterpart, Mom made sure folks were voting in the correct precinct, observed proceedings throughout the day, and then helped tabulate votes by hand when the polls closed. She would leave the house before 6am and return home way after dark, exhausted from a long day of service.

Last week, cable news outlets frequently showed live video of poll workers, tabulators, and observers from around the country toiling tirelessly, just as Mom had done six decades before. I could see the fatigue in their faces, but I could also see the resolve. And for volunteers in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, that fatigue and resolve didn’t let up for five straight days. In most states, volunteers first counted ballots from people who voted in person on Tuesday. Next, they processed ballots from people who voted early in person. Finally, they counted votes from ballots that were mailed-in. It was no secret that more Republicans voted on election day, and more Democrats voted by mail, thus, Trump looked strong in the early returns, then faded as the days wore on. In fact, he wanted it that way. He told his supporters to show up and vote in person, and when they followed his orders, he thought he was being cheated. The question is, cheated by who?

Over and over again, Trump said and tweeted, “They are trying to steal the election.” Of course he had no proof, but liars never do. He said that Republicans were not allowed inside while votes were being counted, and that was another lie. In every processing center throughout the country, Republicans worked side-by-side with Democrats to count, supervise, and observe. At one point, FOX host Dana Perino commented that Republicans were not being allowed inside the Philadelphia tabulation center, only to be rebuffed by her own correspondent, Eric Shawn, who said, “That’s not true. It’s just not true. Republicans have been in this room exactly where they’re supposed to be, alongside Democrats. The claims from the President and the Trump campaign are not true. It is false.” Nevertheless, the Trump narrative was repeated on social media, along with other baseless conspiracy theories. My favorite one was when Trump appeared at a White House press briefing and said, “In one city, a water pipe broke and all vote counting stopped for four hours, and bad things happened.”

Unfortunately, words matter, and Trump’s lying words ignited protests immediately following the announcement that Joe Biden had been elected. The Associated Press reported that in cities like Tallahassee, Bismarck, Boise, and Phoenix, angry crowds chanted, “This isn’t over”, “Fake News”, and “Stop the Steal.” Newsflash Donald, the volunteers who counted votes didn’t cheat, they didn’t destroy ballots, and they didn’t steal anything from you. Like my mother, all they did was make sacrifices to assure that democracy works. I don’t know about any water pipe breaking, but I do know that bad things have been happening, and I know who’s responsible. That’s why I’m looking forward to January 20.

In May of 2018, the Broad Center, a nationally respected organization that develops and assists educators, published a report subtitled, “Big-District Superintendents Stay in Their Jobs Longer Than We Think.” That report concluded that an average school superintendent’s tenure is six years. Dr. Angela Hairston must not have received her copy of that report, because just over a year after being hired to lead the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, she turned in her resignation, and on December 1, will take charge of the Danville, Virginia school system. Hairston’s reasons for leaving Forsyth County were both nostalgic (she grew up in Danville), and logistic (her husband currently works for the Danville Police Department). Nevertheless, her announcement shocked the community, and left WSFCS in the lurch.

First let me say that I was a big fan of Dr. Hairston. She appeared on my Triad Today television program multiple times to discuss various policy initiatives, and I can tell you that she was the real deal. Angela didn’t need any on-the-job-training or adjustment period. She hit the ground running, was a good listener, and wasn’t afraid to make decisions. Her proposals didn’t always meet with board approval, but when extra money was needed for increasing teacher pay, Dr. Hairston successfully lobbied voters to pass a sales tax referendum to cover the cost. Not an easy task considering Forsyth County had rejected a similar tax hike just two years before. She was also the kind of leader we needed in case the school system was ever faced with a crisis, so when COVID-19 appeared, Angela effectively navigated the school system through state-ordered shut downs, implementation of online learning, and a confusing set of mandates for re-opening. Hairston’s handling of the pandemic was masterful and comforting, yet, as the Broad Report warned, “It’s problematic if educators adjust to one leader’s vision for the district if that person then leaves as plans are coming to fruition.” Translation? It’s not a good idea to leave your job in the middle of a pandemic, regardless of the reasons.

