Trump said we'd win so much we'd get sick of winning. Well, I'm sick.

Prices are up. Power bills are up. Gas and diesel are up. Mortgage rates are over 7%. Your grocery cart costs more and holds less.

Even the folks who lend Uncle Sam money are nervous. The 10-year Treasury is over 5.3%. The 30-year is near 5.6%. When D.C. pays more to borrow, so do we. That's the bond market calling Trump's bluff and pocketing the profits.

Yep. We're winning.

But Trump promised you a check. Lots of them.

The $5,000 DOGE check? DOGE shut down in July. No check.

The $2,000 tariff check? The Supreme Court said his tariffs broke the law. Big companies got about $100 billion in refunds. We got nothing.

Health care money "straight to you"? Instead, Republicans let your ACA help run out. The average payment jumped from $113 to $178 a month. That's about $780 more a year. Now Trump is mailing $500 checks to about 1 million people out of 19 million on the ACA. He took $780 and handed a lucky few $500 back.

Now he's promising a $5,000 "Trump Dividend," but only if Republicans keep Congress. If the money's there, why not send it now? Because it's not a check. It's a bribe with a due date.

Yep. We're winning.

We're winning so much, they're making it harder to vote. Right here in Rowan County, Republicans on the Board of Elections fought to cut early voting. Democrats pushed for 15 days with two Saturdays and a Sunday. Republicans wanted fewer days and no Sunday souls to the polls. It took the state board to settle it.

Folks who are winning don't need to lock the door.

And here at home, Greg Edds is running the same play.

Edds rolled out the red carpet for giant AI data centers that suck up power like there's no tomorrow. Who pays for the new lines and plants? We do.

And Edds keeps standing with Duke Energy while Duke keeps jacking up your bill.

Duke overcharged us when the law said they couldn't. The state's consumer watchdog took them to court. While the case was still in court, Republicans in Raleigh slipped a retroactive gift for Duke into a bill. The governor vetoed it. They overrode him.

The court ruled Duke broke the law. But no refund, because thanks to Raleigh, Duke could just bill you for it twice.

Why would Republicans do that? Because Duke owns them.

Duke breaks the law. Duke keeps the money. We keep paying.

Yep. We're winning.

The big companies get the deals. Working families get the tab. Sound familiar? It's the Trump playbook with a Rowan County address. And Greg Edds likes where we're headed.

I don't.

So check your power bill. Check your mortgage. Check your health insurance. Check the gas pump. Then vote early, while they still let us.

And check your mailbox for those Trump checks.

Yep. We're winning.

​#nc76

Republicans used to talk about "small government." They said government worked best when decisions were made closest to the people. Local.

Apparently that conservative principle no longer applies when local communities make choices Raleigh doesn't like.

This November's constitutional amendments would take more decision-making power away from counties, cities, and local voters and place it in Raleigh.

Less freedom for local communities. More control from the state.

For sixteen years, Republicans have controlled Raleigh. During that time, the General Assembly has repeatedly limited local authority, including on labor standards and other local policy decisions.

Now they want to go even further by restricting how communities can raise the revenue needed to support police officers, firefighters, schools, emergency medical services, roads, and other essential services.

They call it taxpayer protection.

But if a fast-growing county cannot hire enough deputies, cannot build the schools it needs, cannot adequately fund fire and EMS, and cannot keep up with the demands of growth, what exactly has been protected?

Certainly not the community.

Conservatives once warned about a "nanny state" that controlled too much of people's lives.

Today, many of those same conservative politicians want Raleigh deciding what powers local governments may exercise, how communities may raise revenue, what can be taught in public schools, and what choices local folks and communities are allowed to make for themselves.

That isn't small government.

That is centralized government. Sounds authoritarian, doesn't it?

They don't want to conserve local control.

​They want to control it.

Insurance Failure Forces Scott Huffman's Doctor to Change Treatment Plan

Salisbury, NC, July 30, 2026. Scott Huffman, Democratic nominee for North Carolina House District 76, was scheduled to receive his first hormone therapy injection for prostate cancer today. The medication was in his doctor's office, the appointment was scheduled, and Huffman was prepared to begin treatment.

The injection never happened because the insurance approval never came.

Huffman's doctor had planned to begin treatment today because timing is critical and waiting was not an acceptable option; his doctor was forced to change the treatment plan in real time.

"I was prepared for the shot. I knew it was going to hurt like hell, but it was one shot and it was part of fighting this cancer," Huffman said. "The medication was sitting in the doctor's office waiting for me. I was ready. My doctor was ready. The insurance company was not."

