6 THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28,2016
Perspectives
Rioters don’t get a veto in Charlotte, elsewhere
R ALEIGH — North Carolinians have
learned a lot in the past few days
— about law enforcement, race re
lations, cynical politics, media memes, and
the need for wise leadership during crisis.
But the cost of our education has been far
too high.
Dozens of police officers, journalists,
and citizens were injured during the riots
that broke out after a black officer shot
and killed Keith Lamont Scott, also Afri
can-American, last Tuesday. One protester,
Justin Carr, was killed. Some businesses
were looted. Others shut down or instruct
ed employees not to venture uptown. The
damage, physical and otherwise, was ex
tensive.
Despite receiving our expensive lessons,
there’s one thing North Carolinians don’t yet
know for certain—exactly what transpired
at the scene of Scott’s death. Kerr Putney,
chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police
Department, says the physical and testimo
nial evidence indicates Scott was armed,
resisting arrest, and perceived to be an im
minent threat by the officers on the scene.
On Friday, Scott’s wife released her
own cellphone video. A day later, Putney
released the police department’s videos.
Millions of people then watched, studied,
and drew their own conclusions.
Because none of the footage
showed the entire incident, at
a high-enough resolution to see
everything clearly, these conclu
sions were inevitably speculative
and subjective. The authorities
— and a judge and jury, if charges
were ever brought — could use
other evidence not yet available
for public inspection.
What’s more certain is that the
riots that rocked Charlotte on
Tuesday and Wednesday were
not caused by the city’s refusal
to release its videos immedi
ately. How do I know that? Be- ■
cause on Thursday and Friday,
Columnist
JOHN
HOOD
before the footage was released on Satur
day, Charlotte experienced largely peaceful
protests, not riots.
The critical factor was that on Thursday
morning, city officials finally accepted the
offer Gov. Pat McCrory had made early the
previous day: the declaration of a state of
emergency and the deployment of state
troopers and the National Guard. Over
whelming force is what deterred additional
crimes against police, property, and inno
cent civilians.
Charlotte station WBTV report
ed that Charlotte Mayor Jennifer
Roberts initially refused McCro
ry’s offer because she worried
that a state of emergency would
look bad. Publicly, she stated that
in the aftermath of the initial riot
ing on Tuesday evening, she still
believed the Wednesday protests
would be peaceful. At best, this
was a disastrous error in judg
ment.
It wasn’t the only one. Reckless
allegations inflamed the situa
tion. A group of clergy led by
NAACP state president William
■ Barber stepped forward to help
restrain protesters, and may
have had that effect in some cases. But they
also irresponsibly blamed police for “provok
ing” the riots. And they trafficked in a range
of conspiracy theories—such as claims that
Carr was killed by police, or that officers
may have planted the gun attributed to Scott
—that made themselves look ridiculous and
their cause look political.
Indeed, Barber even used his moment in
the media spotlight to talk about Medicaid
expansion and other political disputes far
afield from the case — but conveniently
linked to Republicans in Raleigh rather
than Democrats in Charlotte.
When it comes to freedom of speech,
there is a key distinction between express
ing an opinion and shouting down some
one else expressing an opinion. The latter
is called the “heckler’s veto.” In Charlotte,
some people angry about the Scott case,
or about race and justice issues in general,
seemed to believe they enjoyed a “rioter’s
veto.”
They thought they could interrupt the
normal investigative process and insist that
unless the city released its videos immedi
ately — even though such a premature re
lease might influence the testimony of wit
nesses still being interviewed — the unrest
would continue. “No tapes, no peace!” they
shouted.
Absolutely unacceptable. Peace and
security come first. Then, presentation of
facts. Then, discussion about what those
facts mean and what response is warranted.
This is the sequence civilization requires. It
is the responsibility of leaders, public and
private, to insist on this sequence. Some
did, such as Putney and McCrory. Others
didn’t. They should be embarrassed. Alas,
they won’t be.
John Hood is chairman of the John Locke Foundation.
Letters to the Editor
Child care rebates just another entitlement for America
Dear Editor,
We may soon see a new entitle
ment piled on top of ,the moun
tain of entitlements contributing
to America’s massive debt. This
one may be named for the next
president’s daughter. No, not Chel
sea Clinton, but Ivanka Trump. If
Trump is elected president, Ivanka
will likely be the face of a new en
titlement providing child-care tax
rebates or, for those who pay no
income taxes, an increase in the
earned-income tax credit.
Donald Trump is looking for
ways to ingratiate himself with
women. But does the cost of tins
new idea have to be piled on top
of existing entitlements and so
cial programs, the chief causes of
the nation’s unsustainable debt?
Trump says he will pay for his
new program with a reduction in
fraud and abuse. Wishful thinking.
A drop in the bucket at best.
Given our presidential candi
dates’ opposition to reforming
Social Security and Medicare,
there is only one way to reverse
the stampede to national bank
ruptcy: Growth. Under President
Obama GDP has risen by less than
2 percent annually. What we need
is for growth to be 3.5 percent at a
minimum.
So how do we remove the im
pediments to growth we have
seen under Obama? Two ways:
tax reform and regulatory reform.