Dr. Hairston’s sudden departure is unusual by local standards. In fact, all of the WSFCS superintendents in recent memory have remained on the job for at least three years. Angela’s immediate predecessor, Beverly Emory served for 5 years, Marvin Ward who presided over the system for much of the 1960’s and ‘70’s, served for 13 years, and Don Martin (who preceded Emory) held the post for 19 years. A typical superintendent’s contract runs for two to four years, with the board offering extensions in one to two year increments, so no matter how you spin it, Hairston’s exit is an anomaly.

Speaking of contracts, in the old days, a superintendent who left the job early was required to reimburse the school board for the moneys they spent on recruitment. According to the North Carolina School Board Association, the average cost to search for and hire a new superintendent is around $15,000, but that figure is much higher whenever a national head hunting firm is employed. Sources tell me that no such reimbursement clause exists in Hairston’s contract, but it should. As much as I admire Angela, and as sympathetic as I am to anyone who wants to return to her roots, there should be a price to pay for abandoning ship just after leaving port.

Going forward, all local school boards should include a reimbursement clause in every new contract. It costs a lot of money to find the right person, and it costs a lot of momentum when that person leaves early. Someone needs to pay for the damages.

Thanks to this year’s legislative exercise in gerrymandering, the newly formed 13^th Congressional District now stretches across all or part of ten counties, including Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Iredell, Lee, Person, Randolph, and Rowan. What hasn’t changed is the political make-up of the district, which, like its predecessor, remains strongly Republican. That’s why incumbent congressman Ted Budd elected to stick with the new district, and this time around he is being challenged by Democrat Scott Huffman. Budd is a businessman from Davie County, and Huffman is a Navy veteran and small-business owner from Rowan. Earlier this month, the two men appeared together for a taping of Triad Today. What follows are highlights of that discussion.
(To watch the full discussion, see the video at the bottom of this page.)

JL: Experts predict a huge surge in COVID-19 cases this fall. Should Congress enact a nationwide mask mandate?

TB: Absolutely not. Individuals are smart. We know a lot more than we did [in] February. People can be sensitive to their situation. If they have someone sick at home, someone with a co-morbidity, then certainly there’s a sensitivity for a mask, but there are other situations where it’s not necessary, and I want to leave it up to individuals’ intelligence.

SH: Absolutely, because if the death of 214,000 Americans are not enough to convince this President and Ted Budd that we need to wear a mask, then obviously, science and the experts should. Almost 400 people in this district have already died from this pandemic.

JL: Speaking of healthcare, do you support Medicare for All?

SH: Absolutely, because if anything, this pandemic has shown that so many people have lost their healthcare due to no fault of their own because we don’t have leadership in Washington telling people to respect science, listen to the evidence and wear a mask. So yes, we need to make sure everybody has healthcare, that way they can go to the doctor, get the services that they need, and not worry about going in debt if they don’t have healthcare [insurance].

TB: Absolutely not. I don’t think it’s actually merciful. Look, the bottom line is, we want more people to have access to really high-quality healthcare at an affordable price. I don’t think that defining people below the poverty line is a very merciful way which is what Medicare/Medicaid does, And also, a lot of great doctors that everyone needs access to, don’t take Medicaid.

JL: Senators Warren and Schumer have proposed that we forgive college student loan debt up to $50,000. Do you support that proposal?

TB: I think we need to be very intelligent when people take on debt. I think they need to understand how they’re going to repay it; for example, is the degree they’re actually taking on debt for going to be able to repay itself? I think there are ways out, but I do not believe in all debt forgiveness because it leads to a lot of bad incentives.

SH: If we can give tax breaks to the top two percent, then we can help out those at the bottom who are struggling to pay for their education. I believe we need to forgive some of that because we’ve forgiven so much at the top. People are out of work right now, they can’t pay their healthcare bill, they can’t pay off their education, so we need to help them. And right now we’re not doing enough.

JL: What one thing did you learn from your parents that will help you be an effective congressman?

SH: I think the fact that my mother was a single mom raising three kids, working as a truck-stop waitress in Salisbury helped define my working-class values, and how I want to help folks in the district. And that’s why I’m running. I’m running to be that public servant listening to the voices who are screaming out loud in our district that need help.

