Jerry Richardson, don’t sell, just accept responsibility

Richardson, make amends and stay

Mr. Jerry Richardson,

No doubt that the team you brought here, the Carolina Panthers, has put us on the map. As a native, you knew that we were practically salivating for a professional football team. Our days of choosing between teams from Washington, Atlanta or even Dallas (guilty!), were over.

I bought in, along with thousands of others, and have never looked back. Being a Panther fan is a source of pride.

When the news broke that you were selling, well, I feel abandoned. There is no doubt you will leave a legacy, but I implore you to stand in the pocket and do what we ask of our quarterbacks weekly: take the sack (admit your mistakes), get up and fight another day. With us.

Being on welfare isn’t comfortable

If Forum writer D. Ben Fletcher thinks living on welfare is comfortable, he should try it for a while and see how he likes it. Trying to get by on next to nothing is no picnic and anything but comfortable. It is the penultimate rung on the ladder of desperation before you find yourself living in a cardboard box under a bridge. We’ve been hearing this kind of rhetoric from conservatives for as long as I can remember. It makes you wonder if they’re living on the same planet as the rest of us.

Maybe City Council is on to something

In Charlotte’s city government, our mayor is a figurehead while our City Council members only have two years and part-time status to act on many of the campaign promises that they made to Charlotteans.

In a small town, this type of system may be adequate as the workload and the number of constituents to serve is relatively low. As city government’s workload increases with the number of residents, it does not make sense to keep doing business as a small city. As codes and ordinances increase to address issues that were unfathomable even 10 years ago, extending terms will ensure that our government can serve us with consistency rather than a rush to completion with little public input.

Trump can’t fire Robert Mueller

President Trump does not have the authority to fire Robert Mueller. Rod Rosenstein is the only one with that authority and he can only do so “for cause.” So, Trump would need to tell Rosenstein to fire Mueller, and when Rosenstein declines to do that – since there is no “cause” – then Trump would have to fire Rosenstein, put someone in that position and have him/her fire Mueller. If Republicans in Congress were to allow these events to unfold and take no action against Trump for clear obstruction of justice, we will be in a constitutional crisis. Let’s hope we don’t get to that point.

Watch your language around the holidays

Recently I’ve noticed an increased use of the word “needy” in our day-to-day talk. Maybe it’s the holiday season, and our “do-gooder” hearts want to serve. Although I suggest it’s more involved. We’re already segregated in Charlotte: schools, access and neighborhoods; and using the term “needy” perpetuates the divide. Those who normally say “needy” are socioeconomically privileged and possess social capital.

“Needy” might be a word we’re accustomed to, but it doesn’t make it right. We label others while assuming our wholeness; we’re all needy. We all have our own issues. Having socioeconomic security doesn’t exempt us; hiding behind the mask may make us the most needy.

Charlotte, relationships matter. We should acknowledge we are “needy” of one another.

Victims deal with abuse over time

It is unfortunate that Forum writer Larry A. Singer has such a vague concept of so many issues. Chief among them his words “Waiting 30 years or more to report harassment makes it questionable.” It is quite clear that Mr. Singer has absolutely no concept of the weight of sexual harassment or abuse and he is speaking from a very limited perspective of the issue - the perspective of white male privilege. I can attest that the weight of abuse is very, very heavy and there is no question that it takes an extraordinarily long time to summon the courage to ease that weight. It is men who think like Mr. Singer who keep their limited perspectives on the scale, thereby increasing the weight.

This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Jerry Richardson, don’t sell, just accept responsibility."