NC has a way to keep guns out of schools. Wake leaders must use it. | Opinion
Guns in schools
Regarding “Loaded gun at Rolesville High School led to lockdown and early dismissal of students,” (Feb. 1):
Protect our teachers and students. Metal detectors are needed in every school. Use funds from the N.C. Lottery to install them now.
Evelyn Dove, Raleigh
NC tax cuts
The writer served in the N.C. Senate 1997-2013.
North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger has stated that he intends to cut taxes again. This is shortsighted, even with the surplus and the reserves for natural disasters.
There are many needs Berger overlooks, especially mental health spending which is severely limited in providing services. And certainly education, where we have fallen in the national ratings.
We should reinstate teaching assistants in the first three grades. Early child care should be available for every child in North Carolina. We are also short of school bus drivers who are underpaid, as are school cafeteria workers.
Our needs are great. A tax cut will mostly benefit high earners. We need to benefit all our children and North Carolinians.
Ellie Kinnaird, Chapel Hill
Defund police
The killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers raises important points that bolster the case to defund police.
Nichols’ killing is proof that police violence is a systemic problem, not the “one bad apple” argument historically made in defense of police misconduct.
It’s time for society to take a look at policing as a practice — a fatally flawed practice — and realize that in our zeal to prevent crime we have in fact created a monster.
These problems don’t stem from a lack of training. It’s time to abolish policing as we know it, and find humane alternatives to this violence-prone system that is out of control.
Patrick O’Neill, Garner
GOP and the IRS
How interesting that after criticizing “police defunding,” some Republicans now want to effectively defund the IRS.
John R. Shutt, Raleigh
New UNC school
The writer is a professor emeritus, UNC School of Global Public Health.
How sad that the UNC Board of Trustees has voted to establish a new School of Civic Life and Leadership on campus. Instead of trying to understand and correct the forces that have diverted UNC from its mission of lux libertas, the scholarly pursuit of truth. This decision will compartmentalize and even marginalize that core function of the university. Years from now, will graduates from the other schools take pride in the disregard for truth in their years at UNC?
Dr. Lewis Margolis, Chapel Hill
Debt and deficit
Our government has had a spending problem for years, since our last surplus in 2001.
The FY 2022 results show spending of $6.27 trillion and tax income of $4.90 trillion, resulting in a $1.4 trillion deficit which regrettably is typical. This is the equivalent of a family unit earning $49,000 a year and spending $62,700 a year — $13,700 deficit.
Anyone can see this is not sustainable and should be addressed by Washington before the global markets react and crush us with our perpetual trillion-dollar deficits. An ancillary problem is our federal interest debt is about $575 billion per year, which is double the previous year.
Washington has failed to address the debt and deficit problem for over 20 years — and appears willing to continue.
Franklin Smith, Raleigh
Abortion, Judaism
Last summer, my daughter and I planned a weekend in Washington, DC. Upon arrival on June 24, we quickly learned about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Plans to visit museums and enjoy dinners turned into a weekend of protesting at the Supreme Court along with other distraught people.
That passion drove me to help write a formal statement affirming Reform Judaism’s unwavering support for reproductive health and rights, and specifically for access to abortion. It was approved by Raleigh Temple Beth Or’s social action committee.
Our statement is based on Jewish values that prioritize the life, health and well-being of the mother and the belief that life does not begin until birth. Legislating restrictions on abortion access and forcing medical professionals to delay care goes against Jewish law and practices. Such restrictions contravene Jewish teachings and infringe on religious freedom.
We published our statement on Jan. 22, the 50th anniversary of Roe. We urge N.C. lawmakers to read it and educate themselves about what people of other faiths believe about abortion and reproductive health and access.
Phyllis LeFevre, Clayton
Lt. Gov. Robinson
Soon after the Oct. 28, 2022 vicious hammer-attack on Paul Pelosi, N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson decided to join a few others in spreading a conspiracy that Pelosi invited the attacker into his home for a tryst and thus was partially to blame for the assault. As newly-released video shows, that was not true.
Robinson has an obligation to explain his motivation for posting this disgraceful lie and apologize to Pelosi and the public. Short of this, he has no credibility to continue serving the people of this state in any capacity.
Mark Slattery, Raleigh
