We need nonpartisan voices to work on climate change
Tim Profeta’s op-ed ( “Will John McCain be the last Republican leader to address climate change?” Aug. 30) might have taken another form: “Will Thom Tillis succeed John McCain as the next Republican leader in the Senate to address climate change?” In a web post by the Center for Climate & Security, Sen. Tillis is quoted as recognizing the need to “build a coalition of people in the middle that actually want to solve the problem, and not necessarily advance a political agenda exclusively.”
People in the middle exist. Former President Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of the Treasury (James A. Baker III), his Secretary of State (George P. Schultz), and the chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers (Martin Feldstein) support carbon pricing and dividends to stimulate the free market to develop solutions to climate change. Carbon Fee and Dividend is one form of this approach. CF&D is supported by the Republicans, Democrats, and non-affiliated voters who have set aside partisan political agendas to work together as members of Citizens Climate Lobby to address this threat.
Americans who want a nonpartisan, market-based, revenue-neutral, jobs-creating solution to climate change need a voice in the Senate. Will Sen. Tillis become that voice?
—Jacob B. Van Kretschmar
Raleigh
Reincarnated lawmakers
After reading this (“What happens when the courts criminalize poverty,” Sept. 20), I can only hope that reincarnation is real and all our legislature members who continue to target the poor come back as at least a poor person and ideally a poor black person. Their actions have nothing to do with the law and everything to do with discrimination.
—Charles R. Schroeder
Cary
Call to duty
In 1913, Francis Venable had a vision to erect a Civil War monument to inspire future Carolina students to have the courage demonstrated by UNC alumni when they answered the call to duty. Unfortunately, history continues to label the monument as a Confederate statue.
True, the initial idea by Annie Kenan of the United Daughters of the Confederacy was to erect a Confederate monument. But once Venable exchanged ideas with sculptor John Wilson, he expanded his tribute to UNC alumni from northern states that fought for the Union.
However, Kenan apparently did not agree with Venable’s changes and disbanded the monument committee. Somehow, Venable was able to reorganize the committee under a new chairwoman. He needed the UDC’s help in fund-raising as well as cooperation from the powerful Julian Carr. In order to gain their approval, Venable left in an alleged quote from Robert Lee as “their commander.”
The main point he wanted the monument to convey was a tribute to the act of courage in answering the “call to duty.” If Venable wanted the monument to be a Confederate statue, he would have the young man in uniform and plainly stated on the inscription “in honor of the Confederacy.”
—Paul M. Stutts
Greensboro
Spell check
The past tense and past participle of “to lead” is “led,” not “lead”. The only time lead should be pronounced with a short “e” is when talking about the heavy metal.
Please make my day by correcting your spelling. Stop depending on spell checkers, and use what you learned in elementary school.
—Kenneth Caudell
Durham
Tuition cut
Regarding Jane Stancill’s September 9th article “These three NC colleges drastically dropped tuition” raises questions if these undergraduate students are receiving the “bang for their buck.” Stancill states that there are increased enrollments at Elizabeth City State University, UNC Pembroke, and Western Carolina University due to the decreased tuition rates for both in-state and out-of-state students.
It makes me wonder if these schools are physically ready to meet the demands of more students on their campuses. Shortage of housing facilities, adjusting class sizes, creating new academic sections, and redistributing academic dollars to support their overloading faculties are a few setbacks that these schools will possibly face.
—Tessa Minnich
Raleigh
Couldn’t care less
In “In NC, we know some good black NFL quarterbacks” (Aug. 20), the editorial board wrote: “The black quarterbacks in the NFL probably could care less about Redden’s comments.”
I thought you people were intelligent, and then you do something that dumb. I know that phrase is extremely common, but buying into the ignorance of the general public doesn’t make something right.
It’s “couldn’t care less.” If you care about something, that means you are capable of caring less if you felt like it. If something really concerns you, you could, possibly, care a lot less (could care less). If you are totally lacking any concern at all about something, that means it is impossible to care any less, unless you go into negative numbers (couldn’t care less).
—William Medlock
Raleigh