Letters 08-10-2015

Aug. 7, 2015

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Disclose Pipeline Details

Pipeline companies have billions of dollars of equipment in their to maintain the safety and integrity of lines. Enbridge Energy of Canada, you can be sure has the "smart PIG" tool, a device with onboard diagnostics that can be run inside the pipe. The tool can identify problems with the pipe wall due to corrosion, cracking and other sources of damage.

Wouldn’t you think Enbridge would tell us about the health of the aged Line 5 under the Straits? But they are exempt from reporting such data to the public. They tell us everything is A-OK. So was the infamous Kalamazoo line’s health.

Enbridge is "holding all the cards," and one can only wonder why they won’t play them to satisfy the worries of an anxious public. Why are they gambling with such a dangerous situation and not willing to put forth replacement plans? After all, they are friendly neighbors sharing the Great Lakes. Aren’t the folks in Ontario worried?

On the good news side, the National Wildlife Federation is taking a stand. And I’m pleased Lon Johnson, running for Congress, will take on Enbridge, according to his campaign announcement. Looks like the best man for the job at this time.

Thomas E. Hagan, Empire

The Downward Slope Of Morality

To Leonard Page (who wrote a letter here) and everyone else who buys into what is condemned in the mainstream media and by the corrupt politicians in D.C.!

How many people have been killed by the Confederate flag in the last couple of years? How many people in America have been killed during that same time by Muslims? How many of the killers have been on prescribed psychotropic pharmaceuticals? And what is blamed for the killings? The gun, the firearm! Not the drugs that cause homicidal and suicidal tendencies!

Your hope is that "as morality slowly progresses," Leonard?

Morality is on a downward slope! Here are two examples: a man with his family, a small child in the cart facing his dad, the wife and daughter walking alongside, shopping at a store! The man’s shirt read, "F--k You!"

Great shirt to wear in public; beats the Confederate flag shirt all to heck.

More examples: approximately 55 million aborted babies in America alone! Nearly 50 million Americans on food stamps!

Greg Haske, Gaylord

The Other Traffic Problem

As I sat down for my morning coffee and opened up Northern Express, I read "Parking Corrected," in which Mr. Bacigalupi acknowledges that there is some consternation about parking in this town. He wrote, "As more people come downtown served by less parking, the pressure on what parking we have increases." He mentions that the DDA manages parking to balance the needs of the thousands of Up North locals and the millions of visitors.

Parking can be problematic in this community. Whether you come downtown to see a film or drive to the west side, it becomes hectic, as though it was a scene out of the old Fogger video game.

What I am concerned about more is another type of traffic: air traffic. I will briefly ask these questions to readers: How do the people who live in Traverse all year around feel towards the air traffic that flies at the various altitudes above us? What environmental impact is the increased amount of air traffic during the summer months having on Traverse City and the surrounding communities? With the Coast Guard and commercial airlines in town, how do airlines and agencies plan to reduce or mitigate the noise that corresponds with the increased summertime air traffic? And how many flights are projected to touch down at Cherry Capitol Airport by fall?

Joe Connolly, Traverse City

Two For One

Columnist Stephen Tuttle recently stated the following: "Donald Trump is a narcissistic blowhard who has no platform other than whatever flies off the top of his head. Bernie Sanders is an engaging radical whose platform is to far left its nearly invisible from the middle."

From a conservative point of view, Mr. Tuttle, we got two-for-one with our current president.

Harold Eickholt, Kalkaska