THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR OCTOBER 15TH, 2026

                                                           

                                                                    CASH MICHAELS

      

  THE ART OF VOTING

                                            by Cash Michaels

Voting is precious to me, because voting is precious to my community.

I still remember, with fondness, when I covered the historic presidential campaign of Barack Obama in Raleigh, and how proud many younger, and older African-Americans were to be casting a ballot for the very first time in history for a Black president. Something none of us thought we’d ever see or be able to do in our lifetime. As a result of our vote, and other likeminded Americans, many of our children grew up knowing what it felt like to have a Black man as president.

It has become cliche to say, but true, that courageous people of all colors and genders gave their lives so that future generations would have the privilege of casting ballots for the candidates of their choice, candidates for public office who would wisely guide our cities, states and nation through a myriad of public issues so that we all could benefit.

It should be also said that voting is voice, voting is being heard among the many being served as to what direction the majority of us believe we should be headed in.

But more than anything, voting is pride, it is civic duty carried out to show   proof that when done right, our national Constitution is working, and doing so with dignity and honor.

Election Day is the one day we can all point to in our society where there should be no difference between rich or poor, Black or White, Jew or Gentile. When it comes to casting a ballot, all of us should have the same power, the same weight. Every vote should equal another. Every voice that participates should be heard, and every American story should be respected.

I write all of the above because when I take a moment to think about Election Days past, I think of long and winding lines of African-American citizens mostly, patiently waiting for their individual turn to cash that promissory note of freedom they were assured by those who not too long ago told truth to power that they would be able to do so.

When you look at the faces of people in those lines, of parents holding the hands of their young children; or young people holding the hand of their elder parent or grandparent; or college students proudly casting their first vote ever because of what they learned in class or from a demonstration they participated in on campus; or the working class single mother or truck driver who has listened to all of the politicians, and hope for a better day; or the businessperson who feels that a vote for the right candidate keeps this nation on the right track towards economic prosperity; or  the citizen on public assistance who hopes, through that vote, that one day they and their family can get off of welfare, and begin to build a productive life for the future; or the retired citizen who has always voted, and feels a deep investment in the future and direction of a country they helped to build; or that retired military veteran who understands the meaning of freedom, and has put their life on the line for this country in order to sustain the precious right to vote, and plans to do it again and again when called to….when you think of all of these proudAmerican citizens, and the personal stories and obligations they bring with them to the ballot box in their local communities, you just have to shake your head an smile.

These beautiful people deserve the best country possible. They deserve good government on all levels, regardless of political party, that is functioning properly, in the common best interest and by the rule of law.

Damn it, they deserve government that they can trust!

Ideally, that’s what they’re voting for. Keeping the streets safe, the utilities flowing and abide by the U.S. Constitution - that’s all we ask. As citizens, we’ll take it from there.

That’s what Election Day is all about.  The candidates who can articulate all of that precisely, competently and honestly, have our vote.

It should be that simple, but unfortunately, in this age of the reckless campaign commercial that seeks not to inform us, but to scare us, and make us afraid of each other, it’s not. Based on this unpleasant reality, each and every citizen who plans to vote has to do their homework and ultimately decide, “What kind of country, state or city do I want to live in?” Ultimately, the candidate you choose is based on that question. Thus the old tried but true saying, 

“ Elections have consequences.”

As for those of you who don’t vote, don’t participate in the political process or opportunity to choose your leaders, don’t even take the time to read a news story about what’s going on in your country, I feel sorry for you.

You are one of those people who go on through life thinking that what happens in Washington, D.C. or Jones Street in Raleigh doesn’t affect you, but it does. Decisions are being made everyday without you, whether you like it or not. Do you have a say on who is making those decisions, or what is being decided?No? Why not? Did I just hear you say “because it doesn’t make a difference…Those people are going to do what they want to regardless of what I say or how I vote.”

Well, then run for political office yourself so that YOU become one of those people making the big decisions. Or better yet, before you even do that, why not  see who is saying what in your community about the issues you most care about, and join them in advocacy. Hopefully, that will lead you to a voting booth eventually.

But just sitting there and allowing the world to spin without your input or vote is how we got in the national mess we’re in now. Too many citizens want the fruits of freedom, but don’t want to pay the price to enjoy them. That MUST change, and YOU must change it. You have that opportunity starting from Oct. 15th to the 31st with One-Stop Early Voting/Same Day Registration, so that you can conveniently cast your ballot on a day and time that fits your schedule before Nov. 3rd, Election Day. Go to https://www.ncsbe.gov for all of the information you need to make it happen.

