Letters 10-27-2014

Oct. 26, 2014

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Paging Doctor Dan

The doctor’s promise to repeal Obamacare reminds me of the frantic restaurant owner hurrying to install an exhaust fan after the kitchen burns down. He voted 51 times to replace the ACA law; a colossal waste of money and time. It’s here to stay and he has nothing to replace it.

I feel ill when I see Benishek, stethoscope hanging around his neck, promoting lies and scare tactics about Obamacare. He also fails to mention the hurt he has inflicted on our citizens by imposing these "cures":

1. Voted to eliminate food stamps from 92,000 of his constituents. 2. Supported a government shutdown that cost $18,000,000 per day, ultimately costing Michigan $288,000,000. 3. Voted to close five national parks in Michigan during the fall tourist season, denying us the enjoyment of our parks and tourism dollars in Michigan. 4. States: "I am a scientist. There is no evidence of man-made climate change"; he is not a climate scientist. 5. Voted against the expansion of Medicaid benefits for the most vulnerable Michigan residents. 6. Voted to allow oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes.

Why would anyone want the charlatan doctor to continue this harm? Vote him out.

Betty K. Bushey, Traverse City

Evolution Is Real Science

Breathtaking inanity. That was the term used by Judge John Jones III in his elegant evisceration of creationist arguments attempting to equate it to evolutionary theory in his landmark Kitzmiller vs. Dover Board of Education decision in 2005.

The same breathtaking inanity is readily apparent in Nick Twomey’s (10/13/14) parroting of the same ideas equating creationism to evolutionary theory discredited in the Jones’ rendering. But more importantly creationism has lost the battle in the marketplace of scientific ideas. Evolution exists as both fact and theory, and is the great unifying principle of the life and physical sciences, a triumph of synergism among the scientific disciplines. Creationism is a religious doctrine dishonestly disguised as scientific inquiry. Creationism’s fundamental principles are not testable, reproducible or falsifiable in the laboratory, the methodology responsible for everything from polio vaccines to Mars rovers. Twomey further weakens his argument by making the ridiculous claim that some sort of vast phantom "anti-God" bias exists in academia. Nonsense. Science is anti-superstition and pro-reality. The bottom line is that science works, and works extremely well in the real world without the need to appeal to any supernatural agency. As Neil deGrasse Tyson said, "The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it."

Thomas Czarny, Traverse City

U.S. No Global Police

Steven Tuttle in the October 13 issue is correct: our military, under the leadership of the President (not the Congress) is charged with protecting the country, its citizens, and its borders. It is not charged with  performing military missions in other places in the world just because they have something we want (oil), or we don’t like their form of government, or we want to force them to live by the UN or our rules. The long and short of it is that we have no national or worldwide right to attempt to force our values on others. Yet that is what we keep trying to do every chance or excuse we have. As Tuttle points out, in doing so we lose friends, money, lives, and international respect. There will always be bad people in the world, even in America. They can and should be dealt with. The bottom line of sanity, keep our military here, at home protecting us...not the rest of the world.

Micheal Cromley, Afton

Graffiti: Art Or Vandalism?

I walk the [Grand Traverse] Commons frequently and sometimes I include the loop up to the cistern just to go and see how the art on the cistern has evolved. Granted there is the occasional gross image or word but generally there is a flurry of color.

I wish the "artists" among the vandals could get permission to cover that long boring west wall of Meijer. It’s a canvas just waiting for some creativity.

Heather Peyton, Traverse City

NMEAC Snubbed

Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council (NMEAC) is the Grand Traverse region’s oldest grassroots environmental advocacy organization. Preserving the environment through citizen action and education is our mission.

In September the NMEAC Board sent a 10-question survey to these candidates: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, 37th Michigan Senate, House of Representatives 101 and 104 Districts, U.S. Senator, and 1st District U.S. Congressperson.

The questionnaire asked for their stand on the pipeline under the Mackinac Bridge, horizontal fracking, fracking waste from other states, climate change, alternative energies, actions they would take to avert the greatest impacts of climate change, fossil fuel funding of their campaigns, etc. We advised the candidates that their answers would be shared with our membership and the public.

Of the sixteen individuals we questioned only two, Betsy Coffia and Phil Bellfy, bothered to reply. Our membership and the citizens of Michigan deserve answers to such crucial questions. Apparently democracy has become so subverted by moneyed and special interests, we the people are ignored or provided only with meaningless, standard talking points.

It is deplorable that as we face one of the most challenging times in the history of humanity, those we elect to represent us often don’t.

Bill Hansen, Traverse City

Vote, Everyone

Election Day on November 4 is fast approaching, and now is the time to make a commitment to vote. You may be getting sick of the political ads on TV, but instead, be grateful that you live in a free country with open elections. Take the time to learn about the candidates by contacting your county parties and doing research. If you read about the protests in Hong Kong, then you will realize how fortunate we are. Those 17-yearold students were protesting just to get a free and open election instead of their current government controlled system. If you’re not happy with your legislators, you can do something about it. VOTE on November 4.

Marilyn Cobb, Kewadin

Do Fluoride Research

Hydrofluorosilicic acid, H2SiF6, is a byproduct from the production of fertilizer. This liquid, not environmentally safe, is scrubbed from the chimney of the fertilizer plant, put into containers, and shipped. Now it is a "˜product’ added to the public drinking water.

Some toxic chemicals included in H2FiS6 are: arsenic, lead, mercury, aluminum, chromium, radium, uranium, and polonium. These chemicals vary in amount and over time have their own effects on the human body.

Extensive research has been done regarding fluoride "˜s effects on teeth, bones, brain, body organs, etc. Most countries have already stopped its use. To date, not one organization in our government has tested the effects of fluoride (not even the CDC). So much research proving fluoride related health problems and only selected research is used. Why?

Not all byproducts are bad, but we should know the facts. There are so many concerns related to the environment, the quality of our food, and side effects of medicines, shouldn’t we also be informed and concerned about the overall quality of the water we use? Fluoride is in toothpaste, mouthwash, and many other products for sound oral hygiene practices. How much more fluoride do we need? Research this issue.

Carole McGinty, Boyne City

Meet The Homeless

As someone who volunteers for a Traverse City organization that works with homeless people, I am appalled at what is happening at the meetings regarding the homeless shelter. The people fighting this shelter need to get to know some homeless families. They have the wrong idea about who the homeless are.

Here are some examples of people I have gotten to know who are homeless. The executive and his wife who moved to Traverse City with a company that was expanding, bought a house and a new SUV and became part of the community. The company folded up, he lost his job, savings ran out, unemployment ran out, bank foreclosed, found an $8 an hour job, and he and his wife lived in their SUV for months. He finally found a job downstate and they left.

Then there are the moms with kids who are working but can’t make enough money to scrape together the money for a deposit and two months rent.

The homeless come in all sizes and ages. The largest population is children, and the next group is young people with jobs that don’t pay enough to live on (they couch surf at friends).

This neighborhood group should visit some of the shelters. Volunteer someplace, and get to know the people who need help. Your ideas about who is homeless in Traverse City are wrong.

Lynda Prior, Traverse City