Letters to the editor for Nov. 7

Help people find a way out of poverty

As we await the results of the election, it’s time to look ahead to what our new president and Congress can accomplish in 2017.

Here’s a suggestion: they can start by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Maybe you haven’t heard of it, but the EITC allows 124,000 hard-working people here in South Carolina to move out of poverty each year.

As a single mother, working from paycheck to paycheck was a reality for my children and me. Soldier, certified nursing assistant and school bus driver, I lived below the poverty line.

I worked hard but my paycheck barely met our needs. I know what it is like to go without a meal so that my children will have food.

I know what it is like to have more month than money to ensure that we meet all of our needs month to month.

The EITC makes a world of difference for so many hard-working South Carolinians, but it still leaves out thousands of childless workers.

Let’s expand it to all workers so they, too, can make ends meet and have a shot at a brighter future.

Yolanda M. Gordon

Fort Mill

Fanning is obvious choice for Senate

On Tuesday, voters in South Carolina will make important decisions, from the very top of the ticket to the very bottom. For voters in S.C. Senate District 17, the choice should be obvious.

I am voting for Mike Fanning because I know Mike and Mike knows me. Anyone who has been to any event in Chester, York, Rock Hill or Fairfield has likely run into Mike dozens of times this year, from ball games, to church events, to a high school graduation.

Now, I don’t know if Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is going to win, but I guarantee you I’m not going to see either of them next week or next year. However, I know I’ll see Mike, and when it comes to the person representing me in Columbia, there’s nothing more important.

Let’s show up for Mike on Tuesday because he’ll show up for us!

Belva W. Hood

Rock Hill

Story on candidates was totally biased

The recent article “Where Clinton, Trump Stand on Key Issues” should have been printed in the Opinion section. It was not a fair and balanced article reporting the facts. Instead, it was a biased, left-leaning article attempting to persuade voters to vote for Hillary Clinton. It focused directly on the writer’s personal opinion!

I enjoy reading the paper each day. And I have been very pleased over the fact that The Herald typically sticks to the facts and does not often reflect bias, unless in the Opionion section. I want to read the “news,” not someone's opinion! I am extremely disappointed in The Herald.

Leslie Patten-Scipioni

Rock Hill

Preserve checks and balances

Like many Americans in this election year, I am conflicted in my choice for president. What is of greater concern, however, are the platforms of the two parties that have been crafted by extremists groups from the right and the left. The party that controls Congress and the White House can easily pass legislation and make appointments that reflect the doctrines of these demagogues.

With this in mind and knowing that it is imminent that Republicans will maintain control of Congress, I will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton. She will have no choice but to compromise on budget, procedural and judicial issues.

We cannot allow one party to control all branches of government. We must employ the principle of checks and balances.

Mary Hall

Tega Cay

Fanning will be there for voters

I’m voting Mike Fanning on Tuesday because I think he’d make a great senator and my son thinks he’d make a great superhero.

The other day, my son told me he'd seen Mike at a luncheon at his high school, then at the football game that same night. Somewhere in between, his friend had seen Mike eating and campaigning at an Italian restaurant a county over!

“Do you think he drives that raggedy ol’ yellow truck around because no one would know it’s a time machine?” my son asked.

Well, I don’t know about that, but I know Mike Fanning is the hardest working candidate for office I’ve ever seen, and I know he’ll be the hardest working senator I’ve ever had. And the next time I need something done, I know I won’t be sending endless emails or making unanswered phone calls to some Senate office. All I’ll have to do is look over my shoulder, and I know Mike will be right there!

Jennifer Norby

Rock Hill

This story was originally published November 6, 2016 at 10:04 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor for Nov. 7."