Our senators should demand the full Mueller report
Senators, get us the report now
In response to “Redacted Mueller report expected to be released by mid-April” (March 29):
Our democracy is being challenged in unprecedented ways. We need full transparency to see exactly what Robert Mueller found through an almost two-year investigation. Whether or not there was evidence of conspiracy with the Russians is not the point. We need transparency and we need to know what is in the Mueller report. Not later but right now.
I urge Sens. Burr and Tillis to push for a full release with no redactions. Congress can decide what to pass along to the public. I hope they will be part of the process to help us rebuild confidence in our government.
Julie Crandall, Mooresville
Shareholders should pay for cleanup
In response to “Customers shouldn’t pay for Duke’s new coal ash cleanup” (April 2 Opinion):
Duke Energy, not its customers, decided to dump coal ash where it did. Duke Energy, not its customers, must be responsible for cleaning it up.
Those who bear the brunt of this cleanup effort must be the shareholders of Duke Energy. When they purchased Duke stock or bonds, they knew that there was risk and this is part of that. Despite Duke Energy's assertion that this is "a price we pay for getting electricity service," I as a customer of Duke Energy do not bear risk responsibility for the firm's actions, and any efforts to force me and other customers to be responsible for their actions, is tantamount to theft.
We would be robbed to pay the shareholders, and that is simply unacceptable.
Benjamin Lloyd, Charlotte
Boeing wouldn’t admit its mistake
In response to “Boeing, FAA say more time needed for fix of troubled 737 Max” (April 1):
The solution to the flight control problem with the 737 Max 8 is simple and should have been carried out by now. Remove the device from the aircraft and let the pilots control the aircraft’s nose up or down position as pilots have done for 100 years. As a private pilot, I was taught to do this before I was even allowed to fly solo.
However, Boeing is unlikely to go this route, as that would mean the company would be admitting they had made a mistake. Instead, Boeing is putting a band-aid on it and hoping it works. I’ll wager we will never see this device on any future aircraft, though.
John Walsh, Charlotte
We’d flourish with lower crime rates
In response to “Why don’t you step into CMPD shoes?” (April 1 Forum):
Well said, Forum writer James Sanders! The facts are simple. I do respect Braxton Winston and his opinion, however I have neck ties much older than him. I was here the year we had 129 murders in Charlotte, and it was beyond comprehension. This community could springboard beyond anything we could imagine if we could just decrease our crime rates.
I respect all officers of the law, and I have just two rudimentary points for people to help facilitate their job. Always follow and obey their verbal commands and never have a drawn gun in their presence.
Randall Lemly, Charlotte
How can Trump deny them aid?
In response to “Puerto Rico impasse blocks disaster aid bill” (April 2):
It is unsettling and disturbing to hear the president adamantly oppose continuing aid for millions of Americans in hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico. Congress is at a stalemate over a fundamental disagreement concerning disaster relief and Puerto Rico’s needs.
As a U.S. citizen, the president’s insensitive and cruel remarks make me feel outraged. Human beings have become victims of politics. Their suffering is added to the suffering of generations of vulnerable people of color, including immigrants, who have been oppressed by an unjust and racist system. This administration is not ashamed to embrace that system. This in and of itself is an outrage. We cannot stay silent.
Odette Valder, Charlotte
Let’s close the pay gap between genders
April 4 is the day we "celebrate" when the typical woman working full time in the United States catches up to the salary that a white male was paid the previous year. Yes, women must work three extra months! The pay gap is even worse for most women of color. In North Carolina alone, women earn, on average, $8,000 less than men do in the same time frame.
This pay gap translates into less money for feeding families, paying debts and retirement savings. As we wait for the U.S. Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, I hope American Association of University Women (AAUW) members will continue to urge the state legislature to make improvements to N.C. equal pay laws so that fair pay is an accessible reality.
Lynne Bogguss, Charlotte