Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 05.08.15
In response to “DOT to move forward with tolls” (May 6):
Development will screech to a halt
The sweetheart deal with the toll road company seems to guarantee that I-77 will not be widened for 50 years.
That will cause development at the lake to come to a screeching halt. In turn, so will industrial development in the Charlotte region.
We, like Rip Van Winkle, can go to sleep for a 50-year nap. The result: no more jobs, no more growth, and a general decline in the region’s prosperity.
Jim Williams
Charlotte
Obama doesn’t get it, Iranian extremists have nothing to lose
Obama doesn’t get it, Iranian extremists have nothing to lose
Wednesday’s Michael Ramirez editorial cartoon about mutual assured destruction depicted the simple difference that President Obama and his liberal following don’t seem to understand, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does!
The Russians were not into suicide, so mutual assured destruction (MAD) worked.
Iranian extremists don’t care if they die. In fact, they can’t wait to see their “virgins,” so they are very dangerous – especially with a nuclear weapon in their hands!
Peter J. Augusta
Charlotte
In response to “City ponders 19% hike to Storm Water budget” (May 6):
Beware of pay-as-you-throw’s unintended consequences
I see that City Manager Ron Carlee’s proposal for pay-as-you-throw is still alive and kicking.
If implemented, he can expect two scenarios to occur:
▪ The City will likely be unprepared for the number of households asking for the smallest trash container and will have no place to store the larger containers as they’re returned.
▪ Some individuals requesting the smaller containers will throw their excess trash into other people’s containers, or worse yet, on the side of the road.
Beware of unintended consequences.
Mark A. Mazzoni
Charlotte
In response to “Bloc: McCrory, veto abortion bill” (May 5):
McCrory has much to lose if he breaks his promise on abortion
When, and if, Gov. Pat McCrory should lose his next election because of his broken promise on abortion restrictions, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the votes of pro-choice women will have gone away too.
He must make sure that the needs of puppy mill puppies do not receive greater consideration than women and their abortion rights.
Lorraine Stark
Matthews
In response to “The real numbers on North Carolina’s jet fuel handout” (May 4 For the Record):
End tax break for airlines, it amounts to corporate welfare
Kudos to Adam Yalowitz for exposing the taxpayer giveaway to American Airlines.
American and US Airways have been feeding off N.C. taxpayers for over 10 years with this tax break. At a time when our state budgets are under stress and airlines are recording record profits in the billions, this must stop.
I call on lawmakers in Raleigh to end this corporate welfare and level the playing field for all airlines in North Carolina.
Dennis J. O’Connor
Charlotte
In response to “DOD: No plan to seize Texas” (May 5):
GOP fear-mongering has finally come home to roost in Texas
The fear mongering that Republicans have cultivated for the past 15 years has finally consumed all rational thought.
Some in Texas are convinced U.S. military maneuvers there are a plot to “take over” Texas.
This anti-government mania runs rampant through the Republican party. The absurdity of it literally makes me quake for the future of our country.
Timothy Weeks
Fort Mill, S.C.
Courtrooms need microphones so jurors like me can serve
I am a 30-year Charlottean who wears hearing aids in both ears. I reported for jury duty last month and was chosen to be interviewed as a prospective juror. I was amazed to find none of the attorneys used microphones.
When I told the prosecuting attorney that he needed to speak louder if he wanted me to understand, he asked the judge to dismiss me as a juror. I was embarrassed and angry. I would have been able to hear perfectly well if they had used microphones.
If our government officials are listening: You don’t have to be in a wheelchair to be disabled!
Bob Pusateri
Charlotte
This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 05.08.15."