Letters 09-21-2015

Sept. 18, 2015

A Role Model, Indeed

In defense of Jada Johnson, whose show Big Boy Adventures I have watched, I feel offended by a small-minded Meagan Neil. Jada comes across as a caring and conscientious young person on TV and is an excellent role model for young women in the outdoors – unlike some of the other huntresses whose obviously fake, patented prefab shakes and braggadocio about "harvesting" a big buck on screen. As humans, we kill millions of animals for food daily. I suspect Meagan things her hamburger was born in a Styrofoam tray at the local market.

Jada is part of a fast growing segment of young women stepping out of the box to set a good example for other young women everywhere, and her show proves just that. No meat is wasted. It is consumed by family and friends, or given to food pantries to feed the hungry and poor. What have you, Meagan Neil done for the hungry and poor? You don’t like "killing," go vegan! Enjoy your tofu, and don’t worry about "killing" a few bean sprouts.

David P. Guillen, Fife Lake

Embrace Climate Change

How shortsighted and ignorant can our Michigan State Senate be? Are they so willing to compromise our environment and economy that they will stifle all real efforts to deal with climate change?

Proposed Senate Bill 438 would not only require a payment by consumers for the net metering of wind and solar energy, it would redefine what non-polluting green renewable energy is. Since when is burning coal, oil or garbage "clean energy?"

We need to go all out to adapt to climate change. That means paying attention to what NASA and the IPCC are telling us and be visionaries. It means changing energy production and distribution, and embracing all private and public efforts to do so.

It means building resiliency into every decision, and protecting the commons such as water and air.

As the Pete Seeger song decries, "How are We Gonna Save Tomorrow?" Start by writing your legislators and telling them to dump SB 438. Then tell them to lead by developing a climate protection strategy, embrace "real" renewable energy like wind and solar, and find ways to make it available to all.

Ann Rogers, Traverse City

Goodbye Downtown TC

Dear Downtown TC: I am giving you a fond farewell during parking enforcement hours due to hyperactive ticket writing. I received one too many tickets written within five minutes of my meter expiring.

The standard excuse doled out at the parking office is, "They can’t tell when your meter expires." When I suggest a grace period the conversation always falls silent. A grace period could easily be implemented by chalking tires and returning on a second pass to write the ticket (a grace period, you say? Gasp! What would that do to our revenue?).

I’m tired of the city’s parking war and I am taking my business elsewhere. TC is now on par with Ann Arbor in its zeal to catch and penalize shoppers.

Peter Bergin, Traverse City

Implications

Here is another thought on Ms. Smith’s letter on the State Theater. If one of these gay people were members of a church and one of them died, would you boycott that church because they were buried from that church? A church is a public building, as is the State Theater. These people chose to be married in the theater.

You aren’t objecting to the building, you are being judgmental of the couple being married. What a shame such attitudes are still present. Remember, Hitler persecuted the gays, Jews, and the religious. Wars have been started over people with your attitude. Stop and think about all this.

Donna Racine Wallace, Manistee

Helping True Refugees

Jack Segal’s recent column about refugees is interesting but offers no realistic suggestions as to what exactly we are supposed to do about the mess called the Middle East (and to a lesser extent, North Africa).

But as to the supposed contributions of immigrants from the Middle East, I have this to say: I remember TWA 847 and the Shiite murder of Robert Stethem. I remember the interviews with Shia in "Dearbornistan" who defended the hijacking and murder. I remember the scrupulous protections afforded these terrorist sympathizers and enemy agents under the American civil liberties umbrella and I note their continuing lack of contrition. I know that no Muslim of any stature has ever loudly and consistently denounced jihad, terror, sharia, or any of the other barbarian shortcomings of what passes for Muslim Middle Eastern culture. And I know that we don’t need it here.

The only thing we should do is provide asylum to Christians whose families have probably been Christian for a long time. These people are truly fleeing for their lives from murderous Muslim persecution. The Middle East is a mess and will stay a mess unless an imperial presence puts a lid on it; that is the only thing that has maintained any semblance of peace there in the past and is the only thing that can do so in the future. In the meantime, we can at least help true refugees, meaning Christians. The others are just looking for a welfare check.

