How many more of us must die? | Opinion

Weapons of war

How many more innocent men, women and children must die because a certain group of people are fixated on having unlimited access to assault weapons? Granted, it is partially a mental health issue. However, those who commit mass murders would have a much more difficult time committing these atrocities without unlimited availability of weapons of war.

Congress is to blame for the continuation of this easy access to assault weapons. One day of congressional action could potentially save thousands of lives. Our votes to oust supposed “representatives of the people “ could stimulate action.

We are supposedly a country that is envied across the world. Let’s start acting like it. Stop the killing of innocent people.

Mel Sage, Garner

Tillis, the NRA

I appreciate the work Sen. Thom Tillis has done to get the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed, but much more can be done. As the father of two students and the husband of a teacher, I worry about my family’s safety every day. Along with the BSCA, there must be gun reform — universal background checks, red flag laws, outlawing weapons of war in civilian hands.

As my representative, I expect Tillis to do what he knows is right and help stop the senseless slaughter of our innocent children, teachers and civilians. I do not believe the senator, one of the top 5 recipients of NRA donations, can represent the needs of his constituents while still accepting NRA money. It’s an inherent conflict of interest that even the uneducated can understand.

Michael P. Trew, Boone

Sen. Ted Budd

In a letter, I urged Sen. Ted Budd to support an assault weapons ban. He said such a ban is overly broad. Please, senator, propose something that will keep our citizens, particularly our children, safe. Your silence is deafening.

Janice Woychik, Chapel Hill

NC schools, taxes

I was heartened to read the April 11 Opinion piece by CEOs Jim Goodnight and Dale Jenkins lamenting the 5,000 teacher vacancies in N.C. schools. Their opinion that low teacher pay is a primary factor in this shortage makes a lot of sense. But our legislature has made cutting taxes its No. 1 priority. North Carolinians now pay about two-thirds of what we used to pay in state income taxes. As a result, we have thousands of vacancies, not only in our teacher corps but also among school bus drivers. Our state agencies have a vacancy rate of about 25%.

The legislature has it backwards. It should envision a state with the best public schools in the South, and with the best social services. It should then determine what that would cost and work tirelessly to achieve these lofty goals. It could adjust our taxes accordingly.

I taught high school math for 43 years in North Carolina. I loved almost every minute of it. If my granddaughter were to tell me that she wanted to become a teacher, I would cheer her decision. Then, I’d advise her to teach in a different state.

Dennis Cullen, Durham

Party switch

I don’t normally read the obituaries, so I missed the announcement that small-government conservatism had died. Laws banning books, establishing curriculum police, telling investors how to invest, telling doctors who to treat and how to treat them — this is not my father’s Republican Party, and the N.C. legislature’s agenda clearly shows that.

Now, erstwhile Rep. Tricia Cotham has joined this group of rabid authoritarians, claiming that she doesn’t recognize the Democratic Party anymore. I seriously doubt that she ever did. Sickening on multiple levels.

George Stubbs, Durham

Pedestrians

The N&O coverage of increasing pedestrian fatalities in Raleigh reminds me of the decades of abject indifference toward pedestrian safety. It took years of pleading to get pedestrian signals added to a Creedmoor Road intersection near my neighborhood. Whatever the problems between NCDOT and the city in coordinating improvements, citizens rightly hold the city accountable.

But this is merely one side of the coin. The other side is the reluctance of citizens to use the bus system. Too many GoRaleigh stops have no crosswalk at all, much less a signaled crosswalk. Sidewalks are still non-existent along many bus routes, so it’s no surprise that citizens who don’t wish to traipse through mud or risk walking in the street are avoiding GoRaleigh — no matter how much tax money is spent on more frequent service.

Chuck Till, Raleigh

Wake elections

How Wake County voters elect their governing board should be decided by the voters. The current Wake County Commission is a 100% Democratic board, with no one representing Wake County’s Republican voters, who comprise at least one-third of the electorate. A change was clearly warranted, but not by jamming it through without voter input, as happened recently. The result is an inferior change without consideration of alternative options that would have created a truly representative commission.

One simple way to achieve fair representation is through ranked choice voting. That would have ensured fair representation while reducing polarization and campaign rancor and eliminating the need for runoff elections. Wake County voters deserve better.

Lennie Friedman, Raleigh