I tell ya, the art of voting is a beautiful thing. Don’t miss your opportunity.

PERSONAL NOTE - Hey, make sure you get your tickets to support the NC SPIN Reunion Live Show, Tuesday, Oct. 20th at the Seby B. Jones Performing Arts Theater, Louisburg College, Louisburg, NC. It’s going to be good! Proceeds go to support Louisburg College. Plus you get dinner. For more info, see the NC SPIN.com front page.

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THE CASH STUFF FOR OCT. 15, 2026

                                                                        

 AS EARLY VOTING BEGINS,

BLACK VOTERS URGED TO

“USE YOUR POWER”

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

With One Stop Early Voting/Same Day Registration officially beginning today across North Carolina (Oct. 15-31st), the common theme for this 2026 midterm election on Nov. 3rd is making a change in order to bring gasoline, food and other cost of living prices down, and choosing which political party in Congress and the NC General Assembly should be in the best position to do that going forward.

For African-Americans and other communities of color, voting in the midterms is considered critical, and many in Black leadership are sending the message that the Black community has power in its vote, and can help to change negative policies for the better.

“The 2026 midterm elections will shape the future of our communities, and it starts with a plan,” the national NAACP says on its website. “We, the People” are stronger when we show up together.”

As evidenced of that mantra, the website “Word in Black” published an article titled “The Fight for the Black Vote is Already Underway,” stating in part, “…some of the nation’s most influential Black political and civil rights organizations are pouring money, organizers and old-fashioned shoe leather into an unusually aggressive effort to turn out Black voters — particularly young people, rural residents and people who typically skip elections when the presidency isn’t on the ballot.”

The “Word in Black” article continued that part of that effort came recently when “…the Congressional Black Caucus Institute launched “SO VOTE,” a multimillion-dollar campaign aimed at turning out voters in some of the country’s most competitive congressional races.”

Another important effort to galvanize the Black vote has been launched by Bishop William Barber, former president of the NC NAACP.

Today, as president and senior lecturer of Repairer’s of the Breach, and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, Bishop Barber has launched “100 Days of Voter Mobilization,” a national campaign across the country, including North Carolina, designed to encourage a diversity of communities to “organize their households, streets, and organizations to ensure their voices are heard at the polls.”

During a recent stop in Ashville, Bishop Barber said “…some folks have let the bear sleep. The bear’s awake now,” meaning that people of color particularly realize that they have the power through their votes to make the necessary changes needed in public office to help end the corruption and negative policies.

Congressman Jim Clyburn, 86,  longtime Democrat from South Carolina, warned African-Americans to focus on issues like  affordability when they vote, and not to be “fooled” by President Donald Trump’s promises. He also chided the Republican-led Congress for trying to eliminate Black congressional representation through redistricting , including his own long held seat.

Some advocates say because it is crucial that all of the Black community be engaged for the 2026 midterm elections, they’re concerned that once again, the effort to make that happen has begun too late.

“For decades, Black voters have been among the most reliable constituencies in American politics, especially for Democrats. But reliability should not be confused with automatic enthusiasm, “ cautioned Rev. Aaron Phillips of the Cleveland Clergy Coalition for the website RealPower TV. “I continue to sound the alarm that voter advocacy groups and campaigns wait too late to engage Black Voters. This approach continues to risk turning a dependable base into an under-mobilized one.”

         “Black voters are not a monolith,” Rev. Phillips continued. “Age, geography, gender, education, economic pressure, and trust in political institutions all shape how voters respond in elections. Since Obama, younger Black voters have been showing signs of impatience with traditional appeals based solely on party loyalty or historic civil rights symbolism.”

Rev. Phillips concluded, “In 2026, the message is simple: stop taking Black Voters for granted. Black voters should be courted, heard, and respected. Until this message is seriously received, we will continue to face low voter turnout in our community.”

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WHY AFRICAN-AMERICANS 

MUST GET THE FLU SHOT

IN OCTOBER

By Cash Michaels

Contributing writer

Last week, the North Carolina Dept. of Health and Human Services announced the first known flu-related death of the 2026 influenza season - an adult in the central part of the state. Medical experts say now that the season is here, expect to hear of more flu-deaths, especially among senior citizens and young children.

In the state’s African-American community, this is especially important news, given the unique history Blacks and the influenza virus have with each other.

During the 1918 influenza epidemic which spread throughout the nation, Black people were least likely to get the care they needed because of poverty, poor healthcare and racism, according to a 2010 study titled “African-Americans, Public Health, and the 1918 Influenza Epidemic” by Dr. Vanessa Northington Gamble, a medical historian at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. .

