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Letters to the Editor

Democrats need to come up with ideas

DEAR EDITOR: A Mark Twain maxim, delivered by his Pudd’nhead Wilson fictional character, goes “A cat will sit on a hot stove just once, but then he won’t sit on a cold stove either. That cat just hates stoves.” This seems to me like our current political mess. Trump and his cult were the hot stove undecided voters sat on twice. Dems, believing the twice-burned cat (voters) would choose their cold stove, offered, and are still offering, nothing of comfort the cat understands. The cat determines stoves (politicians) all are useless, save for spending their tax dollars, and ignores ...

Watch out for the Grinch this year

DEAR EDITOR: Christmas is coming and with it, the Grinch Tax. According to The Toy Association, nearly 80% of the toys sold in the U. S. are sourced in China. President Trump’s tariff is, in truth, an all-American sales tax on imported Chinse goods. Ultimately, it must be paid by American holiday shoppers. Unless retracted, it could inflate prices up to 25%...the Grinch Tax. The higher skilled, lower paid toy makers in China will not soon be replicated in America. Same applies for Chinese-made artificial Christmas trees, ornaments, lights, and blow-up outdoor sculptures. ...

Helping those with mental health issues

DEAR EDITOR: Mental health can’t wait. Break the silence. Ignite change. In America today, approximately one out of every five Americans is suffering with a mental health issue; and approximately one in 25 adults is experiencing a serious mental illness that substantially interferes with one or more major life activities. In every story, there is strength and there is hope. Recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month: As CEO of Belmont Pines Hospital, my staff and I have the privilege of serving members of our community with mental illnesses that are often invisible to others. Since ...

History preservation is under assault

DEAR EDITOR: Archaeologists, and people interested in preserving and recording the evidence of our nation’s history are facing a nightmare scenario. Archaeological sites are destroyed constantly in the United States, many without being recorded and studied. Since the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in the 1970s, federally funded projects, like highway constructions, or the construction of reservoirs, must have an archaeological component to identify if there are archaeological sites that would be impacted or destroyed, which should be protected, or whether a more ...

Trump is too much like Russia’s Putin

DEAR EDITOR: May 1, Republican Trump’s plan to destroy the freedoms of our “We the People” democracy in his first 100 days: You can now compare Trump’s inspired treasonist attack and invasion on America’s Capital on Jan. 6, 2021, to overthrow America’s government to Vladimir Putin’s attack and invasion in Ukraine to overthrow Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian government. The Trump administration will never stop trying to overthrow America’s democracy and Putin will not stop at Ukraine; he is Adolf Hitler without the mustache. America and NATO allies must continue to send ...

Putting the cart before the horse

DEAR EDITOR: Upon waking April 9, goods coming from China are now double (and then some) in cost due to Trump’s tariffs / trade war. Anyone who thinks differently needs to go back to Economics 101. These tariffs are nothing more than an exercise in putting the cart before the horse. While I can agree we need to kick our dependence (addiction?) to imported goods coming from less-than-friendly nations and need to bring manufacturing back stateside, Mr. Trump is approaching this the wrong way. Mr. Trump needed to push Congress to make us more appealing to manufacturers looking to ...