North Carolina should not need to bribe companies to come here. Rethink incentives.

Apple incentives

Regarding “Apple incentives are the largest in NC history. Here’s how the deal breaks down,” (April 27):

State and local governments seem to have no hesitation in doling out huge incentives for companies to locate in North Carolina.

This state is a great place to live as evidenced by the large number of people moving here in the past 10 years. We should not need to bribe companies to come here.

Incentives are not fair to the companies already here that received no incentives. Incentives are not fair to the people who already live here who will need to pay for the infrastructure support for these companies and their employees.

Incentives are not fair to those who need affordable housing, as housing prices will increase.

A better use of these funds would be to strengthen the entrepreneurial programs at our universities and provide grants to start-ups.

We should give current residents the opportunity to grow companies such as SAS, Cree, Epic Games, or Red Hat. It seems a big part of giving out incentives is to win “trophy” announcements for the politicians.

Alan Tharp, Raleigh

Minimum wage

Regarding “Minimum wage (April 27 Forum):

Private employers are not really free to determine how much they pay their employees even without government regulation. You cannot pay your employees a living wage if your competition pays theirs a pittance — not if you want to stay in business.

So you can let the minimum be determined by the most callous of your competitors, or by the collective will of the people via government regulation (which is where the government’s authority to regulate comes from.)

Samantha Corte, Carrboro

A lesson for Schaul

Regarding “Democrats rebuke one of their own over his email on Black death toll in American history,” (April 23):

Michael Schaul of the N.C. Democratic Party’s executive committee seems to have missed something.....

From “The Middle Passage,” part of the University of Houston’s Digital History Project:

“The trans-Atlantic slave trade was the largest movement of people in history. Between 10 and 15 million Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic between 1500 and 1900. But this figure grossly understates the actual number of Africans enslaved, killed, or displaced as a result of the slave trade. At least 2 million Africans — 10 to 15 percent — died during the infamous “Middle Passage” across the Atlantic. Another 15 to 30 percent died during the march to or confinement along the coast. Altogether, for every 100 slaves who reached the New World, another 40 had died in Africa or during the Middle Passage.”

This comes to 4 to 6 million dead before 1900, in transit alone. What awaited them was not much better.

Marsh Hardy, Raleigh

Shaming Schaul

Civil rights advocates are constantly challenging the rest of us engage with them in honest discussions about race. And they are right to do that. But Michael Schaul just found out what happens when anyone takes that challenge literally and at face value. Instead of discussion, Schaul got vitriol, shaming, gaslighting and demands to resign. The Republicans are going to be all over this story, and honestly, if they are not, they are committing political malpractice.

Wallace Finlator, Raleigh

Pistol permits

Until the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) covers all gun sales, N.C. pistol permits aren’t ‘obsolete’, as Rep. Jay Adams, R-Hickory, claims. (April 22)

His bill would eliminate the N.C. permit system at a time when NICS doesn’t cover all online sales, private transfers or gun shows.

Can’t we all agree that those known to be mentally unstable or convicted criminals shouldn’t have easy access to guns?

If Republicans are sincere about protecting North Carolinians, and all U.S. citizens, they’ll support national legislation to close the NICS loopholes — before ending our state’s system.

Until then, the N.C. permit system should also include rifles. That’s logical, but unlikely. Follow the money, not Republican “prayers” after the next gun murder.

Sherri Zann Rosenthal, Durham

This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 1:30 PM.