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Letters to the Editor

Donald Trump would take away all freedoms

Donald Trump plans to release the wrath of God upon us all in his desire to stay in power and stay out of prison if he is ever reelected. He has personally declared his desire to benefit through full use of retribution in his control of the U.S. governmental offices and the U.S. Supreme Court in his continued action in the pursuit of religious prosecution. This is an all-out frontal attack on the rights of all American citizens. All of our rights. What has he done so far: the loss of the Rowe v. Wade after 50 years of legal precedence, control of the press, the right to recognize ...

Trump should be ashamed of ‘accomplishments’

Donald Trump accomplishments: 2.9 million jobs lost (allowing for COVID-19). Trade deficit grew by 40.5%. Dairy farmers went belly up. People without health insurance grew by 3 million. Federal debt rose from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion (great job, Don). Annual deficits rose from $585 billion in 2016 to $984 billion in 2019 (great businessman). Home prices rose by 27.5% and with Republican deregulation profiteering continues. Illegal immigration INCREASED. Highest level of murders and assaults since 1997 (4,157 more in 2020 than 2016) (law and order). Aggravated ...

County must find another way to raise money

I’m writing about the county Board of Commissioners putting the tax increase on the ballot. It is not the people’s fault that the county is broke (due to poor decision making). The commissioners gave raises and have been helping out Northern Lights when it was voted 25 years ago for them to go out on their own. When they raised the taxes for $30 in Alpena, where people in the country (namely) farmers, it may be $50 to $1,000 or more. Not to mention fertilizer, parts, seed, feed, fuel have all gone up. There needs to be layoffs or find another way to take care of this mess or ...

2025 state budget funds an American dream

Recently, the State of Michigan passed the 2025 budget for our state and among the variety of actions that this budget funded was support for a dream. That dream makes possible FREE community college education. As an educator that started his college experience in a community college and for 40-plus years had the privilege of serving these unique institutions as a staff member, this truly represents a dream realized, since, for most potential enrollees, financial barriers are now being reduced or in many cases eliminated and the fear of insurmountable debt … gone. This new ...

Partisans in a nonpartisan school board race

Dear Editor: IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN … This past week, on a personal podcast, a political party offered monies to support candidates for the school board election in November. The source of that funding is the same source as from the last school board election. We all know the results of that election. They are: ∫ Systematically and covertly harassing school employees, whereby we have lost valued educators and staff. ∫ School legal fees have skyrocketed into the tens of thousands of dollars. ∫ A second law firm engaged, with no apparent logic. ∫ That funding ...

Must remember: Our children are the future

Preparing our children for their futures is a responsibility that falls on us as parents. From the time they are born, as they grow into toddlers, teens, to adults. We must instill in them that the real world is competitive and that they must be prepared to stand out. However, the prevailing practice of awarding participation trophies and ensuring equal playing time for all children, regardless of effort, sends a harmful message. When everyone receives the same reward, regardless of their individual effort, it can lead to a sense of entitlement and diminish the motivation to work hard. ...