Charlotte street names should remain. They’re a reminder not to repeat history.

Street names

Regarding “9 city streets should be renamed, panel reports” (Dec. 3):

I find it interesting that in explaining which Charlotte streets are in the running for renaming, the Observer took the time to explain and list the history of each person the street was named for, no matter how checkered their past.

Street names, and even statues that also tend to cause similar arguments, are memorials of the past and should remain as a part of history.

Remember that “those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” Why not just leave the signs and statues in place as an added reminder?

Elizabeth Nervegna, Midland

A costly change

Has anyone thought about the impact these street name changes will cause businesses and people who live on these streets? They’ll have the expense of changing their billing, doctors, insurance, etc information because the city decided to change the name of their street.

Then, add in the expense of making the new signs and paying city employees to put them up. This is money that could be well spent getting laptops and Internet access to underprivileged neighborhoods that need it.

I believe most of the people in Charlotte area didn’t even relate these street names to the causes put forth by the Legacy Commission.

We must move forward and find new 21st century ways of fixing the problems we have in our country. But all this destruction of statutes and names doesn’t serve to unite us as one nation. Let’s try new tactics by fixing today’s issues, not rehashing the past which cannot be undone.

Richard Proietti, Pineville

Stand up, senators

If you want to know what a profile in courage looks like, look no further than Gabriel Sterling, a Republican election official from Georgia who has denounced the lies, rhetoric and violent threats against government officials and private citizens stemming from Trump and his followers.

If you want to know what a profile in cowardice looks like, look no further than Sens. Thom Tillis, Richard Burr and their GOP colleagues. Their silence on these matters is deafening.

It is time for all of our elected officials to stand up and defend the oath of office they took. Our democracy cannot afford the weakness and complacency that is currently on display.

Dot Meixler, Huntersville

He had a chance

A Dec. 2 Forum writer opined that President Trump was never given a chance from the hour he was elected. Well, I voted for Hillary Clinton, and though disappointed, I was ready to give Trump a chance.

I expected him to “grow” into the presidency. Boy, was I wrong. From his lying about the size of his inauguration, to his baseless claims that voter fraud was the reason he didn’t win the popular vote, he has continued to lie throughout his tenure.

I’m sick of hearing that every investigation stemmed from wanting to invalidate the election. No, it’s Trump’s words and actions that brought about the so-called “witch hunt.”

I was willing to give Trump a chance. He’s the one who blew it.

Jim Cunningham, Charlotte

Give Trump credit

On vaccines... Why no credit to Operation Warp Speed? It was the initiative by which President Trump said we would have a vaccine before Christmas. Do we? Yes!

Dr. Rick Zollinger, Charlotte

Leaps of logic

Regarding “Put on the cuffs, hide yourself — and stay hidden,” (Dec. 1 Opinion):

I appreciated the case Jay Ambrose built for less government control in fighting COVID-19 — until he suggested that only 1% of the people who contract COVID-19 actually die from it.

If you do a Google search on “death rate from Covid” you’ll get such a dizzying array of answers you won’t know what to believe. So what method of calculation is he using? But that ignores the more salient point, that there are refrigerator trucks in parking lots of hospitals and mortuaries because the death rate is so staggering that the system can’t handle the bodies stacking up.

I appreciate opinions different from my own, but I don’t appreciate op-eds that have leaps of logic and aren’t supported by facts.

Bill Yoder, Charlotte