VIEWPOINT: This week’s letters touch on Harvey, Tiffany, Charlottesville and more
Cause and effect of Hurricane Harvey
Editor,
Having had one of the wettest years on record in the Northwoods has inspired more than just sympathy for the tragedy that Hurricane Harvey has caused in The Gulf Coast region. It has given me pause to think about its relationship to global warming.
We know that a number of factors played into making the hurricane one of the most devastating in U.S. history. The above-average temperatures of the gulf waters both provided more moisture and more energy for the storm. The rise in sea levels prevents storm water from draining properly and quickly. Perhaps most significant is the impact of global warming on jet streams and the potential to cause abnormal paths of hurricanes like Sandy and the stalling that we witnessed over Houston. Climate change is a reality and it behooves us to consider the ramifications for future generations who will have to deal with increased volatility and aftermath costs of cleanup.
This also leaves me scratching my head when I recently received an email from Sean Duffy suggesting that National Flood Insurance be defunded. From a national security perspective it would seem that we should be allocating more funds to an agency that deals with the aftermath of such devastating destruction and getting our fellow citizens back on their feet.
Steven Schreier, Rhinelander
Reaction to Charlottesville
Editor,
At long last the Democrats have backed off some on the phony Russian/Trump connection foolishness. Wonder how long we will have to wait until they apologize for dragging out that farce for months on end, doing nothing else in Congress, wasting taxpayer money and everyone’s time.
But take heart, they have a new bogus cause now, labeling Trump the worst racist since Adolph Hitler. That all stemmed from the confrontation in Charlottesville, and the remarks following that from Trump. Did the left hear different words than I did? What I heard Trump say is that he condemned hatred and bigotry in all its forms. He also said “both sides” were guilty – exactly right. But the liberal media, on another feeding frenzy, interpreted that as not politically correct for their delicate sensibilities.
Giving no sympathy to the “Neo-Nazis,” “White Supremacists” or whatever you choose to call them, they showed up at that rally, just as the other side did, with intentions to cause problems and they did that. It could have been less severe if the authorities had stepped in, in a serious way, to stop it, but for the most part it was allowed to play out. That, I guess, was due to the politicians and city officials looking out for their own political lives, make that votes, and knowing that the other side would be the ones demonized. But are the left-wing radicals, the America-hating crowd really much different than the other side? No, but they call themselves “Progressives,” and “social justice” warriors, and the liberal media eat it up like candy. My guess is that those tearing down the statue of Robert E. Lee wouldn’t know who he was or the role he played in the Civil War.
The real issue for the radical left is not about tearing down statues or memorials; that’s just a diversion. The real issue for them is shutting down anyone with opposing points of view. They carp about free speech, but only if you agree with them. That’s not my America, and I hope not yours, either. And they want to change history in America, which is not possible. Six-hundred-thousand soldiers died in the Civil War, each side believing in their cause. Right or wrong, it is a part of America’s history and will not be subverted by those who are revisionists. America was never perfect and will never be, but it’s a damned sight better than anywhere else I can think of. If this idiocy continues, we could lose it.
Robert Orgeman, Rhinelander
Reader says Tiffany should work for constituents
Editor,
Sen. Tom Tiffany is at it again – endangering the safety of our drinking water and other water resources so a company he favors can profit at our expense. A bill he has proposed would overturn a crucial Wisconsin law that requires a mining company to prove that its operations don’t harm our water supply before it is allowed to begin its project.
Tiffany’s bill would do the opposite: let the mining company go ahead even when it can’t prove it will protect our waters. The foreign company Tiffany is helping with this bill wants to do sulfide mining, a process that has a long record of dangerous water pollution and has never been proven safe in any location. Nor do these types of mines create many jobs – as if jobs would compensate for exposing us to chemicals that can damage vital organs and cause cancer.
If Tiffany wants to go to work for the mining company, he should resign his Senate seat and apply for a job there. As long as he’s in the Senate, he needs to start working for the people of our state. And that means protecting our health and our gorgeous lakes and rivers.
Alan Reder, Elcho
Hold your ground
Editor,
We are again faced with Sen. Tiffany attempting to dig up the state for profit and greed.
Remember that our biggest assignment is to protect the earth, not exploit it. When do we learn to draw the line? Do we add this to the Mercury in our northern lakes or the acid rain that destroys the natural quality of our lakes? You know this is just the tip of the damage caused by greed and profit. What good comes out of raping the land for self interest? What is left that we can be proud of? All the truthful reasoning in the world cannot justify mining. We cannot renew this resource. Your justification would be backed by deception and a split tongue.
The force justifying the existence of a mine in God’s Country is short of premeditated criminal intent. It could be titled, “Tell them what they want to hear,” but stay clear of the truth. That is the sales pitch to sell the dream. The motivation simply labels us as pawns. Apathy is gold in their pockets.
We teach our children to just say NO. As examples to our children it’s time to stand tall and say no and to be proud because we stood for what is right in protecting God’s Country.
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any,” Alice Walker. Food for thought.
Craig Strid, Rhinelander
Reader: Local government is overbearing
Editor,
Let me first state that I do not live within the city limits of Rhinelander and am not affected by this ordinance. I feel it is unfair to change the law regarding temporary storage structures in the manner it was done. If I had just spent a lot of money on one and then told to remove it, I too, would be quite upset.
Perhaps the ordinance could be altered to “grandfather” in the few existing structures for the current property owners only.
David Fiene, Newbold
Alzheimer’s Association seeks more research funding
Editor,
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, including 110,000 here in Wisconsin. In 2017, caring for individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias will cost $259 billion – including $175 billion in direct costs to Medicare and Medicaid.
As the only leading cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed, these numbers are only going to increase. Yet, despite these troubling numbers, Alzheimer’s research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains underfunded.
As the executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Wisconsin, I understand firsthand the impact this disease has on families across America. That’s why I am calling on Congress to increase Alzheimer’s research funding by $414 million in the next fiscal year. Thankfully, Sen. Baldwin is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee which sets the funding levels for the NIH. It is only through increased research funding that we will discover new ways to treat and eventually prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Please contact Sen. Baldwin and ask her to continue the fight against Alzheimer’s disease by increasing funding for Alzheimer’s research by at least an additional $414 million in Fiscal Year 2018. Thank you.
Laurie Schill, Executive Director
Alzheimer’s Association Greater Wisconsin
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