Brunswick Beacon, 05.25.23
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live under an authoritarian Republican Taliban rule. The Republican attacks on personal freedoms should chill every American citizen to the bone. Let’s start with book bans. PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 1,477 instances of individual books banned, affecting 874 unique titles, an increase of 28% compared to the prior six months, January thru June 2022.
Next is women’s rights. North Carolina has just joined the list of Republicans’ tightening restrictions on abortions furthering control over women’s ability to control their own health. State legislators continue to impose their personal beliefs on women’s rights.
The attacks on public schools continue with moves toward vouchers for private schools. North Carolina Republican legislators continue to starve out public schools by lack of adequate funding, keeping teacher pay and benefits low and controlling curriculums from the state. The quality of education is as far from the 1960s through 1980s as it ever was.
North Carolina Republican legislators continue to take local control from towns and cities in order to limit local control over programs, planning, development and environmental protection. The Republicans do not want you to have democratic control over your life. They want to control everything and that should scare you to death.
Rob Priddy
Shallotte