According to the study’s synopsis, “When the 1918 influenza epidemic began, African American communities were already beset by many public health, medical, and social problems, including racist theories of black biological inferiority, racial barriers in medicine and public health, and poor health status. To address these problems, African Americans mounted efforts such as establishing separate hospitals and professional organizations and repudiating racist scientific theories. Contradicting prevailing theories about African Americans' increased susceptibility to disease, it appears that during the 1918 epidemic the incidence of influenza was lower in African Americans. Although the epidemic had a less devastating impact on African American communities, it still overwhelmed their medical and public health resources. Observations about the lower rates of influenza in African Americans did not derail racist theories about the biological inferiority of black people or overturn conceptualizations of black people as disease threats to white people. When the epidemic ended, the major problems that African Americans faced still remained.”

Today, over one hundred years later, poverty, racism and unreliable healthcare in low wealth communities of color still exist, meaning that African-Americans and other people of color must be diligent about protecting themselves from catching the influenza virus. A 2021 study published in 2021 titled, “Rates of Influenza-Associated Hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit Admission, and In-Hospital Death by Race and Ethnicity in the United States From 2009 to 2019” “…took a close look at 113,352 flu hospitalizations between 2009 and 2019 from across the country. Researchers found clear disparities in those hospitalizations…”, particularly among children of color.

Black children under 5 were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized with the flu, according to the report.

So what should Black parents of young children, and black seniors do? 

While everyone in our community should make sure they’re inoculated against flu and COVID virus infections, those two groups are particularly advised to plan on getting their vaccination shots as soon as possible for protection, certainly by the end of October when influenza infections may be at their highest, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Last winter, North Carolina was hit with a “super flu” around the same time.

Both shots are generally free at your health provider, various drug store chains and community health centers. Anyone 6 months of age or older can get a flu shot. Most health insurance plans cover flu vaccinations for those insured.

North Carolina reported 335 flu-related deaths in 2025, including 10 pediatric deaths.

“We encourage everyone to take steps to protect themselves and others this respiratory virus season,” said NCDHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai. “Getting vaccinated, staying home when sick, washing hands regularly and covering coughs and sneezes can all help reduce the spread of seasonal illnesses.”  

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THE CASH COMMENTARY FOR OCT. 8, 2026

                                                                   CASH MICHAELS

                 REMARKABLY, REPUBLICANS HAVE NOTHING

                                         By Cash Michaels

Midterm Election Day, Nov. 3rd, is now less than thirty days away. But early voting in North Carolina actually starts October 15th (next week), and ends October 31st, and mail-in absentee voting has already begun. So it’s easy to see folks saying that the die is already cast, especially since the Democrats are favored to wipe the floor with Republicans.

Personally, I hope the polls and predictions are true, that American voters are so sick and tired of Donald Trump and his party running Congress and our state legislature working against the people’s interests, that they desperately want a change. 

Democrats are wise to campaign on affordability, and how Trump and his corrupt policies and stupid war, with the Republican Party’s unfettered support for it all, have left the American people’s wallets badly bruised and bloodied. If they win, Democrats need to clearly read the tea leaves here, and do whatever it takes to get the economy back on track fast before going after Trump and his illegal activities (if this were a news story, I would have stuck a big, fat “alleged” in the middle of “his” and “illegal,” but this ain’t no news story, folks. It’s the damn truth!). 

Plenty of time to impeach Trump or whatever else you want to do to the 80-year-old crook-in chief while he still prowls the Earth. People want their pocketbooks liberated first, and that is what they expect Democrats to do if they’re voted in to take back Congress. 

So what do you do if you’re running against a Democrat this election, and desperately want to either win your seat, or better yet, keep your seat? Apparently, from what I gather, there isn’t a Republican on this planet (especially one that agrees with Trump) that has a thoughtful policy position on the issues. No solid ideas about how Americans or North Carolinians can keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets (can’t so much as utter “cut taxes” when your political party has been in power for some time and “woulda, coulda, shoulda” have done it when it had the chance - despite what they claim the “big beautiful bill” did).

        Like the TV commercial painfully asks, "What's in your wallet?"

Republicans are inept politicians who have the power (based on lies) to help people and make things better, but refuse to use it, except to push self-centered agendas to assist the rich. Plus, after feeling satisfied that they’ve convinced a lot of ignorant MAGA-minded people that the January 6th insurrection never happened, now they’re trying to sell that Watergate wasn’t the crime that history makes it out to be, or that Richard Nixon was any sort of criminal. 

        During an election year, no less.

