Put abortion on the ballot in November in North Carolina | Opinion

Abortion

My half of Polk County in western North Carolina has been shifted into the 14th Congressional District, which N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore now seeks to represent. I urge him to show he respects the voices of the people by placing a reproductive rights referendum on the November ballot. He can do this in the upcoming General Assembly session. In state after state, voters are speaking on this critical issue. Why not in North Carolina? I hope it’s not because Republican legislators plan to enact a six-week abortion ban, or something even stricter, after the election.

Doug Clark, Tryon

Money for transit

Regarding “Council member suggests using tourism fund for transit,” (April 3):

There is a better way to provide for the costs of additional transit systems. All one has to do is look at who would benefit the most from transit services. The answer is those who commute into Mecklenburg for their jobs but live in surrounding counties where taxes are lower. Perhaps a “payroll tax” for those commuters would be a more equitable solution to generate funds necessary to build and enhance transit systems.

Ed Carlson, Charlotte

Public education

Suggesting that a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus driver shortage can be solved by giving CATS bus passes to students (April 1) is little different than the NC legislature making Opportunity Scholarships available to students trapped in undesirable schools. Both tell families that public education is broken.

Bolyn McClung, Pineville

Mark Robinson

I recently attended “Seeing Auschwitz,“ a photographic exhibit in uptown Charlotte. This powerful presentation is unique as the photos were taken by Nazi commandants charged with the extermination of millions, mainly Jews, at Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Incredibly, even with enemy documentation, there are still those who deny Holocaust atrocities.

Republican candidate for governor, Mark Robinson, claimed in 2018: “This foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is a bunch of hogwash.” With his hateful comments and ignorance of historical facts, voters should seriously question his character, competency and leadership qualities before casting their vote for the state’s highest office.

Judi Strause, Charlotte

Trump indictments

The writer is communications committee chairman for the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party.

Republican strategist Matt Wylie’s March 30 Opinion piece about Donald Trump’s criminal indictments spends considerable energy attacking the validity of our judicial system, alleging that it operates within a deep state, and arguing that charges against Trump are politically motivated.

I find it particularly ironic that Wylie argued the indictments were political while also noting that Trump may very well be guilty. Wylie encouraged readers to think of the indictments in a purely political sense, focusing on the indictments’ impact on Trump’s reelection bid — rather than the implications of having a criminal as our president.

If Republicans want to be “the party of law and order,” why not consider drawing the line at not electing a criminal to lead the country?

Charles DeLoach, Charlotte

Trump Bibles

For Christians who study the Bible, how telling it was that former President Donald Trump was selling Bibles that he will earn royalties from, of at all times during Holy Week, just before Easter. It was a stark contrast to one of Jesus’ first acts during Holy Week — casting the money-changer (who cheated the people) out of the temple. Christians like me cringe at Trump’s hypocrisy. What would Jesus do?

Louise Woods, Charlotte

Ukraine aid

The USA is not being asked to fight in the trenches; the Ukrainians are doing that themselves. It is wrong to withhold critical funds from Ukraine, especially after we gave them our word. For the sake of all that’s moral, I urge our representatives in the U.S. House to step up to the plate and get the funding passed immediately. Tomorrow may be too late.

Helen Just, Hendersonville