Drop the false outrage at school district, NC lawmakers. Focus on issues that matter | Opinion
The NC legislature is in a huff about Chapel Hill - Carrboro Schools officials’ failure to show sufficient deference to the Parent’s Bill of Rights, and they have been called before a committee to testify.
Instead of bullying educators from CHCS, arguably one of the best school districts in the state, the legislature’s time would be better spent passing a budget or investigating the numerous mass shootings and killings that have recently taken place in NC.
Try doing something that might have a positive impact on the state, as opposed to inventing false outrage to appease your base and increase your fundraising.
Lee Evans, Raleigh
Cold-hearted
After family members donated to a food bank, they explained how long the lines were at the donation site. I was encouraged to see how North Carolinians have risen to the challenge of providing for those hurt by the lack of SNAP benefits this month.
It’s cold-hearted for this administration to use food insecurity as a tool to end the government shutdown while refusing to negotiate ways to restore key health insurance subsidies to bring down insurance costs that will hit a million people in NC in a few months.
Families, veterans and those with disabilities should not be going hungry while we’re waiting for the government to reopen. Release all SNAP contingency plan moneys now.
Patti Maxwell, Cary
Pungent smell
Following concerns of a pungent smell, Durham found chemical wholesaler Brenntag’s wastewater has been contaminating the water of a creek running through the Burton Park playground. Following the passing of “World Child Health” day in October, this issue is topical.
The Brenntag Mid-South location is just upstream from the East-Durham community of McDougal Terrace, which primarily consists of low-income people of color. This is a clear breach of environmental rights. Water quality tests revealed dangerously high levels of pollutants such as toluene, acetone and ethanol. These chemical agents amplify health risks in the area.
As Trump’s administration dismantles the Environmental Protection Agency under the guidance of EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, including the termination of the office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, it is unclear whether the funds for remediation needed to save the McDougal Terrace residents from Brenntag’s hazardous actions will be allocated anytime soon. It is imperative to our neighbors’ wellbeing that we bring awareness to this matter.
Rory Moylan, Hillsborough
Assaulting democracy
North Carolina’s unnecessary mid-decade gerrymandering was rushed through the legislature with little public input. My family has called NC home since 2018. We chose this state because we love the South and believed it could be a place where our interracial Jewish family would thrive — valuing diversity, fairness, and democracy.
This redistricting law betrays that promise. Legislators dismantled NC’s 1st Congressional District, represented by Black members of Congress for three decades. When maps are drawn in secret and rushed through to weaken Black communities, we all lose. This assaults democracy.
As Jews, we are taught “tzedek, tzedek tirdof”— justice, justice you shall pursue. Fair representation is not partisan; it is democratic justice and moral integrity. We deserve a redistricting process that is open, fair,and respects the hard-fought representation of all communities.
Rabbi Sandra Lawson, Durham
Childish leaders
I look at our national leaders and wonder what happened to basic maturity. Instead of dialogue, we see tantrums. Instead of cooperation, we see name-calling and petty revenge. Our Congress, political parties and highest offices seem more interested in scoring points and protecting power than serving people.
My grandmother used to say, “Once an adult, twice a child.” Too many elected officials appear to have entered their second childhood — pouting, threatening, refusing to talk across the aisle. We deserve leaders who act like grown-ups. Leaders who remember service is a responsibility, not a performance, who can disagree without destroying and compromise without surrendering their values.
It is past time for legislators to put the country first. Stand up, speak to each other, and get back to the work we elected you to do.
Jarles Alberg, Raleigh
Not healthy
The “healthy” Republican fight that Andrew Dunn describes in his recent opinion piece has consequences that do not seem healthy to me. In the name of reducing income taxes, our legislature forces local governments to increasingly rely on other income sources to finance the services that we need. Those sources are “fees,” sales taxes and real estate taxes.
These shifts do not reduce taxes. They shift the burden and reduce the level of services. Sales taxes are regressive. Higher real estate taxes lead to zoning policies that encourage construction of expensive houses for the additional revenue they provide. We know what these mean for families in the lower eighty percent of the income spectrum. This is not healthy.
Randolph Rodgers, Raleigh
This story was originally published November 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Drop the false outrage at school district, NC lawmakers. Focus on issues that matter | Opinion."