CMS wants the public to trust the school system on reopening. That rings hollow.

CMS says trust us. That rings hollow.

In CMS’ decision to go fully remote after two weeks of in-person classes they offered no help for working parents on how to leave kids home alone to teach themselves.

In interviews CMS Board chair Elyse Dashew has indicated the decision was based in part on managing stress and anxiety of teachers, discounting that possibly a majority of parents wanted CMS to return to in-person classes.

Multiple experts say in-school is better for kids than out-of-school, and that virtual learning hurts the poorest kids the most. CMS has established no metric on when kids can return to in-person classes, only seeming to say “trust us.” That rings far too hollow at this point.

Jeremy Stephenson, Charlotte

RNC in Charlotte? Bokhari doesn’t get it

Thank goodness Gov. Roy Cooper was forward-thinking and followed science concerning holding the Republican National Convention is Charlotte. Cooper didn’t back down. It seems greater minds have advised President Trump to call off the Jacksonville convention because of the pandemic.

Now, City Council member Tariq Bokhari wants to try to get the RNC back in Charlotte. He says “you literally never get a second chance like this.”

What part of “pandemic” does Bokhari not get? We are trying to keep people safe from spreading COVID further. Leading scientists are advising against large gatherings. Bringing more people in from all over the country would be about the most harmful thing we could do for our citizens.

Lucy Grasty, Charlotte

Kudos to Trump for sending agents

I want to applaud the president for sending federal law enforcement to Seattle and Chicago. This action is long overdue.

Liberal extremism is responsible for the erosion of respect for authority and the outright assault on civil authority that we have witnessed in recent weeks. So kudos to the president on this one. Let’s do as much as it takes to restore order, and pray that this is only a first step toward restoring some common sense and decency.

Randell Hanes, Sparta

Pounding wedge issues divides US

Continual pounding of wedge issues further divides the people of America, making compromise more difficult.

By forcing others to live by your code is when problems begin. America is about freedom. So smoke something, eat a cheeseburger, shoot your guns, pray to any deity (or none), wish those two guys next door a happy honeymoon, and unless you’re willing to adopt, let the 16-year-old girl down the street decide.

The campaign slogan in 2016 was “Make America Great Again.” In 2020 it’s “Keep America Great Again.” If the freedom idea was part of that, Donald Trump failed. However, there must have been concluding progress in three years since the operative word changed from “make” to “keep.” Therefore, how does Trump define greatness?

Keith Brann, Fort Mill

US must do more than rename bases

This effort to change names and remove statues is even catching on with Congress. Who would have imagined large bipartisan efforts in the current bill to change names of military bases and remove statues from the Capitol? It is only politics. Neither Democrat nor Republican has advocated for systemic changes that might reverse racism in the form of guaranteed education, health care, housing, and basic income. Politics does the pretty thing, not what is necessary.

Sam Roberson, Fort Mill

Stores need someone to enforce masks

Regarding “Lowe’s customer spits in another shopper’s face when asked to wear a mask, lawsuit says,” (July 24):

Spitting in the face of someone who calls you out for not wearing a mask is not patriotism, it’s stupidity and bullying.

Big-box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot need to hire off-duty police officers to enforce the mask policies of the state and the store. Even my local Food Lion is smart enough to take this step.

Gary Ludwick, Gastonia

Speeding ticket revenues will add up

Regarding “Troopers issue 144 citations amid I-485 speed crackdown,” (July 23):

In a time of severe tax revenue shortfalls, it makes good sense to more strictly enforce traffic laws on roads such as Interstate 485.

According to this article, Wednesday’s 91 citations is more than 10 times the average number of daily citations on that road.

Maintaining an increased citation level on our interstates and other thoroughfares would produce much needed tax revenues in the near term and in the longer term and markedly reduce unnecessary risk to the traveling public due to speeding scofflaws.

Stephen J. Gibbons, Davidson

This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 2:20 PM.