06/29 What You’re Saying: Scott Herrick and Joe Exum | The Herald Sun

Ask about Alzheimer’s

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. I am writing to inquire what our members of Congress are doing to address Alzheimer's Disease.

The 2018 election is important to the people of North Carolina affected by Alzheimer’s. This election season candidates have an opportunity to lead on Alzheimer’s. I’m one of the 170,000 people living with or caring for someone with Alzheimer’s in North carolina, and I’m calling on candidates to share their plan to address it.

Alzheimer’s is a public health crisis that is devastating families in NC and straining our economy. Alzheimer’s is the only leading cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed. A recent poll found that 37.8 million American voters have provided unpaid care to someone with Alzheimer’s.

A recent poll found American voters are more likely to vote for a candidate who made fighting Alzheimer’s a campaign priority by an 8 to 1 margin.

Recently, I was asked by officials in Durham to provide statistics on how many people are dealing with Alzheimer's. Based on the 2018 Alzheimer's Association, Facts and Figures, there are up to 7,200 residents in Durham County living with Alzheimer's. Public health departments need to start addressing Alzheimer's. Recently, Congressman G.K. Butterfield supported the BOLD Act which would create Alzheimer's centers of excellence throughout the country.

Please encourage candidates to address this issue in November.

Mao is dead

I'm not sure I understand all I know about China but I'm not sure Senator Graham does either. The senator from South Carolina believes American troops in Korea are essential to maintain stability in Asia. Removing those troops plays into the hands of China's desire to destabilize Asia.

Which China is Senator Graham talking about? Mao Tse-Tung is dead and so are 78 million Chinese who died of starvation during the Cultural Revolution. What does Graham think happened in Tiananmen square? President Xi Jinping's stays up at night hoping 600,000 jobs will be created each month. Destabilizing Asia would hardly seem consistent with job creation: telling 1.4 billion mouths to eat cake is a risky Plan B.

Apparently, Senator Graham is still fighting the Cold War judging from his Chinophobic concerns. Perhaps it's something about South Carolina barbecue sauce; Nikki Haley seems stuck in a pre-1967 Middle East policy. Fortunately, neither were president when the opportunity for German reunification became possible.

Ironically, while China was taking huge steps toward capitalism after 1989, the U.S. took huge steps toward socialism during the Obama administration prompting one Chinese artist to depict the likeness of Barack Obama on the Statue of Liberty holding Mao's Little Red Book.

The Chinese understand a lot more about the U.S. than Senator Graham understands about China. With all due respect for the senator's great wisdom and considerable ambition, we already have one secretary of state and he appears to be doing just fine.