March 19, 2024

Letters 09-29-2014

Sept. 28, 2014
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Benishek Doesn’t Understand

Congressman Benishek claims to understand the needs of families, yet he wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would cause about 10 million people to lose their health insurance. He must think as long as families can hold fundraisers they don’t need insurance. And doesn’t he understand that uninsured people drive up health care costs for the rest of us?

The Affordable Care Act also finally puts the emphasis on cost saving preventive medicine and is closing the "donut hole" for Medicare drug expenses. Why does Benishek want to eliminate these major improvements to our health care system?

Doctor? Seems like a quack to me.

Benishek also was part of the crowd that undermined the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, and later shut down the government. Let’s replace him with a true American hero, General Jerry Cannon.

Fred Cepela, Traverse City

(Un)Truth In Advertising

Constant political candidate ads on TV are getting to be too much to bear 45 days before the election.

I know it won’t let up between now and the Nov. 4 General Election, especially now that the Citizens United Supreme Court decision allows unlimited corporate funds spent on candidates. Unfortunately, most of the advertisements are negative in nature.

I am particularly offended by the anti- Cannon advertisement with General Jerry Cannon upside down with his head in the sand. That is an extremely offensive way to refer to a two star general who served his country for 40 years in the Marines, Michigan Army National Guard with two tours in Iraq and as a Kalkaska official and law enforcement officer.

Gen. Cannon recently gave the keynote speech in Ludington for the Opening Ceremony for the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall. His speech was extremely heartfelt and humbling. Cannon serves with honesty, integrity and love of country. For anyone to state otherwise obviously has another agenda and has never met him.

Jerry Cannon says he will not be beholden to any person, party, union, or organization. He will work for what is best for the people in Michigan’s First District. He said he does not need a paycheck, pension or personal gain. He wants to "fix Washington" and will do whatever one person can do to make life better for all of us. As your elected Congressman, Jerry Cannon will restore the much-needed services to his constituents have been lacking since Congressman Bart Stupak left office.

We certainly can do without all the negative ads, especially those that portray a good, honest, hard working and patriotic man as an ostrich!

Carolyn Bourland, Petoskey

Rare Tuttle Rebuttal

Finally, I disagree with Stephen Tuttle. His "Cherry Bomb" column in the 8/4/14 issue totally dismayed me. I always love his wit and the slamming of the 1 percent. His use of fact and hyperbole highlights the truth; until "Cherry Bomb." Oh man, Stephen. You don’t think the Cherry Fest went too far in proposing a ten-day festival last winter? Thanks to someone listening to the public outcry, it was reduced to only nine days. I love to rebel against the Man/Woman, but Tuttle’s use of hyperbole only increased my abject horror for his thesis. The issue in this conflict was not objectively portrayed. However, the Splash Pad from Hell was a nice touch. Love that. Keep it going, Mr. Tuttle. Never leave us.

Judy Childs, Traverse City

Say No To Fluoride

Do you or your child’s teeth have white, yellow, orange, brown, stains, spots, streaks, cloudy splotches or pitting? If so, you may be among millions of Americans who now have a condition called dental fluorosis.

Fluorosis is permanent damage of tooth enamel caused by ingesting too much fluoride during the early years of life. Common causes of fluorosis include drinking fluoridated water, use of fluoride tablets, ingestion of fluoride toothpaste, etc. Promoters of water fluoridation in the 50s said it would cause dental fluorosis in no more than 10 percent of American children. They were very wrong.

Today, the Centers For Disease Control admits that 41 percent of American teens (12-15) now have dental fluorosis.

The pro-fluoridation lobby says dental fluorosis is "only cosmetic." Imagine, dentists, doctors and public health officials who push water fluoridation say permanently damaged and scarred teeth from fluoride overdose are "only cosmetic."

Dean Murphy, DDS, author of "The Devil’s Poison, How fluoride is killing you," wrote: "As an Orthodontist, I began investigating the increasingly prevalent lines and spots that I saw on the enamel of children. Like rings on a tree, they indicate excessive fluorine exposure"¦Chronic doses of fluoride, like arsenic and lead, accumulate in our bodies causing a blockage in the way cells breathe and leads to the malformation of collagen. Cancer, diabetes, thyroid and neurological disorders, hormonal imbalances, heart disease, arthritis and osteoporosis have all been linked to chronic fluoride ingestion." Say no to water fluoridation!

There will be a public debate at the Boyne City District Library on October 11 at 3:00pm. The anti-fluoridation position will be represented by Dr. Paul Connett, co-author of "The Case Against Fluoride."

Linda Hersey, Alanson

Questions Of Freedom

The administration’s "Affordable Health Care Act" has ordered religious orders to provide contraception and chemical abortions against the church’s God given beliefs and teachings "¦ an interesting order, considering the First Amendment’s clear prohibitions.

And now we’re given to understand that the Internal Revenue Service, a part of the nation’s health-care system, will investigate the people’s religions and churches. We’re told they will do in-depth assessments of a church’s tenets and beliefs; their representatives, organization and structures; and, of course, the eternal questions: "Is there God?" and "Is God dead?"

A question: Since the Catholic Church, for example, is an employer of priests and nuns who file Federal Income Tax forms, will the next step by the administration be to demand an EEOC regulation that mandates the church hire female priests, male nuns and LGBT priest/nun persons?

And does the involvement of the Internal Revenue Service in American religion mean that out of fairness and equal protection under law, the Federal Government assumes that every citizen belongs to all churches?

Yes, a government accredited and supervised American Universal Religious/ Non-Religious Union: very inclusive, very fair. I’m reminded of Henry The Eighth and the dust-up it created when he created The Church of England.

The folks in our small town don’t think our religion, or lack of it, is any of the government’s business"¦period. The First Americans didn’t think so either; it’s fundamentally why they invented America. Now I know that some argue the administration doesn’t have the right to do this thing with the IRS"¦but rights or not, given half a chance, they will do it.

And if we’re silly enough to allow them that half-chance"¦then shame on us.

And so it goes"¦

Frank Liebert, Harbor Springs

Stop The Insults & Talk

I found it interesting that Ms. Minervini used the Northern Express to push the Safe Harbor agenda for a 90-bed homeless shelter in Traverse City with a tactic that is also being utilized by members of the city commission. Those of us who oppose the project are being labeled as uncompassionate citizens. Rather than listen to our concerns about this project, we are being labeled as people whose opinions don’t count. They justify this position by implying we would rather have people freeze to death in the streets.

I oppose the Safe Harbor proposal as it is written, and would rather engage in an honest discussion about these issues than be dismissed and insulted. Ms. Minervini and the commission certainly do not know me, and are not qualified to make such an assessment of my character, nor of others who oppose this project. Let’s stop the name calling and have an adult discussion about this proposal and the legitimate concerns citizens of Traverse City have.

Elaine Maloney, Traverse City

Roads and Republicans

Each time you hit a road crater while driving, thank the "nerd" and the Tea Partycontrolled Republican legislature.

Bradley Price, Northport

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