In response to “Need better numbers to tell if hospital execs grossly overpaid” (Feb. 8):

Carolinas Health System salaries defy common sense

Mr. McGinnis states that we have no basis for judging whether Carolinas Health System execs salaries are astronomical; we need to compare to other systems of similar size. But common sense provides a reliable basis and it reveals that salaries for the top 10 executives at CHS are grossly excessive. They all exceed $1,141,170 with the uppermost being $4,760,026. These execs, both at CHS and at other systems of similar size, neither earn nor deserve such asinine pay. Do you wonder why medical care is so ridiculously expensive these days?

Do you remember the excess profits tax that the government devised during the oil crisis of the 1970s? Why not an excess profits tax for CEOs?

Kenneth P. Bullard

Charlotte

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In response to “City offers $144M for Panthers” (Feb. 9):

Panthers might provide ‘sense of unity’ if they won more

Mayor Anthony Foxx’s choice of words (i.e., sense of unity and psychology of success) says that he is hoping that taxpayers will ignore the fact that he is wanting to give millions of our dollars to a losing team.

Jerry Richardson is wealthy. It’s time that he started paying his own way.

Ann P. Mahoney

Charlotte

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In response to “Unnecessary secrecy cloaks Panthers deal” (Feb. 9 Our View):

I’m hoping Raleigh will put cover on city’s ‘cookie jar’

What you showed all taxpayers is that this is just a major tax increase using the Panthers as cover. As you calculated, this will yield over $300 million above the payment to the Panthers and debt repayment to be used as the city sees fit to spend it. This cannot be justified by any thinking taxpayer.

It appears that city staff, City Council and Mayor Foxx are all happy to create a “cookie jar” for future unrestrained spending by this major tax increase.

Hopefully, those in Raleigh will see through this sham and limit the tax increase to 0.5 percent over 15 years.

Bill Rice

Charlotte

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In response to “Belmont police revising chase policy” (Feb 10):

Cities, towns need to rethink high-speed chase policies

The slaughter of former Belmont Mayor Kevin Loftin and Donna Deitz lies at the foot, literally and figuratively, of Lester Norman, period. The city may wrangle over blame of the officer chasing Norman, the latter going 80 mph when he hit the victims, but it is senseless to continue this law enforcement tactic decades after our crowded highways have made the practice high risk-low reward.

With all respect for the law officers who risk their lives doing what may seem to them at the time what they are hired to do, we need for elected officials to put their foot down and restrict high-speed chases.

Eddie Goodall

Weddington

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What we lose with one less day of Postal Service delivery

I asked my postman how he felt about the proposal to end Saturday delivery. “I hate that,” he said, “I like people and that’s the only day I get to talk to my customers.” Too bad his bosses don’t feel the same way. Maybe Congress should listen up, too.

Sharon Kugelmass

Charlotte

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In response to “To close achievement gap, CMS needs cultural competency” (Feb. 10 For the Record):

Cultural competency needs to be a part of schools and beyond

We encumber higher CMS student achievement when we purposely exclude those who are different from ourselves.

Moreover, I say the achievement gaps follow from our innate tendency to exclude, and exclusion continues into the workplace. We impede the future of our nation’s global economic leadership position through continuing exclusion and lack of cultural competency.

Hopefully, sooner rather than later, in preparing our CMS students for their future in the workplace, we will learn how to fully cultivate and embrace our cultural differences.

Donald W. DeBouse

Charlotte

Not convinced about Morrison’s new solution to old condition

I think the superintendent’s assertion that “our students come from many cultural contexts and backgrounds. … and to meet their needs requires deep thoughtful cultural competency,” addresses a condition that is neither new nor unique.

I attended the NYC public school system in the ’50s and ’60s, where you could not find a greater diversity of ethnic or intellectual variety. Teachers taught objectively to the class as a whole, putting a major part of the learning burden on students themselves, without regard to cultural considerations.

I daresay, students coming from that environment were better educated than will be students benefiting from cultural competency.

Frank Prestopino

Charlotte