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Letters to the Editor

Who has my signature?

As a matter of transparency it’s important for the community to know that all the petitions from the school board recall effort are now in the hands of unknown numbers of individuals. The day after the recall petitions were filed with our County Clerk, community member Dennis Schultz submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Schultz wanted all petitions, numbering close to 2000, to be copied to a thumbdrive and turned over to him. Schultz paid for the FOIA and by that action, had in his possession the names and addresses of over 4300 individuals who participated in the ...

Proper role of law and government

I begin with a principle: the proper role of law and government is limited and specific. Law exists to protect the equal rights that every person already possesses—rights to life, liberty, and property. These rights existed before, and beyond, government. The law’s only legitimate function is to organize the individual right of self-defense on a collective scale, so that no person may harm another’s person or property with impunity. Beyond that protective purpose, using law becomes a violation of the rights it was meant to secure. When government uses its taxing power to take from ...

Cheers & Jeers and the ADA

Each year near the anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26, 1990) I reflect on the progress my community has made in making our part of the State more accessible. Here are this year’s top cheers and jeers. Cheers: · The City of Alpena for the redevelopment of Culligan Plaza. After a few setbacks, including a loud call from citizens to reconsider the original proposed design, we now have an accessible community space. As part of that project, we also are blessed with accessible public restrooms. · The City of Alpena for the ...

APS Recall: Thank you community

The views expressed are my own and do not represent the Board of Education or fellow Board members. I want to thank the more than 20,000 registered voters who chose not to sign the recall petition. Thank you for seeing through the noise and continuing to trust us. I also want to thank our county clerk and every local clerk who managed this process. It required significant time, effort, and taxpayer resources during an already busy primary election. Considering the lengths some political activists went to collect signatures, the result is exactly what it should have been. We heard ...

It’s a trap

Fresh air, clean-clear-blue water, and dark night skies are reasons we moved to northern Michigan in the 1990's. Living directly on Lake Huron to maximize its benefits and get away from the world's pollution and all of its problems. Presque Isle County – Save Our Lakes: Grand Lake and Lake Esau, legislative actions are affecting all of these possibilities in legislation actions that are being presented and are guaranteed to fail. Lasting for “perpetuity” – the earth itself isn't going to last that long. The legislation goes on to establish lake levels for both of the ...

The News missed the Fauci story

On Wednesday, July 29, Dr. Anthony Fauci ‘testified’ in front of a congressional committee about his actions during the 2020-2022 Covid pandemic. If you are a reader of the Alpena News and didn’t get to watch the hearing that morning, you might not know that the hearing was held. The News’ editions of Thursday through today, Monday August 3, did not include a single news article about the hearing. Today, Monday, August 3, the editorial page finally contained a column by Tim Graham titled "Journalists want to bury their fawning friendship with Fauci”. In the column he detailed ...