Pat McCrory was a strong mayor and good guy. Then he became governor. | Opinion

In reference to Andrew Dunn’s column “Pat McCrory deserves better from North Carolina,” as Charlotte’s mayor, Pat McCrory governed as a moderate, worked well with Democrats and was a good mayor.

As NC governor, he joined extreme right Republicans and attempted to take Charlotte Douglas International Airport by eminent domain and transfer operational control to state Republicans.

In north Mecklenburg every day, drivers sit in traffic on I-77 and stare at two empty lanes north and southbound that they cannot afford to use. Those multi-million-dollar empty lanes and the 25-year wait for light rail to north Mecklenburg are tributes to McCrory.

McCrory has never apologized to Charlotte for the airport or toll lane debacles. He will go down in history as a good mayor, a nice guy and a governor who lost his way.

Jim Price, Huntersville

Debt

We must manage our national debt. This is not the time when there’s fiscal comfort to expand the deficit. We need to create some buffer for the next natural disaster, war or pandemic. Senator Thom Tillis must be responsible and not follow the lead of a man who is admittedly a master of leveraged debt and the bankruptcies that followed.

Philip Solomon, Charlotte

Vaccine experts

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all vaccine experts from the CDC vaccine advisory committee. He is a known vaccine skeptic and despite proof to the contrary continues to raise fears vaccines can be dangerous and cause autism. He likely will replace the trusted panel with medical hacks who support misconceptions. The usually silent American Medical Association objected and launched an investigation.

Kennedy has said he does not want government medical scientists to publish in the journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine because they are “corrupt.” These are the best sources of research results and are trusted by doctors. Anything they publish is subjected to rigorous review. That seems to be his problem. He seems to want only things he agrees with published.

These moves endanger medical knowledge. One man’s politics and biases should not overrule scientific facts.

Vincent Keipper, MD, Concord

ICE

In a June 9 article, Jennifer Copeland, executive director of NC Council of Churches, said immigrants, regardless of status, were not dangerous, but ICE agents who disregard human rights, constitutional rights and due process, were. Anyone who believes that must be deaf or blind or both. The crimes committed by illegal immigrants read like a true-crime book. Illegal immigrants have victimized many American families. All you need to do is read any legitimate news source.

People overwhelmingly voted Donald Trump into office. Illegal border crossings are down to a trickle. He’s doing what we elected him to do — make our country safe. Elections have consequences. I suggest Copeland learn how to deal with it.

David Ramsey, Mount Pleasant

Abortion

The Hyde Amendment of 1976 made it illegal to use federal funds for elective abortion. The exceptions are for rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. These continue to be generally accepted as good sense exceptions even in states that severely restrict abortion access.

Planned Parenthood provides a multitude of services like access to contraception, STI screenings, cancer screenings and general reproductive healthcare, and mostly to people that do not have access to other resources. We can all agree cancer and STI screenings are good uses of healthcare dollars via our broken healthcare system.

Charlie Fortanbary, Charlotte

Energy

I would happily give up my current lifestyle to live in a walkable city with public transportation at its core. Sitting in I-77 gridlock is not only expensive but exhausting. However, our government continues to abandon sensible energy policies.

Eliminating automakers’ incentives to improve fuel economy will increase gas prices. Meanwhile, the proposed removal of federal clean energy tax credits makes alternatives such as solar panels and electric cars harder to afford. Weaker building regulations that don’t require energy-efficient homes will mean higher utility bills.

We need policies that prioritize long-term savings, sustainability and quality of life for all Americans, not those that leave us stuck in traffic and stuck with higher bills.

Sandra O’Neill, Cornelius