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Letters To The Editor

Writer shakes head

To the Journal editor: All I could do is shake my head after reading that U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, and three other Michigan legislators, John James, Lisa McClain and John Moolenaar, took it upon themselves to write a letter to the Canadian prime minister. The letter basically asserted that it was Canada’s fault that the Upper Peninsula was being smoked by forest fires in Canada. Couple of things that stood out to me were, how in the world can Canada be accused of controlling the weather patterns? The smoke is not only from forest fires in Canada, but in Minnesota and ...

Pointed questions posed

To the Journal editor: The following was sent to U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, just before 9 a.m. through his congressional portal. Congressman Bergman Congress has generously supplied the federal government with money to protect borders and defend the United States. However, President Trump has used that money to: Start a war of choice with Iran, raising the cost of living in the Upper Peninsula. Continue killing unarmed crews in boats while drug traffic continues unabated. Open and close ICE detention facilities without planning. Deport and kill innocent people in ICE ...

Democracy’s beacon shines locally

I enjoy reading my local newspaper, but subscribership has fallen off around the country and newspapers are in decline. Per Northwestern University, “Over the past two decades, the U.S. newspaper industry has seen a dramatic decline, with nearly 40% of local newspapers vanishing and print circulation dropping by about 70% since 2005. This decline is attributed to factors such as decreasing subscriptions, advertising revenue and increased competition from digital media, and changing consumer habits.” Is it time to reevaluate our habits? Yes, “free” news content from distance ...

Never in U.S. history

To the Journal editor: Never in U.S. history, has a sitting president ever sued the executive branch that he controls to obtain a personal financial recovery from the federal government. Yet, that is exactly what President Trump did by suing the IRS, one branch of the federal bureaucracy he controls, for $10 billion dollars. Trump claims that his reputation and businesses were damaged by billions of dollars from the unauthorized disclosure of his personal tax return, not even by the IRS, but by a third-party contractor. Actually, the unauthorized release of Trump's person tax records ...

What floor do you live on?

If we were to house everyone in the U.S. in a single skyscraper based on income level, how many floors would it have? The top floors would be for the wealthy and the bottom floors for the less wealthy. And in keeping with our sense of just entitlement, an additional $100,000 in income (or wealth) would be required to move up one floor. The first floor would house those earning $0 - $100,000. The second floor would require earnings of $100,001 - $200,000, while those on the third floor earned $200,001 - $300,000 etc. If you were fortunate enough, or as some would say, if you worked hard ...

Miracles abound

We’ve all been there. You reach a point where the weight is too heavy and you cry out to God for help. You pray daily, you look for a sign, and … nothing. Or at least, it feels like nothing. If I’m being completely honest, there have been plenty of times in my own life where I’ve cried out to God and wrestled with a terrifying thought: Am I just screaming into a void? Is anyone actually listening? In the Reformed tradition, we talk a lot about lament, the very holy, very biblical act of telling God exactly how frustrated, lonely or overwhelmed we are. It’s okay to admit the ...