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Letters to the Editor

I cannot imagine this town without a library

As a member of the Board of the Trustees for Alpena County George N Fletcher Library, I cannot tell you how to vote on our upcoming millage, but I can provide you with facts that may help you to make your decision. The upcoming millage is a renewal of our current tax rate that provides the library with about 80% of its funding. Voters are not being asked for additional taxes. The millage in simple terms keeps the books on the shelves, the programs going and the staff employed. Without the millage money, the library would likely have to close the doors to the public. The library is a ...

Book challenges not about protecting children

In recent years, challenges against certain books from local libraries have surged (65% in 2023). Most of these demands have been about books depicting or written by LGBTQ+ people and people of color, as well as books that talk about puberty, teen pregnancy, consent, and sexual assault. It is clear that these are attempts to silence already marginalized communities, and “protecting children” is not the goal. According to First Focus on Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, banning books does the opposite: They limit children’s learning, while negatively ...

US’s filthy rich continue to support Trump

Dear Editor, “Wealthy Wall Street backers continue to support Trump despite his criminal conviction, drawn by his promises to cut taxes and regulations,” by Anusuya Lahiri, Benzinga Editor, May 31, 2024. The unlimited shame and greed of these people is unimaginable. Consider: Their wealth becomes totally meaningless if we have no country to live in. Underhanded, vile and obscene, these are the filthy rich! Let’s give them a break, convicted felon Trump and his GOP sentenced to no jail time? Trump and his GOP not being held meaningfully accountable for any of their illegal ...

Vote yes because library offers tax bargain

I am writing in support of our library. I will be voting YES to renew the operating budget of the library on Aug. 6. Why? Because the library is hands-down the best deal I get for my tax dollars. It costs me less than half the price of Netflix for a year and I get access to thousands of books, DVDs, and magazines — and not just hardcopy! Even if I work late and can’t make it to the library in person, I can use the free library “Libby” app to read magazines and books on my phone from home. I can also use the free service Kanopy to stream movies (take that Netflix!). I ...

My father chose democracy, and I will, too

EDITOR’S NOTE: This letter is running a second time because, when it first appeared on June 15, an editing mistake led to an error in the letter. The letter below has been corrected. June 6, D-Day, come and gone. Did you remember the day? I watched coverage of the day as old men with broken bodies sat in their wheelchairs proudly displaying their medals pinned to their uniforms. I thought about my dad. He would say, “I was an 18-year-old farm boy when I left for the service.” The men and women in France on June 6 this year were 17, 18, and 20 years old 80 years ago. ...

Jesus saved us from our sin with his sacrifice

A friend asked me, now that you are 88 years old, is there something that you can tell us that you know for sure. Yes, I said, there is a God. Yes, God created the Earth and all things, including humans. Yes, He created them male and female. Yes, the first humans, Adam and Eve, did not listen to God’s rules and sinned against God. Yes, God’s judgment against all humans because of them being sinful was eternal death in hell. Yes, God loved His created humans so much that He sent His own Son Jesus Christ to pay for man’s sins by dying on the cross and rising again on the third day. ...