The Democrats’ $1.9T COVID relief plan is irresponsibly large. Time to compromise.

Biden’s relief plan

Democrats are being irresponsible in proposing another huge stimulus package — $1.9 trillion, all borrowed money. This is on top of $4 trillion which has already been borrowed since the pandemic began.

Some of it is being given away in stimulus checks to people like me who don’t need it. The people who will pay for this excess are my children and grandchildren, in higher taxes and reduced government services.

A group of Senate Republicans has proposed a $600 billion package. While I do not agree with every item in it, it’s a good starting point to negotiate

Let’s use this first relief bill of the new administration to get everyone vaccinated and to help those worst affected by the pandemic. We do not need to borrow $1.9 trillion to accomplish this.

Nils Brubaker, Chapel Hill

GOP’s paltry plan

While it’s great that Sen. Thom Tillis and the nine other Republicans who went to the White House care enough about their constituents to want to offer some support, their offer is no match for the current crisis.

Democrats’ plan includes money to help with vaccine distribution, food benefits for those who’ve lost jobs, supplies for schools to reopen safely, relief checks for those who need the most, help for state and local governments, and numerous other ways to pull our country out of this health and economic crisis.

The GOP’s was a paltry offering, like someone volunteering to bring Thanksgiving dinner to a family in need, then showing up with a can of green beans, one of fried onions to top them, and half a leftover pie.

Mindy Oshrain, Durham

Citizen councils

A year ago, without warning, the Raleigh City Council voted 6-2 to disband Citizen Advisory Councils. CACs have been an important part of citizen engagement since 1974 and were started by Raleigh’s first African-American mayor, Clarence Lightner, as a way to strengthen the voice of the underrepresented.

Out of the 18 CACs that were meeting, only nine are still active, only two in Black communities.

It is not for us to judge what was in the hearts of the mayor and council a year ago when they voted to suppress Black voices. It was not only Black community voices they suppressed, but all CAC volunteers. It needs to begin to rebuild trust, with a renewed commitment to anti-racism, equity and empowering authentic grassroots community engagement.

Donna Bailey

Chair, Hillsborough-Wade CAC

Vaccine access

Regarding “NC luxury weight-loss center invites clients back with prospect of COVID vaccines,” (Feb. 1):

I work with people experiencing homelessness in Durham and I’m alarmed that they’re not in a high priority group. Many individuals without housing are living in close quarters and have a well-documented higher burden of disease and early death.

Yet, vaccines are being provided to Structure House where people are living in individual apartments. If the criteria that allowed Structure House to access vaccine is “people living together in a congregate setting” and a “clinic on site,” then Durham Rescue Mission and the Durham Urban Ministries shelter both qualify.

Let’s make it easy for our vulnerable and historically marginalized neighbors without housing to get vaccinated. The state should prioritize the homeless now.

Julia Gamble, Durham

NC litter

Regarding “It’s not your imagination. NC roads are getting trashier,” (Feb. 2 Opinion):

Litter is worse here than any other state I’ve been in, and we don’t have to invent the solutions — just take the best ideas from other states that would fit here. I don’t know about South Carolina’s program, but Google “Don’t Mess With Texas.”

This is not rocket science, and if Gov. Roy Cooper and the legislature really wanted to fix the unsightly litter mess it could be done — especially on the prevention side. Picking it up is good, but prevention is key. If we want to attract people and businesses to the state, appearance has to be a factor — are we a bunch of slobs or do we care about the environment?

Bert Bowe, Pittsboro

Impeachment

The House filed impeachment charges heavy with fact and reason. Donald Trump’s rebuttal stands in contrast, built anew atop old arguments that he won the election. Broadcasting legal pixie dust, he dares the Senate to swap common sense for nonsense. Do not.

Our founders included no January escape clause. They did not excuse impeachable conduct in the final quarter, month, week or hour of office.

Plain folk expect swift, balanced, practical and material justice. Senators must give up the magical spin of procedural Rubix’s Cubes. Listen at trial. Focus on merits. History and plain folks are watching. Make us proud.

Allen Craft, Raleigh

Village District

In 1973 a Chapel Hill radio station sponsored a contest to name the town’s first new indoor mall. I racked my brain for a week or two trying to come up with a catchy and clever name but never got around to submitting it before the entry deadline had passed. The winning name was “University Mall.”

Maybe I was just a sore loser, but to me that was neither clever nor catchy. Kinda like “The Village District.”

Ransom Creech, Raleigh

This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 2:27 PM.