Corporations helped fight HB2. Use that same strategy to combat voter suppression.

Voter rights

Republican legislatures in several states are pushing voter suppression laws based on Donald Trump’s lies and GOP fears of losing ground.

It’s critical that we pursue all legal means to fight these repressive laws. And, we should enlist one of the greatest tools our country has — concerned and engaged corporations willing to withhold money from states that try to make voting more difficult and less accessible, particularly for people of color.

This worked quickly and effectively in North Carolina when the legislature passed HB2, the infamous “bathroom bill.” It was repealed and revised thanks in large measure to major corporate decision makers who canceled events in North Carolina.

This strategy may be the only way to stop Republican overreach. Let’s pray it does.

Laura Stillman, Raleigh

Brenda Howerton

Regarding “Durham leader calls criticism of consultant a lynching, a charge with a political history,” (March 15):

In a public Facebook post Durham County board chair Brenda Howerton accused two activists of trying to “lynch” someone who was seeking a consulting job with the county.

What would happen if a white politician used the word “lynch” in criticizing a constituent?

This is outrageous and Howerton should be held accountable, condemned by fellow board members, and told to resign.

Jerry Doliner, Raleigh

Teen drivers

Since 1997 North Carolina has experienced a dramatic reduction in highway deaths and injuries for 16-year-old drivers due to the graduated licensing program.

Unfortunately, in a misguided effort to address a temporary, pandemic-caused disruption in licensing, the N.C. Senate is moving to reduce the learner period from 12 to six months..

Less experienced new drivers will inevitably have more crashes, increasing deaths and injuries among all road users. The UNC Highway Research Center says 61% of those killed in teen driver crashes are someone other than the teen.

As a pediatrician who worked with parents for over 20 years to guide them in making the most of the year they have to ensure their teens become safe drivers, I am deeply troubled by this shortsighted plan.

Let’s not weaken a popular program that has so effectively benefited teens, their parents, and our communities.

Lewis Margolis, Chapel Hill

Labor rights

The Democrats failed to increase the minimum wage, but in that failure there is a lesson: If we want the world we deserve, we need unions led by a cross section of the working class.

The pandemic has made clear that all workers deserve at least $15 an hour and a fair process to unionize their workplace, but workers need the law on their side.

The Protecting our Rights to Organize (PRO) ACT, now in the US Senate, is the labor reform that’s needed in 2021. This bill stops the misclassification of employees as “independent contractors,” strengthens the National Labor Relations Board, and prevents employers from intimidating union efforts.

It’s time to shift wealth and power from the billionaires and corporations into the hands of working people. We do this by passing the PRO Act, unionizing our workplaces, and demanding the wages and working conditions we deserve.

Brandon Lee, Durham

Carbon emissions

America needs to transition to a clean energy economy, and we need to do it fast.

A federal price on carbon is the most effective way to get carbon emissions under control, but we can’t wait any longer for Congress to act. North Carolina should lead by joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Carbon pricing will make North Carolina far more competitive in the economy of today and tomorrow. The price of clean electricity is on par with fossil fuels, and will only get cheaper as technology improves.

Under RGGI, North Carolina could affordably price emissions, eliminating what is akin to a subsidy that allows polluters to do so for free. Our clean energy economy will be the envy of the nation.

It also pays to be ahead of the pack. RGGI will give North Carolina a jump-start, making it easier and cheaper to meet future EPA regulations.

Bill Eacho, Durham

CEO of the Partnership for Responsible Growth