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Letters To The Editor

It’s time for Sam Adams!

To the Journal editor: I feel our country’s founding ideals are lost in the attic of history, out of sight out of mind, while we disrespect each other drunk on today’s red or blue politically spiked Kool-Aid. Samuel believed in natural rights of the individual and of good government. A deeply religious person, who said of the Bible, “When duly read and meditated on, it is of all books in the world, that which contributes most to making men good, wise, and happy.” Seemingly ironic, he helped construct the First Amendment, “…Congress shall make no law respecting an ...

Cliffs-Dow go to the dogs?

To the Journal editor: The city of Marquette has failed to sell off the Cliffs-Dow property again, this time as a veterans’ home. Even with the deep pockets of the federal government, it was decided that the Cliffs-Dow property, with all its toxic waste, would not be a safe property to develop as a residential site for our veterans. The EPA and EGLE have rules on toxic waste sites and their use. The rules for residential real estate development on a toxic waste dump are much stricter than recreation or day use. The city should not waste any more funds trying to develop ...

Hard truth cited

To the Journal editor: The late gospel singer Mandisa once sang that “We all bleed the same, so tell me why we’re divided.” That lyric has gained more and more meaning each day lately. As colleges across the country are engulfed in protests over Israel’s war with Hamas and invasion of Gaza, it’s easier than ever to be divided. Once again, we are reminded that there are no Hollywood endings for real tragedies, no clear cut good guys to root for, no simple, clean solutions for the strife that is killing not only people, but cultures and goodwill itself. Solving today’s ...

Town hall was political theater

To the Journal editor: When politicians know they are powerless to fix a problem affecting their constituents and they have no meaningful answers when confronted, they revert to the time-tested process of forming a committee, board or council to give the appearance that something is being done to provide relief to those they represent. State Rep. Jenn Hill, D-Marquette, recently held a town hall meeting in Marquette to discuss the formation of a prescription drug affordability board at the state level to include a 21-member stakeholder council. To support this effort, taxpayers in ...

Follow the numbers

To the Journal editor: Can you count? Hold that thought. Before you answer, here’s another question: When it comes to elections, does the money win? The simple answer is, yes. In most cases, anyways. In 2022, 93.65% of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were won by the candidates who spent the most money. In 2020, it was 87.71%. In 2018, 88.54%. (OpenSecrets (n.d.). Did Money Win? OpenSecrets - Following The Money In Politics. https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/winning-vs-spending) Since all politics is local, let’s look at 2022’s numbers for our ...

Mining project a very bad idea

To the Journal editor: All Michiganders should be aware of an extremely critical issue that will affect not only the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan but will also leave the totality of Michigan at an incredible loss. There appears to be limited media coverage on one of the most important issues of protecting our Upper Peninsula’s most important natural and cultural resources. The quasi-governmental organization Michigan Strategic Fund, which is a subsidiary of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation the body that ironically promotes the Pure Michigan campaign) has ...