Growth can only happen if the
private sector creates new jobs.
The single most desirable tax re
form would be a reduction in the
35 percent business tax that has
forced companies like Apple to
move overseas to avoid this mas
sive tax burden and mqjor em
ployers like Ford to move plants
to Mexico to take advantage of
cheap labor. Common sense re
forms to reduce labor costs do
mestically would help, but noth
ing will persuade companies to
remain in America more than tax
reform.
We must also reduce the burden
of regulations that cost businesses
billions of dollars in compliance
and prevents start-ups from creat
ing new jobs. In 2015 the federal
government wrote 5,712 rules and
regulations totaling 81,611 pages.
And that wasn’t even a record for
an Obama Administration intent
on regulating everything from
smokestacks to puddles. This year
will probably end up being worse.
Taxes are necessary to run the
government, and some regulations
are needed to maintain order and
safety for the citizenry. But gov
ernment must stop micromanag
ing every aspect of our lives and
just get out of the way so we can
break the shackles of debt and get
back to rebuilding a prosperous
nation.
Claude Milot
Hertford
Voters in other states decide on ballot referendums
R ALEIGH — North Carolina voters
won’t decide any statewide ballot
referendums or initiatives in No
vember.
In most other states, residents will vote
on issues such as legalizing recreational
or medical marijuana, raising the mini
mum wage, increasing cigarette taxes
and prohibiting large-capacity ammuni
tion magazines.
North Carolina is boring this year in
that regard (but not in other ballot items,
such as the presidential and gubernato
rial races).
The Tar Heel state, unlike many others,
doesn’t allow citizen-driven initiatives on
the ballot. Many ballot questions you’ll
read about below ended up before voters
through a process started by residents,
not necessarily because the state legisla
ture decided they should be there.
The N.C. General Assembly considered
a few referendums this year, including
enshrining in the N.C. Constitution the
right to hunt and fish, as well as a limit on
spending growth. None of the ideas made
it through the legislative process.
The following information comes from
a database from the National Conference
of State Legislatures.
Voters in Arizona will decide whether
to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and
older and tax sales at 15 percent.
They’ll also vote on whether to
raise the minimum wage to $10
in 2017, then to $12 by 2020. The
current minimum wage there
is $8.05. (North Carolina’s is
$7.25.) Voters also are expected
to decide whether to legalize
recreational marijuana in Cali
fornia, Maine, Massachusetts
and Nevada. Proposed minimum
wage hikes also are on ballots in
Arizona, Colorado, Maine and
Washington.
Arkansas voters are expect
ed to decide whether to allow
the opening of medical mari- ,
juana centers to treat patients
Columnist
PATRICK
GANNON
with certain conditions.
Voters in Florida and North Dakota
also will consider medical marijuana ini
tiatives. The N.C. legislature held a public
hearing on the medical marijuana issue in
early 2015, but lawmakers quickly killed a
proposal to legalize it.
In California, an initiative called the
“Legislative Transparency Act” would-
prohibit the state legislature from passing
any bill unless it’s been in print and pub
lished online for at least 72 hours before
the vote, except in cases of public emer
gency. (Anyone else just think of House
Bill 2?)
Also in California, the “Safe
ty For All Act” would prohibit
possession of large-capacity
ammunition magazines and re
quire most individuals to pass
background checks and obtain
Department of Justice authori
zation to buy ammo. California
voters also will decide whether
to increase cigarette taxes by
$2 a pack, with revenues pay
ing mainly for anti-smoking
programs. Voters in Colorado
and Missouri will also decide
whether to increase tobacco
, taxes.
A Colorado initiative would
permit mentally capable adults who are
terminally ill to receive prescriptions
from doctors for medication to end their
lives. N.C. Democrats filed a similar bill in
2015, called the “Death with Dignity Act.”
It didn’t go anywhere.
Voters in Indiana and Kansas will con
sider right to hunt and fish amendments.
In Louisiana, a referendum would au
thorize a property tax exemption for
surviving spouses of individuals killed in
the line of duty as members of the armed
forces, law enforcement officers or fire
fighters. Virginia voters will consider a
similar referendum.
In Massachusetts, voters will decide
whether to phase out extreme methods
of farm animal confinement.
In Nebraska, a referendum will deter
mine whether to repeal a 2015 bill that
eliminated the death penalty there.
In Oklahoma, an initiative would in
crease sales taxes by 1 percent for an ed
ucation fund to increase teacher salaries,
address teacher shortages, improve read
ing in early grades and increase access to
early learning for low-income children.
In Oregon, voters will decide whether
programs to help veterans should be the
beneficiaries of 1.5 percent of the pro
ceeds of the state lottery.
South Dakota voters will decide wheth
er a redistricting commission, rather than
the legislature, should draw districts for
state Senate and House seats. That’s a big
topic here, too.
In Washington, a ballot initiative would
allow police or family members to get
court orders to prevent access to guns by
people exhibiting mental illness or vio
lent behavior indicating they might harm
themselves or others.
Oh, what could have been in North
Carolina.
Patrick Gannon is the columnist for the Capitol Press
Association.
The Perquimans Weekly
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