Letters 02-22-2016

Feb. 19, 2016

HIT SEND!

Love what we’re doing here?

Disagree with something you’ve read on these pages? Share your views with a quick letter to the editor by shooting us an email.

Our simple rules: Keep your letter to 300 words or less, send no more than one per month, include your name/address/phone number, and agree to allow us to edit. That’s it. Email info@northernexpress.com and hit send!

The Sad Homeless Situation Once again it seems we are to be treated to the spectacle of homeless men and women wandering in the frigid cold of winter with no place to call their own. Our precious community of liberal humanitarians, lovers of the arts, contributors to every non-profit that promises to save the planet and keep the rolling seas from our doorstep seem unable to provide simple shelter; the very home after all of the world-class humanitarian Michael Moore.

Thank heavens for our faith community, however below the radar they may fly to provide warmth, a bed and food at least from 5pm to 8am. Alas, at 8am bundle up, because quite understandably, out you must go; very difficult to witness I am told. I suppose it just may be that there is not a single unoccupied space with electricity and running water. And of course there are probably pesky regulations. We can’t forget our regulations"¦

Bob Sullivan, Traverse City

The Goose Is Cooked It’s no wonder that Mr. Kachadurian takes so much heat from the readers of his column. His latest is no exception. His opinions are skewed and he doesn’t seem to have all the facts.

"How To Kill A Goose" is simply a rant against Michael Moore and Russ Soyring. His metaphor of the goose that laid the golden egg is comical at best.

While I agree that Traverse City has lost some of its charm due to development, Mr. Soyring is not to blame. He does not make the final decisions. He has people to answer to and some of those people are the citizens of Traverse City. So Mr. Kachadurian, you have a vote and you have a voice.

Now on to Michael Moore. There is no argument that he has helped change the landscape on Front Street. He didn’t refurbish the State Theatre or the Con Foster Museum with his own money. He did it by raising millions of dollars. We now have two beautiful downtown theatres, 900 new theatre seats at Central Grade School, and a hugely successful film festival that is going into its 12th year, and a comedy fest. Further, he is a voice for the people of Flint and beyond. You don’t have to like his politics or his films, but there’s no denying what he has done for Traverse City. And he does it with the help of a thousand volunteers. I am proud to say that I am one of them.

So city commissioners have a "blind political adoration of Michael Moore." Have you asked them?

Tom Emmott, Traverse City

Recall Time Michigan’s government is out of control. Governor Snyder and his band of merry legislators in Lansing are driving the state into bankruptcy. From abandoned railroad cars sitting at a siding in Cadillac at a cost of $1.2 million per year to the unnecessary state-sponsored DRIC bridge and the now infamous Flint water fiasco, the current administration and legislature view the average citizen as its private piggy bank. The election process is a bought and paid for joke, now merely a game of term limited musical chairs.

The voters’ only legitimate recourse now is recall, and several have been initiated. It is past time to rein them in. When you see someone circulating a recall petition, regardless whom it is for, take the time to stop and sign it. Let’s put these individuals on a ballot in August, and let the people speak.

Recall Wayne Schmidt and Governor Snyder.

Tom Backers, Alden

Sanders’ Plan Is No Fantasy In Mr. Tuttle’s column "The Sanders Fantasy," he stated his belief that the fantasy that Bernie Sanders and other Americans have for things such as affordable healthcare, higher education and basic security for all (achievements reached by other governments) cannot possibly be achieved because of the way Washington works.

He failed to mention that Mr. Sanders’ main objective is "political revolution" to get the citizens of the U.S. involved by demanding that our legislators listen and that Mr. Sanders understands that without the support of the citizens nothing will change in Washington.

Many of the finest achievements in our history have come not from the efforts of elected officials but from civil uprisings. The right for women to vote, civil rights, and the end of the Vietnam War to name a few, might have been delayed or never have happened if it were not for people believing that those dreams were possible. These efforts required tremendous courage, but the outcomes were worth the effort.

Try to imagine what life might be like if people did not believe that those changes were not possible because of the way Washington worked.

It stands to reason that the people at the top of the economic ladder do not want to relinquish any of the power and wealth that they have worked very hard to get. This includes working very hard to get the people they want elected to office. We have a chance to vote for someone who has the courage to lead us to a better future. If we do not act now we will be faced with at least four more years of a dysfunctional government designed by corporations for corporations...the same government that has led us here.

Patrick McDuff, Manistee