TB: I had a granddad who was born in 1890, died in 1953 and I never got to know him. He had a saying which is “Just do what you say you’re going to do”. That was his motto, my dad’s motto, and my motto. I’ve done what I said I was going to do, and I look forward to continuing that.

For more information about the candidates, visit ScottHuffman.com and TedBudd.com.

Congress and governor candidates election special

A year ago, Republican incumbent Mark Walker fully expected to be running for re-election in 2020, but thanks to some very strange gerrymandering by members of his own party, the 6^th District was re-drawn, and Walker had little chance of retaining his seat. That’s because Democrats far outnumber Republicans within the new boundaries, which include all of Guilford County and part of Forsyth. It’s also the first time in history that Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, and Winston-Salem will all fall into the same Congressional district. After Walker announced he would not seek re-election, a slew of candidates from both parties threw their hats in the ring, and when the dust settled, Kathy Manning won the Democratic nomination, and Lee Haywood got the GOP nod.

Kathy Manning is an attorney, businesswoman, and philanthropist from Greensboro. Lee Haywood, of Summerfield, is a businessman and chairman of the district Republican Party. Earlier this month the two candidates appeared together for a taping of Triad Today. Here are some highlights from that discussion.
(To watch the full discussion, see the video at the bottom of this page.)

JL: Experts are telling us to expect another surge of COVID-19 this fall and winter. If elected to Congress, would you support a federal mask mandate?

KM: I think that a mask mandate is appropriate, I think CDC guidelines have demonstrated that mask wearing stops the spread of the virus, and not only keeps the wearer safe, but it also keeps everybody else safe.

LH: I would not. I would leave it up to the states and the governors of those states to implement whatever safeguards they feel appropriate.

JL: Do you support Medicare-for-all?

KM: I believe we need to build on the Affordable Care Act. It provided insurance for 20 million more Americans. It is a great act, it’s not perfect, and it needs improvement, and I support adding a robust public option, I support allowing people to buy into Medicare at a younger age. I believe our government needs to negotiate with big pharmaceutical companies to bring down the outrageous prices of so many prescription drugs.

LH: My opponent thinks there’s some pot of money up in the sky that just rains down every day that pays for these programs, and any program that she implements as far as Medicare-for-all, will be at the peril of 180 million policy owners that have their own personal policy, and what are we going to do with them? I believe we should start from scratch, and try and implement a true market-based system for our healthcare and our insurance.

JL: Would you be in favor of forgiving all college loans up to $50,000 as Senators Warren and Schumer have proposed?

KM: No, but I believe we need to address the student debt issue. First of all we need to make sure that our students are getting the best possible rate when they get their student loans.  You know, right now, students can borrow a certain amount at a good rate, but then they’re subject to the whims of whatever borrower they happen to get to for the remainder of the loan, so we’ve got this byzantine system and we have 17-year-olds trying to navigate this system.

LH: I think it’s a great idea if you live in a utopian world. When you sign on that dotted line, you commit yourself to paying for these debts. The higher education system in our country has gotten out of control and some of these universities have billions of dollars in the bank, in their endowments. Why don’t we start tapping into those, and start giving these kids a free education? Why do I have to pay for these kids’ education?

JL: If elected, would you vote to make the sale and possession of assault-style rifles illegal?

KM: It is long past time for us to take common sense measures to address the gun violence that has ravaged this country. We know that the vast majority of Americans believe we need to have universal background checks, we need to close those gun show loopholes, we need to ban bump stocks and high-capacity magazines. I cannot think of any reason why a 17-year-old needs an assault weapon that is designed for war.

LH: I think we need to be careful who we issue conceal-carry gun permits to, but it should be as available as possible if that person is deemed worthy and safe to own one. The 2^nd amendment should be protected in this country at all costs.

JL: Do you support term limits for congresspersons?

KM: I would definitely consider it.

LH: I would, maybe a limit of four or five terms.

JL: What one thing did you learn from your parents that would serve you well in Congress?

