In my community of Lansing, NC, roads, houses and farms have washed away. As thankful as mountain people are by donations, these short-term fixes won’t help us address the long-term need for investment.
NC has $4.75 billion set aside in the form of a savings reserve. An effective disaster response requires that lawmakers draw down this reserve. In the face of more catastrophic future weather events, we also need to ensure that the state can invest in rebuilding now and ready itself for future impacts. That’s why it is so disheartening that NC leaders chose to fully eliminate the corporate income tax by 2030, instead of using our shared resources to help us prepare for this and future disasters.
NC leaders should choose our communities over corporations. Use funding from our savings reserve to help rebuild mountain communities and keep the corporate income tax so that we can be prepared for future catastrophes.
Rickie White, Lansing
Women’s health
Having spent my whole career in women’s health, I am compelled to point out the serious effects our restrictive laws have had for women. Normal pregnancy has become much more dangerous , especially when complications occur. Women are suffering serious medical consequences, and some are dying as a result of these measures. Physicians are having to choose between giving care that is needed or facing arrest.
The choice is clear between politicians who want more restrictions nationwide, including limiting contraception and fertility procedures, and those who support a person’s right to make their own healthcare decisions. I urge you to vote for candidates who will restore women’s reproductive rights and encourage others to do the same. I realize this may be asking you to step out of your comfort zone or usual voting pattern, but it is the right thing to do.
Leon F. Woodruff, Jr, M.D., Raleigh
Trump no wizard
I worked for Homeland Security as an attorney for 15 years. With respect to immigration, Donald Trump isn’t a wizard.
In 2024, Trump put political ambition ahead of solving the nation’s immigration problems when he derailed a bipartisan bill that strengthened border security. The bill would have provided $20 billion for such expenses as hiring more border personnel, expanding removal power, combating fentanyl activities and procuring border security technology.
In 2018, Trump demonstrated zero humanity when he championed a “zero tolerance” policy for noncitizens who crossed the border unlawfully. The policy required detaining all such adult noncitizens for criminal prosecution without exception for parents with children. The policy resulted in 5000 children being involuntarily separated from parents for months, years and even now.
While campaigning, Trump promised to build a 1,000-mile border wall and claimed Mexico would pay for it. In reality, Trump replaced 406 miles of pre-existing fencing and extended the old fence by 52 miles. The cost was $15 billion of taxpayers’ money, land erosion, impeded wildlife migration, disrupted water flow and damaged sacred tribal sites.
Judith Patterson, Chapel Hill
Arctic drilling
This November’s election will play a critical role in deciding the future of the Arctic National Refuge, which is ground zero for climate change. Wildlife and indigenous communities are both at risk. Donald Trump has made it clear that if re-elected, he will waste no time opening the refuge to oil and gas development. Our decision at the polls in November is clear, but the fight for the Arctic Refuge is also more complicated.
Seven years ago, President Trump’s 2017 Tax Act marked a historic shift for the Arctic Refuge by explicitly designating oil and gas development as one of its purposes, erasing over 50 years of hard-fought protections. We need Congress to act to repeal the Tax Act drilling mandate before a president can sign protection into law.
The future of the Arctic Refuge is in our hands. It’s time for Congress to end the threat of oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge permanently and secure lasting protections.
Bretton Little, Fayetteville
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