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Letters to the Editor

Bergman needs to respond better

I wrote U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman about important issues. He only responded to my concern about Russian bounties on U.S. servicemen. Bergman’s Aug. 10 response, abbreviated, was: “Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about recent reports of Russian intelligence units paying the Taliban to attack U.S. Forces in Afghanistan ... please know I am resolved to take any appropriate and proportional steps to ensure our service members are protected.” He didn’t say exactly what he was going to do or how he was going to call President Donald Trump to account for his response to ...

Some thoughts on Sturgis rally

EDITOR: I saw on the television news a story about the annual motorcycle rally and gathering in Sturgis, South Dakota. It was reported that the attendees were pretty much ignoring the advice of the medical community as far as the COVID-19 thing goes. Now, as this is a virus, it does not realize nor care about your interests, your perceived freedoms or your political leanings. It is a virus and it loves lots of people close together and unprotected. And, bonus, these people come from all over and have gathered in one place. The law of averages says that some of them are carrying the ...

Help support RSVP funding

As some of you may or may not know, grant funds for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP, have been terminated due to state budget shortfalls. We are hopeful program funds will be reinstated for the next fiscal year, as RSVP has become very important to the senior citizens in our communities. The Dickinson County Cancer Unit Loan Closet is one of the designated RSVP volunteer stations. We are a non-profit organization and are totally staffed by volunteers. We provide a much-needed service loaning out medical equipment (at no cost) along with supplying financial aid, Ensure and ...

We need the pipeline tunnel

Making a living in Michigan these days isn’t always easy. Without access to Line 5, keeping work sites open would get a lot harder. That’s why we need to let Enbridge Inc. build the tunnel under the Mackinac Straits for the pipeline and keep Line 5 in good working order. We need the energy from Line 5 to heat our homes and businesses. That fuel is also used to create thousands of products, including products that my business uses every single day. And I know there are a lot of other businesses across the state that depend on those products, too. I don’t understand why some in ...

Best to drop off absentee ballots

Heavy, heavy pressure out there against mailed ballots. Mr. Trump insists that absentee voting is good, mail-in voting is bad. Clearly, this is a distinction without a difference. In Michigan, anyone who wishes may request an absentee ballot — no excuse, no reason necessary. The clerk will compare the signature on the ballot request to the signature on your voter registration. Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado and Hawaii have all gone to mail-in ballots. Four of those have been at it for several years, and have experienced NO increase in fraud. You may mail your ballot or hand-carry ...

Virus doesn’t care about your freedom

EDITOR: I have to make a comment or two about the mask thing. The doctors tell us that if we use them in any kind of public contact indoors or out, we will make a big difference in stopping the spread of this virus. Science in general tells us to wash our hands a lot, avoid touching our faces and, yes, wear the mask. The people who tell us this are the people of science and are educated in their various fields. Now we also have some people with an opinion talking about not wearing the masks and in fact doing nothing other than our normal lives. It is all about your personal ...