Four more casinos? It’s all part of Tim Moore and Phil Berger’s plan. | Opinion

GOP casino plan

Regarding “Adding 4 new casinos will cause harm to my community, others,” (Sept. 8 Opinion):

Republicans leaders in North Carolina want to lower taxes for the rich. They want the hard-working middle class and the poor people to foot the bill to support our state government.

Adding four casinos is just a way for the Republican leadership, House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger, to justify lowering the income tax. They make up revenue losses by increasing fees, which the rest of us have to pay for.

When will the voters of North Carolina realize that Republicans do not care about the working class in our state?

Ted Dunn, Pittsboro

Budget delay

Thank you for reporting on the NC GOP leadership focus on casinos. This might explain why they haven’t yet passed a budget. Maybe someone can get then to re-focus on what’s important?

John Price, Cary

Canceling school

Aug. 31 was a beautiful day in Raleigh and yet school was canceled. Why? There was a chance of a hurricane, and also a chance that someone somewhere in our far flung school system may have trouble getting to school. So let us be safe and cancel…

We are finally seeing the problems that result from our huge unified school system. Let us go back to separate school systems in Cary, Raleigh, Garner, Wake Forest and maybe other places. Some benefits: less distances to cover, more neighborhood schools, less busing, and more local control.

Ben Owens, Raleigh

Clean energy?

The writer is a former visiting professor in UNC’s Department of Sociology.

Regarding “Proposed NC bill defines nuclear power as clean energy,” (Sept. 6):

As any critically trained ecologist knows, technologies like natural gas fracking and nuclear power are neither “clean” nor “sustainable.” With informed political leadership and directed investments in solar, wind, bio-fuels, geothermal, and serious conservation policies, hundreds of academic studies show that the U.S. could be largely carbon-free and off the fossil fuel treadmill by 2050 or 2060 — without building one more coal, gas or nuclear plant.

Before the N.C. legislature votes on this risky and deceptive bill, I suggest they study the health problems of the tens of thousands of citizens impacted by the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl or Fukushima nuclear disasters.

“Clean energy”? I think not.

Anthony Ladd, Carrboro

Gun violence

The writer is a minister and activist in Durham.

Following the tragic Aug. 28 shooting at UNC-Chapel Hill there was a renewed call to stop gun violence. Yet, in the days that followed there were several deadly shootings in Durham, less than 20 minutes away. Few raised an eyebrow, as the murder of African-American men seems to have been normalized.

Most disturbing is the silence among those running for office this fall, as far as offering new answers to a question that has plagued the Bull City for more than two decades. How do we effectively stop the gun violence on the streets?

The city has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on solutions, such as the Bull City United violence interruption program, that have yielded dubious tangible results. Meanwhile, blood is spilled daily on Durham streets.

Durham voters must demand to know if the current candidates plan to reassess the money being funneled to current solutions. Or, will it be business as usual in the “Bull-et” City?

Paul Scott, Durham

Southern dialect

Regarding “We’ll help you talk the talk like you’re from around here, even if you’re from Oregon,” (Aug. 26):

It was not until I started in the sociolinguistic program at N.C. State University that I learned that having an accent or dialect was not something to be ashamed of. Whether you are from Oregon or North Carolina, language is meant to be celebrated. The words and phrases we use tell stories about our cultures and local histories. So when you hear one of those Southern phrases remember the importance of language diversity and education. We should celebrate our cultural and historical legacy, but we must also eliminate the discrimination and prejudice that has been associated with Southern varieties of English.

Haley M. Kinsler, Raleigh

This story was originally published September 10, 2023 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Four more casinos? It’s all part of Tim Moore and Phil Berger’s plan. | Opinion."