Archived Opinion

Haire should support the people’s vote

To the Editor:

I’d like to address the letter three weeks ago by my representative to the General Assembly, The Honorable Phil Haire.

Short and to the point, I have two issues. First, it is very telling that our elected representative finds it just too much trouble to answer personal contacts of concern about an issue on a one on one basis and then attempts to do it publicly through a letter to the editor while attempting to invoke scripture to justify his position. If it were an election for his position, he would be the first to reach out and take that hand shake, kiss that baby, and chase that vote while all the time looking for a political donation.

This leads to the even bigger problem I have with Mr. Haire’s position against the Constitutional Amendment “To Define Marriage as being between a Man and a Woman.” Mr. Haire basically declared that, “We the people” should not be allowed to vote on this issue of a constitutional amendment. The content of the amendment is not as relevant to me, but his attitude in standing in judgment of his constituents puts him in the position of a political a fool.  

“We the people” are not ignorant and we do not forget those who attempt to limit the power of the vote. I wish him no harm, but then again I have little use for someone who takes such an arrogant stand against the very voters who elected him. I would hope that his replacement will have a better concept of the American way.

John Herrin

Bryson City

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.