LH: Honor and integrity and always tell the truth. If the good citizens of the 6^th District elect me, you will always get the truth and I will represent you honorably.

KM: I learned so much from my parents. I learned the importance of family, of faith, of hard work, and integrity.

For more information about Lee Haywood and Kathy Manning, visit LeeHaywood.com and KathyManningForNC.com.

Congress and governor candidates election special

“The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray,” so wrote Robert Burns, a Scottish poet who, in 1786 was imagining North Carolina’s 2020 race for United States Senate.

The Cunningham/Tillis match-up has been highly anticipated because the eventual winner could affect the balance of power in Washington. Former state senator Cal Cunningham has held a slight lead over incumbent senator Thom Tillis throughout much of the campaign, but the outcome was anything but certain. Both men spent record amounts of money on TV ads, and each one accused the other of all sorts of things, from corruption to being a member of the Communist Party. And while a great number of those ads have been negative, Cunningham has also spent a lot of money touting his sterling character, especially his status as a Bronze-Star-awarded veteran and a devoted husband and father. The latest polls showed Cal’s good-guy image ads were working, as he opened up a comfortable lead over Tillis. But a not-so-funny thing happened on the way to October.

NationalFile.com, a conservative website, broke the news that Cal had been sexting a PR consultant in California, and, later, the Associated Press reported that the couple even had an intimate encounter here in the Old North State. Meanwhile a former campaign worker came forward to say that Cal had been having an affair with her best friend since 2012, and that her friend was now angry with Cal for his other extra-marital activity. So much for the devoted husband routine. And last week, the military confirmed it was investigating Cunningham ( a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve) because adultery is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So much for the honorable soldier routine. The combination of these revelations sent Cal into hiding, and avoiding media appearances that he had promised to attend. More on that in a moment.

Ironically, the same day that the NationalFile story broke about Cunningham’s indiscretions, Tillis announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19, and, like his opponent, he was going to have to disappear from the campaign trail for a while. Politics aside, we all wish Thom a full and speedy recovery. However, the irony within the irony is that Tillis was pushing for a hypocritically speedy confirmation of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, and, to celebrate that nomination, Thom and about a hundred of his cohorts attended a crammed-in celebration at the White House. That party turned out to be a mask-less, super-spreader venue for COVID-19, with over a dozen attendees contracting the virus within days of the event. Last week Tillis said he regretted not wearing a mask. You think?

OK, so if Thom and his buddies had adhered to their own protocols and held off on Barrett’s nomination until after the election, he would be COVID-free. And if Cal had adhered to his marriage vows, he would be scandal free. “The best laid plans”, and all that. I won’t pass judgement on Cunningham and Tillis for the personal and political behaviors that back-fired on them, but I will reserve the right to be pissed off that neither man showed up for my Triad Today Voter Education forum last week.

Thom initially said he couldn’t attend the Triad Today taping because he would need to stay in D.C. and vote on the Judge Barrett confirmation. Then he contracted COVID-19, and that kept him away from both the Senate and my TV show. Cunningham, meanwhile, had given me his word that he would show up for the Triad Today session, but on the eve of our taping, the scandal-ridden candidate went into hiding, and said he would not be participating. Bottom line? Thom was M.I.A. from both his job and Triad Today because he hung around with unmasked Barrett supporters, and Cal was M.I.A. because he was afraid to show his face, and reneged on a promise. Tillis showed a lack of judgement. Cunningham showed a lack of character. Postscript, Triad Today went off without a hitch, sans Tillis and Cunningham, and featured conversations with congressional and gubernatorial candidates who all kept their word and showed up.

When the campaign for the Senate began, Thom and Cal probably thought that the month of October would springboard them to great heights, and voters in each party thought their guy would make them proud.

This year, the news media has been focused on the presidential election, and understandably so. Here in North Carolina, we’ve also been bombarded with ads about candidates for the House, Senate, and state legislature. But ask most people who’s running for State Insurance Commissioner, and you’ll get a blank stare. It’s ironic because very few elected officials have more impact over our everyday lives than does the Insurance Commissioner. During a recent taping of Triad Today, I spoke with Mike Causey (right photo), the current commissioner, and Wayne Goodwin (left photo), who preceded Mike in that job and now wants it back.

