Duke Energy dirty
This statement was made online by Duke Energy: “At Duke Energy, we believe generating electricity from renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in the transition to cleaner energy. As a result, we are developing innovative, renewable power projects to serve communities throughout the United States. Investing in emission-free wind power is one way Duke Energy is reducing its environmental footprint while meeting demand for affordable and reliable electricity.”
Duke Energy lists its 15 wind farm instillations in Texas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Kansas. Meanwhile, it operates 14 coal-fired power plants in North Carolina, giving our state some of the dirtiest air in the country.
The company’s business plan, the Integrated Resource Plan, proposes to expand Duke’s dirty energy business model and pass along the cost to North Carolina customers.
Duke and Progress Energy should not take North Carolina as just a poor relative. They should quit investing in dirty energy like coal and nuclear here, and actually invest in the renewable technologies they claim to support. N.C. should be powered by local wind and solar installations that will employ thousands of North Carolinians.
Roberta Dees
Charlotte
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Low information
For low information ideologues, Social Security is secure, the facts be damned. So I will quote our president: “I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on Aug. 3 if we haven’t resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it.”
The issue was Congress raising the debt ceiling in 2011 to fund Social Security. Get ready to hear this rare and scary truth again. Remember Bernie Madoff sent out statements and told his clients that his “Social Security” was doing fine and his low information clients trusted him.
NPR has explained that the Social Security trust fund has been spent by Congress to re-elect themselves. Do you trust Congress? Check it out. Wake up, America!
Terry Duff
Garner
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The rest of the story
In a morning-after analysis of Super Bowl commercials, a commentator said that a marvelously well-done commercial for Dodge Trucks, extolling the virtue of farmers and farming, narrated by the late Paul Harvey, was ineffective. This was because that in the “31-49 demographic” Harvey was unknown.
Well, I feel so sorry for that demographic. Harvey’s editorials were cogent pieces of reporting, whether you agreed with him or not, as I often did not. Today we are left with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert or Glenn Beck. If these are Paul Harvey’s descendents, then he would disown them all.
John Erhardt
Raleigh
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‘Mallard’ fits comics?
I thoroughly enjoyed Barry Saunders’ relaxed and common-sense Jan. 29 column “ ‘Mallard’ not funny? Don’t read” on the venomously unfunny Mallard Fillmore cartoon strip.
Saunders incidentally referred to an anomaly that has long bothered me: Whereas the Doonesbury strip is relegated, on the grounds that it’s political, to the Other Opinion page, Mallard Fillmore, though aggressively political, is allowed to remain among the other comics. Could the fact that Doonesbury is gently liberal, whereas Mallard Fillmore caters to right-wing extremists, have anything to do with this? Perish the thought.
Peter Green
Greenville
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Armed to the hilt
Wait a minute! Wasn’t every weapon in the 18th century protected by the Second Amendment a military assault weapon capable of being used against British regulars? Wasn’t that the whole point?
Congress wanted military assault weapons in the hands of the average American who could form a militia when needed. The more up-to-date technologically, the better the weapon in the hands of every American citizen. Isn’t that what the founders wanted?
John Hamilton
Durham
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Change cruelty law
Regarding your update on the dog cruelty crisis Dec. 18 “Animal cruelty cases explored”: The law needs to be changed.
If a dead dog was found tied to a fence and the other dogs were found emaciated but were left behind because they did not appear in danger, it makes no sense. Also, what right does anyone who abuses an animal have to not give up the dogs?
This should be a felony in N.C. and everywhere. The law says you have to kill the animal. If you just make it suffer, you get away with a slap on the wrist and go do it again.
This is a blight on North Carolina. Change the laws to prevent suffering of innocent animals.
Carole King
Durham
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A new poll tax?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in the freedom to vote for all, and having to purchase photo IDs, especially in our current economic environment, discriminates. In other words, requiring this purchase opposes the 24th Amendment of our Constitution wherein no poll tax or other tax may be levied. Paying for a photo ID interferes with the amendment ratified in 1964.
It can be denied that this is a poll tax. However, it functions in the same way by denying the poor, the disabled and the senior populations the power to vote. It is a big step backward!
