Many voices in Rowan County are chiming in to support democracy and our constitution through publication in the Salisbury Post. We hope you will find time to read these many opinions and consider adding your voice. Individual letters can also be sent for inclusion in our Voter Speak emails to votersspeak@rowandemocrats.com. Don’t miss checking to see if you’re eligible to apply for Energy Saver NC!
Energy Saver NC now available in Rowan County, helping eligible families save money, energy and live comfortably
Residents in Rowan County can now apply for energy rebates through the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Energy Saver NC program, which helps eligible residents save money and live more comfortably by upgrading homes with energy-efficient improvements such as heat pumps, electrical panels and insulation.
“The cost of living is too high across the board, so it’s particularly exciting to see Energy Saver N.C.’s initiative expand statewide,” Gov. Josh Stein said. “This program will help more North Carolina families make ends meet and keep their energy costs affordable. I am pleased that Energy Saver NC is making homes healthier and more efficient and supporting local jobs across North Carolina.”
Rev. Olen Bruner: Nothing Christian About “Christian” Nationalism
It’s the New Year, when hearts and minds turn to what needs attention in the coming year. If our local paper is an indicator, Christian nationalism is on people’s minds. As early as Jan. 4, Roger Hull’s letter to the editor warns of a return to the medieval “Church Triumphant,” fusing religious authority with political power. The separation of church and state was unheard of at a time when science was sidelined and pluralism was rejected. Sound familiar? I applaud Hull’s warning because he does not stop with concerns for legality alone. (Editor’s note: A panel discussion on Christian Nationalism scheduled for Feb. 5 at the Rowan Museum has been cancelled due to the weather.)
Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/02/03/my-turn-nothing-christian-about-christian-nationalism/
Kamala Hughes: Living in Duplicity
There are so many examples, but two come to mind. How can a U.S. citizen be an insurrectionist for kicking and spitting at a car and resisting the hold of multiple agents while the folks bashing the Capitol police on Jan. 6 (2021) are not? Why was the right wing aligned president of Honduras, convicted of trafficking cocaine, pardoned mere months prior to the forcible extraction of the left wing aligned president of Venezuela for the same crimes? I think I see the pattern here. I can only hope others do as well and see the value in a healthy democracy before it crumbles completely.
Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/02/03/letter-living-in-duplicity/
Jefffrey Sharpe: Something New for a Change
I am amazed. I usually find much to disagree with in the Carolina Journal and from the John Locke Foundation. This time, they confirm with data and academic rigor, something that seems to me to be plainly true. In the Thursday, Jan. 29, edition of the Salisbury Post, I read the editorial “Be more like Penelope Barker” by Claire Olson of John Locke Foundation. The piece originally appeared in the Carolina Journal. I felt the lead of the piece was buried. Over halfway through, Olson cites the study “How Tariffs Threaten North Carolina Agriculture: NC Farmers at Risk” by Jeffrey Dorfman. Takeaway of this study is that because of tariffs, N.C. farmers could lose out on $695 million in sales this year. The study concludes, “farmers in North Carolina could lose one-third of their annual average net farm income from lost sales and lower prices as they try to find alternative markets for production that normally goes to one of the United States’ four largest trading partners. The state(‘s total) economy could suffer a decrease of 1 to 2 percent in size. Some rural counties could suffer declines in aggregate county income exceeding 2 percent, a drop that is typically seen nationally only in a major recession or locally when a large plant closes.”
Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/02/03/letter-something-new-for-a-change/
Laurel Harry: Time to Wake Up
…An odd dream to have on the morning after Alex Pretti was killed in an altercation with ICE/CBP agents in Minneapolis. We are at a crossroads. We can be part of the mob or we can stand up for the person being dehumanized, othered, negated. We have all surely seen this movie before. When have the goon squads, the book burners, the false accusers or the bullies ever been in the right? Were they right in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 when Rebecca Nurse and 18 other “witches” were murdered by the state? Were they right in 1955 when Emmett Till, only 14 years old, was lynched for supposedly leering at a white woman? What about Matthew Shepard in 1998, kidnapped and tortured for being gay? Or Ahmaud Arbery in 2020, stalked and killed by men who presumed he was stealing construction materials while out jogging? Is the mob somehow right this time about Alex Pretti?
Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/02/01/my-turn-time-to-wake-up/
Eugene Goetz: ICE
After the recent senseless killings of innocent people — white citizens — two in a single week, it is clear none of us is immune from unchecked violence or abuse of power of ICE agents. ICE assured the public their sole purpose was to apprehend and deport dangerous criminals. Not anymore. Increasingly, ICE has been documented harassing and arresting U.S. citizens with little or no concern as to whether they have committed any crime at all, let alone pose a danger to the public. And now this. Further, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution explicitly guarantees “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,” and such rights “shall not be violated.” For forced entry, a judge must determine probable cause and issue a warrant. Yet on May 12, 2025, ICE Director Lyons issued a confidential memorandum instructing agents they could enter homes without a warrant, contradicting the Fourth Amendment, effectively removing judicial oversight and opening the door to widespread constitutional violations.
Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/01/29/my-turn-ice/
Stephen Albanese: Believe Your Own Eyes
Trump has claimed he won the 2020 election but the fact is he lost by over 7 million votes. Believe your own eyes. On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of the 2020 election. Many of them were armed. Trump declared they were peaceful protesters and Patriots. Millions watched this assault on television. Trump pardoned them. Believe your own eyes.
Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/01/29/letter-believe-your-own-eyes/
Francis Koster: To protect their kids, parents need to understand the difference between ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’
As the storms hit our community this week, and people were being warned to expect cold, ice and power outages, you likely heard some friends and neighbors say something like “Ha! See what a bunch of nonsense all those claims of global warming were?” Others will disagree and say that climate change is happening. Because they are using two different terms (Global warming and climate change), they are talking past each other and often do not know it. And your kids’ future is at serious risk.