March 19, 2024

Letters 10-24-2016

Oct. 21, 2016

It’s Obama’s 1984

Several editions ago I concluded a short letter to the editor with an ominous rhetorical flourish: "Welcome to George Orwell’s 1984 and the grand opening of the Federal Department of Truth!" At the time I am sure most of the readers laughed off my comments as right-wing hyperbole. Shame on you for doubting me.

For those of who missed President Obama’s recent comments in Pittsburgh, allow me to list his pertinent Orwellian quotes for you: "We are going to have to rebuild within this wild, wild, west of information flow some sort of curating function that people agree to. There has to be, I think, some sort of way in which we can sort through information that passes some basic truthiness tests and those that we have to discard, because they just don’t have any basis in anything that’s actually happening in the world. That is hard to do, but I think it’s going to be necessary, it’s going to be possible," he added.

Welcome to George Orwell’s 1984. And the grand opening of the Federal department of truthiness.

Steve Redder, Petoskey

Gun Bans Don’t Work

It is said that mass violence only happens in the USA. A lone gunman in a rubber boat, drifted ashore at a popular resort in Tunisia and randomly shot and killed 38 mostly British and Irish tourists. Tunisian gun laws, which are among the most restrictive in the world, didn’t stop this mass slaughter. And in January 2015, two armed men killed 11 and wounded 11 others in an attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. French gun laws didn’t stop these assassins.

Then these stories most Americans never read because they didn’t serve the domestic gunban agenda:

Feb. 24, 2015: "9 people dead in a shooting spree t at Czech pub."

April 7, 2011: "Brazil shooting: 12 children killed in a school rampage. Horrific 2011 rampage where a licensed gun owner, used registered guns to kill 69 people, mostly children."

June 2, 2010: "Lone gunman in Britain kills 12" April 26, 2009: "18 killed in German school shooting."

These countries have some of the harshest gun laws on the planet, but they did not stop these murders.

A.J. Fasel, Traverse City

Scripps’ Good Deed

No good deed shall go unpunished! When Dan Scripps was the 101st District State Representative, he introduced legislation to prevent corporations from contaminating (e.g. fracking) or depleting (e.g. Nestle) Michigan’s water table for corporate profit. There are no property lines in the water table, and many of us depend on private wells for abundant, safe, clean water. In the subsequent election, Dan’s opponents ran a negative campaign almost solely on the misrepresentation that Dan’s good deed was a government takeover of your private water well.

Dan is now running for re-election and they’re at it again. The Michigan Republican Party is flooding the district with mailers and robocalls that assert that Dan Scripps "believes the government should take away private water rights -- and then tax water use," which is patently false. They have virtually nothing positive to posit about their own candidate, but rely instead on misrepresenting Dan’s good deed. How ironic that the same people who poisoned the children of Flint with lead contaminated water now claim that they are the ones who will protect our water resources. Please don’t believe them this time.

David Maxson, Lake Ann

Political Definitions

As the time to vote draws near it’s a good time to check into what you stand for. According to Dictionary.com the meanings for liberal and conservative are as follows:

Liberal: Favorable to progress or reform as in political or religious affairs.

Conservative: Disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditions and limit change.

Most of us are not just one or the other but rather a combination of the two. Hopefully this will give some insight towards what the results might be when electing a candidate. Words matter. These definitions do spell out the "code of the road" each candidate will take.

Coleman Cole, Traverse City

Voting Takes A Month?

Hurricane Matthew hit the Florida coast Oct. 6, over three weeks before Election Day. Bob Ross (Oct. 17th issue) posits that perhaps evacuation orders from Governor Scott may have had political motivations to diminish turnout and seems to praise Hillary Clinton’s call for Gov. Scott to extend Florida’s voter registration deadline due to evacuations.

The registration period was diminished by two, perhaps three days. Further, Florida has an election law in place that Governor Scott is constitutionally required to follow. Though at the Federal level the executive branch simply ignores laws that seem inconvenient and bypasses them thru executive orders, Governor Scott is not following this now all-too-common practice. Florida law does not grant the Governor the right to unilaterally override the law. Somehow the remaining three weeks is deemed insufficient and by not unilaterally extending the period Gov. Scott is suppressing the vote.

This is absurd. Do we really need months to register and a month or more to actually cast a vote?

