As bird flu cases rise, NC must be more transparent about its poultry industry
Avian flu
Recent articles have shown the avian flu threatening North Carolina’s poultry industry poses economic concerns. However, there are myriad other concerns the public is unable to assess due to a lack of transparency and oversight of this sector.
North Carolinians, particularly in our rural communities, deserve more access to information about the true cost of industrial poultry production in our state — e.g. amount of pollution, public health threats following flooding from hurricanes, and the poultry industry’s impact on other industries from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.
The scale of this burgeoning industry demands more regulatory scrutiny and opportunities for public engagement to ensure that North Carolina’s environment and public health are protected.
B.M. Anderson, Charlotte
Gas prices
Yes, gas is criminally expensive. Griping is our birthright. Still, you have to wonder why people have married themselves to vehicles with 30-gallon fuel tanks. And why they thought oil prices would never change. Very rude for reality to intrude.
Steve Craig, Charlotte
Stand with Ukraine
I am mighty proud of President Biden for leading and doing the right thing by banning Russian oil imports in the United States. It is the right thing to make a small sacrifice (higher gas prices for our Lexus/Mercedes/Jaguar) in order to stand with the courageous people of Ukraine who dare to stand up to the criminal thug Putin. Who will be next after Ukraine falls? Poland? And after that?
Robert Dulin, Charlotte
UNC Greensboro
As Chancellor of UNC Greensboro, I was disappointed in the March 6 Opinion piece characterizing a “‘crisis of leadership” at UNCG, especially when we were not even contacted by the writer.
We have experienced enrollment fluctuations that have negatively impacted our budget. As a result, tough decisions need to be made.
We know our path forward must be built in partnership with our faculty and staff, and it’s why we have engaged them in the process by which decisions were being made, as well as the steps we are taking to bolster enrollment and grow sources of private revenue.
UNCG produces the teachers, nurses, accountants, computer scientists, counselors, lab techs and others who are crucial contributors to the economy and society. We provide more first-generation and lower-income students with paths to prosperity than any other public university in the state.
To remain relevant and viable for future generations, we prioritize investments in research and teaching excellence — with a focus on areas of distinction. We agree that faculty must be involved. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.
Franklin D. Gilliam Jr., Greensboro
COVID’s toll
Regarding “2 years and over 1,500 deaths later: A look at COVID’s toll on Mecklenburg County,” (March 13):
The toll on healthcare workers and families of those who died during the pandemic is devastating. Its effect can never be erased. We will never know how much suffering could have been avoided were it not for the cult-like resistance of some to the CDC guidelines to control the spread of the virus. As a retired physician, the part of this article that brought me to tears was: “Vaccination rate: 65% in NC.”
David Nachamie, Lincolnton
A return to civility
Many wonder why our country seems uncivil. I suggest that when cheaters and law breakers aren’t held accountable, it becomes the norm to cheat and break the law.
In last week’s paper alone, we saw that Bill Cosby’s case won’t be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, leaving him a free man. We also learned that Mark Meadows may have voted illegally after denouncing voter fraud for months.
Recent news also shows that speeders and tailgaters are frightening on the roads because they know they will never answer for their crimes.
Our society needs to wake up and hold people accountable for bad or illegal behavior. Perhaps then we may return to some sort of civility.
Cindi Ferguson, Cornelius
BEHIND THE STORY
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This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 4:30 AM.