VOICE OF THE PEOPLE | Oct. 27

Voting Republican isn't racist act

In reference to Wesley Rash's letter of Oct. 21: He is correct in assuming that being white and voting Republican in the last election, I did not vote to send any Democrat to Washington. I also can assure him that in the future, I seriously doubt that I will vote to send any Democrats to Washington.

However, I must take issue with his accusation that this makes me a racist.

A simple definition of racism, and I'll try to keep it simple for him, is the belief that one ethnic group is inferior to another. Voting for a particular party does not make one a racist. Rather a contemptuous attitude, like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's, toward white people, is racist. And the Rev. Jesse Jackson's attitude toward Jews also is racist.

Accusations of racism have been used by so many scoundrels to try to deflect attention away from their crimes that charges of true racism have been diminished to the point of becoming almost irrelevant. One of the key advisers to the Democratic Party is James “Snake Eyes” Carville. He recently released a poll on the opposition to President Obama's policies. His poll finds that this opposition comes from disagreement with policy, not racism.

Rev. Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and all their race-baiting cohorts will have to get legitimate jobs.

Tal Payne

Great Falls

Cantrell has ample experience

Kathy Cantrell is running for South Carolina House District 48. The vacancy was created by the resignation of Carl Gullick.

At the Democratic Women of Greater Lake Wylie meeting on Sept. 25, I listened to Kathy as she explained with eloquence her plans for action when she is elected. Kathy and her husband, Jim, have lived for many years in Lake Wylie. They have five children and, so far, five grandchildren.

For more than 20 years, Kathy was extremely active in nonprofit organizations of service-oriented and educational character. She is a trustee of the Clover School District, serving as the board secretary. She also was the executive director of the Clover Area Assistance Center (CAAC).

This qualifies her as a strong voice for education coming from District 48. The economic crisis has hit our state very hard. The creation of jobs is a prominent goal for Mrs. Cantrell to reduce the number of South Carolina citizens below the poverty line. The breakdown of infrastructure is a major issue of the environment. Kathy intends to promote the repair of bridges and the upkeep of highways.

Kathy hopes that the coming health care reform plan will provide coverage for more than 600,000 South Carolinians, especially for women whose wages or salaries are still more than 25 percent less than those for men.

Ricardo O. Bach

Lake Wylie