‘I did not know the gun was in the bag’ shouldn’t cut it at CLT anymore
How to put an end to loaded guns at CLT
In response to “Loaded handgun seized by TSA at North Carolina airport” (Dec. 12):
The incredible frequency of loaded firearms found at TSA checkpoints inside the Charlotte airport is clear evidence of the dumbing down of America.
A good way to reverse this horribly dangerous occurrence would be this: Anyone found attempting to carry a firearm through a TSA checkpoint would automatically spend 48 hours in the Mecklenburg County Jail, after which a judge would assign bail, if any, to face future federal charges.
The old line “I did not know the gun was in the bag” must no longer cut it.
John Walsh, Charlotte
Left makes poverty too comfortable
In response to “GOP seems to have contempt for poor” (Dec. 8 Forum):
Forum writer Donna Hatfield claims that the GOP has contempt for the poor when it’s apparent that the left and supporters of big government are the real ones with contempt of the poor.
Why is it that they continue to support policies that make people comfortable in poverty rather than providing the avenues from which they can escape it?
Ideas such as school choice and vouchers, lower taxes and regulations on business to create jobs and other pro-growth items actually work to help people out of poverty – much better than a large welfare state that disincentivizes work and keeps people trapped in poverty.
It makes you wonder what their true motivations really are.
D. Ben Fletcher, Charlotte
Bring back my old, honorable GOP
The GOP that I was a lifelong member of has lost its own moral and conservative compass.
Many of those from Alabama who thought Roy Moore was guilty were going to vote for him anyway because of party.
This tax cut bill is going to put us further in debt – between $1.8 and $2.4 trillion in debt! No hearings, just rhetoric.
I prefer my old, honorable GOP. Please!
Jerry Maslowski, Albemarle
Conservatives need a third party option
Given the Alabama Senate debacle, Republicans can view this as a harbinger of the 2018 elections.
The “do-nothing” GOP will once again lose to the win-at-all-cost Democrats.
Let’s face it, even with a majority in both houses, the Republicans cannot muster the unifying force to avoid the bitter in-fighting.
Like many other unaffiliated conservative voters, I look forward to a major third-party option.
Ed Carlson, Charlotte
Only major cuts will bring true tax reform
All the current tax reform bills are nothing but rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic – i.e., no real change.
Real change will only come when government spending is cut, and I mean CUT, not just trimmed around the edges.
This means eliminating countless programs the Constitution does not authorize. This is where most government spending occurs and is the cause of the ever-increasing deficits and federal debt.
Failure to drastically cut government spending will lead us to financial catastrophe from which we will never recover.
Stephen Gilmore, Charlotte
Brave women are changing our society
Thank you to all the women who have come forth about sexual harassment. Their bravery has done a lot of good things for our society.
By exposing the widespread problem, they are saving young women (I have three daughters) from having to go through that.
The bravery of these women has shown us that it is not the LGBTQ people we ought to fear, it is white heterosexual men.
But I wonder if any white heterosexual men will encounter difficulties getting a wedding cake made or be refused a marriage license?
Buddy Lemmons, Charlotte
City is losing more than a landmark
Closing the Park Terrace theater isn’t just about getting rid of another Charlotte landmark.
It is also about losing a venue which provides alternative film to Hollywood blockbusters.
The Manor will now be the only theater in this area of the city to offer independent and foreign films.
This is wrong thinking on someone’s part, as many of us enjoy these films and the sharing of them with others.
Ellen Caldwell, Charlotte
This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 2:55 PM with the headline "‘I did not know the gun was in the bag’ shouldn’t cut it at CLT anymore."