Letters: Amazon HQ2 isn’t going to be in the Triangle. Good.
I think that many people in this area are disappointed that Amazon has chosen to locate HQ2 elsewhere. I am not one of them. While there might be some economic benefits, the impacts on quality of life would be significant. Our schools, roads and other infrastructure including our water supply would be overwhelmed.
More than that, I’m appalled at giveaways to large profitable organizations. These deals are made out of the sight of taxpayers (like me) who would have to pay for them and, I believe, out of the sight of elected officials as well. I’m opposed to financial incentives and those done behind closed doors are particularly suspect. I want sunshine legislation enacted that brings large expenditures of taxpayer money onto the front page of newspapers and the headlines of TV news.
Gertrude Kappel
Raleigh
Sacrifice acknowledgment
At the very least, the loss of UNC students and faculty in the Civil War deserves acknowledgment. Though their view of their sacrifice is not shared by this generation, it was honored in their time and as a war memorial is no less valid than a statue of a Union soldier at Gettysburg. Place Sam at a Civil War battlefield or cemetery with his “band of brothers” and erect a plaque in Memorial Hall contextualizing their sacrifice.
George S. Baroff, Ph.D.
Chapel Hill
American Maignot Line
The current governmental obsession with building a wall along the Mexican border reminds me of a previous experiment in such defenses. In the 1930s, the French fortified their eastern borders in the hope of preventing another German invasion. The network of defenses was called the Maginot Line, and might have succeeded — except that the Germans simply went around it.
If we do wall up the land border with Mexico, I suppose the next step will have to be to extend the wall across Louisiana and up the California coast. For much less money, we could bankroll lots of industries that would employ migrants, turning the (claimed) liability into an asset.
Robert Ide
Cary
Birthright revisions
There are two considerations that compel me to believe that the current interpretation of “birthright” citizenship should be changed, even if a constitutional amendment is required. When the 14th amendment was adopted, its application to foreign nationals was debated. The case relied upon to hold that it does apply to all foreign nationals — legally present or not — did not decide the question. The regulations that determine citizenship can (and have been) altered by the legislature. It is not just that children born to tourists and those who have deliberately flouted the law or are gaming the immigration system have greater citizenship protections than bona fide citizens.
Rosemary Ford
Chapel Hill
Exclusive design
Yesterday evening my wife and I returned from a two-day AMTRAK trip from Raleigh to Washington, D.C. The train ride was comfortable, quiet and pleasant. However, the long-term AMTRAK parking in the garage across from the new terminal at $18/day was a good reason not to ride AMTRAK again unless we paid for a taxi/Uber to and from our home in north Raleigh. Are we trying to discourage people from using our nice new terminal?
Then since we were already downtown, we thought it might be nice to have dinner there. We saw the new Morgan Street Food Hall and tried to find a parking. No luck with that! Of course, the parking garage directly across from the Food Hall was for Citrix employees only. I suppose we could have parked several blocks away, but a long walk in the rain was not appealing.
Apparently, downtown Raleigh is really for those who already live downtown.
J.L. Franklin
Raleigh
Day of Remembrance
Nov. 20 will mark the 20th Transgender Day of Remembrance. It is the day trans people gather to remember the lives lost and commit to fighting for equality. It is particularly important that North Carolina take heed of the situation facing their trans neighbors. In this state, over 77 percent of trans workers have been harassed and discriminated on the clock. Additionally, trans students have seen an alarming rise in harassment and physical harm. Lastly, our state government still denies our existence, and denies us equal protection under the law. We must do better, we must protect and value each other.
This year I would ask my neighbors to please speak up for me, and alongside of me. Please get to know me and your other trans neighbors and help us make the Trans Day of Remembrance a day to celebrate, not to mourn. Each year we are seeing a rise in violence and discrimination. Let’s commit to reversing that trend in 2019 and building a better country and state.
Shana Carroll
Durham