JL: Most folks aren’t aware of all the things that the State Insurance Commissioner regulates, and the responsibilities he has.

MC: When I was campaigning in 2016, I’d go around the state and introduce myself. I’d say, “Hi I’m Mike Causey and I’m running for State Insurance Commissioner.” And people would say, “Well, what kind of insurance do you sell?” And I’d tell them, “We don’t sell insurance, we regulate it.” Folks just don’t know what all falls under the Department of Insurance. The Commissioner is also the State Fire Marshal, overseeing all fire departments and fire training. We’re over engineering codes and building code inspections. We regulate manufacturers of modular homes and mobile homes, which is a huge industry in our state.

WG: The Insurance Commissioner’s office has fairly broad regulatory authority. Not just about regulating insurance agents, but insurance companies and insurance rates. You also regulate bail bondsmen and collections agents. You provide education about Medicare for every senior citizen in the state.

MC: We also have sworn law enforcement officers to investigate fraud and arson. In fact, North Carolina was the first state in the nation to put sworn officers in the Department of Insurance.

WG: It’s a huge office with great responsibility.

Both men know something about responsibility. Before holding the commissioner’s job, Causey was an Army veteran who came up through the ranks in the insurance industry, while Goodwin is an attorney who took on big corporations.

MC: No offense to my attorney friends, but I think it’s a good idea to have an insurance commissioner who actually has experience in the insurance business. I’ve gone through the ranks as an agent, agency manager, superintendent of agencies, and I’ve been in all aspects of insurance. That not only helps me understand the agent’s point of view, it helps me understand the consumer’s point of view and what they have to go through. That’s why last year alone, we were able to help over 258,000 people in this state.

WG: During my two terms as Insurance Commissioner I saved us $2.4 billion dollars, had refunds of $206 million dollars, and we had the lowest car insurance premiums in the country right here in North Carolina because of the decisions I made.

JL: With all of the responsibility and stress that comes with the job of Insurance Commissioner, why do you want the job again?

WG: Because for as long as I can remember, even as a kid, my passion in life was I wanted to solve problems and help people.

MC: We had an agriculture commissioner years ago named Jim Graham, and he would tell everybody, “I love my job.” Well, that’s the same for me. I love my job and I love helping people.

For more information about Mike Causey and Wayne Goodwin, visit MikeCauseyNC.com and WayneGoodwin.org. To learn more about the NC Department of Insurance, visit www.NCDOI.gov.

I once asked the Reverend Jesse Jackson if voter apathy was the biggest threat to our democracy. “No,” he said. “The biggest threat is voter suppression.” Unfortunately, Jackson’s assessment has become all too real. In some states, minorities are purged from the voter rolls because they didn’t cast a ballot in a previous election. In other states, the number of early voting days and polling places have been reduced. In North Carolina if you vote early, then die before November 3, your vote doesn’t count. Meanwhile Voter ID is on the horizon, and now, as an increasing number of minorities choose to vote by mail, the Postmaster General has scrapped hundreds of sorting machines, and forced postal workers to leave bags of mail undelivered because overtime has been slashed. Add to that the practice of gerrymandering which all but assures the election of white candidates, and you can understand why people of color are concerned about this year’s elections. One of them is Keith Grandberry, but instead of just complaining about voter suppression, he’s taking steps to combat it.

Grandberry is the former CEO of the Winston-Salem Urban League, and now Founder of Helping Hands Consultants. On the global front, Keith has worked with leaders in underdeveloped nations to create new industry, and build libraries and hospitals. Back home, his passion is voter education, so he travels throughout a nine-state area to spearhead voter registration drives. The reason is simple. “The power of your voice is your vote,” says Grandberry.

I spoke with Keith recently about his tireless efforts to encourage people of color to exercise their vote.

JL: It seems like you’re on some sort of personal crusade.