Betty Jane Lazo
Raleigh
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Benefits add up
In remembering the barrage of TV ads from Pat McCrory about all of us needing to tighten our belts in this difficult economic time, the public has every right to feel misled now that the new Republican governor has granted a pay raise to his Cabinet heads from $121,807 to $135,000. However, I believe the number has been miscalculated.
Cabinet heads are considered state employees, meaning they are entitled to receive retirement and health benefits. The Office of State Personnel confirmed that in addition to salary, every state employee receives health coverage of $5,200. Further, employees receive a retirement contribution of 14.23 percent based on an employee’s salary. Calculating those numbers means that in addition to their $135,000 salary, the Cabinet heads receive $5,200 in health coverage plus retirement of $19,210.50 ($135,000 x 14.23 percent).
Therefore, the taxpayers are actually paying each Cabinet head $159,410.50 and not the paltry $135,000 that is being referenced.
Charles McDarris
Cary
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Fix Social Security
Social Security and Medicare are only part of the problem, but they are a huge part. In the 1980s, Social Security was supposed to have been fixed, but was it?
The payroll tax increase instituted back then was dependent on one very important thing – payroll! When the recession reared its ugly head and payrolls were shrunk as a result, what did we do? Why cut the taxes on Social Security!
As lackluster growth continues, the debt grows larger still. More are retiring every day. There’s a good deal wrong with this picture. Social Security needed shoring up in, oh, about 1970. We weren't concerned because we could always grow our way out of any shortfalls to the system. Yeah, right.
Robert Peele
Rocky Mount
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Expensive slap
Recently I incurred a penalty for driving over the speed limit on a state highway. After the state trooper handed me the ticket and gave me instructions to appear in court or pay the fine, I looked down to see how much this momentary ignorance to the posted speed limit would be: $50. OK, I could live with that.
Besides, I was breaking the law, and I was putting other lives in danger with my behavior. This slap on the wrist was enough to slow me down. Then I looked at the court fee: $190! Wow, is all I could manage.
What sort of corrupt and bloated system do we have when the documentation and processing fee is 400 percent that of the original fine? This small example of bureaucratic injustice is a peek into the corrupt nature of our governmental system.
In what kind of free society is a fine not just a fine but a system of keeping the well-to-do big, fat and happy? I agree that my speeding was dangerous, but I do not agree that my actions warrant a horrendous and disproportionate squeeze from the state government.
Zane G. Porter
Wake Forest
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Idle Congress
Let’s help Congress in its endeavor to reduce expense by demanding it start with its budgets and share in the pain it wants to inflict. It should be easy to reduce staff since it is apparent lawmakers are not working anyway.
Bob Reardon
Wake Forest
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Care loopholes
I am one of the many people in North Carolina with a Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plan through my work. But while new benefits may seem like a relief to many women, the limited ability to access them is a disgrace.
BCBS seems to have found every loophole not to cover certain benefits, for example, breast pumps. A woman can now purchase a breast pump from a medical supply company and have it be covered, but medical supply companies don’t sell breast pumps. They are sold at retail stores and hospitals where BCBS does not cover this cost.
The Affordable Care Act is a good start, but it is truly sad that the health of American citizens is clearly less of a priority to our government than the bottom line of insurance companies.
Jacqueline Simmons
Holly Springs
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The real problem
In his Jan. 30 Other Opinion piece, Sen. Jim Inhofe gave his reasons why he is unable to support Chuck Hagel’s nomination for secretary of defense. Inhofe ended by saying, “I feel we are too philosophically opposed on the most pressing issues confronting our nation.”
On Jan. 29, Inhofe was one of only three senators to oppose Sen. John Kerry for secretary of state, while 94 senators agreed that Kerry was the right choice. Inhofe stated, “I am simply too philosophically opposed on the issues to support his nomination.”
One can reasonably conclude that it’s really President Obama’s philosophy and “issues” that Inhofe opposes rather than the two nominees.
Theodore W. Triebel
Captain, USN (ret)
Rougemont
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Unequal teachers
Gov. Pat McCrory is to be congratulated on recognizing that state employees need to be paid enough to live on. He is undoubtedly aware that teachers start (and for many years stay) at $35,000 per year. Rather essential to our future, teachers and many other state employees should receive equal pay increases.
Bernadette Page
Durham
