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Letters to the Editor

Bill makes it easier to get gun silencers

President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill passed out of the U.S. House the other day and is headed for the U.S. Senate. I have a gripe with that bill. Do you remember where you were Dec. 17, 2012? I remember where I was, and will remember forever. Dec. 17 was the Monday after the Friday school shooting at Sandy Hook with 26 deaths. I was consulting in a first-grade classroom (same as Sandy Hook) with 20 precious little children (same as Sandy Hook) in one of our local elementary schools. I repeatedly stepped out of the room so those children didn’t see me weep, because ...

Memorial Day isn’t a day for fireworks

Fireworks on Memorial Day weekend are a display of ignorance. The holiday was originally named Decoration Day to honor the gravesites of those who sacrificed their lives defending our country. Explosions of fireworks do not honor them. Instead they recreate the sounds of war that killed so many of our men and women in uniform. We have many local combat veterans with PTSD. It is bad enough that they must suffer fireworks through long extended July 4th holidays. Setting them off on Memorial Day weekend is disrespectful. Lee Appleman Altoona

Feeling powerless to make a difference

I am sliding into the dismals again. Stuff you really can’t write about like the faces of the gaunt and starving children in Gaza. How have we gotten to the point where you cannot raise humanitarian concerns without being labeled antisemitic? How can we turn a blind eye to what sure as heck looks like genocide? And then watching women losing rights. Problems registering to vote and get a REAL ID to fly through the guise of immigration enforcement. Loss of government jobs through the selective discharges of women from positions of authority, especially women of color, by ...

Food should not be political

Today’s (May 14) Mirror editorial on the cancellation of the funding of the local food bank reflects the absolute cruelty of this administration. Our esteemed John Joyce consistently votes for these actions. I’m not sure why anyone should be surprised when this administration has supported the termination of USAID and sentencing millions to starvation, disease and death. Gaza, Sudan are the most severe examples where starvation is happening now. Children are starving and dying. All the while the administration is setting out to cannibalize Medicaid and Clean Energy initiatives ...

Energy tax credits good for everyone

I received a shock when the cost of heating my home nearly doubled a couple of years ago. My home was previously heated by oil, and when gas prices rose significantly, we saw the impact inefficient heating and varying gas prices could have on our budget. We upgraded to heat pumps, receiving a 30% energy efficient tax credit. Now, we rely on heat pumps for the majority of heating and cooling, saving an estimated $200-300 a month on energy bills. Since heat pumps are the most efficient source of heat for our home, we’re using less energy and sending fewer toxins into the atmosphere. ...

Focus graduation speeches on students

After 40 or more years listening to graduation speeches for first grade through college and including a medical school and as a family member, student, teacher and administrator, I feel I have become an expert on what should be included in the speeches and what shouldn’t be included. Please make the speeches personal. Include accomplishments of individuals and groups using actual names of the students parents teachers, but concentrate on the students and parents. Thai is their day. It’s not the principal’s, superintendent’s or school board’s day. One of the most boring ...