KG: I am. The other day my daughter Shayla and I talked about the systematic racism that this country is dealing with. She spoke of the increasing number of innocent Black people who have died at the hands of police, like George Floyd, Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Breonna Taylor. And Shayla said that she and her friends make their voices heard by protesting. I certainly don’t discourage her from protesting at rallies and marches, but I told her that the most powerful form of protest is voting.

JL: But traditional protests can, themselves lead to reform, right?

KG: Absolutely. We all know about the marches that John Lewis participated in at great risk to his own safety, and those protests paved the way for passage of the Civil Rights Act. I have also worked closely with Winnie Mandela on some economic development projects, and she spoke to me of the protests that led to the end of Apartheid, and the election of her husband [Nelson Mandela] as president [of South Africa]. Those protests gave Black people a voice in their government. But here in America we already have the right to vote, and the right to participate in government. The problem is we don’t exercise that vote as we should.

JL: You’re referring to what happened in 2016.

KG: Yes. Blacks turned out in large numbers to vote for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Yet, many of those same people didn’t show up at the polls in 2016, and that, in large part, led to an era of unprecedented voter suppression.

JL: You mentioned the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which was enacted by President Lyndon Johnson. I’ve heard that one of your favorite quotes came from LBJ.

KG: Yeah, after he signed the Voting Rights Act, Johnson said, “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men just because they are different from other men.”

JL: That’s inspiring, but do today’s Black youth get it? Do they even have an appreciation for folks who came before them?

KG: We have to remind them, and that brings me back to my daughter. I tell her all the time about the achievements of my heroes and mentors, like Mr. Bob Brown, who single-handedly created the Minority Business Enterprise program while he served in the Nixon administration. Like Vivian Burke who helped me establish an employment assistance center when I headed up the Urban League. Like Maya Angelou who advocated for women’s health issues, and for whom I was able to have a Triad-area hospital named after. Like Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin who I worked with to set up a scholarship program for students at the School of the Arts. And like Congressman John Lewis, who hosted a meeting between me and Deputy President Baleka Mbete of South Africa to discuss voting and civic engagement. These were all strong individuals who made a difference, and young people can make a difference too, just by voting. The power of your voice is your vote.

Last week, Forsyth Tech President Janet Spriggs and Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines appeared on Triad Today to talk about the “College Guarantee” program they created, and the “Hope and Opportunity” scholarships available through that program.

JL: Allen, what is the College Guarantee program all about, and why was it developed?

AJ: Jim, we’ve got a comprehensive effort to reduce poverty in our community, and we felt like one of the best ways to break that cycle is to help disadvantaged young people be able to go to college. And so we put together this program where any young person who graduates from high school in Forsyth County, and wants to go to Forsyth Tech, but can’t afford it, can go absolutely free – tuition, books, fees, even some money in there for transportation and child care, so Dr. Spriggs can take them for two years, turn them around, and get a great career going.

JL: Janet, what’s the criteria for students to be selected for the program?

JS: Well, the first criteria is that they graduate from a Forsyth County high school, and the next criteria is based on income. We have them fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and that tells us what their estimated family contribution will be. We then base their award on that estimated family contribution. It’s also important to note that this is a last dollar scholarship, so we use that FAFSA data to determine if there’s federal or other scholarship aid available to the student before the College Guarantee money is applied, in order to make their money go further. If we can use federal aid to cover tuition and maybe books, then we can apply the Hope and Opportunity scholarship to help them stay in school, by helping with transportation and childcare as the Mayor mentioned.

JL: How’s that been working thus far?

JS: We had almost 1,100 students that qualified this year who we reached out to and recruited. As of yesterday, we had 696 of them who registered at Forsyth Tech.

JL: How is this program being funded?

AJ: Well Janet and I sat down and figured out what it would take to run this for six years, because we didn’t want it to just be a drop in the bucket, so we came up with a number. I then went to Kelly King, the CEO with BB&T (now Truist) and made a pitch to Kelly. He’s very interested in addressing poverty, and Truist gave us a grant that covers the program for a full six year period.

JL: Janet, What role will community colleges play in bringing us out of this pandemic-related economic downturn?