Charles Knapp, Maple City

Praise for Roundabouts

I am responding to Christie Minervini’s well thought out, factual Opinion on roundabouts for Division Street. For most of the past four years, I have been overseas counseling with military families. Roundabouts were everywhere (on and off installation). One quickly became used to them (and favored them) with surprising ease. They proved much safer, flexible and allowed traffic to flow quickly and without the delays of traffic lights. When travelling throughout Europe, I would always seek routes where more roundabouts were possible.

When speaking with foreign citizens and with airmen and soldiers, I heard only praise for roundabouts, and comments from the latter that they wished more roundabouts existed stateside.

Several of my assignments were in Germany and the U.K. Adjusting from driving on the right (Germany) to the left (U.K.) required switching from roundabout driving counterclockwise to clockwise. Even that was surprisingly easy.

I have reviewed the MDOT plans and attended discussions. Although I have strong reservations about allowing Seventh Street to become two-way, I am impressed with recommended pedestrian crossings and islands, and roundabouts above all. I welcome their likely inclusion with our much needed traffic changes.

Charles Bethea, PhD, Traverse City

Creating a Windfall

The outstanding student federal loan balance is $1.2 trillion, and the program under which it is administered is out of control. Piecemeal attempts to adjust interest rates, arbitrary grace periods and repayment based upon income percentage and other political maneuvers only serve to exacerbate the situation and create a bubble akin to the home mortgage fiasco that led to a recession.

During 2013, 600,000 borrowers defaulted. The law denied them the right of bankruptcy, making them victims of unscrupulous tactics and debt collectors.

There is a correlation between those who can’t pay and those who can’t complete their education. No winners there either, but quite a discriminatory result. According to The Wall Street Journal, Senator Lamar Alexander has stated "that college is too expensive is a myth," comparing it to the cost of a new car. Clear political obfuscation.

The $1.2 trillion is a receivable, it is an asset owed to, not from the government.

I propose a good old-fashioned sale: 25-75 percent discount on all student loan balances paid in full. Many would take advantage of such a deal, even if it requires again leaning on family and friends. Co-signers would be eager to reduce their exposure. There would be a gold rush–like stampede. The sale would result in a windfall to the federal government and to the private lenders in the program.

The student loan program would no longer exist, but a bad thing should die. A set aside for a limited period of modest no-interest future student loans could be considered, but a new start is what this country is all about. What could we do with upfront cash of hundreds of billions? A recent editorial reports that the Federal Highway Administration estimates it would take $170 billion a year to significantly improve the country’s road conditions. We could fund that for years.

Joseph G. Aprea, Traverse City

Last Word On Rights And Diversity

Many letters addressed the hate-fueled bigotry regarding the State Theater. I felt compelled to write but others did so far more eloquently than I could have.

However, the intellectual dishonesty of a couple letters did evoke a response. I wonder if Ms. Croff is aware of the hypocrisy and irony of her letter. She praises the "diversity" and "all inclusive" nature of the area but then defends the expressed desire to suppress diversity and exclude some people. She is intellectually dishonest by insinuating that the letters condemning the homophobic attitude are somehow disingenuous because they did not expressly address heinous acts in theocratic regimes elsewhere.

Then there was the completely ill-informed letter about the Constitution. A long admired virtue of this country is that the will of the majority is not allowed to oppress the rights of the minority. Marriage is most certainly a civil matter in that it bestows additional legal rights unto its participants, so it becomes a civil right. Bigots voting in states to deny "those people" civil rights enjoyed by the "approved people" does not make those laws Constitutional. That was the scope of the SCOTUS decision.

In typical fashion the author cites only the parts of the Constitution that support his predetermined conclusion. The 14th amendment specifies "males," but the 19th removes gender restrictions. The 14th addresses equal protections as well as many other things. Does Mr. Dery intend to link a person’s civil rights with the government debt? How does he reconcile his attitude with the anti-theocratic-rule 1st amendment? Every excuse used to deny equal rights to gays boils down to justifications for theocracy and selfrighteous judgment of others. Only God has the right to judge us.

David Moore Kalkaska