It’s clear GOP doesn’t want to address badly needed immigration reform | Opinion

Immigration

Some readers may recall the “Gang of 8,” four U.S. senators from each party who 11 years ago spent weeks drafting a comprehensive immigration bill. It passed the Senate with a comfortable bipartisan majority, including 13 Republican senators. Then, disaster struck in the House. Then-Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and the Freedom Caucus made life a living hell for Speaker John Boehner, effectively dissuading him from permitting the House to even consider the bill, much less vote on it.

Last spring, Republican Sen. James Lankford’s Senate-passed immigration reform bill failed in the House. It is clear the Republican Party does not want to effectively address badly needed immigration reform.

Jim Witeck, Apex

Mark Robinson

Regarding “Ad quotes Robinson on abortion: Women should ‘keep your skirt down.’” (June 5):

Mark Robinson’s attempt to throw the blame for sexual activity on women is refuted by studies, including a report cited June 6 in the Reproductive Rights Today newsletter. Of the roughly 3,400 participants who completed a survey in 2023, 63% said their current or former partner pressured or forced them to have sex or engage in sexual activity when they didn’t want to. In addition, 39% said they’d been in a relationship with someone who threatened them if they didn’t want to have sex, and 23% said they’ve been pressured into getting pregnant.

Janice Woychik, Chapel Hill

Justice distorted

I’m shaking my head at how distorted our justice system is. On May 29 I read Halston Fisher’s opinion piece about how not being able to pay $288 in fines for a speeding ticket left him without a driver’s license for 12 years. Then, I read about Jordan Porter, who had multiple pending traffic violations and previous citations for reckless driving, hit and run and more, yet was free to run a red light while allegedly driving under the influence and killed three people.

My family experienced the failures of the system when a 19-year-old hit my husband and son on their bicycles while looking at his cell phone. He walked away free to continue driving after paying only a $25 ticket, while my husband spent months in rehab and has lasting impairment.

Clearly the punishment in these cases has not “fit the crime.” Surely our legislature’s time would be better spent improving our traffic laws and enforcement instead of worrying about who uses which bathroom and who wears a medical mask.

Susan Marshall, Raleigh

Berger and pork

Regarding “Senate leader blames ‘pork’ for state budget impasse,” (May 26):

Although N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger seems surprised that legislators are asking for more pork, he should have seen it coming. It’s a direct consequence of his tax cuts. When you cut revenue, you cut expenditures. How else can local legislators get the state to support communities and infrastructure except to hold up the budget to demand those investments?

Jeff Braden, Raleigh

Contraception

On June 5, the Senate voted on the federal Right to Contraception Act. It would have codified the right to contraception, keeping states from prohibiting access to or restricting the sale or use of contraception. North Carolina’s two senators, Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, voted against this bill. Voters need to pay attention to what our senators are voting for or against because their votes impact our lives.

Stephen Berg, Chapel Hill

Seeking centrists

The U.S. House is dysfunctional largely because of the fractured Republican conference. Witness Marjorie Taylor Greene’s preposterous accusation against Dr. Anthony Fauci at a June 3 hearing on the pandemic. She said he should be “prosecuted for crimes against humanity” and should be in prison.

One of 54 House members not seeking another term, Republican Ken Buck of Colorado, recently said: “It’s important not to turn the government over to the crazies.” Gerrymandering enables the election of the crazies. Perhaps if more centrist, independent candidates could get on the ballot as unaffiliated (not an easy task), we could end the dysfunction. I know this centrist Democrat would vote for such a person.

Rhonda Crutchfield, Raleigh

This story was originally published June 9, 2024 at 5:30 AM with the headline "It’s clear GOP doesn’t want to address badly needed immigration reform | Opinion."