I live near the Charlotte nature museum and I’m all for expanding it

Nature museum plan shouldn’t be derailed

Freedom Park is less than a block from my house. I walk the dogs there almost daily. The nature museum is a few blocks from me, and I was delighted to read of its expansion plans.

Living close to destinations like Freedom Park is a wonderful advantage. You have effortless access. The trade-off is that we must accept reasonable activity related to giving the rest of the community access. Those who don’t have easy, walkable access must have the ability to freely visit Freedom Park and the nature museum.

It’s proper that the neighborhood has input into plans for the museum expansion. It’s not proper that the expansion be curtailed or derailed to preserve pristine views of the park or avoid sight of the new building.

Richard J. Osborne, Charlotte

Think of public investments as seeds

Regarding “Put museum where catalyst is needed,” (Jan. 14 Forum):

This Forum writer is on point. When public investments are made with an eye on total returns on investment, everyone benefits.

In my work with small towns as a planning consultant, this strategy of “planting the seeds” for improvement works time and again.

Careful selection of where and how to invest both public and nonprofit funds can yield far more positive outcomes than patchwork expenditure to artificially heal neighborhoods.

Rick Flowe, Kannapolis

Keep welcoming refugees like me

The Jan. 10 editorial “Across NC, governments are rejecting Trump’s heartless offer on refugees” speaks in volume about the need to continue to welcome refugees in North Carolina.

As a former refugee, an N.C. resident since 2010, and now a proud naturalized American citizen, I couldn’t be more thankful to this country for giving me and my wife a new life through the resettlement program.

I am sure our preschooler daughter will be even more appreciative and thankful than us to one of the greatest nations on the planet, where she’ll grow up without fear of persecution based on religion, political or other beliefs.

Like thousands of others, I feel very proud to have found my new home. We should continue to welcome more refugees!

Thakur Mishra, Matthews

It’s the wrong time to cut history classes

At a time when many are unable to decipher fact from fiction in the news, North Carolina is cutting high school U.S. history instruction in half. While the proposed personal finance course is important, less history instruction means less analysis of sources and less exposure to our country’s history.

Proper study of history includes weighing the credibility of sources. Now students will have less time to build this skill set in a slimmed-down, speedy U.S. History course. Why not include personal finance as a part of real-life mathematics?

Aaron Kohrs, Hickory

Trump is what I’d call ‘a poor hire’

Regarding “Trump wants Pelosi, Schiff as impeachment witnesses” (Jan. 13): Isn’t he clever? What a smarty pants! I doubt if his supporters voted for the class clown to be their seventh-grade class president. Has President Trump proven often enough yet that he’s simply a bad choice? We all make mistakes, but one of the most difficult to deal with is a “poor hire.”

Marilyn Campbell, Cornelius

This exploits the political divide

I just received my invitation from President Trump to join the Republican Presidential Task Force. He says “The Socialist Democrats running against me for President along with their allies in Congress and Left-leaning special interest groups — have launched a massive non-stop propaganda campaign and impeachment witch hunts to destroy me and our Republican Party.” By sending in $35 or more I will become a charter member.

Mr. Trump, I thought you were going to lead us out of this political divide, not exploit it for political gain.

Steve Benkosky, Boone

Much more to learn about depression

In his Jan. 10 op-ed “Why are so many youths in the US killing themselves?” Richard A. Friedman displays disturbing misunderstanding of depression when he writes: “How is it possible that so many of our young people are suffering from depression and killing themselves when we know perfectly well how to treat this illness?”

I don’t believe any responsible psychiatrist today would agree that we know perfectly well how to treat this illness. I pray the day will come when we do know how to treat depression. Thankfully, many can be helped, but as of today far from all.

Russell Ranson Jr., Charlotte