In this era of divisiveness, heed bipartisan warnings

Governors stand up to fascist tactics

Kudos to our former governors who, despite deeply different political philosophies, have condemned the legislature’s naked power grab.

Make no mistake, Tim Moore and Phil Berger want to run North Carolina. Moore and Berger share a goal to make the executive and judicial branches of our state government pawns of the legislature. Their behavior is reminiscent of a fascist state.

Regardless of political affiliation, citizens should be scared stiff of this legislature and the tactics they employ to seize complete control.

Political power grabs are obvious now

I’m a liberal. I have said many times that the GOP is only interested in power.

To see former Republican Governor Jim Martin say “... it’s about power politics” sent a chill down my spine!

Human nature ruins economies

Socialism and capitalism both work great on paper. Both fail in practice for the same reason: human nature. So we are left arguing over which system results in the most good for the most people and the least harm to the fewest people. An argument with no clear right or wrong answer.

Keep pushing for term limits

We have a serious problem in this country. Politicians are more interested in being in power than protecting the country.

Democrats want power so badly they want open borders and immigrants to vote to ensure they get elected to power. If we continue on this path the U.S. will be destroyed by power hungry politicians.

The only thing that will save our country is term limits. This paper and all others should demand term limits for the sake of the country.

Press briefings are critical to free press

I am very disappointed people think the president should not have press briefings and should just issue a daily press release for the media. That is exactly what happens in countries like Turkey, Iran, North Korea, and China.

I have worked in countries where there is no free press, and once witnessed a street protest. When I turned on the news it was not mentioned. A colleague told me the media didn’t report it because “... that was a protest against the government, and the media is not allowed to report such things.”

Thanks to our founding fathers for the First Amendment, and to all journalists who are not afraid to challenge our elected officials.

It’s the president who is antagonistic

So, forum writer Ed Carlson believes the country would be better off with “a written update for the press.” Of course, this would allow Trump and his minions to do and say whatever they like without being questioned. It’s remarkable how Trump supporters are willing to give up freedom of the press to a man that lies so often.

Mr. Carlson has mistakenly blamed the press for “arrogance and antagonistic behavior” when the lion’s share of this type of behavior comes from the president and the White House.

Answers to your Trump questions

First, with regard to shutting down the government, the past four presidents kicked the can on immigration reform for several decades – essentially amounting to a government shutdown by past administrations on this particular matter.

Second, tariffs on imported German cars would in all likelihood result in increased production in U.S.-based German manufacturing facilities, creating jobs for Americans who are the predominant consumers of these cars.

Third, spending $12 million on a U.S. military parade seems an insignificant amount to honor American veterans, current service men and women, and those who lost their lives to protect our country. President Trump appreciates that such symbolic acts of patriotism promote the values upon which this great country was founded.