A No Labels party? No way. | Opinion

No Labels?

Regarding “Former Gov. Pat McCrory is not running for president, but he does have plans for 2024,” (May 23);

The launch of No Labels, a centrist group forming to nominate a third-party candidate for president, is complete nonsense.

First, it can’t be “centrist” if a polarizer like former N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory is involved.

The way to nominate better candidates is to get more than the party’s base to vote in primaries. This will lessen the chance that a candidate is chosen based on fear, intolerance and hate.

How do you get more people to vote? You make it easy to register and vote — not harder. You correct the misinformation that elections are rigged and fraudulent. The concern that the two parties are not working together and nothing is getting done also has an obvious solution. Mainstream conservative Republicans must take back control of their party.

David A. Nachamie, Lincolnton

Antisemitism bill

The writer is CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.

With antisemitism on the rise in North Carolina and nationally, the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte recognizes Senate Bill 739 as a key opportunity to show bipartisan support for a tool that empowers stakeholders to identify, analyze and combat antisemitism.

To better address antisemitism, we need to have a clear understanding of what it is. Over the past year, our group has dedicated efforts and resources to addressing antisemitism in the Charlotte area through our Outshine Hate initiative. Adopting the IHRA definition enhances efforts for community education on antisemitism and dispelling stereotypes.

Countering hate is not a political issue, which is why we’re calling for unanimous support for Senate Bill 739. It’s time to eliminate any ambiguity about the presence of antisemitism in our society once and for all.

Sue Worrel, Charlotte

Thomas Polk Park

The writer is president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, a national organization.

Polk Park in uptown Charlotte — a rare and important work by landscape architect Angela Danadjieva that is likely eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places — is about to be demolished. But wait. According to the Polk Park Partnership Framework approved by the Charlotte City Council on March 13, 2023, “the park should be demolished as soon as public engagement is complete,” in a process to “be led by the Charlotte Center City Partners.”

There’s one problem. There’s no evidence on CCCP’s website or anywhere else that the public engagement the City Council voted for has taken place. Can the CCCP and the city just ignore the public engagement that’s required before demolition? This is a public park.

Charles Birnbaum, Washington, DC

Budget solution

The writer is a former First Union Bank executive.

To make a meaningful reduction in the deficit while protecting a large portion of social and military expenditures, expense reductions and revenue increases must both play a role. Expense reduction is straightforward in that budgets can be reduced. On the revenue side, it is not so clear cut since most tax increases can be managed to minimize such payments.

However, revenue enhancement can be made more certain if the enhancements are made unavoidable, such as an alternative minimum tax tied to a fraction of a percent of gross revenue.

If all individuals and corporations were required to pay at least a half percent of their gross income, then that amount combined with expense reduction would have a meaningful impact on the deficit while ensuring everyone contributes to the solution.

Ross Annable, Harrisburg

GOP tactics

There’s nothing new about raising the debt ceiling. It has been raised or suspended over 100 times. Then, in 1995, when Clinton was president, Republicans forced a debt ceiling crisis. They did it again in 2011 and 2013 when Obama was president. Now, they’re at it again. You rarely heard a peep from them about the debt ceiling when Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump presided over some of the highest deficits in history. Republicans can’t win on their policies, so they resort to threats of crashing the economy hoping that they can blame it on the president, but only if he happens to be a Democrat.

Dianne Mason, Charlotte

Fearful for NC

I fully supported Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the restrictive abortion ban bill and I’m appalled that the Senate voted to override this veto. I urge my elected officials not to push North Carolina backward. I’m a small business owner and these overreaching restrictive measures will push good people like us out of the state. I couldn’t be more disappointed and fearful for our state. I urge Cooper and my representatives in the legislature, Sen. Vickie Sawyer and Rep. Grey Mills, to continue to protect the rights of women. Abortion bans and restrictions have devastating consequences.

Julie Crandall, Mooresville