Remember when these ‘slips’ would end a political career? | Opinion

I’m 70, pondering American democracy on life support.

Remembering past decades, when a single ‘slip’ would end a career, such as: Howard Dean screams, John Edwards caught in infidelity, Hillary Clinton’s use of the word “deplorables” and NC’s Cal Cunningham’s suggestive messages.

Despite this history of career-ending acts, we’re about to be driven off the cliff by one individual who has: 34 felony convictions, been impeached twice, admitted to grabbing women by their genitals, tried to overturn a presidential election and deployed armed, unidentified and masked agents who violently kidnap and detain innocent people.

And now, who’s mentioned thousands of times in the files of a sex trafficker accused under oath of raping children.

We’re living the saddest chapter in American history.

Bruce Alexander, Pittsboro

Questioning my GOP vote

I have voted Republican for 37 years. The never-ending clown show of the NC Legislature has got me and my family on the verge of voting Democrat for the first time in our lives.

We are the only state without a budget. We have some of the lowest paid state employees in the country – which will soon lead to some of the lowest quality state employees in the country. The wait at the DMV is a long, brutal season in hell.

We have a huge surplus and reserves and are in great financial and economic shape. So why do Republican officials insist on annihilating each other in a suicidal standoff? Apparently, 12 straight years of Democrat governors contains no lessons for them about the tolerance of voters for utter madness.

If this is what the GOP does with total legislative dominance, why keep them in charge? They can never say they weren’t warned.

Scott Salvato, Mooresville

This doesn’t make sense

Who is going to intervene in the state of perpetual chaos, lawlessness and grift we see every day? We pay taxes to get good government and not special interest influence. The lower income and middle class are major contributors to the treasury coffers, yet the upper classes dictate how the money is to be spent. The upper class spends quite a bit of money trying to avoid paying taxes yet benefit from government contracts. It is a One For You And Two For Me!

George Garcia, Rolesville

ICE agents in masks

ICE agents wear masks, dress in “tactical” gear, and carry rifles. They claim that these measures are necessary to protect their identities and the safety of themselves and their families.

This claim is baseless. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has 30,000-plus officers who do not wear masks and do not dress in military-style tactical gear or carry rifles. The NYPD operates within the city and does not feel the need to conceal their identities or hide from their neighbors. This is because the NYPD operates professionally, without assaulting citizens, following the constitution, and generally being respected by the city’s residents.

The federal government should withdraw ICE and Border Patrol agents from American cities, retrain them, and refrain from sending them out to apprehend illegal immigrants until they are properly trained. Upon their deployment these agents should wear uniforms similar to those worn by police forces with badges and name tags, and not wear masks or carry rifles. They should not break down doors and should only enter homes with a properly executed judicial warrant signed by a judge. They should not drag people out of their homes in underwear and clogs. They should follow the U.S. Constitution.

Michael Flynn, Raleigh