NC Board of Elections chair imposes his faith on voters | Opinion
The NC Board of Elections voted to deny Sunday voting in several counties. The chair of the state board, Francis De Luca, said that he is against Sunday voting. “I don’t think we should be voting on Sunday,” he said. “I know a lot of people who do nothing on Sunday because that’s the Lord’s day.”
Mr. De Luca seems to be imposing his religious beliefs on the rest of us. Given that he is a Republican, one might speculate that his aim is to decrease voting by Democrats. For example, many black churches – and blacks are mostly Democrats – organize “Souls to the Polls” events after their Sunday services. This decision is very likely to reduce voting by black churchgoers, giving Republicans a better chance of getting elected.
David C. Sokal, Durham
Deciding against democracy
In the piece “State Elections Board Rejects Sunday Voting, Campus Poll Sites in Some Counties” (Jan. 14), it is clear that Republicans know that they must do all they can to make it much harder for Democrats to vote in the March primaries and beyond. Providing greater access to the ballot box is what would promote and sustain our democracy. Instead, NC Republicans decided against democracy! For anyone paying attention, this comes as no surprise.
David Streifford, Chapel Hill
Sorry to Venezuelans
Regarding Venezuela, we are now following the standard imperial model that we rejected in 1776: Install a compliant government to control the people and get to work extracting the natural resources of the “colony” for the sole benefit of the monarch.
To the Venezuelan people: I am sorry if you hoped for US support for democracy and for the installation of the government you voted for; that was not what removing Maduro was about. Nothing has changed for you except you are now an American colony and Trump owns your oil.
Scott Shuford, Hillsborough
Donald Trump’s concerns
Donald Trump is not worried about rising premiums for health care, the murder of a 37-year-old mother of three in Minneapolis, the cost of groceries, or much else impacting working-class people. Trump is worried about his ballroom, controlling Venezuelan oil, “the enemy within,” and owning Greenland. Despite a 1951 agreement that gave the USA the ability to address national security concerns within Greenland.
Trump perceives Americans who do not support him as “the enemy within.” Hence administration efforts to incite conflict within the US. Our courts have rejected deploying military troops in many domestic circumstances. Trump appears to hope to use the insurrection act to do what courts have rejected.
Jacqueline Fay Allen, Carrboro
Comprehensive Plan
The author is former chair, Raleigh Planning Commission:
Raleigh’s Comprehensive Plan is an aspirational statement for really good planning. The Comprehensive Plan creates a framework for the UDO. For a lot of people though, it’s still a suggestion, and we’re not at the point yet where we have been able to fulfill the promise of the Comprehensive Plan. It’s the bright light of a planning candle that gets routinely snuffed out.
Please resist any suggestions not to take the Comprehensive into consideration, and that it is only a guide. Please vote to uphold the Comprehensive Plan on Z-34-25 and damn any torpedoes that may come your way as a result of your “No” vote.
Robert Mulder, Raleigh
Moments We’ll Remember
I want to thank you for your Dec. 28 “The Moments We’ll Remember” issue. Although I always enjoy a recap of the year, I particularly appreciated how you highlighted all the members of your journalism staff with a photo and a job title. I know that you work against great odds at this time, generally overworked and underpaid. Seeing your faces and the area of journalism that you cover added a wonderful human element.
I applaud your commitment to investigative and timely reporting and the efforts that you make to cover the local stories that impact our lives. You help me to connect the dots and also keep me aware of things close to home.
Dr. Jill Hemming Austin, Chapel Hill