I’m a Republican but the NC Republican Party doesn’t represent me

Where’s my GOP?

Matthew Ridenhour’s “My GOP needs a new playbook before it’s too late,” (Oct. 20 Opinion) was spot on. As a concrete example of the hypocrisy he highlights, look no further than the Orange County Republican Party. “The Party” page on its website is all about Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, but its actual platform is relentlessly reactionary.

Ridenhour says “let’s make the GOP big tent again,” which would be great for our party and for the republic, but he does not suggest how that can happen — especially in the state that is the poster child for gerrymandering.

There are nonpartisan efforts like North Carolinians for Redistricting Reform fighting for fair elections. There are national organizations such as the Lincoln Project and Republicans for the Rule of Law fighting our party’s decent into madness.

But where are the real Lincoln and Roosevelt Republicans in this state? Where are the leaders of compassion, perspective, and reason in the N.C. GOP?

Gregory Morris, Chapel Hill

School funding

Under the GOP leadership of Sen. Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, the N.C. legislature has no business deciding what’s being taught in North Carolina and how. We have a State Board of Education to make those decisions, along with teacher input.

As a volunteer in Franklin County, I work with kindergartners who need extra help. They don’t know the alphabet and the basics every child should know upon entering elementary school. The lack of funding for classroom aides is another strike against the General Assembly.

Legislators are responsible for funding the education system, period. Quit shortchanging our children. Do your moral and legal responsibility — increase school funding to $1.7 billion over the next two years.

I fully support N.C. Superior Court Judge David Lee in his efforts to force the hands of lawmakers to enforce the Leandro case and provide a sound basic education for every child in North Carolina.

Diane Shreenan, Louisburg

Redistricting

The redistricting process for our 14 representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives for the next decade is underway, and Republican spokesmen claim that our state’s U.S. House districts should be drawn so that our delegation to Washington be split 11-3 or 10-4 Republican.

What nonsense and political arrogance!

According to the State Board of Elections website, 35% of N.C. voters are registered Democrats, 34% unaffiliated and 31% Republicans. Since all U.S. House members are partisan, we must somehow credit unaffiliated voters in devising the districts.

If we add half of the unaffiliated voters to each party, our U.S. House delegation splits politically 7-7. If we add 60% of the unaffiliated to the Republicans and 40% to Democrats, our delegation remains 7-7. If we add 60% to the Democrats and 40% to Republicans, the delegation becomes 8-6 Democratic.

None of these assumptions begins to approach the Republican goal of an 11-3 split. Our representatives to Washington should represent the N.C. voters, not a manipulated version generated by the party in power in Raleigh.

Joe Capowski, Chapel Hill

Donald Trump

After the recent death of Colin Powell, leaders from around the world gave their highest praise to this exemplary American: The son of Jamaican immigrants who rose to become a four-star general, chairman of the joint chiefs, and secretary of state.

That esteem was also expressed by former presidents of the U.S. of both parties. All except one. Donald Trump dismissively described Powell as a man who “made plenty of mistakes” and got praised by “fake news” anyway.

It was just one more example, added to hundreds of others, that demonstrates that the man was not and is not, fit to be president of our diversified and inclusive nation.

Robert A. Bogle, Pittsboro

Graham statue

Regarding “Billy Graham statue in DC won’t represent all in NC,” (Oct. 17 Opinion):

Just as a segregationist like former Gov. Charles Aycock should not be representing our state in the U.S. Capitol, we should not sully our long tradition of separation of church and state or privileging a specific religion by honoring the Rev. Billy Graham. Why not select someone we can all be proud of, like philanthropist Mary Duke Semans or Lillian Exum Clement, the first woman elected to the N.C. General Assembly?

Rosalind Coleman, Durham

Gas prices

I was always told that a war or conflict directly impacts the price at the pump. There is no war, no conflict, but the price we pay for gasoline is going up, with hefty increases almost daily. Last week, I watched the price of regular unleaded at a local store increase over 30 cents a gallon in about three hours.

It used to be people had to choose whether to spend their hard-earned money on food or medication, but now you have to include fuel in that factor.

Maybe our leaders don’t notice the increasing pump prices because they have drivers who handle things like that. But I ask all members of Congress and our president to get with the program and come up with a plan. Right now, we all are getting hosed.

Bob Townsend, Wallace