4 days ago
Not holding Trump officials in contempt? Just one reason not to pass the House budget
The U.S House budget would cost 8.6 million people Medicaid coverage, the Congressional Budget Office reports, and trigger roughly $490 billion in Medicare cuts. Other provisions include: cuts to SNAP and green energy tax credits; a 10-year prohibition on states restricting Artificial Intelligence, and a tax break for purchasing gun silencers.
Perhaps most insidiously, the bill makes it difficult for courts to hold administration officials in contempt. Multiple judges are currently considering contempt citations against administration officials. These citations provide a check on executive power. Without them, our president becomes a king. We must let our senators know they must not pass this bill.
Helen Wolfson, Durham
I applaud the NCDOT trying to be environmentally sensitive when it comes to sourcing the tremendous amount of rock needed to rebuild I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge. It is also worth mentioning this crisis presents an opportunity to install needed wildlife road crossings along that interstate stretch, as Safe Passage Coalition called for.
Enlarging the existing creek culverts to allow bear, deer and elk to cross under the highway would be a triple win: it helps the wildlife survive, it improves motorist safety (hitting a 500-lb bear or 1000-lb elk isn't fun!) and it would also help those culverts and the highway survive hurricanes.
Ron Sutherland, chief scientist at Wildlands Network, Durham
I've lived in Raleigh, on and off, since 1962. Then, graffiti wasn't much of an issue. For years, the city has had ordinances requiring property owners to clean up graffiti. Today, graffiti and tagging are nearly everywhere, often linked to gangs or people trying to create that impression.
Given the wide availability of affordable graffiti removal methods — like soda blasting, which doesn't damage the underlying paint — why doesn't Raleigh invest in mobile cleanup? A city-operated van equipped with eco-friendly cleaning tools, color-matching technology like what's used at Lowe's and a lift cage could make a huge difference.
A dedicated employee, perhaps even a police officer for safety, seems like a smart investment. For under $200,000 annually, Raleigh could maintain cleaner streets, support property owners and discourage criminal activity. It's time for Raleigh to be more proactive. A cleaner Raleigh is a safer, more welcoming place.
Jarles Alberg, Raleigh
The federal debt is a mess. An annual deficit makes paying our debt harder. As a former business owner, we should pay our debt and balance our budget as Congress is attempting. The budget proposal passed by the U.S. House takes a hatchet to clean energy tax credits.
Companies rely on these credits to plan for the future, allowing them to create good-paying jobs and build factories, such as the Boviet Solar plant that opened in Pitt County. Toyota announced it will expand its Randolph County plant, investing almost $14 billion.
The House budget would eliminate many of the credits these companies relied on to bring investments. This will cause economic uncertainty and could spark divestment in under-invested areas. I served as a Fayetteville councilor for 10 years and am well aware the government must be fiscally responsible. I hope our senators will fight for our communities and keep these jobs and investments safe.
Bobby Hurst, Fayetteville
Without Medicare, healthcare or food stamps, children will get hungry, sick or, worst, die. Our children are the future of this nation. Without them there's no future.
Micheal Wilson, Raleigh
Responding to the May 21 op-ed, 'At least 6 NC species face severe threats from new Trump administration proposal,' 28 N.C. native plants are federally listed as endangered in addition to 345 state-listed species, which includes 944 nationally-listed.
Rare plants are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss because many only occur in specialized habitats, often overrun by invasive species, or succumb to habitat loss from land conversion. Many animals have some ability to move, but plants do not (outside of seed and/or fruit dispersal), which is further limited in our modern world.
Plants create the habitat within which most animals live and are the basis of food chains and webs. Do not ignore the plight of rare flora in what is often an animal-based perspective sometimes referred to as 'plant blindness.'
Johnny Randall, former director of conservation at North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill
