Wildfires. Hurricanes. Will insurance companies pull out of NC too? | Opinion
Wildfires
State Farm, the largest home insurer in California, has now stopped writing new policies there. So have Allstate, Liberty Mutual and American International Group. Why? Wildfires, made worse in recent years by climate change, have become catastrophic.
Insurance companies have made similar decisions in Florida and Louisiana because of the frequency and intensity of hurricanes. Rising insurance rates in other areas with extreme weather risks, such as the Carolina coast, could someday make homes there unaffordable or uninsurable.
We’re not adapting fast enough to climate change. As municipalities and states delay, the risks and costs rise every year. Leaders must take a longer view and enact policies that reduce global warming while preparing for extreme weather events.
Lynn Dransoff, Charlotte
NC schools
Regarding “Republicans in NC don’t want to choke the life out of public schools,” (June 6):
Op-ed writer Pat Ryan tried to sell the idea that everyone in North Carolina wants a better education for our children, and that complaints about funding schools are not valid because funding goes up each year. This ignores some shameful statistics.
The Education Law Center ranks North Carolina 48th lowest of the 50 states. We spend $10,791 per student, which is $4,695 less than the national average. And when the wealth of our state is compared to funding effort we rank dead last in the country.
If our Republican dominated legislature wants to claim they are helping education, they must put their money where their mouth is.
Vincent Keipper, Concord
A fed up teacher
This is my 24th year teaching. I currently receive no more step increases. I will be lucky if I get a 1% raise, while the cost of living goes up exponentially. More and more teachers in North Carolina are retiring or finding other means of employment. After working all day without any breaks except our planning time, which is hardly down time, we sit waiting on buses to come pick up students because there aren’t enough drivers. I believe we all deserve a little more than what Senate Leader Phil Berger and the rest of the N.C. Senate feel is fair compensation for all our hard work.
Roberta Lattin, Concord
The UDO
Regarding “Charlotte can’t move forward if leaders are afraid to do so,” (June 2 Editorial):
This Observer editorial hit the bullseye on one statement and missed the dart board completely on another.
It’s true that Charlotte leaders must have courage and be responsive to their constituents. By reexamining the fast-tracked boondoggle of a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) approved by only six “leaders,” that is exactly what they are doing. In effect, six people in a city of 900,000 decided to outlaw exclusive single-family zoning.
Current Charlotte leaders recognize it’s not what the people want, nor is it good for the masses. And now they are exercising the courage of their convictions. Tally Ho!
Ken May, Charlotte
NCGOP tweet
Whether one agrees with policy statements made by Rev. William Barber, to refer to him in an unsigned NCGOP tweet as a “poverty pimp,” is extremely distasteful. He has done so much for the disenfranchised. To leave such a reference up after being told of its racist tone reveals how low the Republican Party has fallen. (Editor’s note: The NCGOP eventually removed the tweet.)
I am beyond tired of the name-calling that masks debate. To me, name-calling reveals a person or group with a poor argument. It should not be lost on anyone that the person who name calls the most is the former president. That style of argument should not be emulated if you want people to take you seriously. In his case, I don’t.
Keith Wilson, Charlotte
NCGOP response
Rev. William Barber’s response to the unsigned NCGOP tweet calling him a “poverty pimp” shows how a person of character and courage responds to scurrilous attacks. The person who posted that likely does not have the character to accept Barber’s invitation to meet with him. It will be interesting to see if there is ever any appropriate response from leaders of the NCGOP. At the very least the person should be named and censured. Wonder where the “tweeter” learned his values.
Kent Rhodes, Charlotte
Plastic bags
Mecklenburg County refuses to recycle plastic grocery bags. If you refuse to recycle them then why not ban them? How much can the environment take?
Jim Van Meerten, Charlotte
PGA and LIV
Regarding “PGA Tour agrees to merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf,” (June 7) and related articles:
About PGA players’ disgust over the merger with LIV Golf... Oh gee, I feel really sorry for PGA players. Somebody in Saudi Arabia wants to give you $25 million. Damn shame. For $25 million I’d play golf in hell, tote my own bag, wash my own golf balls and goose the devil between holes. FYI: Last time out I shot a 64 — on the first hole.
Ted Holland, Cornelius