I couldn’t vote for deranged hustlers like these even in a good economy!

So you have a president who has started a war 7-8 months ago he can’t get out of (the Iranians shrewdly won’t let him) which has led to higher prices at the pump and the grocery store, plus new tariffs literally our wallets at the drop of any hat, and there you and your party are seemingly helpless because you’re afraid of Trump saying something dumb about you on the campaign trail.

In other words, if you’re a Republican vying for office on Election Day, and you want to win, YOU’VE GOT NOTHIN’!

I mean, the best you can muster up as to why you deserve to be elected to office on Nov. 3rd is that your Democratic opponent is “crazy,” or a “communist,” or a “socialist”? Is that all you’ve got? The average American is suffering under the weight of high prices and matching inflation, and the best you can do is to talk potty trash using two of three words you have no idea the meaning of?

Things are so bad, national Republicans have even given up on “lying” Michael Whatley’s campaign here in North Carolina, and moved his money elsewhere in hopes of saving their GOP Senate majority.

Republicans are so frigging pathetic this election, they can’t even promise the old “a car in every garage, or a chicken in every pot” routine.  All they’re left with is calling Democrats names, and begging American voters to stick with Republicans because, for some reason left unsupported by facts, they’re “better.”

Don’t believe me? Here’s Vice President J. D. Vance recently, theoretically on his knees, begging voters for another chance, and he’s not even on the ballot:

"Give us another chance — or give us another couple of years — to continue to work on the amazing things that we've been doing for the past two years. There's a lot of good that's been done, but there's a lot of work left to do. Don't give power to the people who cause the problems that we're fixing."

"The second argument I'd make is even if you don't agree with us on every issue, the other party is consumed by craziness. "They're consumed by people who want to steal everything, who want to give the country over to illegal aliens and criminals. They actively brag about it."

"So to the American people, I'd say: 'Send these people packing. Put them in the mental hospital. Do not put them in Congress.

"They're just motivated by left-wing interest groups and radicalism, and they're going to do a very bad job if we give them power."

Pathetic! Really!

And here in North Carolina, NC Republicans are patting themselves on the back for coming back into Special Session Wednesday to suspend the 41 cents state gas tax from per-gallon gasoline sales until the end of November. But NC Democratic Senate Leader Sydney Batch isn't buying it.

        “North Carolina families have been getting screwed over by rising prices for months thanks to failed Republican leadership. Yet, somehow, [legislative leaders] just now noticed? Exactly one month before Election Day?”

         I’m with you Senator Batch. Republicans in Congress could have led the way months ago by dropping the federal gasoline tax, but c’est la vie.

         Question is, is it too little, too late?

Apparently this business of blaming Joe Biden for everything wrong after you’ve been in office for almost two years isn’t working anymore. Now you’ve got to literally beg voters to “give you another chance.”

That’s the sorry state the Republican Party has devolved to. Unless your heart overflows with unbridled hate for Democrats, do you honestly think, in this political atmosphere, rational, non-MAGA voters are going to stomach that tripe?

Vance’s boss apparently isn’t following the same pre-election playbook. While his v.p. is groveling, the b.s. master-in-chief is getting salty in his campaign exhortations, like this one in a high school gym to a crowd near Dayton, Ohio recently:

"Just get out and vote," Trump, whose internal poll numbers in red states are steadily sinking, said, predicting a “big surprise.” "If you do that, we're going to win, and we're going to win big. And we're going to shove it up their ass."

Since this ill-advised blasphemy was cravenly spoken in a high school gymnasium of all places, I feel somewhat compelled to step in here and correct the president’s vile grammar. Sir, the proper term in this utter fantasy of yours should be “asses”…as in “we’re going to shove it up their asses,” Mr. President, sir. You’ve already destroyed the office. At least let’s try not destroy the English language with it too, you idiot!”

Sorry, Republicans. No matter what Trump says or hopes for (cause Lord knows the man doesn’t pray…at least not to my GOD anyway) I don’t know how bad the damage will be come Election Day, but whatever it is Republicans, you and yours deserve every bit of it for the massive destruction that has occurred to our country and our our values, on your watch.

On Election Day GOP, time to pay the piper!

For the rest of us, let's get the job done, and VOTE!

PERSONAL NOTE - Hey, make you get your tickets to support the NC SPIN Reunion Live Show, Tuesday, Oct. 20th at the Seby B. Jones Performing Arts Theater, Louisburg College, Louisburg, NC. It’s going to be good! Proceeds go to support Louisburg College. Plus you get dinner. For more info, see the NC SPIN.com front page.

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