Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 05.11.15
In response to Eric Frazier’s “Segregation’s lingering legacy” (May 3 Opinion) and related Forum letters:
Government can’t fix inner cities
The strongest influence and greatest blessing for children is to have two parents who love each other, their children and God.
Without the parental-support structure, America is losing generations of ill-equipped young men and women who could potentially contribute substantially to society to unproductive lives of poverty, crime and unhappiness.
America’s social re-engineering of the family rewards the creation of generational cycles of parentless children. No better evidence exists to confirm that our social policies are a failure and the root cause of many of our country’s problems.
The toll on black families and society has to be effectively addressed. Get government out of our homes and parents back in and that will solve many of America’s problems.
Phillip Greene
Charlotte
In response to “Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society led to the demise of the black family” (May 7 Forum):
Blame ’60s Democrats for crippling welfare regulations
I find it incredulous that anyone would blame Lyndon Johnson or Great Society programs for the demise of black families.
The “man in the house” regulation for receiving either AFDC or ADC (welfare) was pushed, not by Lyndon Johnson or liberals, but by Southern Democrats, who are today’s Republicans.
This very conservative regulation in the AFDC and ADC programs was vehemently opposed by the black community and its repeal was one of their demands at the Poor People’s Convention in the ’60s.
One would do well to remember that many Great Society programs such as Medicare and school lunches are still with us.
Don’t lose sight of the good that came out of the Great Society.
Bob Harrison
Wingate
In response to Our View “Refunds vanish, budget rebounds” (May 7 Editorial):
N.C. should applaud senior citizens, not state legislature
Hold that applause for the Republicans running the state government.
They achieved this tax reform in part by putting a definite hardship on the seniors who were not allowed to take medical expense as a deduction.
In fact, the applause should go to all the taxpayers in our state. We should be patting each other on the back because if not for us there would be no $400 million surplus to pay the state’s bills.
Barbara Bell Kerr
Charlotte
In response to “Garbage fee could convert to tax” (May 5):
Unfair to make rich pay more so poor can pay less
Here we go again, another attempt at income redistribution.
It seems to trouble the city manager that the poor and the wealthy pay the same for garbage collection. Well, they should – they’re getting the same service.
Is it fair to ask the successful to pay more so others can pay less?
If somebody must pay more, I suggest that it be government employees as they seem to have job security that no one else has, and therefore can afford the ups and downs of the economy.
David G. Van Hellemont
Charlotte
Cut costs with garbage trucks repairs, one-man crews
My observations in recent months have shown there is an easy way to reduce the cost for city garbage collection: Use the maintenance repair budget to repair the lift trucks used for roll-out containers.
That would eliminate the three-man crew required to manually empty the roll-out containers into the rear of the waste collection trucks.
Ralph Hildreth
Charlotte
Don’t cheer indictment of Baltimore police officers
It is just as inappropriate to celebrate the indictment of police officers as a “victory,” as much as it was wrong for protesters in Baltimore to engage in riots.
This is a serious matter that has no winners or losers. Let us treat it with the proper respect it deserves and be mature and rational and form our conclusions on the basis of facts, not emotions.
Stephen V. Gilmore
Charlotte
This story was originally published May 10, 2015 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 05.11.15."