Dear CWC Community:
As many of you know, my home is undergoing a major renovation. Our house was built by a World War II veteran upon his return from defeating the Fascists who were trying to take over the world. Building materials and standards have advanced quite a bit since 1947. So much needs to be brought up to code that we had to strip the house down to the studs. Watching a place that you loved be torn apart is harrowing. I found myself questioning my motivations for this huge project, doubting all the dreams for a better space.
Then, the demolition stopped and the outline of a foundation was dug. Weeks went by while we waited for a sub-contractor to start. The ruined house sat next to a hole where the new addition would eventually go. The hole filled with rain and the contractor pumped it out while we waited for the sub-contractor. I practiced patience that I did not really have, reminding myself that all construction projects have weather delays. The holidays passed and still no work.
I gently nudged our contractor. Could this be more than a weather delay? Did the sub-contractor still have the capacity, or did they lose workers during the ICE raids in Charlotte? Turns out that is exactly what happened, so the sub waved us off to a competitor, because he no longer had the capacity for our job.
Finally, the foundation took form, then framing gave the walls definition, and subflooring defined the spaces our lovely plan promised. We are still months from completion, but when all is done, the house will be much better than the house we bought in the year 2000.
It occurred to me that as I saw my house demolished, we have also seen our country stripped. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) cut health insurance subsidies, rural hospitals, and food assistance for those most in need. But it also granted $51 billion of our tax dollars to four companies: Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Tesla, for no good reason.
According to the Roosevelt Institute, a think tank that counts Nobel Prize winning economists Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman among their fellows, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut hundreds of domestic and foreign services such as the National Weather Service, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). There are now rural areas in the U.S. that cannot send out an emergency announcement about incoming storms, because the public radio station was the only local station. Ottawa, Kansas was recently decimated by a tornado that came as a surprise thanks to staffing shortages at the National Weather Service. Before the DOGE cuts, weather balloons were released at 7:00 a.m. across the Rocky Mountains and tornado alley, but not anymore.
In addition to cuts above and those at the IRS that would have held tax cheats accountable, the screw worm has reappeared in Texas cattle after having been eradicated since the 1960s. DOGE also reduced the number of deadly bacteria the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tracked to just two: Salmonella and Shiga toxin producing E. coli. Since May, cyclosporiasis, a nasty intestinal malady, has sickened thousands in 32 states. Cyclospora was one of six “bugs” dropped from the CDC monitoring program.
Turns out these programs were not waste, fraud or abuse. They were necessary and efficient.
So, what do we do from here?
Like my house, the old world order was tossed in the dumpster. We cannot get it back, but we can build a new and better world, and that project begins with the mid-term elections. The reason the American economy was robust is because the U.S. was a nation governed by laws that were applied the same way to everybody. We need to restore that level playing field.
One of my ten commitments is to tell you what you need to know even if it is hard to hear.
Unfortunately, the current administration wants to make voting more difficult, so everyone needs a voting plan for the election that will take place on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026. Every state will have early voting sites, and mail-in absentee ballots for those who may be out of town for the entire voting period. We want to help you make and implement your voting plan.
We can help you check your voter registration. If you wish to bring a friend who is not registered, we will have voter registration forms. We can show you how to look up your ballot and research the candidates on it.
Why not have some fun in the process?
You are invited to: Trifle, Trivia and Truth
When: Friday, August 21, 2026 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Who else: You may invite any friends who share your concern in these matters.
Where: 501 West John Street, Matthews, NC 28105
Activity: Food, Fellowship, Trivia contest with a special prize. Voter registration confirmation and ballot research, if you are interested.
Please see Drive for Food and Packaged Goods below.
Please RSVP with the number of people who will be attending by August 14th. You can email me at martha@cattwealth.com or Daniel at daniel@cattwealth.com or call (704) 443-7032.
Lunch will be from City BBQ and will feature traditional sides, many of which I will make myself, such as baked beans, peach pie, trifle, and cobbler, plus macaroni and cheese, fresh lightly dressed coleslaw, and gently sautéed sesame green beans for the vegetarians.
Please feel free to invite concerned friends who may not be clients.
We will also be playing a History and Policy Trivia game where contestants must distinguish true statements from false. Whoever answers the most questions correctly wins! The prize is a whole pie I will make personally with your choice of fruit or custard filling delivered to your door. Here are my specialties:
Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Peach/Apple Country Tart, Chocolate Pecan (with or without bourbon), can also make plain Pecan, or Chocolate Pudding Pie, Coconut Cream, or Divine Lime Pie (which is key lime custard mixed with whipped cream in a graham cracker crust). Also, Mango Fruit Tart.
Food and Packaged Good Drive: July 21 – August 31st
We will also be collecting canned and packaged food starting July 21st through August 31st for delivery to The Metrolina Second Harvest Food Bank. As usual, I will donate $1.00 for each pound of food collected, so Second Harvest can buy fresh produce, and a second dollar for World Central Kitchen to feed people in crisis zones.
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