Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 05.17.15
Toll contract so bad I must be dreaming
I was stunned to read that the N.C. DOT contract for a toll lane on I-77 restricts the widening of I-77 for 50 years! Nobody in their right mind would limit the growth of that very important artery into Charlotte.
Just who has the authority to tie up this state for 50 years into the future with what appears to be no vote, no election, nothing but the stroke of a pen? Is it N.C. DOT administrative staff? The governor? Elected officials?
I keep thinking I’ll wake up any minute and I’ll be in Oz – where you only have to follow the Yellow Brick Road and the Wizard signs all the contracts.
Michael L. White
Statesville
In response to “Duke to pay $102M in coal ash spill case” (May 15):
Still waiting for individualsto be charged in coal ash spill
Duke Energy may have pleaded guilty to environmental violations and will pay a $102 million criminal penalty, but where is the punishment for the individuals at the company who are responsible for these crimes?
Steve Copulsky
Charlotte
In response to “Train was speeding at 106 mph before crash” (May 14):
Lives lost needlessly in train wreck; no more solo drivers
We have recently seen a major transportation disaster on Germanwings attributable to having only one person at the controls.
Why is it that on Amtrak trains, with hundreds of passenger lives in the balance, there is only one person at the controls?
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, do we learn nothing from past transportation catastrophes?
Patricia LaRocca
Charlotte
City got it right with new entrance road to airport
I took my first foray to the Charlotte airport and its newly reconfigured roads.
I arrived at 4 a.m. so my son could make a 6 a.m. flight. The roads were well lighted and directional signs were clear and numerous. I drove directly to the drop-off area and returned to I-485 without a hitch.
Well done, airport folks. A truly easy experience.
Dexter Greene
Charlotte
In response to “ACA merely shifts costs from one set of consumers to another” (May 14 Forum):
Insurers have my best interest at heart? Not in my experience
The market-driven system to which Forum writer Hadley Manning alludes is the same that provided 6 to 18 percent rate increases per year when I was purchasing health insurance for our 15 employees.
These increases were coupled with increasing co-pays and deductibles so our small company could continue to provide health insurance for our employees and families.
The canceled health insurance policies and broken doctor-patient relationships are due to the purchasers not reading what they are buying under the ACA. The policy description and information are available for anyone willing to do their homework.
Apparently Ms. Manning feels we can trust corporate America to have our best interests at heart. Not me.
Bill Sturgeon
Charlotte
In response to “Minimum wage hike not best answer” (May 14 Viewpoint):
Neumark had me on wage hike until he took aim at achievers
I was “fist-pumping” halfway through the minimum wage bashing article by University of California’s David Neumark, only to realize his solution to income inequality is higher taxes on the upper tier.
David gets it; higher minimum wages are paid for by business owners in low-wage industries and their customers, who are likely to be poor.
The problem is that he has no qualms about punishing the achievers who already pay the lion’s share of income taxes.
Dickie Benzie
Charlotte
In response to “Sure, S.C. got Volvo jobs, but N.C. will get tourist dollars” (May 13 Forum):
Don’t hold your breath N.C. waiting on those Volvo tourists
I had to wonder if Forum writer Mike Wright has ever even been to South Carolina.
Our air is fresher, our water is cleaner, our beaches are superior, and our people are nicer.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for those tourist dollars!
Jason Underwood
Fort Mill, S.C.
This story was originally published May 16, 2015 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 05.17.15."