Landlords and tenants face eviction, growing debt in a pandemic while banks profit

Banks are benefiting, not people

How fair is our economy?

Landlords are still prohibited from evicting tenants during the pandemic. They have mortgages they can’t pay if tenants can’t pay rent. Big banks, which hold mortgages, are reporting billions in profits.

Eviction moratoriums are helping tenants temporarily, but tenants and landlords alike are accruing debt they may not be able to pay off. Clearly, the bottom of this chain is suffering a great deal more than the top. We are not in this all together.

Richard Riedl, Hickory

Another question CMS must answer

Regarding “CMS, Centegix settle lawsuit on school alert system,” (Oct. 16):

Now that the Centegix debacle has been settled in court, can anyone at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools explain why chief technology officer Derek Root is still employed? There is no excuse for the way procurement processes were ignored and abused under his watch.

David Fahey, Charlotte

Forest supports a dangerous fallacy

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest has indicated his support for the Great Barrington Declaration, an internet letter that promotes stopping all COVID-19 control measures except for the most vulnerable people.

The Infectious Disease Society of America called the letter “inappropriate, Irresponsible and ill-informed.” The Lancet called the policy “a dangerous fallacy unsupported by scientific evidence.”

Forest cited it in saying masks do not protect against COVID-19. But the letter doesn’t mention masks. Studies show mask use prevents spread of COVID.

We should open workplaces and schools safely with mask use, social distancing, testing and contact tracing. Public health should be based on science, not letters Forest finds on the internet.

Dr. James Horton, Charlotte

Composed? I want a truthful governor

In the Oct. 16 Forum, a former Charlotte mayor says Republican Dan Forest was “composed, thoughtful, respectful, and indeed, ‘gubernatorial.’”

A better standard is how many false claims Forest made during the debate as reported in the Observer: 1. Claimed masks do not work. 2. Claimed private schools have had no virus cases. 3. Claimed the governor is responsible for the 1 million unemployed in N.C. when the pandemic is the primary reason.

North Carolinians should choose a governor who is not simply composed but truthful with the voters.

John H. Clark, Charlotte

Trump is already donating plenty

Regarding an Oct. 16 Forum writer’s suggestion that President Trump should donate $100,000 to “help some of his less wealthy supporters pay their COVID-19 medical bills.” Before President Trump was inaugurated he pledged to donate his salary to various federal agencies. If my math is correct his donation total is in excess of $1.2 million.

Brooke Dickson, Charlotte

A moving reminder about voting

I hope Aleta Payne’s moving Oct. 16 op-ed inspires others to vote.

I’m a 73-year-old white privileged native Charlottean. My grandmother was an editor of the St. Petersburg Times. My friend Thelma’s great grandparents were slaves. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand what that meant for each of us. Thank you for publishing such a beautiful and heartfelt reminder of how important voting is.

Diana Travis, Charlotte

Your vote matters. Don’t doubt it.

Often times the masses see a political candidate they believe is ahead and decide their vote is no longer important, while another group is fighting to get ahead and all cast a vote. This causes a swing and the underdog can gain enough momentum to win.

In an increasingly complex voting arena where winning the popular vote may be temporary if votes are later denied, the ballot has become a valuable treasure. If you falsely believe your vote is unimportant in this election, you may well be disappointed. It is dangerous to sit and watch, so please vote.

David Knoble, Charlotte

A census question for the originalists

We heard a great deal of chatter from the Republicans and Judge Amy Coney Barrett about “originalism” during the Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearings. My question would be as follows: Where are those originalists now that an Oct. 13 Supreme Court ruling made it possible for the Trump administration to end Census counting early?

Patrick Miller, Fleetwood

Social media’s influence on elections

It’s sad that many Americans rely on social media for news.

Facebook and Twitter need to have strict regulations with major financial penalties when they arbitrarily decide what they want you to see and what they don’t want you to see. All political statements should be banned by both. If you want to make a political statement or promote an opinion, pay for it with proper disclosure.

It is one thing to watch CNN or MSNBC or FOX and know their slant, but to allow social media and unknown sources to report stuff is just wrong.

Jim Best, Morganton