Letters to the Editor
Step one toward judicial equity: Do away with presidential pardons
No more pardons
It’s time to repeal the laws allowing presidential pardons. Looking at the list of pardoned persons is a list of tax cheats, inside traders, violators of campaign laws, bribery, miscellaneous fraud, plus at least one well connected murderer.
Connection to the powerful is not justification for a “get out of jail free card.” Step one toward judicial equity should be to eliminate pardons.
Janis Ramquist, Raleigh
Immigration
This country needs a new immigration policy.
Most immigrants are driven from their homes by poverty, violence or loss of land. The best solution is for the U.S. to use its power and money to stabilize life in their home countries.
Much of the destabilization of the Central American countries can be traced to past actions by the U.S. and cooperating international partners hungry for land or cheap labor.
Dealing with the consequences of this history will be expensive. Our government can use its resources to improve treatment of displaced persons in their countries, or use the money to build prisons and deal with poverty here.
Janie Freeman, Chapel Hill
Teachers first
I am in the 65-74 age range and, like many others, I’ve been frustrated trying to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
However, I feel the state has dropped the ball on this. It should not have allowed those in my age group to schedule appointments now, when the availability of doses is so low. This may prevent people age 75 and older from getting the vaccine and put a strain on the number of second doses available.
In addition, N.C. leaders say they want to get children back into school, yet they place teachers behind my age group. This is just wrong.
So let’s solve this by having an immediate three-day period when only teachers and school personnel can be vaccinated and let’s get the children back in school.
Joel Glassman, Cary
Get the vaccine
No one could guess how COVID-19 would change the country. Now, there is a vaccine. It may not be perfect, but it’s like a seat belt in a car. It increases your chances of surviving.
Take the vaccine. Wear the mask. It may save your life. It may keep you from passing the disease to someone else. And it may keep just one more person from dying from this God-awful virus. Please.
Steven Miller, Holly Springs
Electoral College
Regarding “The Electoral College saved democracy,” (Jan. 21 Opinion):
The Electoral College was a compromise put in the Constitution to satisfy the small states like Rhode Island.
It’s why residents of Wyoming with a population of 578,759 have much more power than North Carolina with a population of 10.4 million. Both states have two senators. This is not one-person, one vote!
In the presidential election, Wyoming has three electoral votes and North Carolina has 15. For a fair election, North Carolina should have 20 times the votes as Wyoming, not five times as we now have.
So, op-ed writer Michael J. Goff’s conclusion is erroneous. Just look what happened in 2016.
Ted Dunn, Pittsboro
Party loyalty
Regarding “Party loyalty may derail the impeachment process,” (Jan. 19 Opinion):
Ned Barnett gets it mostly right. But how about speaking the unvarnished truth?
The GOP was intimidated, or won over by the judges and tax cuts, into silently or loudly going along with the worst president in history. The result was an unmitigated disaster and true “American carnage.”
Sandy Gottlieb, Cary
Truth and facts
Literally every county election board in the country has certified that there was no election fraud and every state election commission has backed this up.
Over 50 court cases have been thrown out because there was no evidenced of widespread fraud.
Two Supreme Court cases were thrown out due to no evidence of fraud, and many recounts have been done with no evidence of widespread fraud.
Yet, over 70% of Republicans think the election was stolen. Who are these people? Do they have no respect for truth and facts?
Douglas Jurney, Raleigh
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