6/16 Letters: McCrory’s claims on voter fraud ‘can’t hold water’

Regarding “McCrory goes out bitter to the end, and beyond” (June 6): Former Gov. Pat McCrory’s claim that he lost the election by voter fraud cannot hold water. If there were a lot of illegal votes, they leaned Republican.

In the Senate race, Republican Sen. Richard Burr received over 270,000 more votes than his opponent. That means that about 140,000 of Burr votes were illegal and switched to vote against McCrory in the governor race. Donald Trump won the state by 150,000. So it appeared with McCrory’s logic that Hillary Clinton lost North Carolina mainly because of all of the illegal votes for Trump.

McCrory should take a math course in logic before claiming widespread voter fraud based on his loss and ignoring Trump’s and Burr’s decisive victories.

Reach out on climate

Regarding “Trump: U.S. to exit climate accord” (June 2): While President Donald Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement is certainly disheartening and establishes a poor image for the United States globally, it’s important to remember that America shouldn’t rely solely on any administration to promote policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in renewables.

In fact, this action only further highlights the importance of reaching out to representatives throughout all levels of government and insisting that they recognize the threat of climate change.

Billboard bill ‘disappointment’

Regarding “Billboard bills would mar N.C.’s beauty” (May 21): Governments and citizen nonprofits have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars beautifying North Carolina roadsides to attract tourists and businesses to the state. House Bill 581 would detract from the scenic beauty and economic development opportunities by encouraging giant electronic billboards.

Under HB 581, billboards will have a taller and mobile “stick,” and the sign will be bigger, glowing and flickering. If a private citizen cut trees on public highways, they would be arrested for destruction of public property, but HB 581 allows billboard companies to take the same destructive action to make their billboards more visible and thus enhance their corporate profit.

HB 581 also prohibits local governments from enforcing their laws to prevent the changes. It is illegal for drivers to take their eyes off the road to look at electronic distractions inside their vehicles, like cellphones and texting – documented safety hazards that contribute to serious highway accidents. HB 581 encourages drivers to look at electronic billboards, a gigantic safety hazard, with 10 billboards allowed per mile.

The ultimate disappointment is that HB 581 takes money from the highway trust fund, intended to fund highway projects, and gives that money to billboard companies. Why would anyone in the state House vote for HB 581?

This story was originally published June 15, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "6/16 Letters: McCrory’s claims on voter fraud ‘can’t hold water’."