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Letters to the Editor

Proof of citizenship isn’t voter suppression

I appreciate the concerns raised in the recent letter about petitions seeking proof of citizenship to register to vote. Protecting voting rights is absolutely essential, but it is equally important to ensure that elections are fair, secure, and limited to citizens, as our Constitution requires. The letter on Sept. 30 suggests that non-citizen voting is “vanishingly rare.” Even if that is the case, rarity does not mean insignificance. One unlawful vote cancels out the lawful vote of a citizen. Election safeguards are not meant to respond only after widespread problems occur, they ...

Beware of voter suppression petitions

There is a movement afoot to undermine the voter expansion amendments Michigan’s electorate passed in 2018 and 2022. Currently, circulators are trying to gather signatures on petitions which will require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. This is all to solve a problem which does not exist: non-citizens voting. The incident of non-citizens voting is vanishingly rare. About 15 incidents per election in Michigan. These proposed amendments, by contrast, will disenfranchise tens of thousands of eligible voters. The circulators are saying, “This just requires that ...

Unions the solution, not the problem

A recent letter attacking unions painted them as relics of the past, extortion rackets that fuel inflation, protect mediocrity and distort our politics. It’s a familiar script, but it doesn’t hold up to reality. Let’s start with the claim that unions “once served a purpose” but are now obsolete. Tell that to the UPS drivers who just won air conditioning in their trucks after decades of sweltering heat, or the nurses fighting for safe staffing levels in hospitals. Unions are still doing exactly what they were created to do: giving workers a voice where they’d otherwise have ...

Letters welcome

Letters should be kept as brief as possible — ideally no more than 250 words — but can be up to about 500 words. The letter must include the writer’s full, legal name, address and telephone number. Submissions without this information will not be printed. Letters are to be signed with a single name. Potentially libelous statements and personal attacks will not be published. The Daily Press reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar and questionable statements, or to refuse to publish questionable letters. Letters printed represent the views of the writer, not the ...

Rebuttal: The myths about unions

The glowing praise of unions in a letter published Aug. 30 overlooks what unions have become in modern America. A century ago, unions may have served a purpose in pushing for basic workplace safety. But today they operate more like political machines and extortion rackets than advocates for workers. The reality is clear: unions drive inflation. When they demand wage hikes far above market value, businesses pass the costs onto consumers through higher prices. That means families are paying more for food, fuel, and housing, not because of “greedy corporations” but because of decades ...

Don’t privatize regional mental health entities

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to open oversight of Community Mental Health Agencies to private corporations. Under this plan, outside companies — many based beyond Michigan — could “bid” on the work currently carried out by the state’s ten Regional Entities. These Regional Entities play a critical role: they receive state funding, allocate it to 46 Community Mental Health agencies, and attempt to provide oversight. Turning this responsibility over to private insurers would shift control of Michigan’s behavioral health dollars from locally ...