Welcome to HickoryRecord.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

HickoryRecord.com - Hickory Daily Record

HomeNewsEntertainmentSportsLifestylesOpinionCommunityWeather Online Tools Jobs | Real Estate | Shopping | Classified

We endorse: President, governor

Our Voice

Hickory Daily Record Editorial

Published: November 2, 2008

Our choice for president is John McCain.

This election is about change. Both presidential candidates promise to lead change.

But McCain is better equipped to bring about change.

McCain is older and wiser in the ways of the real world. He has seen more than his opponent. He has the connections on Capitol Hill. And he has a history of reaching across party lines to do the right thing.

McCain's experience goes beyond politics. He knows the horrors of war first-hand and understands the ramifications of sending troops into combat or withdrawing soldiers from a volatile region.

Perhaps the best reason for local voters to choose McCain is how closely he reflects the attitudes, morals and political philosophies of the Catawba Valley region.

John McCain would be right at home among the residents of Hickory, Newton or Granite Falls.

He would also be a good fit in the White House.

The best choice for governor of North Carolina is Republican Pat McCrory.

For too long, politicians from the eastern part of the state have determined where and when the state's money and resources were allocated. We think with McCrory as governor things will change. The past 35 years have seen many changes in North Carolina — the state is the sixth-fastest growing state in the nation and the ninth in population.

McCrory's plan to develop a 50-year transportation and road plan that would include mass transit and land-use planning to better direct growth shows his understanding of the challenges facing North Carolina.

The state's rapid growth has left us with billions of dollars in infrastructure needs without money to pay for them. McCrory says he would require the Department of Transportation to work with counties and cities and the departments of Environment and Natural Resources and Commerce to develop the 50-year plan. This is a good idea that needs a proven leader's guidance to get it approved in Raleigh.

McCrory's tenure as mayor of Charlotte, the state's largest city, and his successful planning and mass transit efforts there give him an edge over his opponent. While mayor, McCrory has also distinguished himself in the areas of public safety and economic development. We think McCrory's connection to and his understanding of western North Carolina will bring needed money and resources into the region.

We recommend McCrory as the next governor of North Carolina. We think he is best prepared to lead the state through a period of tremendous change.