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Letters to the editor

Decency dividend

Jim Newton Itasca If you’re an investor, you know the value of stock dividends, but some dividends are more like a mirage: the “peace dividend” after the Soviet Union fell, for example. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Donald Regan soberly stated in a 1989 interview, that the peace dividend is not going “to be some huge sum that falls in our lap as though we won a sweepstakes or something.” I had hoped the 2020 Biden-Harris election win would produce a “Decency Dividend.” It didn’t. I didn’t overestimate their ability to deliver, I underestimated our resistance to ...

Keep the Civil Service

Suzanne Colvin Mercer In America’s early days, nearly all federal government positions were vacated and restaffed whenever there was a change in the administration. The problem with this is that the frequent personnel turnover leaves the government permanently in the hands of inexperienced staffers. Just when some experience on the job begins to produce employee competence, the next election brings a new administration and the fire-and-replace routine recurs. The problem was addressed by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1882, putting an end to this practice of political ...

History will be the judge

Russell “Buzz” Meachum Northumberland I’m writing to express my amazement and disappointment in those citizens who have served our country in the military and consider Donald Trump a fit choice for president. I can’t understand how they would consider him worthy of such a lofty position. Neither he, nor anyone in his family, has served our country in any unselfish manner. He knows nothing of honor, sacrifice, commitment or loyalty to anything but the almighty dollar. His credo: “promise anything, deliver nothing, blame someone else.” He cheats, steals, lies, bullies ...

Trump bankruptcies

Craig Seasholtz Avis Have you heard that Donald J. Trump cares only about himself and not others? The fact that he has gone bankrupt multiple times is cited as proof of his heartlessness. I decided to do more extensive research of these claims using ‘artificial intelligence (AI)’ through chatgpt.com. Here is what I discovered: Question 1: How many businesses owned by Donald J. Trump have gone bankrupt? Answer: Donald J. Trump's businesses have filed for bankruptcy six times. Below is a list of those six businesses: 1) Trump Taj Mahal (1991) 2) Trump Plaza Hotel ...

A college town

Canda Biatman McElhatten Today I heard the statement, “Well, you shouldn’t live in a college town then!” I heard it when someone complained about loud music at night. I heard it when someone complained about parties. I heard it as an excuse for a number of bad choices and behaviors. Don’t like what I am doing? “Well, you shouldn’t live in a college town!” Is that the consensus for the majority of the students at LHU or just the women’s wrestling team? I had the misfortune of meeting a few teammates today of the LHU women’s wrestling team. They were ...

For consideration…

Scott Knisely Mill Hall This letter is being copied to the Lamar Township Supervisors to consider reevaluation of the rules for racing times at the Clinton County Speedway. I understand the current rules are that the last race needs to start by 11 p.m. and engines off, including haulers, by 11:30 p.m. That “ain’t happenin.” The Saturday, Aug. 10, race, I am guessing, was allowed to be rescheduled because of rain, for the normally Friday night race. That race ended closer to midnight and the haulers fired up after that. Race ending and hauling seems to be ending later than the ...