Letters

Published
December 5, 2016

Letter to the editor: Upcoming USM conference focuses on refugees’ plight

We’ve all seen the photos – boatloads of desperate migrants, refugee children washed up dead on the beach, refugee camps with tents as far as the eye can see. War, conflict and persecution in many parts of the world in recent years have forced over 19 million desperate people to leave their homelands and seek […]
Published
December 5, 2016

Letter to the editor: Pampered young people prove to be real deplorables

I am a 70-year-old woman who has read your newspaper for many years, and I have to tell you how appalled I am at the writings of your newspaper regarding President-elect Donald Trump. You have been very negative in your writings and not having any respect for our president-elect. In doing this, you are adding […]
Published
December 5, 2016

Letter to the editor: At least Portland’s mayor is responsive

Of the last four incumbent City Council members to stand for re-election, three have been defeated: Mayor Mike Brennan, Ed Suslovic and Jon Hinck. Now the City Council is lashing out at Mayor Ethan Strimling, who has made a habit of calling out the least popular policies proposed by City Manager Jon Jennings. Mr. Jennings […]
Published
December 4, 2016

Letter to the editor: No Wounded Knee at Standing Rock

An opportunity exists for President Obama and others to halt the confrontation at Standing Rock before it gets out of hand. Native Americans have been badly treated and lied to by the U.S. Treaties have been violated or simply ignored, since the first accord was consummated 250 years ago. The Dakota Sioux have every reason […]
Published
December 4, 2016

Letter to the editor: Flag-burning worth losing citizenship under Trump

I hope that Susan Collins and fellow Republicans will seriously consider Donald Trump’s call for stripping citizenship from anyone who burns a flag. As an older citizen, I can’t emigrate very easily without political refugee status. I have no personal desire to burn a flag, but losing my citizenship would afford me, and many other […]

Published
December 4, 2016

Letter to the editor: Harmon, Electoral College fail test of time, democracy

In his Nov. 18 column defending the Electoral College as it now exists, M.D. Harmon advocates, in effect, special protection for a small minority of Americans against what he sees as possible majority tyranny. The minority he regards as needing special protection is the population of small states with, perhaps not surprisingly, mostly white people. […]
Published
December 4, 2016

Letter to the editor: Overturning overtime rule works against working folk

One of the very first things the new administration will do, and can do, is overturn some of the regulations put in place under President Obama. One of these is the overtime rule. This law mandates that workers who make less than $47,476 per year are entitled to time and a half if they work […]
Published
December 4, 2016

Letter to the editor: Long Creek staffers blameless in teen’s suicide

I read with interest your Nov. 20 article about authorities questioning practices at Long Creek Youth Development Center. I had an opportunity to teach a college algebra course there in the fall of 2015 and became acquainted with many of the staff as well as their institution’s policies and how they were executed. I was […]
Published
December 4, 2016

Letter to the editor: Social fabric unraveling due to political rancor

After 48 years of teaching from pre-kindergarten to post-high school, I have a very personal and passionate interest in young people; our most precious resource. So it is with overwhelming sadness that I read and hear of the many instances of hateful words and actions from these children. Too many of the responses to these […]
Published
December 3, 2016

Letter to the editor: For traffic safety’s sake, we’d all better slow down

So, crashes have increased on Interstate 295 along with the increased speed limit? What a surprise! Who could have foreseen that? Apparently not those who made the increase, even though research has shown that “states with 70 mph speed limits saw 22.2 percent more fatal crashes than those with 60 mph or 65 mph limits” […]

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Letters