Don’t just bank taxpayer money, do ‘good’ with it

‘Do some good’

Regarding “State’s annual revenue $440M over forecast” (Aug. 18): I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but this headline is not good news. Thanks to The N&O, we know that our political leaders have been collecting more than they’ve budgeted to spend for the last three years, building up a stash of $2 billion.

Some of this money could have been shared with teachers to stem the exodus that leaves Wake County with openings for teachers most every morning. Some could have helped bring more jobs to small towns floundering since their textile mills and furniture factories shut down. And surely some of it could have been used to help people with heroin addiction free themselves before they receive a fatal surprise from opioids.

C’mon, ladies and gentlemen of the N.C. Legislature. Don’t just bank our money. Do some good with it.

Invest in ‘life’

The article “Elite firms stand to profit from Space Force” (Aug. 19) reveals that profit, not need, drives Pentagon spending. As the authors say, Space Force will line the pockets of military industry for years to come.Instead of Space Force, the U.S. should be leading efforts to prevent space from being weaponized.

Our nation faces real threats to its long-term existence, not from some imagined outside military force, but from the effects of global warming. We already see the beginning of those effects – unprecedented drought, monster hurricanes and wildfires and abandonment of coastal properties. Sea level rise will result in the eventual loss of coastal communities.

None of these real problems will be prevented or solved by Space Force and more military spending. Congress has now given the Pentagon $717 billion to squander on death-dealing technology, with no effective oversight and no audit.

When will our political leaders stop investing in death and begin investing in life – saving the earth environment for our grandchildren and future generations?

Privatize

Joseph E. Wall, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of ABC Boards, contributed a weak and self-serving defense of the state-run ABC system in our state in “Why we should keep our ABC system of selling alcohol” (Aug. 18).

His main point seems to be that the ABC structure generates lots of tax revenue (so would a privatized system, as Wall concedes). Beyond that, he makes the argument that the state-run system “emphasizes control and moderation.” Ah, the nanny state.

Because citizens (the children) are incapable of moderating themselves, the thinking goes, the state (our benevolent father) is in the best position to moderate on our behalf. This relic of Prohibition-era thinking is an insult and a disservice to the citizens of the state of North Carolina.

Purchasing alcohol at a state-run store provides a customer service experience on par with a trip to the DMV . A hallmark of bureaucratic enterprises.

A privatized system would provide all of the tax revenue while providing a markedly better customer experience. Forty three other states have already figured that out. The citizens of this state deserve better.

ID woes

My old Social Security card was not acceptable at the NC DMV. The card that was needed was plastic, blue, and new. I was supposed to have received it some months ago, delivered to my home address by U.S. mail. It has not been delivered. I have asked several friends; none have received that new blue card.

The DMV people were very helpful and kind. When they saw I was 82 years old and confined to a wheelchair, they were trying to make an appointment for me, but I had no new-blue-plastic SS card. I qualified for a temporary NC ID, which they said ensured my right to vote. (Being seriously disabled for the last 10 years, I had allowed my driver’s license to expire.)

I have voted regularly since I was 21, for 61 years. I will vote in this election on the first day of early voting. The Constitution of the U.S. and the Constitution of North Carolina are the foundation of our laws. They must not be secretly and heedlessly modified. I do not say “amended” because that means a change for the better.

‘Shortchanged’

Where is the Republican state legislature when it can take two days standing outside in 90 degree temperatures to renew a driver’s license?

I’ve seen this up close. North Carolina taxpayers are being shortchanged.

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 11:21 AM.