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Letters To The Editor

Bergman missed mark on shutdown

I just got a letter from U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, that made me see red. He said that the government shut down because “Democrats blocked a straightforward measure.” Well, I suppose the measure is straighforward, straighforward in ceasing the Affordable Care Act subsidies that allow 20 million people health care insurance. Straighforward in its gigantic cuts to Medicaid. By the way, half the children in the country get health care through Medicaid. And Republicans have been straighforward in telling the Democrats that, yes, they will vote to maintain current funding for ...

Bergman and immigrants

To the Journal editor: Why does U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, have such a strange fixation on immigrants? I received an email survey from his office about the budget and the government shutdown. The only specific thing mentioned was that the Democrats want to increase spending on healthcare for immigrants. That is seriously weird and is not even true. Democrats want to restore subsidies for insurance payments under the Affordable Care Act and to restore cuts to Medicaid. Rep. Bergman failed to mention the big tax cuts for billionaires in the Republican budget. He failed to ...

Program helped people

I am writing ... to express deep disappointment over the decision in the FY 2025–26 School Aid budget to eliminate all $19.4 million in funding for the Great Start Collaborative and Family Coalition programs. This funding, part of the Great Start Early Childhood Block Grant, supported families with children from birth to age five across every Michigan county. Great Start helped parents find child care, early learning, developmental screenings, literacy programs, and home visits. It wasn’t a luxury—it was the backbone of early childhood coordination statewide. Because of this ...

Getting educated key

To the Journal editor: This administration is infectious. I’ve seen it with my own family members go from Biden voters to Trump voters. It is a malaise within their moral compass. Frankly, it is concerning how polarizing our two worlds are. For example, if I send my father a political video or vice versa, nine times out of ten we are not watching. We desire confirmation bias, not each other’s world view. We have to have honest conversations about our bubbles and what we’re paying attention to in order to make proactive choices in the future. Let’s try to be open to each other, ...

Protect education funding

As a retired school physical therapist who worked in school special educations departments throughout the central Upper Peninsula, I am deeply concerned about efforts to dismantle public education. There is a proposal in Congress to slash $12 billion from education in the budget bill. According to the non-partisan Education Law Center, Marquette Alger Regional Educational Service Agency is expected to lose over $5.6 million. Our rural schools are already struggling. How would we make up for this catastrophic loss of funds? What staff and teachers might be laid off? What schools ...

Letter to D.C.

Dear Don, Yes, this is one of those kinds of letters. A conversation/discussion or negotiation has not been possible. Your uncontrollable rants of your way or the highway are about you and what you want, period. At the outset, you spoke about valuing values/American values no less. Which of those values were you referring to? You've trusted someone having material wealth (read billionaire) with the financial responsibility of a vast economic infrastructure. What has been wonderful is all of us were doing OK in our own bumbling way to continue to grow and improve, before you came ...