NC legislature should do its job - protect all. Stop attacking transgender citizens

NC legislature

If the debacle of HB2 wasn’t enough, the N.C. legislature is at it again with a new discrimination attempt. Sadly this comes from elected officials who are supposed to represent all of us, not just those whose lifestyle they approve of.

It’s time for the N.C. legislature to do its job and quit attacking transgender citizens.

It is time to clean house. Looking forward to the next election.

Jeannie Inskeep, Raleigh

Racial harassment

Michael Gordon’s April 16 report on a Hendrick auto dealer’s alleged tolerance of racism is disheartening. It should prompt Hendrick customers to ask their dealers to make hateful behavior grounds for immediate dismissal.

That, incidentally, would amount to a lot of asks: Hendrick has at least 25 dealerships in our area.

Not only does it appear some Hendrick managers do nothing when racist taunts are reported, but in this case the former employee who filed suit was threatened as a “troublemaker.”

Ironically, Hendrick CEO Rick Hendrick recently said, “...I wouldn’t do something that would hurt our company. Our name. Our brand.”

Really? I’d wager he’s absolutely serious. But he needs to spend a little less time hopping about in his helicopter and a little more time civilizing the world his employees live in.

James B. Russo, Durham

NC utilities

Regarding “N.C. utility proposals need a strong dose of sunlight,” (April 15 Editorial):

Thank you for underlining the risks of having a private equity firm, Bernhard Capital Partners of Baton Rouge, La., takeover management of municipal utilities.

The sole purpose of these firms is to obtain the highest profits possible for its investors, very rich people who seek to be richer.

The purpose of municipal services, like supplying power and water, is to benefit residents. Management of these services must set priorities.

Private equity firms, like Bernhard Capital, must have profit-making as their top priority.

This can only mean that at some point residents will get short shrift in the form of higher costs or poorer service. It’s a bad deal for everyone except the very rich.

Nancy Milio, Chapel Hill

Bus stop solution

Regarding “82-year-old sits on buckets to wait for bus in Raleigh. Why doesn’t she have a seat?” (April 14):

While I can understand the city’s inability to finance both a bench and shelter for each bus stop, why not, for now, just a bench? Has no one considered this humane and relatively inexpensive solution?

William Meyer. Durham

The NC grid

Wildfires in California and extreme cold in Texas have taught us what happens when the goals of legislatures, regulators and utilities are out of alignment.

For example, when carbon neutral goals are too aggressive and regulations hinder cost recovery, utilities are forced to make difficult decisions between meeting mandates or performing right of way maintenance and replacing aging infrastructure.

North Carolina has long enjoyed a balance of good policy making by the legislature and governor’s office, good oversight by the N.C. Utilities Commission and Public Staff, and safe and reliable electricity at a reasonable price by utilities like Duke Energy.

Duke Energy is making proactive investments to strengthen the grid, improving reliability by reducing the number and frequency of outages and restoring power more quickly when interruptions are experienced. I encourage policy makers and regulators at the local, state and federal levels to continue to prioritize investment in the modernization of the electric grid for the benefit of all North Carolinians.

Scott Gardner, Durham

Retired Director, NC Governmental Affairs for Duke Energy

Biden and Yemen

We need President Biden to unequivocally end decades of destructive U.S. policy in Yemen.

The U.S. should require an end to arms sales and other support for Saudi Arabia and the UAE and an end to all U.S. military involvement in Yemen, in favor of deep investments in lasting diplomacy, accountability and people-centered solutions.

The president must choose the path of peace, justice, and diplomacy that he was elected for

Ted Shohfi, Durham