8/11 Letters: ‘Let AG do his duty’ and fund his office

In “Stein cuts 45 jobs to meet tightened budget” (Aug. 4), Senate leader Phil Berger says “the attorney general’s job is to represent his client ... the state of North Carolina.” That’s right: not just liberals, conservatives or unaffiliated residents, but everyone.

So then why is Sen. Berger intent on justifying budget cuts that make it impossible for our elected attorney general to do that duty? Who is not upholding the law here?

Our representatives who drew unconstitutional racially-gerrymandered districts, perhaps?

House Speaker Tim Moore claims Stein’s budget is “adequate,” and he threatens to transfer parts of the AG’s office to other agencies. AG Stein is working for nothing less than every North Carolina resident’s right to the rule of law, and the safety and protection it affords. The budget cuts have forced the layoff of attorneys with expertise in child sex abuse cases and clean water. Is this what Berger thinks is representing North Carolina “appropriately”?

Let the attorney general do his duty. Restore the funding.

Keep DACA promise

Regarding “Trump’s shifting positions on DACA are vexing for many” (July 26): Please join me in calling on Sen. Richard Burr and Sen. Thom Tillis to demand that President Trump follow through on his promises to support the young people who have received protection from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. America made a promise to these young people that if they stayed in school and kept out of trouble, they would not be deported to places they’ve never known.

I personally assisted a local family with their successful DACA application; a couple of hardworking parents and their three sons, all of whom call Durham home. They were my neighbors; their kids played with my kids; they helped out when a Spanish-speaking passerby was hurt in a car crash.

It’s wrong to go back on a promise, and it’s stupid to kick out people who want what we all want: a better life in a safe society.

Drug industry ‘greedy’

“Why you may not need all those days of antibiotics” (Aug. 6) was a clear and concise explanation of one of today’s health care dilemmas. Except for one point – the remark that society didn’t listen to the warnings regarding the overuse of penicillin.

It was not society that didn’t listen. It was the health care and drug industry. The drug industry knew very well that a more cautionary use of antibiotics would not be good for their bottom line. They made it beneficial and profitable for health care professionals to establish the unquestionable protocols of overuse that exist today. Longer treatment periods equal more pills sold. Let’s not blame the patient for the unconscionable greed of the health care and drug industry.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "8/11 Letters: ‘Let AG do his duty’ and fund his office."