NC legislators, please stop cutting my state taxes | Opinion

Don’t cut my taxes

I implore N.C. legislators not to cut my taxes any more.

I’d prefer to get an appointment at DMV in less than three months. I’d like to not to have to send school supplies to my kid’s school. I’d love to see our community college faculty paid better than 41st in the nation, and to have better mental health access for our community.

Everywhere I go to access state services I see job openings blended with outdated facilities and equipment. None of us love paying taxes, but I am willing to pay if it improves my safety, efficiency and happiness. We rely on state employees. Give them the funding they need to do their jobs well.

Matt Smith, Apex

Balance at UNC

The writer was N.C. governor, 1985-93.

I eagerly read every brilliantly crafted op-ed column from UNC law professor Gene Nichol. One can learn from his mastery of histrionic invective: the lofty self-image, insulting and blaming those he detests, while over-reacting to every dramatized threat.

Writing on Feb. 8, he twists words of UNC-Chapel Hill trustees with whom he disagrees on academic governance, as if to shame them. Yes, the 2,171-member faculty controls curriculum, and can block the proposed School of Civic Life and Leadership if it chooses, but trustees deserve credit for advocating diversity of thought. If Nichol’s attitude prevails, UNC will not add even 20 conservative philosophers, economists, sociologists and lawyers.

He reproaches UNC’s Board of Governors for seeking more ideological balance in the faculty and curriculum. To him, freedom of speech protects the faculty’s right to require applicants for faculty positions and student admissions to clarify their personal political views. Such virtue-signaling requirements have proven effective nationwide for screening out conservative scholars. Hopefully, we’ll learn soon whether the First Amendment permits required speech.

Jim Martin, Mooresville

Keeping teachers

North Carolina has a teacher shortage and the pay isn’t nearly enough to attract and keep teachers.

The state stopped a teaching fellowship program years ago that helped bring people into the profession and ended a program that encouraged teachers to stay. Despite a solid state budget surplus, teachers still are not getting good raises and often must take second jobs to make ends meet. There is talk of providing raises based on performance, but we know what a farce evaluation practices can be.

So maybe we should exempt K-12 public school teachers from paying state income tax. That would provide them with a nice raise and be incentive to retain teachers and recruit future ones. I’m sure the reduction in tax revenue can be made up in other ways.

Joel Glassman, Cary

Duke housing

Regarding Sara Pequeño’s “A Durham group wants Duke students out of neighborhoods. That’s missing the point. (Feb. 6 Opinion):

While some off-campus Duke University students cause problems, many are great neighbors. The bigger problem is that increasing off-campus living has made a tight housing market tighter. Many houses on my block that used to be affordable duplexes have been demolished and rebuilt as student housing at three times the rent.

Meanwhile, prime land where Duke demolished its Central Campus apartments sits empty. While undergraduate housing would undoubtedly help, I’d also like to see Duke make that land available for grad student, faculty and staff housing. Duke graduate students and staff are particularly squeezed.

Duke doesn’t have to build dorms or more low rise apartments. To get workforce and student housing, other innovative options involve land trusts and Duke’s own credit union that could keep Duke from having to foot the bill. Durham has already had tremendous success with community land trusts.

Sara Pequeño’s Good Neighbor initiative is a friendly idea, but it won’t fix the problem.

Michael Bacon, Durham

Beth Wood

How much longer do we need to wait before State Auditor Beth Wood resigns? She should do so of her own volition as a result of her hit and run accident with her state vehicle. As a retired deputy state comptroller in New York State, I understand the responsibilities of transparency, accountability and honesty that go with the position of state auditor. Wood has not met those standards and should resign.

Jeffrey Swain, Garner

Ranked choice

The writer is a Better Ballot NC outreach team member.

The Feb. 5 article about ranked choice voting in North Carolina listed many of its benefits to voters, candidates and political parties, large and small. This simple upgrade to the way we vote offers voters a wider choice, ensures governance by the majority, eliminates the need for costly run-off elections, and mitigates the nastiness that often taints political campaigning.

Voters don’t have to “rank all of the candidates on the ballot...” With RCV, you can rank as many or as few as you like, but you don’t ever have to cast a vote for any candidate who doesn’t truly represent your values. The beauty of RCV is that a provides a true reflection of what kind of government the majority of us support.

North Carolina needs ranked choice voting!

Vicki Ryder, Durham