2/04 Letters: What the UNC System board really needs is more women and minorities

UNC System board

Regarding “Burr and Bowles: Strengthen the UNC system for future generations,” (Feb. 2 Opinion):

It is refreshing to hear two significant leaders, Erskine Bowles and Sen. Richard Burr, asking for discussion on how to improve the makeup of the board overseeing UNC System schools.

However, their suggestion is to ensure bipartisan representation to foster stability. While admirable in theory, we’ve just seen that our two-party system in America is hardly something to write home about. And, their idea ignores an even more significant suggestion: Let’s ensure that the board is made up of equal and fair representation by a diverse group of members. That means more women and more minorities.

If we continue to have a majority of white men, whether they’re Democrat or Republican, that still offers only one view of the world — a world that does not look like the population at most of our universities.

The board would be a wonderful place to start to reflect who actually attends our universities — and will be the demographic of the future.

Winslow and Laura Stillman, Raleigh

School choice

The op-ed piece “SCOTUS could do away with barrier to school choice” (Feb. 2 Opinion, E-edition), claimed to be advocating for ”empowering parents to use public resources to send their kids to the school of their choice.”

The answer used to be: “Of course you have that personal liberty, go right ahead, but you can pay for it yourself,” as with other private goods and services. What’s next? “I am dissatisfied with publicly-provided police protection so everyone should pay for me to buy my own private police protection”? “I don’t like the way the U.S. Postal Service is run, therefore you should help me pay for my FedEx mailings”?

What about pitching in with the rest of us to make our public services better, including insisting that they be adequately funded?

William David Austin. Durham

Kushner’s plan

Regarding “Trump peace plan delights Israelis, enrages Palestinians,” (Jan. 28) and related articles:

Jared Kushner’s “peace plan” is a continuation of the rape, killings, confiscation of land, repression, denial of basic human needs of water and electricity, restriction of movement and illegal occupation that began with the removal of 700,000 Palestinians and the destruction of their homes and farms.

Eleanor Kinnaird, Chapel Hill

Sen. Tillis’ cash

Regarding “Tillis has lots of cash on hand for reelection bid” (Jan. 31):

This article made clear why U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis feels no need to pay attention to his voters.

He’s got all the money he needs from the NRA, Koch Brothers, and other corporations and PACs to assure his re-election. So why allow voters to enter his Raleigh office, or hold town halls, or listen to constituents’ call for witnesses in Trump’s impeachment trial?

Personally, I am tired of a senator who isn’t interested in representing me unless I have big bucks to give him. We need to get money out of politics so we can elect representatives who will truly represent us.

Sondra Stein, Durham

Democrat’s plan

It seems the Democratic strategy to change our leadership has sunk in its own weight. It’s fundamentally simple: Nominate a candidate who can attract part of Trump’s base. Well, apparently they gave up on that so they tried to remove him by an impeachment process so flawed it had no chance.

Our elected representatives have chosen to pursue selfish, childish, petty politics rather than statesmanship. And the major parties have become unable or unwilling to seek people with common-sense leadership quality.

I am neither a Democrat, Republican, nor a Trump fan. As I see it, clear thinking requires all three positions. The founders or our country and framers of the Constitution would be ashamed of us, and with good reason. We have elected a demagogue to the White House and at least 400 political puppets out of the 535 folks who hang around Capitol Hill are merely keeping their gravy train rolling.

Ed Holloway, Raleigh

GOP senators

I wonder how many of the Republican senators who are marching in lockstep with President Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell because they don’t want to be “primaried,” have stopped to think that they, too, are being bribed?

I wonder if it has occurred to them that it’s no different for them than it is for the president of Ukraine? They’re both being bullied and extorted. I wonder how much they like it?

If they don’t, then maybe on Wednesday they should stand up to the bully. Not just for themselves, but for their country. As Adam Schiff said, “She’s worth it.”

Patricia M. Walker, Raleigh