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Letters to the Editor

County must look elsewhere for budget cuts

The Alpena County Central Dispatch Union would like to express our apprehension for the discussion of proposed cuts to the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff and his department have worked diligently over the last several years to build their staffing to a level where they are able to provide the essential services the citizens of Alpena County deserve. Alpena Central Dispatch is in a very small minority of 911 centers across the country that are both fully staffed and possess current phone, radio, and computer technology that assists tremendously in expeditious call taking ...

People, not companies, pay corporate taxes

Many years ago, school taught us reading, writing, arithmetic, history, thinking, reasoning, and common sense as just part of getting an education. While learning about simple economics, an instructor asked the question, “Who pays corporate taxes?,” and we were instructed to write and defend our answer. After we had turned our papers in, we were asked how many answered the question by answering the consumer/customer. Most had answered with a myriad of names and reasons why some paid and some didn’t. He then gave us a simple explanation of who pays. I make a product, let’s ...

Anti-public school group endorses candidates

The Oct. 16 issue of The Alpena News carried an opinion piece titled, “We need new school ideas,” by Molly Macek. She represents the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, an organization that advocates for limited government and free-market approaches to public policy. Macek suggests that public education is failing. The “new school ideas” she offers are private schools, charter schools, and homeschooling. In other words, take the “public” out of education. Considering that Macek represents a special interest group that seeks to shrink government and privatize public ...

Ask why some school candidates want control

Public schools are sacred. Despite our different affiliations, ambitions, origins, dispositions, and religions, they educate us. They are rocks upon which our community is built and sustained — sources of becoming and belonging. Why would Monica Dziesinski and Sarah Costain seek seats on the Alpena Public Schools Board of Education when both have enrolled their children in private schools? Neither participated — nor did candidate Eric Lawson — in the League of Women Voters’ school board candidate forum. All three are sponsored by an organization that advocates charter ...

Could the DNR have gelded Roger the elk?

As a “city mouse,” I am fully aware that my fisheries and wildlife knowledge is not as extensive as others. So I will just jump in and ask the question as it occurred to me: “Roger” is an Elk. Big guy. Because he could have “raging hormones” in the fall, it was safest to put him down. Horses are also big guys. Unaltered (gelded) horses can be a first-class pain to everyone when they think any other guy horses are sniffing after their fillies. A horse person explained this recently and I learned a whole new batch of stuff about ‘em. Which set my city-mouse brain to ...

Don’t ever believe those who lied about Biden

For four years, the Democrats, Kamala Harris, and the media tried to hide Joe Biden. But the little that America did see of him, we could tell he had major mental decline. But Democrats, Harris, and the media all said behind the scenes he’s “sharp as a tack,” “the best Joe Biden ever.” What we were seeing was “cheap fakes” from Republicans. Then he debated Donald Trump without a teleprompter and that lie was exposed. Democrats, Harris, and the media needed a new candidate. They would have been perfectly happy with America having a president with dementia. The ...