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Letters to the Editor

Public service requires accountability

Our representative seems to have no shortage of time for ribbon cuttings, ceremonial events, and photo opportunities. Those public appearances make for nice pictures, but they are no substitute for an open town hall where constituents can ask unscripted questions and receive honest answers. A town hall is one of the most basic responsibilities of an elected official. It gives people of all political views an opportunity to raise concerns, seek clarification on important issues, and hold their representative accountable. Carefully staged events with invited guests simply don’t provide ...

American giving must be carefully evaluated

Americans are among the most generous people in the world. Through our tax dollars, we provide billions of dollars in foreign aid each year to developing nations. That generosity, however, should not become a system of double-dipping and sudden riches. When the United States sends substantial financial assistance overseas and then also accepts large numbers of people fleeing those same countries — often requiring additional public resources for housing, education, health care and other services — we are effectively paying twice. If this approach continues indefinitely, America ...

The Constitution belongs to all of us

Most Americans don’t wake up thinking about constitutional law or the separation of powers. They worry about paying the mortgage, buying groceries, affording health care and putting gas in the car. They voted hoping life would become more affordable and secure. Instead, many are facing rising costs, growing uncertainty and a government increasingly focused on consolidating power rather than solving everyday problems. Throughout history, democracy has rarely disappeared overnight. It erodes when leaders weaken independent institutions, demand personal loyalty over constitutional duty, ...

Protect our endangered species

As someone who has spent a lifetime studying, writing about and painting America’s wildlife, I am deeply troubled by the steady erosion of conservation protections taking place across our nation. Perhaps most concerning is the recent rollback of a long-standing Endangered Species Act regulation that recognized habitat destruction as a form of “harm” to endangered wildlife. While species remain legally protected from direct killing, narrowing this definition weakens one of the most effective conservation principles we have ever embraced: protecting the places wildlife depends upon ...

SB600 Smart Meter choice is needed

Are these mandated Smart Meters causing physical and mental harm to the people and nature? I believe they are and I believe that is why Sen. Doug Mastriano submitted bill SB600. Many people have reported to Sen. Mastriano’s office that shortly after having the Smart Meter installed on their home they started experiencing health problems. People are reporting headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, sleep issues, brain fog, fatigue, ringing in the ears, skin tingling and itching, anxiety and more. Our doctors and health care system know nothing about diagnosing or treating EMF ...

We are paying the cost of war

President Donald Trump does not want a peace treaty, to negotiate, or an agreement with Iran. He demands what he calls a deal which is his way of stating that Iran must do what he wishes them to do. Under Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated in 2015, Iran agreed to reduce its nuclear program by capping enrichment at low levels, reshaping the Arak reactor so it could not produce weapons grade plutonium. Iran also agreed to dismantle or convert centrifuges and facilities into a peaceful nuclear program and allow an expanded IADA inspection and monitoring. Trump ended ...