1/01 Letters: This NC teacher assigns state lawmakers a task: Do your job

NC budget

Our representatives in Raleigh have yet to pass a budget. All across our great state, local governments and agencies are trying to do the best they can while folks in Raleigh write public letters blaming each other, instead of doing their jobs.

I am a N.C. public high school teacher in my 11th year on the job. Like every school system in the state, mine is working without a concrete budget. Many things have been promised. Nothing has been delivered.

We are divided — our counties, states, nation. That doesn’t mean you pick up your marbles and go home. You were elected to do a job. If I performed at the same level in my classroom, I would be sent packing.

I am held accountable to 27 different standards as a licensed teacher in North Carolina. Our legislators can’t even complete one task.

Cary J. Gluf, Concord

Atlantic pipeline

It is imperative that we take advantage of the short- and long-term benefits the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will bring to the eastern North Carolina economy and our workforce.

The two-year construction process will create more than 4,000 jobs across eastern North Carolina. After the ACP is complete, many could go on to pursue long-term careers in the building and construction trades.

But benefits to the workforce go beyond job creation, as North Carolina is expecting $60 million in tax revenue from the pipeline through 2025. This can be used to continue reinvesting in our communities, public schools, and citizens.

The ACP will bring economic opportunity to eastern North Carolina and progress towards a cleaner energy future. The availability of natural gas will help us move our state away from coal and toward more renewable energy – something we can all get behind.

This project offers a rare win-win for a cleaner energy future as well as accelerated economic growth for eastern North Carolina. We should welcome this opportunity with open arms.

Vann Rogerson and

Mark Hamblin

NC East Alliance

Silent Sam

Not only was the Silent Sam deal managed secretly without input from the Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, but it also served to give life to the dying refuge of North Carolina’s well institutionalized racism.

Our university’s racist past has been well enshrined in its very bricks and mortar of its buildings and preserved in the portraits lining the inside of Memorial Hall.

My years as an educator has confirmed the continual challenge to find ways to reconcile who we were with who we have become. Removing Silent Sam and the ensuing controversy over how it was done opens yet another opportunity to pursue the radical mission of our University: Education.

Andrew Dobelstein, Chapel Hill

Voter ID

The great debate over voter ID spins around poor people, elder folks, and financially burdened people of all races having no way to easily and inexpensively get an approved photo ID.

How about this? The next time they get to the polls to vote their photo is taken, or a fingerprint or iris scan is captured and permanently attached to their voter ID record. Then for the next election the database has their verifiable ID on file.

Yes, this will require a budget to institute and maintain. And yes, the database is hackable (no more so than the current one), but this can be prevented by strong encryption, firewalls and network monitoring.

Frank Ehrman, Apex

Impeachment

Regarding “What of Obama’s abuses of power?,” (Dec. 21 Opinion):

It is President Trump’s abuse of power and obstruction of Congress that is on trial. Whatever previous presidents did while in office does not justify Trump’s behavior.

Op-ed writer Jay Ambrose’s argument is similar to my children’s argument that “everyone does it so I can do it.” Trump has been impeached. This is a very serious indictment by the U.S. House of Representatives. Trump should receive a fair trial in the Senate.

Guilt or innocence needs to be based on evidence whether Trump abused the power of his office and obstructed Congress. Whatever previous presidents did while in office is irrelevant to the Senate trial.

Leon Shargel, Raleigh

J. Peder Zane

Regarding “The heavy price of Trump hatred,” (Dec. 23 Opinion):

J. Peder Zane’s allegations are both ironic and preposterous. How dare he claim that we, demanding that President Trump stop his unlawful embargo of critical information, are the crooked bunch.

The Mueller findings and the inspector general’s report (as well as bales of other evidence substantiating Trump’s abuse of power and obstruction) are damning, not exculpatory.

Zane is the one who bit Into the Republican gaslighting “hook”

Gary Jackson, Durham

This story was originally published January 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.