Charlotte City Council should hold a referendum on changes to single-family zoning

Charlotte zoning

There are 900,000-plus Charlotte residents and a majority live in detached single family homes in their chosen “American Dream” neighborhood. Some with white picket fences, some on oak tree lined streets, and some in historic places where generations of their family lived.

Six members of the City Council now propose to change the dynamics of over 80% of Charlotte’s neighborhoods forever. Eliminating exclusive single family home neighborhoods is not a decision for six people to make. Housing costs could increase and displacement and gentrification ensue.

Hold a referendum on this issue. Let Charlotte voters determine this outcome, not six council members.

Ken May, Charlotte

Burr and Tillis

Regarding “Burr, Tillis: NC should end expanded unemployment,” (May 27):

It would sure tickle my fancy to see Richard Burr and Thom Tillis try to support their families on the average unemployment check for a few months.

Susan Proctor, Charlotte

Jan. 6 commission

I urge Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis to vote for a bipartisan commission on the abhorrent insurrection of Jan. 6. It is the right thing and will shed light on this crime and how to prevent it.

The “Big Lie” took root because no one wanted to tell the truth to Donald Trump’s base and possibly derail their own political careers. The Big Lie is the reason these anarchists attacked our Capitol.

The anguish of the American people over the attack should be enough to want to get to the bottom of this. Police who served my elected officials everyday were hurt and died. Rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” and they had erected a gallows. What is enough?

Mine is a request made for the good of the country.

Jacqueline Briscoe, Hickory

Polarization

Regarding “To fix polarization, befriend someone you disagree with,” (May 27 Opinion):

Gary Abernathy’s op-ed forced the surfacing of a new and overdue reality for me. For too long I’ve put myself in a tight stance — read only the letter to the editor I agree with and ignore those of a different view. I could name names. I could put those of an opposing perspective in a box, seal the lid, with nary a peephole for escape, let alone understanding.

Rigidity infects us all. Maybe political choice is not the sole determinant of personhood. Then, “befriending” may grow out of simply asking for help in a time of need — cancer, homelessness, hopelessness, unemployment, hunger make us vulnerable.

A respectful response builds trust and friendship. We all need faith,,food, inclusion, and meaning, no matter the politics of a hand that helps.

Dan Busch, Charlotte

Davidson College

The writer is a professor emerita at Davidson and an ordained Presbyterian Church USA elder.

Regarding “Key alumni decry Davidson’s ‘political correctness’ after slavery apology, bylaw changes,” (May 25):

Christians should not use the term “politically correct” as a label which allows them to disregard the teaching of Jesus.

Confessing our personal and institutional involvement in racism, asking forgiveness, making amends — including financial ones — to those affected are actions quite plausibly motivated by attempts to take the Gospel seriously rather than by any effort to curry political favor.

As Dr. Allan Boesak said in a recent address at Union Seminary, Jesus called Zacchaeus to come out of his perch into a crowd. Zaccheaus made a public apology, confessed his sins, offered reparations, and was welcomed into Jesus’ fellowship. Davidson College is following this example.

Mary Thornberry, Davidson

Abortion law

There were two excellent op-eds in the Observer recently about abortion, by Rabbi Eric Solomon and by Dr. Erica Pettigrew. Those opposed to abortion have forgotten why the procedure was legalized in the first place. Women were dying!

There will always be abortions. The choice is between legal, safe procedures available to all women, or illegal dangerous procedures where only the rich can leave the country for a legal abortion.

My father was an OBY/GYN in New York. Before abortion was legalized in 1970 he would agonize over the women who died of sepsis from illegal procedures.

If your religion considers abortion a sin, then don’t have one. In this country you cannot make your religious beliefs the law.

David Nachamie, Lincolnton

Yard waste rules

Charlotte residents are about to get a major headache with new yard waste regulations.

Requiring large paper yard-waste bags is an expensive requirement and will require trips to home improvement or hardware stores to buy these. Thousands of previously purchased boxes of plastic yard-waste bags will become useless.

The additional mandate requiring yard waste to be in containers no larger than 32 gallons is punitive and will make some existing containers obsolete, again at the homeowner’s expense.

I urge City Council members to retract these regulations and quit making yard cleanup a more costly annoying chore.

Wayne Gatlin, Charlotte