12/19 Letters: ‘Wave’ of female candidates ‘only the beginning’

“The wave of women signing up to run for political office has hit North Carolina.” That’s how “Democrats see wave of female candidates” (Dec. 11) described the announcement of six women running for office in the 2018 legislative elections.

I would argue that, in fact, that wave began in North Carolina on Nov. 9, 2016. That’s when Lillian’s List first began to see the uptick in women interested in running for office. As an organization modeled on the national group EMILY’s List, we have been recruiting and training progressive women who are champions of reproductive freedom to run for public office for more than 20 years.

Over the course of the last year, I have heard from hundreds of women all over North Carolina interested in running for office. Lillian’s List has seen inquiries from women about running in 2017 increase 12-fold over the 2016 election cycle. After progressive victories in Virginia and Alabama, it is clear that the impressive women included in Monday’s article are only the beginning.

Trump ‘treachery’

Regarding “Experts alarmed by CDC ban on certain words” (Dec. 18): The Trump administration’s pervasive attack on truth has taken another sinister turn for the worse. In addition to “cleansing” government websites and publications of any information that is unacceptable to Trumpism, government censors have now decreed that budget requests from officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must not include the following verboten words: “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.” Really?

Science-based and evidence-based medicine advocates that decisions and policies should be based on scientific knowledge, not just beliefs. For instance, the Federal Drug Administration requires rigorous scientific proof of efficacy and safety before approving a new drug or medical device. Will these safeguards be Trumped at the behest of special-interest groups?

Furthermore, by abolishing the individual mandate for the Affordable Care Act (oops, government censors recommend substituting the term Obamacare), the GOP tax plan will render an estimated 13 million people who will lose their health insurance more vulnerable. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are also vulnerable to the GOP chopping block. Perhaps GOP complacency and entitlement will make them more vulnerable in next year’s midterm elections.

What’s next? Burning books? We must not allow this treachery to go unchecked, lest world history repeat itself.

This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "12/19 Letters: ‘Wave’ of female candidates ‘only the beginning’."