Politics doesn’t have to be hateful. I’m talking to you Trump, Robinson, Bishop and Morrow. | Opinion

Call out hate

Politics doesn’t have to be exhausting, unnecessary drama. It is possible to accomplish important things for the citizens of North Carolina with respect and dialogue. It is possible to talk with each other about those differences.

Some candidates for office nationally and in North Carolina spew hate and display bullying behavior and a curious interpretation of Christianity. The Bible is not to be used as a weapon — the Bible’s message is one of love, not hate. Yes, I’m calling out Donald Trump, Mark Robinson, Dan Bishop and Michele Morrow.

We have important choices in the upcoming election. Call out hate and disrespect when you see it, and absolutely don’t vote for it. We can do better.

Margaret Pritchard, Littleton

Michele Morrow

Michele Morrow lacks experience for the job she is now seeking

In corporate America the mail room clerk is not suddenly elevated to the position of CEO. There are good reasons for this, chiefly lack of experience for the position.

Morrow is not involved with her local schools, since she chooses to home-school. And yet she proposes to fill a position requiring experience at budgeting — an $11-billion-plus budget — and in overseeing appropriate actions for all school districts. She needs to first find a more local way to become involved in N.C. schools and in public service if she desires to make positive changes and to acquire the expertise needed for the position she is seeking.

Victor Wilkerson, Durham

Accountability

The Republican candidate to lead North Carolina’s public schools, Michele Morrow, has decided that she should not be held accountable for her past comments calling for the “killing” of President Joe Biden and the televised execution of Barack Obama. She has had ample opportunities to either stand by her comments or apologize for them. Instead, she has chosen to whine about the media and progressives attacking her with “gotcha” questions. She alone is responsible for her vile comments. Her lies, hatred and conspiracies should be unacceptable for anyone who serves our students.

Mark Slattery, Raleigh

School vouchers

What a sad day for North Carolina, with the state having taken a giant step in destroying our public school system — cloaked in a farcical “free choice” voucher system that uses our tax dollars to help millionaires send their children to private school.

Those who can’t afford private school or who choose not to send their children to a religious school are left with a decaying, underfunded, under-attended shell of a public school where teachers and employees are underpaid, understaffed, underappreciated and plain unhappy.

The harmful impact of this legislation will be felt for years, in all areas of our society. To the politicians who overrode the governor’s veto and rammed this legislation through, shame on you.

Roy Friedland, Greensboro

No Labels

A vote for a “No Labels” candidate would be a vote for Donald Trump. However well-intended by the voter, whether it’s to register a protest or to reject the workings of an ineffective Congress, those actively considering such an option would do well to remember the candidacies of George Wallace, Ross Perot, John Anderson, Ralph Nader and Jill Stein. They siphoned off votes from electoral majorities and wound up throwing the election to candidates who set us backward.

Stephen Jaffe, Durham

No to GOP budget

The Republican Study Committee, which includes 80% of House Republicans and 100% of House GOP leadership, just released a budget that calls for over $1.5 trillion in cuts to Social Security and increasing the retirement age to 69.

At campaign events across the country, President Biden has said, “Instead of cutting Social Security and Medicare to give tax breaks to the super wealthy, I’m going to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare and make the wealthy begin to pay their fair share.”

I support the Democratic plan to protect Social Security from cuts and make billionaires finally pay their fair share of taxes — and I oppose the plan by Trump and the Republicans.

Brett Little, Fayetteville

This story was originally published March 31, 2024 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Politics doesn’t have to be hateful. I’m talking to you Trump, Robinson, Bishop and Morrow. | Opinion."