Sure, Kamala Harris has an economic plan - but it’s not a winner | Opinion

Harris’ plan

On an Aug. 16 visit to Raleigh, Kamala Harris launched her economic plan. The plan and its details are a disaster for the country. Many economists have denounced it. Some say her proposed food price controls won’t lower food costs and that her $25,000 housing bonus could increase the deficit. Furthermore, Harris never says how she’ll pay for some of these proposals, which the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates will increase deficits by $1.7 trillion over a decade.

Franklin Smith, Raleigh

NC school funding

The writer is a retired Wake County math teacher.

An Aug. 18 Forum writer who is chairman emeritus of the State Board of Education noted that the General Assembly invested $120 million and for the third year in a row North Carolina’s kindergarten through third grade students outperformed the national average on reading assessment. Great news.

Just imagine what teachers could do if their schools were adequately funded — and if teachers were paid to acknowledge their expertise and degrees, if they were respected for their achievements every day, and if tax dollars were not being siphoned off to private schools without the same demands or standards.

Just imagine what the teachers could do for the majority of students in our state if we invested what we should for all. I can only imagine.

Sue Dickens Garriss, Raleigh

Sheriff Blackwood

Regarding “Orange County sheriff has questions, second thoughts after prisoner escape in Hillsborough,” (Aug. 21):

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood directly addressed actions taken and not taken after the escape of a prisoner. In today’s environment when few law enforcement leaders take responsibility — most notably the Uvalde School District police chief — it is refreshing for Blackwood to take responsibility in this situation.

Daniel Grasso, Wake Forest

Flock cameras

Big Brother is watching us and the cameras are rolling. According to “Flock Safety gets license to install cameras across state,” (Aug. 21), Flock Safety has more than 400 customers in North Carolina that keep an eye on us and our motor vehicles 24/7. Mostly, these surveillance cameras are being used by police agencies to record and store data on citizens who have done nothing wrong.

Flock Safety’s cameras are no doubt being used to infringe on our freedoms, and the likelihood that this spying on our citizens will result in government overreach is great. It’s time to clip the wings of this “Flock.”

Patrick O’Neill, Garner

Ballot initiatives

North Carolina is one of 26 states that does not allow citizens to petition to place proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot during elections. In our state, only the legislature can propose amendments. For the election in 2026, I urge the legislature to propose a constitutional amendment to allow citizens to collect signatures on a petition to place amendment proposals on the ballot.

It seems only fair to allow citizens to propose and vote on possible amendments. Unfortunately, the hyper-gerrymandered GOP supermajority in the legislature seems unwilling to share any power with N.C. citizens, except the power to vote them into office every two years.

Larry Wolf, Garner

Drug prices

We Americans continue to pay exorbitant prices for our prescription medications. The new drugs prescribed for weight loss are prime examples. Ozempic and Wegovy can cost over $ 1,300 a month in the U.S.

In Denmark the drugs cost about $130 per month. They cost about $140 a month in Germany and $92 in the UK. Yet, drug maker Novo Nordisk continues to make obscene profits.

Our federal government has capped insulin prices at $35 per month. But it is only slowly phasing in control of other popular drugs, about 10 a year or so, and only for Medicare patients. The VA has had this authority for over 30 years.

It’s time our government develops price caps for prescription medications for all Americans, not just veterans and senior citizens.

Robert and Regan Brown, Cary