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Letters to the Editor

Must prevent postal rate hike

To the editor: The USPS is proposing to the Postal Regulatory Commission to raise letter and postcard rates. Particularly given that the USPS has already lost a court case and holding its one-ounce First-Class rate too high, and an appeal, its proposal for another rate increase is cynical, unjustifiable, and cruelly abusive. Many people already have a hard time affording the current postal rates. Amongst those who are suffering because of the already ridiculously elevated rates are mail artists and fine artists of all kinds. Mail art, which had been enjoying a renaissance in ...

The hubris of religious certainty

To the editor: Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, recently addressed the faithful from a 10,000-seat cathedral in Moscow. The patriarch said it was “God’s truth” that the people of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus share a common spiritual and national heritage and should be united as one people — in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s defense of the Ukraine war. So, apparently he feels it’s necessary to kill people to defend “God’s truth.” Well, he has a historical example: just read the Bible. Kirill’s statement is an example of the ...

Nuclear energy needed

To the editor: Suppose all vehicles on the road are powered exclusively by electricity. Just think, no more polluting exhaust from gasoline powered engines. Pure green energy at last. But how many have considered the huge quantity of energy required for auto charging facilities? Not too many, I submit. At present, green energy advocates appear to be blissfully ignorant of the enormous cost required for a charging source that will meet the demands of a large fleet of electrically-powered vehicles. What then is needed for an affordable energy source for charging the batteries? Will ...

Ford vs. Chevy mentality

To the editor: Politics today has taken on a “Ford vs Chevy Mentality”. Brand Loyalty, a common enemy, and the desire to argue are its main characteristics. We wear hats, t-shirts, pins, patches, and put stickers on our cars. Sports rivalries usually begin innocently enough. “Root, root, root for the home team, if we don’t win it’s a shame”. But soon chants of “Go Sparty” become “Wolverines Suck” or worse. It becomes compulsory - “if I drive a Ford, then I have to hate Chevy.” But all still in good fun. Political party loyalty in our country ...

Patriots?

To the editor: I recently saw a sign on a local business proclaiming, “Liberty is worth dying for!” Given the timing of when this sign appeared, I suspect that the specific liberty being referred to in this case probably has something to do with resentment against mandates for masking and Covid vaccinations. In my personal view, one’s liberty ends where a healthcare worker’s health and safety begins. Doctors and nurses and scores of other “essential workers” chose to go to work to treat and serve the members of the general public regardless of the vaccination status of ...

Building a greener Michigan

To the editor: In the past 50 years, winter ice coverage of the great lakes has decreased about 63%, due to our warming climate. We know that in order to protect our planet from the worst impacts of climate change, we need to transition to 100% renewable energy and electrify our buildings. But HB 4575 would slow that progress in the Great Lakes State. Michigan has an important role to play when it comes to getting fossil fuels out of our buildings. Electrifying almost all buildings in Michigan by 2050 could reduce climate emissions equal to taking about 2.6 million cars off the ...