Donald Trump’s address was a cavalcade of awfulness | Opinion

Donald Trump’s television address Wednesday night was a cavalcade of misinformation, feeble boasts and outright lies. Trump bellowed fake statistics claiming he is the greatest president ever, and that prices were both coming down and Joe Biden’s fault. He was awkward, belligerent and looked tired.

The American people are suffering, economically and from the erosion of our democracy. But Trump hasn’t done this by himself. Every elected Republican politician whose supported Trump’s destructive agenda, every media outlet that hasn’t exposed his criminality and failures, and every voter who cast a ballot for Trump bears responsibility for this situation. Michael A. Clark, Charlotte

Library mistake

On Dec. 11, the York County Library Board voted 6–1 to adopt a discriminatory collections policy. This decision does not exist in isolation. Greenville County is currently being sued by the ACLU of South Carolina for a similar policy that restricts or relocates children’s and young adult books containing references to gender identity. Across the country, extremists are securing seats on library boards to advance a coordinated political agenda, and York County is no exception. County boards are meant to serve the public, not partisan interests. Libraries exist to provide equitable access to information for all members of the community, not to enforce ideological gatekeeping. Libraries are for everyone. Our policies should reflect constitutional values, intellectual freedom, and the diverse families who rely on these public institutions every day.

Lacey Layne, Fort Mill, SC

UNC system syllabi

The author is director of The William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education:

In a recent op-ed, UNC System President Peter Hans promoted the idea that, as a matter of “transparency,” university course syllabi should be made available as “public records” – and did so without affording a meaningful opportunity for university faculty to be heard. Hans would have done well to be guided by the lessons of his predecessor, William Friday, who recognized such calls for “openness” from outside groups for what they are: external attempts to impose ideological or political limits on legitimate campus discourse.

Hans might also have followed Friday’s lead by zealously respecting the principle of thoughtful consultation with faculty on academic matters. It is disappointing to observe current university leadership acquiesce so weakly to political pressures that an earlier generation of leadership, working in tandem with faculty, would have resisted.

Norman Loewenthal, Chapel Hill

Breast surgery

Each year, more than 300,000 women in the United States and approximately 13,000 women in North Carolina are diagnosed with breast cancer. A mastectomy, a common surgical treatment is lifesaving, but also life-altering. Breast reconstruction provides both physical and psychological benefits, yet only about 40% of women undergo reconstruction, often because of inconsistent insurance coverage, administrative barriers, or lack of access.

In 1998, the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) was enacted to ensure coverage of all stages of breast reconstruction. Despite this, many women face delays and unexpected bills when insurers deny coverage, claiming current reconstruction options are “not medically necessary” or are “experimental.”

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is working to modernize WHCRA, ensuring patients and their plastic surgeons, not insurance companies, determine the course of reconstruction care. Ensuring timely, full coverage for breast reconstruction is common sense and compassionate, the care every survivor deserves, and our law should reflect that.

Annie J. Bright, Chapel Hill

Notre Dame

Notre Dame has already won enough conference championships in the ACC in multiple sports to make it proud of its stay there. So it might be time to move on and go it alone like they did for so many years. Who knows, maybe another conference like the Big 10 will bury the hatchet with Notre Dame and join forces. Notre Dame is in a position of strength right now. The ACC couldn’t be weaker. Time to make a move and do it sooner than later. Tom Dorsel, Pinehurst