Price gouging is occurring daily on I-77 near Charlotte for nearby residents | Opinion

Price gouging is occurring daily on Interstate 77 toll lanes. I-77 Mobility Partners should rename their “dynamic pricing” to “opportunistic pricing.” It is just another unintended consequence of this plan’s debacle. With I-40 west shut down for maybe a year, the traffic on I-77 has the southbound lanes bumper to bumper. Residents of Mooresville, Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville are facing a decision to spend time staring at brake lights, or for the next year, pay a ridiculous amount of money to use the toll lanes where the it can cost $4.90 to travel two exits. Can anyone in government get us some relief, or is this just another case of “Thank you sir! May I have another.”

Carl Brooks, Cornelius

Young voters

The writer is the NC Director of NextGen America

This year, Millennials and Gen Z together will form the largest and most diverse voting bloc in history, representing nearly one-fifth of the electorate. With over 40 million Gen Z voters, including 8 million newly eligible since 2022, our collective power is immense. In North Carolina, people aged 18-35 make up nearly a quarter of the electorate. Our generations face significant challenges — threats to reproductive rights, an urgent climate crisis and an economic system that often feels stacked against us. Young people must make their voices heard this November. We hold the power to create lasting change.

Brennan Steele, Charlotte

Trump lies

My heart is heavy over the unimaginable suffering in western North Carolina. Hundreds of people dead. Hundreds still missing. Thousands and thousands of people who have lost everything. We have only just begun to grasp the scope of this event that will reverberate through our lives and communities for years to come. I am a long-time unaffiliated voter. It is despicable when politicians use tragedy to sow division, confusion, and conspiracy theories. Aren’t the victims suffering enough? At a time when we need for our leaders to encourage us to pull together, to support each other, to lend a helping hand, and to put partisan divisions aside, the ex-president, who cares about nobody but himself, tries to capitalize on human suffering, including the suffering of many members of his own political party, by pushing lies about the federal government’s Helene response.

Robert Dulin, Charlotte

Tillis tilt

I went from being so proud of Sen. Thom Tillis for speaking a non-partisan truth that people in North Carolina were getting help from the federal and state governments to being in disbelief and sad. He said no finger-pointing or conspiracy theories should be happening at a time when lives are devastated by Hurricane Helene. Now Tillis is upset that Kamala Harris quoted him correctly. Now he is saying he meant that Harris is doing the finger-pointing. I guess Sen. Tillis doesn’t love North Carolina as much as he says. He loves being loyal to Trump more.

Willa Hackney, Charlotte

Middle East peace

As Rabbi Judy Schindler said in her Observer op-ed, we pray for peace for Israelis and Palestinians. The only path to peace is the two-state solution. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not support this solution. He is the wrong man to lead Israel at this time. Supporters of peace for Israel and innocent Palestinians and other Arabs must be protected. In an ideal world, Jews and Arabs would be demonstrating together for the two state solution.

David A. Nachamie, Lincolnton

Harris’ bad instincts

I am grateful someone of any gender, religion, or race can today become president. But that does not mean Kamala Harris is ready for promotion. Harris is a genuine person who fully delivers on good vibes and joy. Unfortunately, saying something with a smile does not make it good policy. Harris appears politically inauthentic, parroting rhetoric she thinks will win votes, leading to many policy flips on immigration, energy and more. Her initial instincts were bad. Switching positions after the impact is already felt is meaningless. By casting the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, Harris directly contributed to our bad economy. As vice president she cast the most tie-breaking Senate votes in history. When proactively voting for something — you must own the outcome. Harris proudly states she was the last person in the room when the Afghanistan exit strategy formed. She recently said nothing comes to mind when asked what she would do different than the past administration. Harris has bad instincts.

Jennifer Louis, Charlotte