Jim Trout, Onekama

Clinton Foundation Facts

Does the Clinton Foundation really spend a mere 10 percent (per Mike Pence) or 20 percent (per Reince Priebus) of its money on charity? Not true. Charity Watch gives it an A rating (the same as it gives the NRA Foundation) and says it spends 88 percent on charitable causes, and 12 percent on overhead. Here is the source of the misunderstanding: The Foundation does give only a small percentage of its money to charitable organizations, but it spends far more money directly running a number of programs.

The Clinton Global Initiative is one example. CGI (which recently had its final meeting) has over the years obtained billions of dollars of commitments from governments, businesses and charities to undertake initiatives that fight poverty, provide clean drinking water, improve access to health care, etc. Admittedly some projects have fallen through, but there have been major successes that have helped millions of people. At the 2012 CGI meeting, Mitt Romney said that the Initiative has had an "astounding impact."

Another example: the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, now the Clinton Health Access Initiative. This initiative is generally credited with helping to make HIV/AIDS drugs available to millions of people who otherwise would not have gotten them.

The list of examples could go on. So the assertion that the Foundation is just a scam that uses only a fraction of its assets for charitable causes is clearly false. The Clinton Foundation has done lots of good for lots of people worldwide.

Tom Gutowski, Elmwood Twp

America Needs Change

Trump supports our constitution, will appoint judges that will keep our freedoms safe. He supports the partial-birth ban; Hillary voted against it.

Regardless of how you feel about Trump, critical issues are at stake. Trump will increase national security, monitor refugee admissions, endorse our vital military forces while fighting ISIS. Vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence will be an intelligent asset for the country. Hillary wants open borders, increased government regulation, and more demilitarization at a time when we need strong military defenses.

Trump supports the middle class, African Americans, and will control our sickening national debt. He will rebuild our economy, bring back jobs for Americans, and help the coal industry. Do you want four more years of reckless spending and Clinton cover-up lies? Do you want your guns taken away and the right to hunt, or protect yourself gone? Our religious freedoms have been attacked severely by Obama. Hillary has said, "deep-seated religious beliefs have to be changed." California Senate Bill 1146 would essentially outlaw religious college schools. Hillary plans to continue with such changes.

Look for the other choice and vote wisely!

Mildred Komrska, Interlochen

My Process For No

I will be voting "no" on Prop 3 because I am supportive of the process that is in place to review and approve developments. I was on the Traverse City Planning Commission in the 1990s and gained an appreciation for all of the work that goes into a review. The staff reviews the project and makes a recommendation. The developer then makes a presentation, and fellow commissioners and the public can ask questions and make comments. By the end of the process, I knew how to vote for a project, up or down. This process then repeats itself at the City Commission.

I followed the recent controversy over the proposed nine story building downtown. I was generally supportive of the project. However, I would not have been prepared to vote on the project, because I simply was not educated on all the myriad of issues. If some city residents want to change our zoning (lower allowable building heights, change SLUP conditions, etc.) there is a way to do that. A public vote, triggered by just one issue (building height), seems cumbersome, reactive, and ineffective. I will be voting "no."

Bob Otwell, Traverse City

Regarding Your Postcard

If you received a "Vote No" postcard from StandUp TC, don’t believe their lies. Prop 3 is not illegal. It won’t cost city taxpayers thousands of dollars in legal bills or special elections. Prop 3 is about protecting our downtown -- not Munson, NMC or the Commons -- from a future of ugly skyscrapers that will diminish the very character of our downtown. For the facts, visit www.YesTraverseCityProp3.com.

Deni Scrudato, Traverse City

Vote Yes

It has been suggested that a recall or re-election of current city staff and Traverse City Commission would work better than Prop 3. I disagree. A recall campaign is the most divisive, costly type of election possible. Prop 3, when passed, will allow all city residents an opportunity to vote on any proposed development over 60 feet tall at no cost to the taxpayer. And it will happen before any such project takes place. The time is now. Vote "yes" on Prop 3!

Terry Riley, Traverse City

Yes Vote Explained

A "yes" vote on Prop 3 will give Traverse City the right to vote on developments over 60 feet high. It doesn’t require votes on every future building, as incorrectly stated by a previous letter writer. If referendums are held during general elections, taxpayers pay nothing.

Traverse City has opposed other ill-conceived projects in the past, including a seven-story shopping mall where the farmer’s market is now held. These people didn’t oppose progress. Rather, they refused to squander TC’s unique character for a developer’s multi-million dollar dream. There is a reason this city consistently ranks so high in polls across the nation.

