Too many of our politicians are addicted to power. I was. | Opinion
Addicted to power
Dianne Feinstein and Strom Thurmond were two of the longest serving U.S. senators in history and served constituents well. But I suspect their love of power would not let them retire, and toward the end their staff made our national decisions.
Power is intoxicating. Once you have it, most never want to let it go. I know. I served on the Charlotte City Council in the early 2000s and probably would have served for decades had the citizens not helped me with my power addiction. This addiction hits all levels of government, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg is not immune. We’ve had many who served for decades. The pity is we have so many potentially wonderful leaders who’ll never get the opportunity to serve because incumbency is so powerful.
John Tabor, Mount Holly
Power corrupts
In his Sept. 26 Opinion piece Brooks Fuller said North Carolina’s Republican legislative majority and a handful of Democrats decided the state’s public records law shouldn’t apply to them. Removing public access to the workings of the legislators who control our lives is a terrible step towards destroying our system of democracy.
The truth of the old statement is shown yet again — power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Stephen Pordes, Charlotte
Brooke Weiss
Regarding “Ardrey Kell lockdown raises tensions between CMS, activist,” (Oct. 5):
What Charlotte school board member Jennifer De La Jara was trying to get Brooke Weiss to understand is that there are consequences to our actions. Weiss is chair of the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a group that advocates for banning books from school libraries — a practice diametrically opposed to the concept of education. Weiss cannot claim to be just another worried mom — a face in the crowd — when she has become the face of a group that bullies others.
Martha Catt, Charlotte
Cooper’s veto
Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 678 struck a blow for radical anti-nuclear groups at the expense of reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would have allowed utilities to use nuclear power to meet their carbon-free energy goals.
Nuclear power is by far North Carolina’s largest source of clean energy, and it generates electricity when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Apparently, the governor’s goal isn’t clean, reliable energy — it’s politically correct energy.
Cooper also thumbs his nose at the Biden administration and respected environmental groups that recognize the need for an “all of the above” approach to reducing carbon emissions.
Steven P. Nesbit, Charlotte
A Greek tragedy
Oct. 3 had the elements of a Greek tragedy. Making a deal with the Freedom Caucus in January to get their votes was Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s undoing. Then he relied on House Democrats to avoid a shutdown, thereby handing the dagger to Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Now, Congress can’t operate without a permanent speaker and the House adjourned for a week. This only shows that the House majority is not worried about a looming government shutdown in November or “reckless spending” or “securing the border.” They only care about appeasing their far-right base.
Joseph Salerno, Charlotte
Federal budget
To tighten the federal budget, members of Congress should cut all earmarks that have nothing to do with the operation the government — the ones attached to bills to assist in their reelection. Maybe government employees should go on strike like the UAW and writers and actors. A day or two of no perks at the Capitol might get the point across.
Bill Lane, Polkville
Impeachment
Jim Jordan and others on the House Judiciary Committee are holding an inquiry into impeaching President Biden based on the idea that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Yet, these same people ignore the raging inferno that is the evidence against Donald Trump in 91 felony charges in four criminal cases. I can only assume the impeachment inquiry is strictly a political stunt, or they believe Trump is above the law. Either way, shame on them.
Dianne Mason, Matthews
