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Letters to the Editor

Rep. Jack Bergman wrong about Canadian wildfires

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman is completely wrong about Canadian wildfires and needlessly picks a fight with our closest ally. Many methods used in the United States don’t work in their forests. We live in an area of mixed forest types and agricultural land with lots of roads. Even our western forests are not as remote as those in Canada. Years ago, we had a forest fire threaten our home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A network of nearby state, federal and local fire organizations arrived quickly and contained the fire before it reached us! Canada’s boreal forest covers 1.3 billion ...

Chamber of Commerce’s endorsement questioned

Editors note: The figures presented in this letter were sourced from official Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, or MDARD, reports, the Small Business Association of Michigan, Interlochen Public Radio and The Detroit News. I’m befuddled! The Michigan Chamber of Commerce exists to promote Michigan’s economy and support the businesses that create jobs across our state. That is why its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman is so difficult to understand. Over the past year, Michigan lost 13,000 trade, transportation and utility jobs and 9,000 manufacturing jobs. ...

DATA transportation transparency

Like many residents, I believe public transportation is an important service for our community. Seniors, veterans, individuals with disabilities and others depend upon it for medical appointments, groceries, work and maintaining their independence. If the facts show that these essential services would truly be lost without additional taxpayer support, my vote would be yes. That is why I believe voters deserve clear, complete and timely information before making an eight-year commitment. The signs placed throughout Delta County sending messages like “if transit ends, lives will end” ...

Supporting local businesses

In a world that is guided by solidarity and programmed anatomic emotionless decision-making through A.I., online shopping and social platforms, walking into a small business can bring rays of color into one’s life. This is what I experience when I walk into Healthway Nutrition Store in Escanaba, U.P. Michigan. At first glance inside the small local business store, one’s olfactory senses fire up in the brain as the health store’s air is redolent of spices and welcoming ambient body heat. A sense of pathos is thick in the air, causing the brain to reconnect to the senses of being ...

Can’t afford to pay more taxes

A Headlee rollback is being sought by the current Delta County Board of Commissioners. If you support this, then you support having your taxes go up 9.5% or more at the county level. Serving on the county Board of Commissioners for almost 14 years, I presided over 14 balanced budgets and understand very clearly the difficulty of doing more with less. It never would have occurred to me to ask you if the board could dip into your pocket more than it already does. You need to get up, get active and let your voice be heard unless you can afford a 9.5% plus increase in your property taxes ...

High-horse politics

This statement cuts both ways: "What is important to me may not be important to you." We've all been shaped by surrounding influences. Some examples would be the culture, a coach/mentor and teachers. However, most would agree that our primary influence is Mom and Dad. A very influential father said, "Son, you've got to get off that high horse." What he was really saying was too much pride will cause you to make bad decisions and because you think so highly of your own opinion, you won't/don't listen to anything but your own. Another extremely important lesson sounds like this, "Son, ...