TC needs more affordable housing, but the proposed "big box" towers on Front and Pine are projected to create a 20-year glut of luxury condos. It’s astronomically expensive, carrying a taxpayer subsidy estimated at $8 to $22 million. Any of these affordable units can be rented to anyone at any age, whether they work or not. I have yet to hear the affordable rental price.

A "yes" vote on Prop 3 means you will have the right to vote on projects like this one, which will dwarf its surroundings; squeeze up against the Boardman River; is the antithesis of "harmonious" (as required by zoning law), create heavy traffic back-ups, and block the windows and airflow of the elderly living next door.

Judge Rodgers asked the city commission to fairly analyze the true impact of this project on Traverse City citizens and explain the results. So far the commission has refused.

Please vote "yes."

Anne Stanton, Traverse City

Beware Trump

When the country you love have have served for 33 years is threatened, you have an obligation and a duty to speak out. Now is the time for all Americans to speak out against a possible Donald Trump presidency. During the past year Trump has been exposed as a pathological liar, a demagogue and a person who is totally unfit to assume the presidency of our already great country.

Trump represents a grave threat to our hardearned democracy and our democratic ideals.

His unconstitutional and racist policies will take us down a long, dark road. Many high-level Republicans are horrified at the prospect of a Trump presidency and are withholding support.

To any prospective Trump voter, I suggest before voting you read They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933-45. Democracy is fragile. In the upcoming election, voters should heed the warning of George Santayana: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

John Peterson, Empire

Picture Worth 1,000 Words

Nobody disagrees with the need for affordable housing or that a certain level of density is dollar smart for TC. The issue is the proposed solution. If you haven’t already seen the architect’s rendition for the site, please Google "Pine Street Development Traverse City."

I literally gasped when I saw it. Imagine you are sitting at J &S enjoying breakfast. The outside view is this mega story structure hugging the sidewalk. It makes no sense to me in terms of aesthetics, traffic, and most importantly a viable solution that will forward TC’s character. Folks flock to our city to get away from tall city living. Why would we want to do this to ourselves?

I know we can do better than this to provide affordable workforce housing, adhere to TC’s character, and maybe even become a model for other cities facing similar challenges.

Let’s take a deep breath, move away from the emotionscharging each side and rejoin as a community to sit down and hammer out the details? This was one thing I heard from Joe Minicozzi’s report, and it makes smart sense to me. It is clear we all want what is best for TC, and we can do it better if we do it together.

I am really trying to extend across boting lines. Even when I say "yes," for me, it really is about the opportunity to have an opportunity to weigh-in on the future development of TC. As a long-term resident, this is really about making our city a showpiece of architectural innovation and urban living instead of (yawn)"¦just another high-rise brick building.

Jane Fochtman, Traverse City

Living Wage, Not Tall Buildings

Our community deserves better than the StandUp TC "vote no" arguments. They are not truthful. Their yard signs say: "More Housing. Less Red Tape. Vote like you want your kids to live here."

The truth: More housing, but for whom? At what price? The concept of "affordable housing" is being thrown around by the DDA and business owners. What’s actually affordable? If businesses pay $11 an hour, that’s about $1600/net per month – if Walmart would allow full-time work. The guideline is to pay around 30 percent on housing, so that’s $480 monthly rent. If business pays $15 an hour, that’s about $2000/net monthly; 30 percent would be $600 rent.

We can’t build anything but subsidized housing to rent that cheaply -- or sell these people "starter" homes either. The problem is wages workers can’t live on. The answer is a living wage. Where are the jobs in Grand Traverse County that would "allow our kids to live here?" Where could they work and make a middle-class living, e.g. $30,000-$45,000+ a year? At Red Ginger? Not at Meijer. At The Franklin? Not at Fustini’s.

Proposition 3 will cost taxpayers nothing extra. Developers can easily get proposals for construction over 60 feet ONLY on city ballots at regular election time. No cost; no problem. Prop 3 will foster measured planning and citizen involvement in our neighborhoods. Involvement is never a waste of time; it’s democracy in action.

Prop 3 will protect the integrity of TC’s character and protect residents from the consequences of unhindered, speculative, over-development of building taller than 60 feet. Vote "yes."

Cynthia Brzak, Traverse City

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