If the goal is public safety, ditch the ‘tough on crime’ talk. Focus elsewhere. | Opinion
Fighting crime
Two Jan. 12 Observer articles — about Vice President Harris announcing gun violence funding and the NC GOP previewing anti-crime solutions — demonstrate the difference between Democrats and Republicans on gun violence, mental health and juvenile justice.
North Carolina became the last state to raise the age when juveniles are charged as an adult. N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore wants to revisit this. Decades of research shows lower recidivism rates in the juvenile justice system and that sending youth to the adult system generally increases rates of violent future offenses.
If the goal is public safety, invest now in mental health support, conflict resolution and coping skills for youth.
Amy Lefkof, Charlotte
Wells Fargo sign
Wells Fargo shouldn’t put its signage on the former Duke Energy building. This advertisement covering one of the tallest buildings in Charlotte would be a giant eyesore. The Truist building has words on it, but they’re smaller and the building doesn’t draw as much focus in our skyline. The proposed Wells Fargo sign is very big and would drastically change the beauty of the very recognizable building.
Dylan Reikowski, Charlotte
UNC interference
Pat Ryan’s Jan. 14 Opinion piece lost all credibility for me when he brought up UNC-Chapel Hill’s interim chancellor, Lee Roberts. A university chancellor with absolutely no experience in education? Colleges in the U.S. have been providing quality education for centuries without political interference. It’s a shame they can’t go on doing that in North Carolina.
Lisa Baucom, Kannapolis
Hard choices
Regarding “Three reasons we can’t seem to step off of the government-shutdown merry-go-round,” (Jan. 18 Opinion Extra):
There are more than three reasons we are unable to break the cycle of budget dysfunction. Leading the way? Courage.
Members of Congress know that doing the right thing and making the hard decisions means slashing the federal budget, reducing the non-Defense federal employment headcount, eliminating departments that are relics, and modifying the social safety net to ensure it remains sustainable long term — all of which will upset the status quo and put their reelection in jeopardy.
Primaries are not always a bad thing — not if they put the republic on stable financial footing.
Daniel Barry, Weddington
Trump and Jesus?
Evangelical pastors are fostering comparisons of Donald Trump with Jesus. I understand that anything goes in politics, but ministers should be expected to stay within the vicinity of truth and accuracy.
Unlike Trump, Jesus never committed fraud, sexually abused a woman, lied constantly, sought revenge or retribution, or demeaned the weak, disabled or immigrants. It is disheartening to see “Christians” on TV earnestly make these comparisons. They honestly feel they represent true Christian understanding and values. The question is, whose Christianity? It seems some people are making it up as they go.
David Gilliam, Matthews
Student debt
Regarding “For some, student debt forgiveness starts in February,” (Jan. 14):
Joe Biden should never have made a campaign promise to forgive student debt in the first place. It was a ploy to buy votes. The U.S. Supreme Court should declare the SAVE plan illegal. Parents and students knew what they were doing when they took out these loans. They should be held responsible for paying them back. Get a job, two or three jobs if necessary, and earn the living they need to pay their bills — just as we did.
Michele Komendat, Concord
Newspapers matter
If anyone needs to be reminded of the importance of local newspapers, The Observer’s Jan. 16 front page should do the trick. A Kannapolis City Council member resigning in order to accept $3 million and then being reappointed to council is shocking. Without local newspaper coverage, we might never know about it. I’m always sorry to see unfavorable news about the Charlotte region, but I’m grateful for the local newspaper that reports it.
Anita Strauss-LaRowe, Charlotte
