Zero-tolerance policy has been around for years and ‘no one said a word’

Protests ‘distractions’

Regarding “Saying ‘We care,’ thousands stand up for immigrant families” (July 1): I laughed when I read about the protest of President Trump’s immigration policy. Trump does not have one. He is simply enforcing the law of policies passed in the 1990s.

This policy has been around for over 30 years and no one said a word. No, it is not Trump’s policy.

Also, many of us spoke out about it then and no one listened, not one Democrat cared. The media seems to be complicit in this also with only reporting half the story. That is not surprising, they did the same back then.

No previous leader would even mention immigration for 50 years and now we have the first one to push the issue to the front. I know Democrats and Republicans are embarrased and hope no one learns the real facts of immigration policy and how they both have failed us and will continue to do so.

These protests will create nothing but sore feet and further distractions of the issues.

Leave probe alone

Regarding “House Republicans grill FBI, Justice leaders on Russia probe” (June 29): If a foreign government, historically hostile to our country and our constitutional form of government, attempted to undermine our democracy by attacking our electoral system, what truly patriotic American – regardless of party affiliation or religious tradition – would not demand that a thorough investigation of that activity be undertaken and that every effort be made to prevent a recurrence of that in the future?

What justification is there to obstruct or undermine such an investigation and attack the honorable, highly esteemed individuals performing that investigation beyond avoidance of prosecution, political gain, self-aggrandizement or self-enrichment?

Such activity, which damages our nation, our unique form of government, our security, our intelligence and law enforcement services and benefits a hostile foreign power, is certainly treacherous. Is it treason?

We the people must not allow attacks by elected and appointed officials, public media and social media to keep this critical investigation from proceeding and reaching an unbiased and fully informed conclusion.

Green campuses

Like many North Carolinians, I spent my summers at our beaches with friends and family, swimming, playing in the sand, and soaking up the sun.

But “Thousands of NC, SC homes could be flooded by sea rise, study finds” (June 24) was a brutal reminder that the beaches I loved as a child will be sites of complete destruction unless we do something today.

We must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the bulk of the harms, as outlined in the article, and one place we can do this is in our colleges and universities.

Aided by Environment North Carolina and its national partner, Environment America, campuses across the state and country are beginning to transition to 100 percent renewable energy. In doing so, campuses have the opportunity to reduce their long-term energy spending, serve as leaders for other institutions and protect the nature around us that we know and love.

Watch budget

In June, the U.S. Senate approved an astounding $716 billion for military spending in 2019. This is an increase of $82 billion over the 2017 budget.

On top of this deep dive into the red ink, the Congressional Budget Office recently projected that President Trump’s tax cuts, mostly for the wealthy, will increase the deficit by an estimated $2.3 trillion in the next decade, ultimately taking the debt to 152 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

Many elected officials have targeted Social Security, healthcare, nutrition programs, and other safety nets for deep cuts, claiming that, “We can’t afford them.” The truth is we can’t afford to have troops deployed in 150 countries. And we can’t afford to let the most privileged in our society not pay their fair share.

Anyone who is concerned about the 41 million Americans with too little food to live healthy lives, the 27.3 million with no health insurance and those who are 65 or older, needs to pay attention to the federal budget and how our senators and representatives vote.