JS: I think we’re going to be a critical player in that regard. We always are whenever we’ve been in a recessionary period. The community college system in North Carolina has been a driver for economic recovery, with the workforce preparedness and workforce development required to rebuild and re-stimulate the economy, and to prepare workers for the new jobs that always come out of any recessionary economic time.

JL: And Allen, this program is also going to bode well for our future economy if these kids go to college, right?

AJ: Absolutely, we estimate these kids will be making $40,000 or $50,000 a year, and if you think about the fact that we’re going to help 2,600 to 3,000 of these young people, so that’s going to have a major impact on our economy.

For more information about the “Hope and Opportunity” scholarships, visit www.ForsythTech.edu/hope.

“Kids. I don’t understand what’s wrong with these kids today.”

“Kids. You can talk and talk till your face is blue, but they still do just what they want to do.”

Those lyrics are from the 1960 Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie, but given what’s happened lately, they could have been spoken by Drs. Fauci or Birx during a recent press conference. That’s because the latest rise in COVID-19 cases is being fueled in large part by teens and young adults, and not just here in the United States. Speaking with Good Morning Britain last month, Dr. Hilary Jones said, “Outbreaks [of COVID-19] around the world are due to the actions of younger people.”

Some of those “actions” that Dr. Jones referred to include an increase in large gatherings attended by young people. In late July, for example, the upper crust town of Greenwich, Connecticut reported 19 new COVID cases following a rash of parties attended by high school and college kids. In mid-August, hundreds of freshmen at Syracuse University partied in the Quad without masks. A similar event occurred at Penn State, resulting in a suspension of the entire Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Same thing at Purdue, University of Alabama, Oklahoma State, and many other colleges. And who can forget the party-house in Jackson Township, New Jersey where police were called in to disperse over 700 young adults who were packed in like sardines, sans masks. A similar situation arose last month in Los Angeles where a Hollywood Hills home became party central to scores of youngsters. When warnings fell on deaf ears, Mayor Eric Garcetti took drastic action, which he announced in a press release. “Despite several warnings, this house has turned into a nightclub in the hills, hosting large gathering in flagrant violation of our public health orders. The City has now disconnected utilities at this home to stop these parties that endanger our community.”

Mayor Garcetti is to be commended for thinking outside the box, but he shouldn’t have had to. Anyone over 18 is supposed to know right from wrong. They’re supposed to know not to have unprotected sex, but they do. They’re supposed to know not to engage in Tide-pod eating contests, but they do. They’re supposed to know not to drive drunk, but they do. So it should come as no surprise that a growing number of young people are gathering in large crowds without masks, and without social distancing themselves from others.  The question is, “Why do young people put themselves and others at risk?” Dr. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto proffers an answer. “Some experts have pointed to a feeling of invincibility about the virus (and lockdown fatigue) as reasons for their behavior.”  Dr. Jones agrees, telling Good Morning Britain, “Younger people are saying, ‘We don’t feel we’re vulnerable, so we’ll go out to socials, gatherings, pubs and restaurants, and we’re not so concerned.’”

A sense of invincibility is inherent in most youth, but President Trump didn’t help things when, early on, he claimed that COVID-19 would not affect young people. We now know differently. Last month the Centers for Disease Control announced that people in their twenties are contracting COVID-19 at higher rates than the at-risk elderly, and warned that young adults who contract the virus are experiencing long-term side effects.

Fortunately many public school superintendents and college presidents are now taking an aggressive stance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students. Over 65% of K-12 students in North Carolina started the semester at home, learning remotely, and, later, schools like NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill reversed their original decision to hold in-person classes. UNCG, meanwhile is going a step further, having University police strictly enforce the Governor’s orders at large gatherings even if they’re held off campus. Such warnings and enforcement among college administrators is growing all too common. “If you don’t abide by the rules, there’s no place for you here,” said Purdue Vice Provost Katie Sermersheim. And, Mike Hainey, Vice Chancellor at Syracuse University implored students, “Be better. Be adults. Think of someone other than yourself.”

Some medical professionals believe that if we would all just wear a mask and practice social distancing for three straight weeks, we could halt the spread of COVID-19. Who knows? Maybe our young people will follow that advice, but I’m not holding my breath. Although that might be a solution too.