State retirees deserve better than Tim Moore, the legislature are offering | Opinion
State retirees
It has been a decade since state retirees have received a recurring cost-of-living adjustment. House Speaker Tim Moore says he’d like to give us a one-time cost-of-living adjustment in the form of a bonus this year. We have all been experiencing higher prices at the grocery store, gas pump and more. Recently, state retirees learned of a premium increase for 2025 on the Medicare Advantage Plan administered through the state. Retirees deserve a decent cost-of-living raise. We showed up, did our job and now are once again being forgotten.
My question for Moore and the legislature: “Brother, can you spare a dime.”
Partha Howell, Beaufort
NC mask law
Regarding “NC is on the brink of changing its mask laws. Here’s what the bill would do.,” (June 12) and related articles:
Very few people would object to increasing criminal penalties on people wearing masks during commission of a crime. But the legislature’s mask bill is misguided.
COVID has not, and is not, going away. In the last CDC update, 3 of 4 key indicators have trended slightly up. Summers always have the lowest points for hospitalization and deaths but this year they are slightly higher than previous ones.
The struggle between science and political expediency concerning vaccination has been fought for centuries. Sadly, the latter wins many of those battles. North Carolina is just another example.
Gustavo Fernandez, Raleigh
UNCA cuts
Regarding “UNC Asheville will drop these 4 majors as the university faces a $6 million shortfall,” (June 13):
The decision to cut the Greek, Latin, Religion, Philosophy and Drama programs at UNC Asheville is a tragic mistake.
UNCA was designated as a public liberal arts university because we had a state leadership of bold vision who believed that the study of literature, philosophy and religion ought to be open to more than the wealthy.
Cultivating the life of the mind is not a discardable luxury of higher education, it is the core of it. UNCA once gave a small town kid like me an affordable option to study literature and Latin.
I grieve to see my alma mater cancel what made it special.
Bert Clere, Carrboro
GOP and schools
The pretended rage over teacher indoctrination in North Carolina is political, not rational. This is more smoke to hide Republicans’ real purpose: to cripple public education.
Lacking core policies, Republicans keep stirring up cultural issues, which by their nature are subjective and emotional. Public schools, including universities, are easy targets because the legislature keeps hamstringing them to set them up to fail.
Why does the GOP seem to despise public education?
Don Clement, Greenville
Tax increases
Regarding “Former NC gov: To trim US debt, spread the tax pain. We must all feel it.”(June 6 Opinion):
Former Gov. Jim Martin’s disingenuous call to have all of us “feel the pain” of tax increases conveniently ignores some important facts.
He claims the rich already pay 76% of the federal income tax, but fails to acknowledge that the rich pay 76% because they have captured most of the income that can be taxed.
This upward flow of income was enabled by 45 years of pain suffered by the majority of Americans — largely due to Republican policies and enormous growth in corporate executive pay.
The pain Martin’s Republican Party has already inflicted on the average American makes the claim they should feel even more pain simply cruel.
The unwillingness of Republican leaders to acknowledge it is a problem that the three richest men in America control more wealth than the bottom 50% of the Earth’s population reveals the extent of their moral and intellectual bankruptcy.
Paul Williams, Cary
Father’s Day
The recent photograph of President Biden embracing his son, Hunter, after his conviction on gun and drug charges, must surely sway a few wavering voters. It’s a heartwarming picture of fatherly love, concern, enduring paternal responsibility and, perhaps, forgiveness: a message for all of us on Father’s Day.
Rosemary Haskell, Chapel Hill
