2/14 Letters: Trump says he’s protecting Americans from Coronavirus. His CDC cuts say otherwise.

Coronavirus

President Trump claims he is taking all steps to protect American citizens from Coronavirus. His budget proposals tell a different story.

Trump proposed a 19% cut in funding for the CDC in his 2020 budget. The division controlling Coronavirus had a 17% cut. Congress restored some funding, but the CDC has had a 10% budget cut since 2016 adjusted for inflation.

These men and women courageously fly into the sites of epidemics like the Ebola outbreak to prevent the spread to America. We have a test for Coronavirus because CDC employees are willing to work with this virus in the lab. They deserve the support of the American people, including financial support. The Trump budget cuts to the CDC are putting Americans at risk from epidemics like Coronavirus.

Dr. James Horton, Charlotte

A requiem for CACs

Amid concerns that rapid growth was distancing city leaders from the community, Raleigh launched its Citizens Advisory Councils. For 46 years, CACs were a forum where citizens and government officials could exchange information and concerns until Raleigh City Council abruptly ended this decades-long partnership in a vote that demonstrated a shocking lack of transparency and good governance.

Much has been made of the (merely advisory) role played by CACs in rezoning cases but CACs were so much more. CACs stepped in when neighbors needed help, organized school supplies drives, and provided a forum where wary neighbors met with Raleigh Police officers to build connections, and the list goes on. It didn’t matter who you were, if you were a resident your voice counted.

All other city advisory boards get their direction from the top; work must first be approved by the City Council. In this model, how do we ensure citizen concerns are adequately addressed? Who’s doing the listening and who’s doing the talking? Absent the independence of CACs, community engagement quickly devolves into a one-way conversation. The partnership is no more.

CACs had their challenges, but they also represented one of the most basic forms of democracy: neighbors coming together to work things out. We will be hard-pressed to do better.

Mark Turner, Raleigh

Common Core

Regarding “NC Superintendent texts parents and teachers on Common Core,” (Feb. 11):

Mark Johnson is definitely not looking for real feedback on the Common Core. As a veteran teacher of 24-plus years, the survey questions I was given were all forced, polarized choices.

I work with these standards daily and definitely see areas improvement. Stakeholders with a working knowledge of the Common Core know there is a tremendous amount of gray area when evaluating the standards. Parts are really good, other areas so-so and still other sections inappropriate, vague, or unneeded.

Educators do not need an overhaul of standards every few years just because politicians want something to do. Educational standards, by which students become college and career ready, need to be determined based on research by trusted, experienced professionals, not based on poorly designed public opinion polls or political ideology.

Beverly Rust, New Bern

Michael Bloomberg

As a lifelong Democrat, I wish to say that Michael Bloomberg’s campaign to date is a disgrace. He has apparently tailored it to avoid direct vetting by the press or voters.

Where are the press conferences or press interviews and the nationally televised town halls fielding questions directly from voters?

Bloomberg should not be allowed by voters to land his private jet hither and yon, hop off to give a stump speech of here’s-what-you-want-to-hear-so-vote-for-me platitudes, and then fly away.

His strategy seems to be to delay any vetting until after Super Tuesday — or forever, who knows? If time shows this to be his on-going strategy, Democratic primary voters should not let him get away with it.

Ned Gardner, Apex

Chad Price

Regarding “Mako Medical CEO submitted wrong info on resume, application,” (Feb. 6) and related articles:

Dan Kane and David Raynor’s reporting of Chad Price’s campaign contribution “irregularities” is a mission statement for the importance of local journalism today.

Eight months of research, interviews, more research, and editing produced a wonderfully written story exposing not only the greed and corruption of a powerful businessman, but also the worrisome fragility and impotence of the systems and frameworks we have in place across the country to hold people like Price accountable and bring them to justice.

Thank you to the journalists for your hard work in bringing this story to the public, and to the News & Observer for funding and caring about reporting of these issues.

Adam Kridler, Raleigh