12/17 Letters: It’s time to let women take the lead

In reading Celia Rivenbark’s enlightening and humorous article, “It’s time for women to lead everything” (Dec. 3), I was reminded of some classic words from Harry Belafonte’s Calypso song, “The women of today, smarter than the man in every way.” But not so in our government, where harassment charges are seeping out of the pores of our nation. People who have always commanded our respect and admiration are now revealing secret lives of disgrace and harassment toward women.

This may be the final showdown of the sexes. As the author points out, “Women should take over. Yep, across the board.” This might stop the awful abuse of ethnic groups and women such as Elizabeth Warren, who has been called “Pocahantas” by our macho president who thinks women will do anything for you as long as you hold celebrity status. In retrospect, maybe Hillary Clinton would have made a better president; then the cases of harassment might now be under a microscope, as the tables got turned around. Men would no longer be the most powerful individuals to make all the decisions and get away with crimes against our fellow men.

Let’s level the playing field and seek to promote women as equal as men, even though our own Constitution stipulated rather unclearly that “all men are created equal.” Perhaps that is where the problem lies, that the inference is all women are created unequally.

Stop political ‘pandering’

I re-registered to “Unaffiliated” when N.C. Democrats’ internal squabbles allowed the Republicans to take over the General Assembly. The Democrats ceded to Republicans the ability to gerrymander the state’s election districts. While the courts struggle to decide if the new election maps were unfair or illegal, the minority party holds legislative sway.

In 2016 disgruntled voters let Washington know they were unhappy with the way professional politicians had let the country suffer while bickering. The electorate became alienated and hungry for leadership. Sadly, this was an unfortunate year for voters to express their dissatisfaction, faced with two uncomfortable presidential candidates. Now that the Republicans are in control, ineptitude and squabbling have diminished their ability to govern or provide moral leadership.

Voters may decide that the two parties have relinquished their ability and willingness to govern. Neither party has or even attempted to maintain the principled high ground or put forth a fair and sensible package of legislation. Pandering to the shrill and discordant factions within their parties, Democrats and Republicans are paralyzed and are solely focused on maintaining or obtaining power and major donors’ demands. One or both may succumb or transform into a new party. It’s happened before.

This story was originally published December 16, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "12/17 Letters: It’s time to let women take the lead."