Huffman said the experience shows how quickly an insurance approval process can interfere with medical decisions that should be made between a patient and a doctor.

"This was supposed to be my first day of cancer treatment. Instead, it became my first insurance roadblock," Huffman said. "My doctor should not have to change a cancer treatment plan because an insurance company failed to approve the medication on time."

Rather than risk a further delay, Huffman's doctor selected another course of treatment. Huffman said he is grateful to have a doctor who acted quickly, but many patients are not as fortunate.

"This is not just my story. This happens to people every day with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other serious medical conditions," Huffman said. "People pay higher premiums, higher deductibles, and higher copays, only to be told that they still need permission before receiving the care their doctor ordered."

Huffman said the cost and complexity of healthcare are crushing working families at the exact moment they are most vulnerable.

"I keep thinking about the people who are simply told no," Huffman said. "The people who do not have a doctor willing to fight through the process. People who cannot afford another medication. The people who lose precious time because an insurance company is reviewing paperwork while they are fighting for their lives."

Huffman said the experience has made the purpose behind his campaign even clearer.

​"I am running for every person who has been forced to wait for healthcare while an insurance company decides whether their doctor's treatment plan is acceptable," Huffman said. "Cancer does not wait for paperwork. Patients should not have to wait either."

For sixteen years, North Carolina Republicans have held power not because voters freely chose them district by district, but because they drew political maps designed to guarantee their own control.

They gerrymandered districts. They stacked the courts. They built a legislature that answers to itself instead of the people it claims to represent.

That is not democracy working as intended. That is authoritarian rule hiding behind the institutions of state government.

Today's Senate vote on House Bill 958 is only the latest proof.

Republicans have already stripped the Governor of constitutional authority over the State Board of Elections and handed that power to their own partisan State Auditor. Now they are cutting early voting in primaries and special elections from 17 days to 10. They are giving that same partisan auditor greater power to reach into county election systems. They are making it harder for outsider candidates to qualify for a party ballot. They are weakening campaign finance rules so more secret money can flow to political allies with less public accountability.

None of this is about efficiency.

It is about power. It is about control.

When one party spends nearly two decades drawing its own districts, stacking its own courts, taking control of election oversight, weakening campaign finance transparency, and shrinking the time citizens have to vote them out, that party is not governing.

It is rigging the system to protect itself from the voters.

And they are doing it while North Carolinians are struggling.

Families are being crushed by rising costs. Health care is becoming harder to afford. Wages remain too low. Working people are falling further behind while corporations and the wealthy continue to gain more power and more wealth.

Instead of dealing with those problems, Republicans in Raleigh spent this week making it harder for the people suffering under this economy to have a voice in their own government.

North Carolina does not need another voting restriction, another partisan power grab, or another loophole for secret campaign money.

North Carolina needs the People's Government back.

I join the citizens of House District 76 and people across our state in calling on the North Carolina House to reject House Bill 958. If it reaches Governor Stein's desk, he should veto it without hesitation.

Sixteen years of one-party rule has not strengthened democracy in North Carolina. Republicans have hollowed it out.

It is time for the people of this state to take their government back.

​Scott Huffman, NC House 76 Candidate

After my biopsy confirmed prostate cancer, the Salisbury Post followed up with me about the diagnosis and the campaign.

I talked about out-of-pocket costs that had already reached about $10,000, and why affordable health care is at the top of my agenda for District 76. I'm probably not the only person in Rowan County making that drive to the cancer center, and that's exactly why I'm not dropping out.

"Prostate cancer is one of the most curable cancers," I told the Post. This diagnosis makes me more determined to stay in this race and fight, not less.

Salisbury Post, July 8, 2026. Read the full story in the Salisbury Post.

1,014 days. That is exactly how long Republicans in Raleigh left our state without a comprehensive budget. While working families across North Carolina were struggling to keep up with the cost of living, Republicans in Raleigh were busy playing political games instead of doing the job we pay them to do.

They finally passed a budget this week, and it is nothing but a slap in the face. It fails to meet the reality on the ground. While teachers and state employees are left with pay raises that barely keep up with inflation, the real winners in this deal are not the people of North Carolina.

Republicans in Raleigh are OK inserting retroactive legislation that benefits corporations and their donors, but they couldn't find it in their hearts to make teacher raises retroactive for the 1,014 days teachers had to wait.

