March 29, 2024

Letters 01-28-2013

Jan. 27, 2013

Email your letter to: info@northernexpress.com

Please keep your letter under 300 words (one page).

Only one letter per reader in a two month period will be accepted. may be edited for length or to correct factual errors. Letters must be signed to be considered for print and a phone number is required for verification.

Reagan, Bush & guns

Why the hysteria over President Obama recommending the ban of assault weapons since Reagan and G.W. Bush did the SAME thing?

The answer is that the right wing has been whipped into a frenzy over this because it now serves the interests of the Republican party to find ANY reason to marginalize Obama. The problem with picking this fight is that the majority of America realizes the lunacy of this position, even the past leadership of the right. This has nothing to do with the constitution and everything to do with Obama.

Terry Frysinger - via email

Guns & young men

Over the past decade, some reoccurring community concerns and thoughts that have come to mind. To me, it seems like we need to have some community reevaluation, rethinking, and changes. What say you?

Gun violence. Guns that can shoot more than 10 bullets at a time need to be locked up at home or kept locked away from home. If such guns are used by anyone, for illegal, massive destruction purposes, from an unlocked, negligent situation, the owner is charged and legally tried for a significant crime - 10 years in prison. We live in the United States of America, we should have the freedom to own such guns, however, such ownership carries mighty responsibility.

Our young men. The law enforcement and legal system in Grand Traverse County is deleterious to the health of our young men. We are losing a whole generation of good men to financial ruin and emotional flattening. Men between the ages of 18 and 32 are being unfairly followed, monitored, and stalked by the police. Every possible ploy and excuse to stop and catch a young man with alcohol or drugs on board is occurring every day.

I would like to see statistics reflecting the numbers and age range of vehicular stops. Utilizing the same rationale for stopping young men, the same can and should apply to the middle-aged and the elderly. Let’s take a deep breath and think about what we are doing in this community. I think we can get the results we want with a better approach.

Jill Rahrig - via email

Guns & the media

I agreed with your Random Thoughts column, re: violence in USA and gun control. Our perceptions are so ingrained about how safe we are here and how dangerous it is in foreign countries. I also agree that our entertainment contains far too much violence, but is unlikely to change.

Carrie L. Baic - TC

Slamming MLK Day

It’s too bad that Traverse City’s homosexual community continues their attempt to ride on the coat tails of black history. The majority of the black community do not support homosexuality or gay marriage, and are sick and tired of the sham that the gays and their allies continue to perpetrate on our citizens. Every year the Traverse City Human Rights Commission spends taxpayers’ money to celebrate a so-called holiday that no one in Northern Michigan observes.

This year the HRC requested the city manager to approve spending $2,000 to import a black gospel group to perform in Traverse City, when we have many excellent groups locally, not to mention the talent that the Interlochen Center for the Performing Arts would provide at no cost.

Martin Luther King Day does nothing to further the cause of blacks, and is nothing more then waste of time and money, and due to the fact that it has been hijacked by the gay community has lost most of its credibility with the general public.

Paul J Nepote - TC

Snyder’s lack of jobs

Will Governor Snyder run again?

Total Michigan employment declined by 11,000 in December; however, the number of unemployed was little changed, edging upward by 1,000. The net impact was a 10,000 worker reduction in the state’s labor force over the month. The Michigan jobless rate in December 2012 was four-tenths of a point below the state’s December 2011 rate of 9.3 percent. The national jobless rate decreased by seven-tenths of a point.

So much for Snyder’s first two years of unfettered growth and prosperity.

"I’m not fully up to speed, but I’m still learning on the job," Snyder said. "I think I communicate much better."

His State of the State speech reflected sharply increased police protection. And he’s talking about increasing the State Police force even more as he continues to vilify, disenfranchise and shrink the rest of the state’s public employees and school teachers, except, of course, for his two new $100,000 a year RTW executives and their staff (wonder what their benefits looks like). And don’t forget the changes coming up in your state income tax or the $1.2 billion he’s looking to raise in transportation taxes.

Yes, Snyder should run . . . right back home to Ann Arbor.

Bill Brown - TC

A better supreme court

We ask Governor Snyder to give serious consideration to the recommendation of the state’s bipartisan commission on Michigan Supreme Court elections.

Their recommendation is to establish a panel of respected lawyers and lay people to select a list of prospective nominees to the Supreme Court through a public vetting process. This would establish a precedent for any future governors, some certainly to be Democrats, to make appointments in a non-partisan manner to this most important third branch of government. He campaigned on a promise of transparency and accountability in governing and this action would demonstrate his commitment to that pledge.

Kristine Busk, Chair - Executive Committee Charlevoix County Democratic Party

Rigging the vote

Gerrymandering is the redrawing of congressional district lines to give one party advantage over the other in elections. Even though Democratic congressional candidates won the popular vote by over a million votes in the 2012 election, it was the Republicans who won the US House and both houses of our Michigan legislature due in large part to gerrymandering. Republicans engaged in voter purging, voter caging, and voter suppression such as intimidating billboards and long lines to discourage certain groups of people from voting in some state. I believe every citizen’s vote should count equally.

Now Republicans in Michigan and other states are trying to change the rules by dividing electoral votes. Currently the popular vote determines who wins all the state’s electoral votes. Republicans want the electoral votes to be divided by the number of districts won (which they decided in 2010) even though the districts are not equal in population or demographics.

The votes of some people would count more than the votes of others. That is unethical, that is discrimination, that is unconstitutional. President Obama said, "We as citizens have a responsibility to shape the debate." Call your senators and representatives today. Check your phone directory.

BeeJay Christensen - via email

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