On health care, Trump pulled a rabbit out of a hat in Charlotte. Don’t fall for it.

Some health care magic from Trump

So we are told that now, suddenly, five weeks before the election, Donald Trump has a health care plan for all Americans and the GOP is “the health care party.”

Like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, the America First Healthcare plan magically appears and will sail through Congress and the Senate. Don’t believe it.

The same thing goes for his claim to “protect” Medicare while he pushes to end the payroll taxes that pay for it. More magic!

Kirby Strickland, Blowing Rock

Dems have a hold on NC elections board

Regarding “Republican elections board members resign,” (Sept. 25)

Laws were amended by the N.C. legislature to make absentee voting easier and they should be followed. Instructions with the ballot are easy to understand. Local boards of election are making for a safe way to vote both early and on Election Day. Unfortunately, now instead of acting nonpartisan, the State Board of Elections has become a partisan arm of the Democratic Party.

Frank Huber, Waxhaw

Don’t limit court terms, limit Congress

Congress needs to understand the Constitution.

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California has announced plans to introduce legislation Tuesday for term limits on U.S. Supreme Court Justices.

The Constitution states the justice serve their term as long as they practice “good behavior.” Changing the Constitution is not a political agenda issue. It requires basic logic and long-term thinking, not political and election talking points.

If any one needs term limits, it would be members of Congress. Give them 12 years and send them home.

Jim Best, Morganton

Voters are on to Tillis and Graham

Hypocrisy is too charitable a word for Donald Trump trying to ram through a Supreme Court nomination five weeks before the election.

Sens. Lindsey Graham and Thom Tillis are smugly ignoring their obstruction of President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland from over four years ago, insisting this time is different.

What’s different is the fear Graham and Tillis have of losing their Senate seats.

Graham and Tillis are on the wrong side of history, democracy, and the Constitution by obeying Trump’s desperate desire to seat another supposedly conservative Supreme Court justice. And the voters know it.

Michael A. Clark, Charlotte

Doing this would disenfranchise voters

I always find it ironic when people argue that eliminating the Electoral College is the “fair” thing to do. It is exactly the opposite. It would essentially disenfranchise voters in almost 40 states and leave the election of every future president to the handful of states with the largest populations; particularly California and New York.

Tom Spencer, Waxhaw

Zane is wrong about ‘tough action’

In lauding President Trump, columnist J. Peder Zane writes “In place of Obama’s weak words, Trump has responded to Chinese and Russian aggression with tough action.” (Sept. 24)

Really? What tough action was taken when our intelligence services reported that Russia paid Afghanistan’s Taliban to conduct lethal attacks against U.S. troops? Or, that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and is doing it again?

If Zane considers cozying up to Putin and ignoring these charges ‘tough,’ perhaps needs to reevaluate his definition of “tough action.”

Pat Kunder, Charlotte

To compete with China, heed science

China got a few cases of COVID-19. After some mismanagement and misinformation the Chinese government took aggressive measures based on science and limited reported cases to about 85,000 and deaths to about 4,600.

The city of Wuhan, once at the epicenter of the pandemic, has opened up its economy.

The U.S. got a few cases, did not take aggressive measures, and now has over 7 million cases and 203,000 deaths. Mismanagement and misinformation continue, the economy is not fully open, and politics rather than science is driving decisions.

Sensible public health measures are a prerequisite to competing with China and the rest of the world.

Vincent Keipper, Concord

Heard the one about a man and a boat?

There’s a story about people on a boat. A guy decides to dig through the floor of his cabin. The water flows in. The other passengers are upset with him. But it is his own cabin, the guy argues, so why should it matter. Personal choice only goes so far when we are all on the same boat. Wear the darn mask!

E. T. Shafer, Charlotte