1/29 Letters: DEQ doesn’t have ‘free access’ to GenX testing equipment

Regarding “GenX: Does NC DEQ need equipment to find water pollution?” (Jan. 26): State Senate leader Berger seems to think the Department of Environmental Quality has “free access” to state-of-the-art mass spectrometers in the region, to test for GenX pollution.

Having worked in both public and private laboratories that required similar services involving very expensive equipment, I know that there are almost always hefty fees, even if both parties are on the same university campus. Testing for contaminants is What They Do at DEQ. Refusing to fund the equipment necessary to do their job is like saying there’s no need to buy police cars – in case of emergency, the cops could just use Uber.

Prioritize CHIP

I am a high school student. I wrote this letter because what I have read in the news about the latest antics of our Congress makes me sick to my stomach. I’ve seen people that are supposed to follow the will of the people manage to take a program with almost universal support, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and use it as a political playing card.

I’ve seen the health insurance of almost 9 million low-income children be put at risk because both sides have underprioritized it and put it in a massive stopgap bill as an afterthought rather than sorting out such a vital program on its own. At some point, our politicians decided that it was alright to let the deadline for CHIP pass without action.

At that moment, I could not do much more than watch in outrage while children’s health insurance was thrown to the curb. But I know that as I’ve heard all my life, youth are the future. Soon, I will be able to vote. Those children will be able to vote. And we will be sure to make children’s healthcare an utmost priority.

Increase parental involvement

I was very disappointed when reading “Class size chaos, school funding are top issues” (Jan. 24) about the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s top 10 education issues in 2018. Not one of the issues dealt with the importance of Pre-K or improving the engagement of parental involvement – two vital keys to increasing student achievement.

It’s no longer a K-12 public education system; it’s a Pre-K-12 education system. And, as many of us know, the most important work is Pre-natal to three, which means young parents need to be prepared and supported to get their children ready for school. If we can resolve those two issues in a meaningful way, North Carolina will make great progress – and it has to be bipartisan, so the baby doesn’t get thrown out with the bath water when political parties change power.

C’mon folks, this is nothing new. But we won’t get it done if we’re not all on the same page, working together for our children. Let’s shorten the list and focus.

This story was originally published January 28, 2018 at 6:00 PM with the headline "1/29 Letters: DEQ doesn’t have ‘free access’ to GenX testing equipment."