Majority of GOP voters support the stimulus bill. Republicans in Congress should too.
Stimulus bill
There has been much hand-wringing suggesting that President Biden has already abandoned his goal of unifying the country because he is pushing forward with COVID relief without “bipartisan” support.
Indeed, he is unlikely to get any Republican votes for the bill in Congress.
But bipartisan can mean that members of the major political parties agree on all or most of the parts of a political choice. The COVID relief bill does have bipartisan support, including support of up to 60% of Republican voters, depending on the poll.
Instead of focusing on Biden, the media should be asking Republicans in Congress why they insist on voting against the will of the people.
Charlie Muehl, Asheville
Cooper’s plan
In the beginning of the COVID vaccine rollout, Gov. Roy Cooper laid out a phased plan for vaccines to be administered.
As far as I can tell, the first phase (Group 1) was the only one that was for the original people it was intended for. Now this whole phase thing is out the window.
I really think that the front-line workers should be getting the vaccine, but they are running to the front of the line. Cooper should stick to his original plan for the vaccine.
Bill Lane, Polkville
COVID messaging
As COVID-related deaths in the U.S. tragically passed the 500,000 milestone, I am reminded of two statements Donald Trump repeatedly made during the final weeks of his campaign.
One was that the country had turned the corner in regard to the pandemic. The other was that we wouldn’t even hear about the virus after Election Day, as if it were manufactured plot devised for election purposes.
The battle to defeat the coronavirus still has a long way to go, but the country is fortunate to now have a president who takes the matter seriously, rather than consider it an inconvenient political nuisance to be callously brushed off.
Arnie Grieves, Charlotte
Climate crisis
Thanks to the Observer Editorial Board for recognizing that Duke Energy — and its state regulators — need to “change with the climate.” (Feb. 24 Editorial)
We’ve lost over 500,000 Americans and many jobs largely because we ignored scientists’ warnings and advice about pandemics. Yet we foolishly ignore even louder scientific warnings about the dire magnitude and urgency of the unfolding climate crisis.
True, our grid is not as vulnerable to cold as Texas’s, but our state is vulnerable to stronger hurricanes, heavier rains, and hotter temperatures from climate change.
Rather than build more climate-destroying gas plants, Duke should transition rapidly to wind, solar, storage, and energy efficiency — a transition that would reduce Duke’s climate impacts and make the grid more resilient when climate disasters do occur.
Beth Henry, Charlotte
Duke Energy
The writer is a former Charlotte mayor.
The Observer Editorial Board is spot on with its assessment of Duke Energy’s resilience in the face of a changing climate. Their energy transition needs to happen faster.
Duke still has nearly 27% of its power supplied by dirty, unhealthy, coal-burning power plants. It could transition to renewable plus battery storage much more rapidly with the profits it has, and should move faster than its current plans indicate.
Duke also needs to adjust rates to a sliding scale to relieve the energy burden of our low income neighbors. And ecoAmerica polling shows that Americans overwhelmingly support an energy transition to more wind, solar, and battery storage.
Come on Duke Energy and North Carolina, let’s get on board!
Jennifer Roberts, Charlotte
Coyote contest
Last weekend, the Carolina Coyote Classic took place in North Carolina and hunters killed 272 coyotes over a few days.
The end result was a pile of dead canines in the back of a trailer. This is a prime example of unethical waste of wildlife.
Every being has a purpose in our ecosystem and nature has a way of balancing itself. When we need to interfere with an out of balance ecosystem, we look to our state’s Wildlife Resources Commission to manage wildlife populations.
Our commission has published a Coyote Management Plan based on science and years of data collection. They have repeatedly said that bounties and killings of coyotes en masse do not control populations and in fact can lead to more breeding and more litters.
If science and ethics do not support these killing contests, it is our responsibility to ban these contests in our state.
Erika Kelly, Indian Trail
Street names
Why put people to the huge hassle of changing their home or business addresses? We could resolve the issue very simply by renaming Morrison Boulevard for poet Toni Morrison, Stonewall for country music legend Stonewall Jackson, Barringer Drive for pioneer female surgeon Emily Barringer, and so forth.
It’s an instant, cost-free solution for property owners, politicians, and even map makers.
Tom L. Bowers, Charlotte
