Mark Harris might not like it, but in my family the men help at home

Gender roles at home are outdated

With regard to Rev. Mark Harris's advice to the women in his flock, my mother taught me how to sew on buttons, prepare a meal and keep house among many other things. My dad also taught me the value of helping at home by washing dishes every night, doing laundry including hanging clothes on a clothesline, mowing the lawn, etc. I taught my two children the same.

My wife and my son's wives are thankful every day that my mother taught me, her third son, those skills while having her career as a nurse.

‘Haters’ are present in both parties

The supposition that Democrats are negligent in displaying opposition to uncivilized rhetoric and actions only serves to heighten tensions. There is no shortage of outrageously poor behavior from the far right or the far left, such as the inaccurate, irresponsible generalizations and lopsided opinion conveyed in this column.

On any given day, citing inflammatory words or actions from bad actors on the left or right is all too easy. Reasonable leaders from the left and the right speak out against incivility in equal measure.

The claim that Republicans have a monopoly on the high road is patently false and renders the writer guilty of the incivility she condemns. The irony is in full blossom. May I recommend an olive branch over knife-twisting blame-gaming.

Let’s encourage more civil discourse

While acknowledging City Council member Braxton Winston’s right to his own opinion, I take exception to his premise that the politics of the Republican Party should give us pause before bringing its convention to Charlotte.

To suggest that the party’s “divisive” and “dangerous” brand of politics precludes its right to assemble in Charlotte is both ill-advised and inflammatory.

Locally and nationally elected officials who represent the extreme views of their parties from both sides of the aisle only augment the political divisiveness they seek to denounce. As a moderate, I and, I suspect, many other middle-of-the-road Republicans and Democrats would like to see and hear more civil discourse and less demagoguery.

Don’t let politics ruin business opportunity

I’m willing to bet that Braxton Winston would not object to holding the Democratic National Convention here in Charlotte. Grow up, councilman, and set your prejudice aside! This will be great for Charlotte.

We can address more than one issue now

Forum writer Clinton Wilkinson suggests helping homeless should be a priority over helping people who seek asylum.

He makes a good point. As one who has spent several nights with homeless through the Room In The Inn program, I strongly support helping Charlotte’s homeless, but it shouldn’t be a matter of one choice over another. We should do both at the same time. We are Americans. We can do this!

N.C. legislature as petty as Texas’s

I was blessed to move to North Carolina recently from Texas, a great state with an appalling legislature. My new state has been wonderful! I cannot say the same about my new legislature, which rivals Texas in pettiness and partisan scheming.

Case in point – six proposed constitutional amendments in November’s election. One is unnecessary (safeguarding "harvesting wildlife"). Three make changes for partisan advantage (voter ID; changing election and other boards from gubernatorial to legislative appointment; and altering nomination for judicial vacancies).

Only two have serious policy substance. One (moving the personal income tax cap from 10 percent to 5.5 percent) unwisely hobbles future legislatures from revenue flexibility. The sixth (rights of crime victims) appears complex enough to be statutory rather than constitutional.

This legislature almost makes me homesick for Texas.

This story was originally published July 9, 2018 at 4:29 PM.