I want to share with my sister county a speech I [made] before the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. It is self-explanatory on ignorance of political matters, the real danger, whether on the local, state or national level.

Commissioners and fellow citizens:

Please observe the pictures on the board that your tax money of $700,000 is being invested in by Debnam, Cody, and Elders, who vote as one, and control and spend the county tax money. I refer to them as the Trio. The rusted old steam train chassis, engine, running gear, etc., that GSMR abandoned by the railroad tracks in 2006 (to rust out in the weather) was obviously so unprofitable the corporation wouldn’t even borrow money to repair it. The Trio had one agenda: A train deal to bring in Bryson City tourists to spend money in Dillsboro.

On behalf of the students and teachers of Macon County, I would like to thank all of the businesses who donated goods to the Academic Foundation's annual fundraiser and all those who came out to the Cartoogechaye Elementary gym on April 6 to bid, eat, and have a good time with us. I am pleased to announce this year's auction raised over $8,000 for classroom projects and field trips for all students in Macon County.

One of the first pieces of legislation that state senator Jim Davis sponsored was Senate Bill 480 titled “Let Those Who Ride Decide.” As a physician I was particularly aware of the totally needless deaths and injuries caused by motorcycle riders who do not use helmets.

One of my first experiences in the medical profession was seeing an autopsy being performed on a young man killed because of a head injury while riding a motorcycle without a helmet. (It turned out this person was the first person my future wife ever dated).

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, 4,502 motorcyclists were killed in motorcycle crashes. Head injury is a leading cause of death.

I would like to respond to the the letter of April 4 about the cutting of the band and athletic budgets. I have been a member of the FHS Band Boosters for the last three years with one more year to go.

I do agree with what are the Board of Education priorities. The way I see it they have a tough decision to make on where cuts are since there have been cuts in the state of N.C. as a whole. I can not speak about the athletics’ budget but I do have knowledge of the band’s budget from the BOE. The band’s budget covered by the BOE is the salary of the director/ teacher. Not only does he teach band but he also teaches drama.