Look at where their priorities actually lie. Republicans in Raleigh and in Rowan County are rolling out the red carpet for massive unregulated AI data centers that consume our precious resources and drive up demand on our power grid. Meanwhile, our families are left to deal with the fallout as Duke Energy forces us to swallow significant rate increases. They are asking us to subsidize their corporate friends, shareholders, and tech giants while our own household budgets are stretched to the breaking point.

This is a complete failure of governance. Republicans in Raleigh have shown us exactly who they serve. They serve the special interests building these power-hungry mega projects and the utilities raising your bills. They do not serve you.

We need a change in District 76. I am running to fight for our working families, not for corporate giants or the political establishment. It is time to stop the games and start working for the people who actually call North Carolina home.

​#NCpol #District76 #NorthCarolina #Accountability #WorkingFamilies #NCBudget

The Salisbury Post reported on my announcement that I would undergo a prostate biopsy in June. My doctor ordered an MRI after I was evaluated for an enlarged prostate.

I went public because I had to put off my own health care when I couldn't afford it. If it happened to me, it's happening to families all across District 76. Working people are doing everything right and still falling behind.

The biopsy didn't slow this campaign down. As I told the Post, "I am concerned, but I am not backing down."

Salisbury Post, May 29, 2026. Read the full story in the Salisbury Post.

Most Americans have heard of data breaches — when a company gets hacked and your credit card or password leaks online. But what if I told you that a new federal program called DOGE may have already exposed something far worse — the personal data of every single American?

That’s not an exaggeration. A new Senate report by Senator Gary Peters, who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, shows that DOGE has been collecting and storing our most private information — including Social Security numbers, work history, and personal files — in a system with little to no cybersecurity protection.

You can read it for yourself here: Senate Homeland Security Report on DOGE (PDF):
www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/DOGE_REPORT_FINAL_7.pdf
---
What the Report Found
According to the 42-page Senate report, DOGE isn’t following basic cybersecurity laws. Employees and contractors were given direct access to government databases — sometimes without background checks or clear oversight. One whistleblower said a copy of the entire Social Security database — that’s all 333 million Americans — was uploaded to a cloud server marked “vulnerable.”
That means names, birthdates, work records, and Social Security numbers are sitting on a system that hackers — or even foreign governments — could reach. Senator Peters’ staff warned that this could cause “catastrophic harm” if not fixed immediately.
---
Why This Should Alarm Everyone
Your Social Security number isn’t just a number. It connects to your job, taxes, bank accounts, credit cards, passports, and Real ID. If that number is stolen or changed, your whole financial life can collapse.
Now imagine this: if DOGE’s system is ever breached, the U.S. government may have to reissue new Social Security numbers for every American.

Think about what that means:
- Every employer would need to redo payroll.
- Every bank would need to reconnect accounts.
- Every credit report would have to be rebuilt.
- Every passport, license, and tax record would need re-verification.
The chaos would be historic. Entire agencies would be overwhelmed, and millions of Americans could lose access to their paychecks, benefits, or IDs — maybe for months.
---
The Russia Question
The report also raises fears of foreign access. Around the time DOGE began copying data, there were login attempts from Russian IP addresses linked to DOGE systems. One whistleblower mentioned a user nicknamed “BigBalls” who had backend access to systems later flagged for suspicious activity. Whether that name is tied to Russia or not, it highlights a disturbing fact: DOGE’s network is so open that anyone inside could become a doorway for outside attackers. When every piece of data is in one giant warehouse, one bad password or insider leak could open the vault.
---
This Isn’t Just a Tech Problem
This isn’t about computers — it’s about trust. When you file taxes, apply for a job, or get Social Security, you assume your information is protected. But DOGE’s structure breaks that trust. It ignores federal privacy laws and operates beyond normal agency security rules.
As one cybersecurity expert said, it’s like “handing your house keys to a stranger because they promised to clean up faster.”  If DOGE fails — or if it’s already been breached — there’s no backup plan. The system holding your identity, your history, and your future could already be compromised.
---
What Happens If It’s Breached
If even part of this system is hacked, we’ll see:
- Mass identity theft and financial fraud
- Frozen benefits for retirees and veterans
- Delayed taxes, healthcare, and student aid
- Government chaos trying to rebuild accurate records
It’s not just personal. It’s national. We’d be trying to rebuild the digital DNA of 330 million people.
---
What Needs to Happen Now
1. Suspend DOGE’s access immediately. Freeze all data uploads until security is verified.
2. Independent cybersecurity audit. Let outside experts examine every server and access log.
3. Transparency. Americans deserve to know who accessed their data — and when.
4. Criminal accountability. If insiders or contractors broke the law, prosecute them.
5. Emergency planning. Start building a national plan for reissuing Social Security numbers — before the worst happens.
---
This Crosses Every Party Line
It doesn’t matter if you’re Republican or Democrat — this is about you. From the President to a high school student opening a bank account, we’re all part of the same data pool.
If DOGE is allowed to keep running unchecked, the next “data breach” won’t hit one company. It’ll hit America.
---
Final Thought
Senator Peters’ report is a warning siren. America’s digital house is on fire, and we can already smell the smoke. If the government doesn’t act now, DOGE could become the single greatest data disaster in our history — one that touches every paycheck, every family, and every identity in this country.
It’s time to pull the plug and protect the people.

