Hey, Canes: The kids didn’t need to hear all your f-bombs | Opinion
In response to “What the bleep? Why TV audio kept cutting out during Canes championship rally.” (June 23):
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If the Carolina Hurricanes players at the rally had remembered that to many of the thousands of kids who were there, in person or watching on TV, these players are their heroes and idols, and they are influenced by how their idols behave. They should have refrained from using f-bombs and there wouldn’t have been a necessity to bleep their speeches. It was disappointing to me that some had to resort to so many f-bombs.
I am not a prude — I’ve heard all the words — but time, place and the young audience should have been considered by the players.
Ann Dominello, Durham
I want my two younger brothers to have the childhood I had on our family farm, with nature as their classroom and shoes as optional. That future is under threat.
Wildfires and air pollution are no longer distant concerns for North Carolina. Scientists warn that the Southeast’s increasing heat and drought conditions are making our region especially vulnerable to catastrophic fire. That means real consequences for our forests, our biodiversity, and the air our families breathe.
North Carolina Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd have an opportunity to act: support robust FY2027 funding for the U.S. Forest Service. A well-resourced Forest Service means better fire prevention, healthier ecosystems, and cleaner air for the kids growing up here right now — kids like my brothers, who deserve the same wild, rooted childhood I was lucky enough to have.
Lydia Coy, Durham
According to a recent article I read, $81 million in taxpayer funding will be diverted from Wake County Public Schools and allocated to charter schools instead. This is a seven-fold increase in charter school funding since 2011, and it appears to be directly related to the General Assembly removal of caps on new charter schools.
How far would $81 million in funding go in raising the pay of our teachers (who currently rank 46th in the country), improving all of our schools, and developing programs that would benefit the education and experience of all our children?
Governments have an obligation to use taxpayer funds for the benefit of all citizens. Denying our schools the funds they deserve appears to be a violation of that responsibility.
Margaret Magnani, Cary
The Social Security Trustees now warn that the retirement trust fund could run short in late 2032, leaving only 78 percent of scheduled benefits payable. That is not a distant accounting problem. It is a looming benefit cut for millions of Americans who earned this protection with every paycheck. Congress must stop dodging the issue and act this year.
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There is a fair, straightforward fix. Apply Social Security taxes to earnings above $400,000 while keeping today’s $184,500 cap in place. An additional modest levy on top earners’ investment income would also help close the gap without burdening working families. A 2025 survey by NASI, AARP, NIRS, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that Americans overwhelmingly prefer raising revenue over cutting benefits; 85 percent said benefits should not be reduced, even if some taxes must rise.
Congress should also phase in means testing only for people born after 2028 (and not retiring for at least 67 years), protecting today’s retirees and near-retirees while strengthening Social Security for younger workers. That gives families time to plan and avoids sudden, across-the-board cuts.
Lawmakers who refuse to act are choosing cuts by default.
Eric Matthew Braun, Raleigh
The closing of homeless encampments with its removal of the homeless seems cruel if there are not enough housing opportunities for the homeless. Either provide adequate housing or assist the homeless where they are.
This means the city needs to furnish a dumpster for trash, potable water, and a sanitary station with toilet and shower facilities for those encampments. Anything less than that is cruel and unusual punishment.
I recognize that homelessness is a reflection of a major social problem. Our American mantra of rugged individualism neglects the less fortunate. It also goes against the teaching of Jesus and other spiritual leaders. There are many factors impacting people’s ability to house themselves.
We need state and local leaders who have been ignoring a major crisis to step up.
Daryl Bowman, Professor Emeritus, NC State University
The GOP-led General Assembly should keep its fingers off local property tax matters. This is rightly the province of locally elected commissioners who best know the wishes of their constituents and the needs of their county or town — and who answer to local voters at each election. It would be fine to require a certain level of transparency, but beyond that, no more meddling in purely local matters! The GOP-led General Assembly should stick to its main job of fouling things up at the state level.
Peter Aitken, Chapel Hill
This story was originally published June 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline “Hey, Canes: The kids didn’t need to hear all your f-bombs | Opinion.”
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