“This presidency is going to be about re-establishing America’s honor, re-establishing America’s dignity, re-establishing America’s role in the world as a nation of nations, re-establishing America’s independence from powerful oil companies, re-establishing America’s love, re-establishing America’s hope, re-establishing our constitution,” Kucinich said amid cheers from the crowd. “If you want a government that can do that, I’m ready today to be the president.” 

“I feel that this is a community that has a powerful response to my message, which is peace and prosperity,” Kucinich said at a press event before his evening speech.  

Kucinich, 60, focused on “reconnecting America with its highest ideals” and  ”reclaiming a moral high ground” that included ending the war in Iraq and restoring the country’s reputation in the world by reconnecting with the world community. 

“There wasn’t any thinking. There was a lack of conscience,” he said of the decision to invade Iraq. “We need to hold the vice president and the president accountable for their actions.” 

Kucinich advocated for ending the war in Iraq by stopping funding for the war and establishing multinational peacekeeping forces in the country. 

The presidential candidate also outlined his ideas for a universal health care plan, which he said he sees as the number one domestic issue of the campaign. 

“We know that America can be so much better,” Kucinich said “We know that America has the capacity to be a great nation, and we know that an America which is a great nation is an America that says health care is a basic right.”

Windy Pines South was built on promises: affordable homes, easy financing, a brighter future for working families. 

What’s left of the subdivision today is a testament to what happens when the dream of home ownership fails. 

Most of the families are long gone, leaving evidence of their struggle around every corner — the abandoned home with shattered windows, the weed-choked lots, the lingering for-sale signs.

“This was our dream,” said former homeowner Angela Carter. “We thought we were going to be there for the rest of our lives, until we decided to move. We had no clue ... .” 

Foreclosures have plagued Windy Pines South more than any other neighborhood in Cumberland County, according to an investigation by The Fayetteville Observer. Since 2001, at least two-thirds of the homeowners defaulted on mortgages and lost their properties at courthouse auctions. Others in the subdivision south of Hope Mills avoided default but still lost homes, either forced to sell or by surrendering their deeds to lenders for as little as $1. . . .  

But high payments weren’t their only problem. Many who bought homes starting in 2000 claimed the developers misled them. Their mortgage paperwork contained mysterious second loans and down payments, they say. Some two dozen families pleaded for help from state and federal authorities, though the whirlwind of allegations did little to save their homes. . . .  

Nonetheless, what happened in Windy Pines South reflects the often invisible scourge of foreclosures. Easy credit, costly loans and questionable deals put thousands of North Carolinians at risk. With few options to fight foreclosure under state law — even if homeowners suspect fraud — houses fall to the auction block. And entire subdivisions begin a slow and fatal descent into neglect. 

It has happened in dozens of Cumberland County neighborhoods, but in none as starkly as in Windy Pines South.

The percentage of North Carolinians under the age of 65 who lacked health insurance for a year has risen from 15.3 percent in 2000 to 17.2 percent in 2005. The proportion of uninsured residents ranged from a low of 13.4 percent in Wake County to a high of 27.5 percent in Tyrrell County. 

Lack of health insurance is a particularly acute problem in Eastern North Carolina; nine of the 10 counties with the highest proportion of uninsured lie east of Interstate 95. . . .  

“North Carolina has experienced a large decline in the percent of residents receiving health insurance from their employers. Although this trend is occurring across the nation, North Carolina's decline has been large compared to other states’,” said Mark Holmes, a Sheps Center senior research fellow and vice president of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. . . .  

The uninsured are 25 percent more likely to die a premature death, Holmes said. 

Young adults do not abstain from voting. They do care about the public policy that affects them.

The problem is, in part, due to the fact that less than 2 percent of North Carolina young adults (ages 18 to 24) know about the 25-day deadline for registration, which causes turnout to be the lowest for this age group.  

Young adults are disenfranchised by the voting system. They move more frequently — for school, for jobs — making it harder for them to stay registered. Young adults (and first-time voters) often find the election process intimidating. Many would argue that due to lack of targeting by candidates, youth turnout often lags far behind other voting demographics. In 2004, only 38 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds in North Carolina voted, compared with a 56 percent in states with in-person registration.  

It’s time for North Carolina to follow the lead of other states and adopt a new system. The state Board of Elections has gone on record saying it now has the technology to allow voters to register and vote in person at one-stop absentee voting sites. . . .  

With this legislation, our highly mobile young adult population can utilize its right to vote more effectively. House Bill 91 has the power to increase youth voter turnout in presidential elections by as much as 14 percent, according to studies. More important, young adults who vote are more likely to participate in the voting process for the rest of their lives.  

North Carolina is moving forward and, with the support of our state legislature, young voters can help chart the course of our collective future.

“You’ve got a role in shaping the outcome of this political challenge,” he said in urging party members to bring undecided voters into the GOP fold. “I know how powerful grassroots politics can be.”  

Speaking at West Henderson High School in front of about 300 attendees at the annual 11th District Republican Convention, Rove’s approximately 45-minute remarks resembled a national GOP stump speech. . . .  

Hailed as the architect of Republican victories in the 2000 and 2004 elections, Rove’s presence signaled the importance the party places on reclaiming Western North Carolina’s congressional seat for the GOP. 

”The White House has an interest in doing that,” said David Sawyer, outgoing chairman of the Republican Party in WNC’s 11th Congressional District. “There’s an interest in the 11th District on a national scale.” 

Political newcomer Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, defeated eight-term incumbent Charles Taylor of Brevard in last fall’s election by a margin of about 53.7 percent to 46.3 percent. Sawyer said he did not know if Rove had spoken with Taylor about running in 2008.  

Rove’s visit should pump up the party’s base, said Buncombe County Republican Party chairman Mike Harrison, and increasing GOP turnout is a key to winning back the seat. . . .  

Rove’s appearance also attracted protestors, with about 14 people gathering by the entrance to the school about an hour before the convention to voice their opposition to his policies.  

“He’s the architect of deceit and corruption,” said Flat Rock resident Dickie Wilson, who held a sign stating “Rove Must Go.”