Scott Huffman is an Information Technology professional, U.S. Navy veteran, and community leader from Salisbury, North Carolina. He has worked in IT for more than 30 years and writes about cybersecurity, democracy, and public accountability.

Imagine opening the Nextdoor app and seeing your photo under the headline: “Meet Your Local Left-Wing Domestic Terrorist.” That’s what a fake troll account did. Not because I incited violence. Not because I broke laws. But because I dared to speak openly. I posted a comment that reflected the frustration many Americans feel watching hate masquerade as patriotism, and suddenly I became the villain in their story. It’s as if using the word “Karma” was the same as if I was the one who did it in Utah.
 
Let me be clear: I do not condone violence. For 8 years, I served in the U.S. Navy to protect this nation and my neighbors, not to see it torn apart by hate and extremism. But when extremists in Rowan County found my Facebook post and twisted it into a rallying cry, they didn’t just attack my free speech. They attacked my character, my livelihood, and my First Amendment right to speak freely. They called me a traitor. A hater. A threat. They shared my post in private groups, smeared me on social media platforms, and even called my workplace demanding that I be fired. The irony? I am self-employed. They were literally demanding that I fire myself.
 
This is the playbook of intimidation. And it is not new. Four years ago, when I ran for Congress against one of the architects of gerrymandered extremism, I saw firsthand how far some will go to hold onto power. I didn’t lose because my ideas to help my community. I lost because NC Republicans rigged the congressional district so they win no matter what, and this silenced voices in our communities. Voices that believe diversity is our strength, not our weakness. Voices that believe every child deserves a free school lunch and a quality public education. Voices that believe our homeless and veterans deserve dignity, not neglect and jail time. Voices that believe working families deserve a livable wage, affordable health care, and a fair shot at the American Dream.
 
I believe in science, vaccines, and facts that don’t change with ideology. I believe in fair elections where every citizen has the right to vote, free from intimidation or suppression. I believe our military should defend our nation, not deployed against our own people spreading fear and anxiety. I believe in the separation of church and state, because freedom of religion also means freedom from government-imposed religion.  No one person, organization has the right to impose their faith on others.
 
And I believe in neighbors helping neighbors, not profiling their skin color, or accent, arresting them, or deporting them to a country they are not from and have never known. I believe in a pathway to citizenship for immigrant children who know no other home than the United States. I believe in community, not conspiracy.
 
So when they smear me as a threat, I ask: what exactly are they afraid of? Are they afraid of a Navy veteran who believes in feeding hungry kids? Are they afraid of a neighbor who believes every voice should matter at the ballot box? Are they afraid of someone who insists that our country is strongest when it lifts everyone up?
 
If that makes me a “domestic terrorist” in their eyes, then their definition is warped, twisted, and broken. What they fear is not me. It is accountability and transparency. What they fear is not my words. It truth. It is empathy. What they fear is someone who refuses to back down when bullied. What they fear is unity, because division keeps authoritarians in power.
 
The most un-American thing any of us can do is: attack our citizens, our neighbors, our community.  That doesn't lift everyone up.  That puts a boot on the necks of those who you do not agree with.  What happened to agree to disagree?
 
Yet I remain hopeful. Hopeful that leadership will see the need to tone down the rhetoric and stop lying instead of doubling down. Not targeting late night shows.  Hopeful that our nation can remember that strength is found in compassion, not cruelty and fear. Until our leaders step up and accept all Americans for who they are, who they love, and how they live their lives, we will remain divided, long after I have left this world.
 
Scott Huffman is small business owner in Information Technology. - He can be reached at [email protected]