8/10 Letters: Trump’s immigration proposal overlooks true immigrant ‘merit’

Regarding “Trump plan would dramatically cut legal immigration” (Aug. 3): Thank goodness the president’s immigration proposals were not in effect when my grandfather emigrated from Greece to this country as a young adult. He came alone, he could not speak English, he was not educated, he had no money and he had no marketable skills – he had been a shepherd at home.

He started by selling fruit on the streets of Manhattan, then worked for DuPont in Wilmington, Del., then made his way to Raleigh where he operated restaurants for the rest of his life, hiring American workers. He married and had nine children, including six sons – all of whom served in the military (four fought in Europe and Asia in World War II) – something no member of the Trump family has ever done.

Opinions ‘assailable’

Regarding “College orientation – go left young freshman” (Aug. 2): J. Peder Zane puzzles me. In the course of decrying political correctness in summer reading assignments at UNC, N.C. State and Duke, he argues that students can’t learn anything useful from memoir, since personal stories are subjective.

That’s a remarkable stance from a guy who used to edit the N&O’s Book Review. I suppose we’ll need to strike Thoreau, Marcus Aurelius and Anne Frank from the curriculum.

More remarkable still, Zane holds that no credence be given the selected books because “they are not collections of facts – which can be debated objectively – but of opinions, which, by their nature, are unassailable.” What an alluring view for an opinion columnist. Not to be contrarian, but I find Zane’s latest collection of opinions assailable from beginning to end.

Support clean energy

The solar energy bill and wind energy executive order are huge steps forward for clean energy in North Carolina. According to “Cooper signs solar energy bill despite controversial wind project moratorium” (July 28), the executive order “clarifies that wind projects can proceed through the initial permit stages – and that the state should do all it can to help them along” despite the red tape that has previously threatened these projects. The article also highlights House Bill 589, a bill that guarantees the support of solar energy across the state.

It’s important to know that support for clean energy is robust within both political parties. In fact, a poll conducted by Conservatives for Clean Energy earlier this year found that voters continue to prefer new clean energy policies over other energy options. As a Republican in North Carolina, I agree with Conservatives for Clean Energy in that the unnecessary moratorium aimed at halting clean energy development would cause harm to North Carolina’s economy. I applaud the vast majority of Republicans in the State House for agreeing to pass legislation that will expand all renewable energy programs across North Carolina.

This story was originally published August 9, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "8/10 Letters: Trump’s immigration proposal overlooks true immigrant ‘merit’."