If Senate leader Mitch McConnell can’t be impartial he needs to recuse himself

McConnell must reconsider his role

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shocked the legal community by claiming before a TV news camera that President Trump’s impeachment is a political, not legal, proceeding.

An artful and crafty politician, McConnell is no Constitutional scholar. The reality is an impeachment proceeding is a trial, not a criminal trial, but a trial nonetheless. And senators, as the triers of fact, take a Constitutionally mandated oath specific to that task.

Being elected officials, McConnell and all senators are indeed politicians, but that does not reduce the impeachment process to political theater. It is instead a serious, Constitutionally-created legal proceeding. McConnell should treat it as such or recuse himself.

Geoffrey A. Planer, Gastonia

Nancy Pelosi’s ploy is such hypocrisy

Oh, the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party. After a mockery of a hearing where Republicans were mostly shut down, the Democrats are now preaching a fair trial and Speaker Nancy Pelosi is refusing to release the articles of impeachment to the Senate. She has said she won’t release them until she is guaranteed a fair trial. Why did she not insist on a fair hearing?

John Barber, Charlotte

I’ve grown weary of media bias

As a conservative and a Trump supporter (despite his faults ) I get weary of the media’s negative coverage of the president. J. Peder Zane’s Dec. 23 op-ed was an honest and refreshing take on that obvious bias. His honesty and the Observer’s willingness to print this piece are to be applauded.

Mac McCall, Taylorsville

Come up with a better drug plan

I am confused about the proposal that would allow the purchase of prescription drugs from Canada because they’re cheaper. They’re cheaper because the Canadian government negotiates prices with drug companies. So, we can’t negotiate prices for our own medicine, but we can buy medicine from Canada because Canada does. I thought we had the greatest negotiator in the universe working for us. What’s up with that?

Mike Anthony, Davidson

Rethink plan to cut federal food aid

Whatever happened to protection of the weak and vulnerable? Why do we allow members of Congress to protect their own jobs while removing protection from women, children and those who need financial help with food?

Please, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop and Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, act to reinstate the SNAP federal food aid program that feeds our most vulnerable and see that it is properly monitored.

Not all “able-bodied” are able to work for a variety of reasons. In this country they still deserve to eat.

Judi Sielaff, Stallings

Neither party is tackling the debt

I’m 69 with no children so I really shouldn’t be worried about the national debt. Until the mid 1980s I was a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. As a fiscal conservative, a $23 trillion debt worries me immensely.

Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans seem to care. I just hope I’ll be gone by the time the U.S. is defunct.

Dewey P. Rochester, Charlotte

Exacerbating the income gap

I served as an independent municipal financial advisor to Milwaukee’s taxpayers for its original bond financing of the Milwaukee Brewers Miller Park. Economic development subsidies lower overhead for companies and high wealth individuals making the naturally occurring income gap worse.

Data ranking Charlotte 50th of 50 in upward mobility showed the income gap has grown worse for everyone. That gap is more likely and harder to escape if you’re African American. The City needed $50 million in bonds to meet housing promises after the 2016 protests, yet “found” $110 million to subsidize pro sports.

If Charlotte’s local elected officials want to subsidize the region’s highest wealth individuals, don’t hide behind “upward mobility” and “revitalization.” Subsidies cause the income gap. They’re not the cure.

Leslie Dwyer, Charlotte

Thanks for lighting up my commute

Dear homeowners on Providence Road in Eastover: I’m a nurse case manager at the hospital who drives up Providence Road every morning. Your delightful red and white striped holiday decorations on the bases of all those trees brighten my day. I look forward to getting to your section of Providence every morning. Thanks for giving me a lift to start my day!

Robyn Slattery McAreavy, Charlotte