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To the editor:
Wow, Mr. Sobotta. Just wow.
Your letter of Oct. 18, regarding “being an informed voter” was spot on. I label myself as an Independent (voter registration requires a label), but I apply the same logic as you have presented to all the candidates: what is important to me, to my community and our country. Beyond the Presidential race, this same rigorous examination needs to be done for our state and local officials, arguably the people that have an even more direct impact on our daily lives.
Issues I look for beyond the standard character, honesty (oxymoron?) and willingness to do right for their constituents are things like “gaming” the systems, opaqueness, nepotism, and allegiance to the large corporations and “hidden money” (Citizens United v FEC). I will make only general statements here, as there are many fine individuals throughout our local and state government but there are also concerns that come from our state legislature as a whole.
To state just several egregious issues: gerrymandering. It must be removed from the ruling party’s authority and given to either a bi-partisan committee or better yet, an independent group. Transparency: Being bestowed the infamous “Black Hole Award” by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), our legislatures slid in a paragraph or two in the budget bill reading “Using the term ‘custodian’ to indicate a legislator, the budget reads: “the custodian of any General Assembly record shall determine, in the custodian’s discretion, whether a record is a public record and whether to turn over to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, or retain, destroy, sell, loan, or otherwise dispose of, such records.”
What?
Gerrymandering and the secrecy law issues, my fellow voters, are the very definition of unmitigated gall.
Another issue is school vouchers. When should our tax dollars go to any income group to circumvent our public school system for private schools, charter, Christian or otherwise?
Lastly, we need to research and hold our NC Supreme Court Judges accountable. There have been some startling judgements that have been issued by the new majority. So please review the candidates running. One source is https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election/judicial-voter-guide-2024-general-election.
I am encouraged that if we follow the tried-and-true exercise of researching the candidates via mainstream, trusted sources to understand their position on matters that effect you, we will “hire” the right people to do the job we entrust them to do, represent us.
Christian Anderson
Mocksville