Affordable housing is not a ‘cause’ in Charlotte, it’s a critical need

Enough talk. Act on affordable housing

Regarding “Rift over affordable housing stalls uptown Charlotte plan” (March 1):

The fact that the lack of affordable housing in Charlotte continues to make headlines is disappointing. Our county manager says that “delivering affordable housing on the site in Uptown was simply not economically feasible.” OK, so affordable housing is not economically feasible, but the proliferation of luxury apartments and boutique hotels is.

The Bank of America spokesperson indicates the bank is committed to “the cause of affordable housing in Charlotte.” Affordable housing is not a “cause,” it is a critical local need and an economic, social, and cultural right.

We have at least 3,647 homeless people in our county. Come on titans of tax dollars and managers of hedge funds, stop the talking, politicking and boardroom backslapping and get something positive accomplished in the affordable housing arena.

Chad Kelley, Charlotte

On coronavirus, I’ll look to the state

People say the federal government has not done this, that or the other thing concerning coronavirus. If something goes medically wrong in North Carolina I’m going to look to my state government in Raleigh and ask “where the heck were you when this went south”?

I’ve got a newsflash: The federal government cannot be all things to all people. States must take some initiative. To me, the federal government serves as a backup to assist the states and the initiator of new protocols. Responsibility begins at home.

Bob Burroughs, Charlotte

A fix for racial health care inequities

It’s time to think about a major sickness plaguing our health system — racial inequities.

Black Americans are much more likely to be uninsured. They have lower life expectancies and are more likely to die from diabetes and heart disease. Black mothers are 320% more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications.

Comprehensive universal coverage can close most of these racial disparities. Black men in the VA have a 24% lower death rate than whites. And once Americans enroll in Medicare, racial health disparities shrink or disappear. We can replicate the successes of the VA and Medicare with Medicare for All — the only policy that will provide equal protection to everybody.

Jacqueline Marshall, Charlotte

Medicare for All? I see no justice in that.

Every working citizen has Medicare tax taken from every paycheck they earn. Medicare only pays 80% of some medical expenses. For better coverage, a citizen must pay for Medicare gap insurance. There is nothing “free” about Medicare. Having paid into Medicare, I see no justice or fairness in just giving it to everybody.

Margaret Stefanko, Cornelius

Trump has no limits, self-restraint

Once, Americans could assume every president had some limits where the rule of law, public duty, or truth would dictate a level of self-restraint. President Trump has displayed an unbridled contempt for constitutional checks and balances, fueled by Attorney General Bill Barr’s assurances.

Trump’s charges that the press is the “enemy of the people,” his calls for political opponents/critics to be “locked up” and “investigated,” - while whining that his convicted associates are really nice people who don’t deserve their sentences - are frightening. America’s social order, her institutions, and democracy itself are threatened. Action is the answer and November will determine our nation’s future.

Terry Brant, Brevard

I see Trump as a trailblazer in a tux

I’m a Southerner by choice. I love the cultural eccentricities. It’s why Trump is so dang popular south of the Potomac and why he’ll win another term. Like a true Southerner, he is off the charts eccentric. He is fearless, able to command, provoke and succeed. He’s a political pioneer. A cultural provocateur. While the Democrats follow a path of failed ideas, Trump blazes new trails for us. It’s what courageous pioneers and true leaders do. Think Davy Crockett in a tux, ya’ll.

Lynda Bouchard, Charlotte

Did Thiessen forget about these tyrants?

Frankly, I tend to agree with most of what Marc Thiessen said in “’Miracle on Ice’ forgotten, socialism makes comeback,” (March 1 Opinion). However, the sentence I found confusing was: “The idea that a man who embraced Communist tyrants could...be elected president of the United States...would have been unthinkable 40 years ago...” Apparently, Thiessen either hasn’t been paying attention for the past three years or he doesn’t consider Putin, Kim Jong Un, Erdogan, Xi Jinping and Mohammed bin Salman - whether Communists or not - to be tyrants.

Jack Matthews, Charlotte