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Letters to the Editor

County should adopt policy to protect our kids

In response to the letter to the editor from Diane O’Connor on Saturday, Oct. 19, Ms. O’Connor makes the likely inaccurate assumption that the people in favor of having only certain library books moved from the children’s section to adult section are the minority not the majority of our community. The real issue is the morality of our community. I question whether Ms. O’Connor has taken the time to look at the content contained within the books in question, or she may speak differently. I have done so as to more than one of those publications, and I can tell you that in ...

One candidate offers hope, the other chaos

Candidate one: Hope, peace, secure border, women’s health, voting rights, unity in the future. Candidate two: Misogynist, no respect, shifty, dangerous, unfit, chaos, bully, felon, narcissistic, “big lies” (a lie is a coward’s way of getting out of trouble). Fear mongering, conspiracies (if you don’t see it with your eyes, don’t invent it with your mouth), racist, denigrates people, insults veterans as suckers and losers (you’ll never move up if you are continually running somebody down). Threatens, must sign loyalty, truth and empathetic non-existence (a wise person is ...

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 ...