NC legislature: ‘Throw the bums out’ | Opinion

Throw them out

There is only one reason for legislators to shield themselves from debate on public policy, they don’t want to be held accountable.

The Oct. 16 Opinion piece by two N.C. legislators highlighting the steps the legislature has taken toward authoritarianism, should be read by every N.C. voter. The response to this dire warning should be “throw the bums out.”

Led by Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, the Republicans in the General Assembly have systematically dismantled our representative government in favor of one party (the minority party by statewide voter registration), resulting in almost unlimited control of state policy and federal representation. Hold our legislators accountable by understanding for whom and what you are voting.

Scott Johnson, Cary

Destroy records?

New laws passed by the legislature give legislators authority to destroy or sell their records (Oct. 16 Opinion). At every private company I’ve ever worked for, any work product that I created belonged not to me but to the folks who paid my salary. If there is a compelling job-related reason why legislators (who are paid with tax dollars) should be able to unilaterally destroy their work product or sell it to the highest bidder, it is not obvious to me. This provision appears to establish a dangerous precedent that could easily be abused to the detriment of the tax-paying public.

Tony Tschopp, Raleigh

Gerrymandering

What’s going on now in the U.S. House is proof of the dangers of extreme gerrymandering. Motivated by the quest for power, more and more districts across the country are being created with zero chance for competitive races. This has enabled the most radical members of one party to win elections. And this small group isn’t interested in governing.

More competitive districts mean more centrists get elected. This means more governing, less chaos. Unfortunately, N.C. lawmakers have now been empowered to move in the opposite direction. They’re set to create more gerrymandered districts with zero chance for competitive races. And more radicals will get elected.

Mark Kinlaw, Holly Springs

All in for Trump

An Oct. 15 letter writer suggested that Donald Trump is all wrong. President Trump took the game to a whole different level. He blatantly called out the fake news. He called out the disagreements within his own party. You knew — and know — where he stands every time. You don’t have to read between the lines. He tells it like it is. He is a business man who put America first. Trump turned the political arena upside down, so that now candidates are all trying to figure out how to come out alive in the new political arena. Trump did that, not Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.

John Cavallaro, Garner

War in Israel

The writer volunteers for several local Jewish organizations.

The only potential way to remove Hamas from Gaza is to bring in Israeli troops as a ground force. The U.S. had to do that a decade ago to defeat ISIS and remove it from Iraq and Syria. If the Israeli army is to accomplish what is needed today, it must remove the Hamas terrorists in a manner that causes the least harm to the civilian population, the Palestinian people. The best of bad options, and the most humane, is to have the innocent population leave before the invasion. To avoid civilian casualties, it is imperative they are gone. None of us like war, but it is required sometimes. Abraham Lincoln began the Civil War to free our country of slavery. We fought the Revolutionary War to become an independent country. Sometimes, only war brings peace.

Stanley Robboy, Chapel Hill

Demand ceasefire

By financing Israel’s military to the tune of $3 billion per year and vetoing international calls for a ceasefire, the U.S. government is complicit in this senseless violence. Led by Jewish human rights activists, thousands took to the streets last week and occupied congressional offices demanding Israel uphold international law. Sixteen U.S. representatives have co-sponsored a resolution urging a ceasefire. Half of Gaza’s people are children. Call N.C. representatives in Congress and urge them to join colleagues calling for peace.

Shiva Rajbhandari, Chapel Hill

This story was originally published October 22, 2023 at 5:30 AM with the headline "NC legislature: ‘Throw the bums out’ | Opinion."