Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 11.24.15

JCSU issue nothing but personal grudge

One man, no longer a trustee, has an obvious personal grudge with Dr. Ron Carter, president of Johnson C. Smith University.

You chose to denigrate the entire university by raising suspicion and providing two drops of poison for the well that is the unheralded success of Dr. Carter at JCSU.

Where is your article about JCSU’s financial composite score of 2.5 out of 3 with the Department of Education for the fiscal year ending in 2013?

Please report real news, and leave this foolishness alone.

Why not rethink flawed I-77 toll plan?

If the toll road contract with Cintra can’t be canceled, why not a modification to it?

The first 10 miles or so north of the Brookshire Freeway function efficiently at present. Why not procrastinate on installing toll lanes in this area until necessary?

That won’t be the case here. Is this “fair and balanced”?

I-77 a mess; there goes my vote, Gov.

In 2014, DOT ruined our summer in Cornelius with the construction of the diverging diamond interchange.

We had a “good riddance” party when they were finally finished.

By the way, this road improvement has hardly relieved traffic congestion.

As I sat Saturday at 8:30 a.m. in miles of stopped traffic on I-77 because of toll road construction, I began planning my “good riddance” party for Gov. Pat McCrory in Nov. 2016.

Sorry Gov. Pat, we really did love you, but the honeymoon is OVER.

Undocumented worker is no victim

Let’s put this in prospective: Miriam Martinez Solais illegally enters the United States – a crime.

She is charged with stealing a person’s Social Security number to obtain work – a crime. She works illegally at a job – a crime.

Then, she accuses her employer in a wage dispute and is labeled the victim.

Instead of deporting her, she is allowed to stay here because the government views her as a witness of a crime.

Gerson’s Obama bashing off target

Does Michael Gerson really think President Obama suffers in comparison to Gerson’s former boss – who did more damage to the United States than any other president?

After 9/11, the misdirected belligerence of George W. “Mission Accomplished” Bush did nothing to disempower the perpetrators of that terrorist attack or bring their leader to justice.

That was left to the cool, intelligent and focused leadership of his successor – the kind of leadership we desperately need in this era of xenophobic extremism in parts of the Muslim world and, God help us, among the leaders of one of America’s two major political parties.

Gerson is right; glad to see his viewpoint

Today, sadly, I am compelled to compliment you for running the Michael Gerson column about leadership (or the lack thereof), and the column by Hyong Yi, which was the most human and loving piece I have had the sad pleasure to read in a long time. (“I learned the hard way; fill your life with love,” Nov. 22)

Thank you for publishing both of them. I guess I won’t cancel my subscription quite yet.

Jerry Richardson deserves our thanks

Plain and simple, Jerry Richardson deserves a hearty “Thank You” right now.

Certainly, his long ago drive and desire to bring a team to Charlotte has the community anticipating what may happen in the future.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 11.24.15."