As long as Trump has a Republican Senate, he won’t pay the price for breaking laws

The truth in that 5th Ave. quip

This week Republicans in the U.S. Senate are going to absolve the president of criminal behavior. According to U.S. election law, it is a crime for a candidate to ask another country to get involved in an election. There is no doubt President Trump asked the president of Ukraine to help in the 2020 election.

The Republicans are saying he can’t be impeached for that. The Justice Department declares that a sitting president can’t be indicted for any crime. The president is right: He can shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and as long as he has a Republican Senate, he will not have to pay the price.

The people can solve that. Vote these Trumpites out in November.

Robert Cubbler, Matthews

Dem’s impeachment trial is a farce

The Observer Editorial Board has said “impeachment is serious.”

Impeachment should be serious. However, it is not serious when Rep. Adam Schiff begins the House impeachment hearing with a fictional version of President Trump’s phone call, nothing like the official transcript.

It is not serious when Rep. Nancy Pelosi states that Democrats would not pursue impeachment unless it was bipartisan and then proceeds without a single Republican vote.

This impeachment was not serious; it was a farce. House Democrats should be voted out of office.

Bruce Moline, Charlotte

This new norm threatens democracy

I‘ve heard the U.S. Senate described as the greatest deliberative body in the world. However, Republican senators have turned it into a complacent and subservient body. Though a few Republicans remarked that the House’s presentation was compelling, the consensus is that the president’s actions do not rise to the level of impeachment and removal. Republicans want to let voters decide during the next election.

So what does that mean? We should now accept the behavior of this or a future president who actively encourages foreign interference in our elections and even uses congressional funding as leverage? If this is the new norm, say goodbye to your vote and our democracy.

Jim Ragaini, Charlotte

Meck DA’s crime plan raises concerns

The writer is an ACLU campaign manager.

The Mecklenburg District Attorney’s “preventative detention” proposal (Jan. 30) raises serious concerns.

Unless strict safeguards are put in place, the proposed model could perpetuate the racism rampant in our criminal legal system. Neither a history of interactions with law enforcement nor an automated risk assessment tool should be used to deem a person “dangerous” as they rely on racially biased information.

No one should be denied the fundamental right to pretrial liberty without the exacting substantive and procedural protections that the U.S. Constitution requires.

Locking a person in a cage is harmful to that person and everyone in the community and does not ensure public safety. This is particularly so in the pretrial context when people are presumed innocent. Community members, advocates, lawmakers, and court officials must work together on a solution.

Kristie Puckett-Williams, Charlotte

People play a role in food deserts too

Regarding “County leaders commit to addressing food deserts,” (Jan. 31):

Mecklenburg Commissioner Mark Jerrell told his colleagues: “The corporate community — those that profit — have the responsibility to discuss what their contribution is to support people who are in the crescent.”

Food deserts are real and costly to all of us, but I question Jerrell’s use of the word “responsibility.” Some, if not most, of the responsibility to cure food deserts lies with the residents of such areas.

Yes, profit is part of the problem and no corporation will operate where it cannot make a profit. That means that any food corporation in a food desert must be vigorously supported, for the good of consumers and the corporation.

Roger Barbee, Mooresville

An economy built on debt and greed

Recently, it was reported that the federal deficit topped $1 trillion and that the Trump administration has decided to roll back regulations and once again allow banks to dabble in risky investments.

History shows it is only a matter of time before an economy built on debt and short-term gain for some will require the bill to be paid by all. The Republican playbook of unfunded tax breaks and unleashed corporate greed has led to the last two recessions, both cleaned up by the next president — a Democrat. Can’t we learn from the past?

Kelly Morlacci, Charlotte