Don’t stop planning for the future
The other day I was on Instagram. Someone posted a word search puzzle with the caption, “The first word you see is where you’re going during the month of April.” The puzzle contained nothing but different permutations of the word “nowhere.”
It was funny, but also not. If there’s one thing that rings true in our current situation, it’s that people have stopped making plans. That vacation to Disney? Out the window. Those spring camping trips? Sorry, no dice. That kitchen renovation? Let’s wait and see.
We’ve stopped making plans because we don’t know what the future will look like. Maybe it will be a quick return to normal. Or maybe the world will be unrecognizable.
But even though we’ve stopped making plans, let’s not stop planning for the future. Let’s not forget — or neglect — to invest in what we want the world to look like when all of this is over. Let’s make sure we keep supporting those public institutions that have served us for so long and that we hope will be fixtures of our new normal, whatever that looks like.
For about the cost of a fancy coffee (that’s one fancy coffee per year), we can keep funding our local public libraries. Make no mistake: They are essential and will continue to be essential in rebuilding what we’ve lost over these last few months. Our libraries will be where community members gather again. Our libraries will be where people go (for free) to use the internet and apply for jobs again. Our libraries will be safe havens for the homeless and underserved again. Our libraries will be models of inclusivity again.
Vote for the Morgantown Public Library System Levy on June 9.
Emily Quinlan
Morgantown
Trump administration’s ‘casual malfeasance’
Jay Ambrose’s op-ed “Pelosi Strikes Again” (DP-04-12-20) blames Pelosi for holding up the $2 trillion economic relief bill caused by the Trump administration’s apathetic COVID-19 pandemic response.
For those of you who don’t remember, our government was divided into three branches so that no individual or group would have too much power. Ambrose states, “Clearly Trump was too casual early on …” And though the CDC can act without authority, funding cuts and elimination of the pandemic response team by the current administration explains why we are where we are today: A country with more COVID-19 deaths than many less developed countries. I call this slow start to react “casual malfeasance.”
Ambrose goes on to accuse Congress of being laggard also. If I recall correctly, there was a concern for independent oversight of the bill to help reduce corruption of a president in control of an administration, a man named Donald J. Trump, a man accused of fraud in both his foundation and his “sham university.” A delay in holding up something to pass for the common good to make sure there can be a safeguard of use for our funds. Yes, if you pay taxes, they are our funds.
President Trump ignored memos in January, warning him of the pandemic. Trump’s excuse included having too many memos to read: “People send me many memos.” Some (of these memos) are great! Others not so great.
I feel that Ambrose’s op-ed is structured to point blame and create a more significant divide where divisiveness already exists, a love loss that will never heal. A pandemic can’t bring this country back together, but leadership can. Leadership that effectuates and abides by the Constitution of the United States of America. This display of malfeasance and lack of a nationwide response to
COVID-19 is a cry to strive to make America great. Vote!
Frank Yuvancic
Morgantown
Can’t go for a drive when police are overstepping
“Let’s bring back going for a drive” (DP-04-12-20) is a wonderful idea! Sunday afternoon automobile rides into the country, on crooked two-lane roads were often forward looking weekly events. Some excursions planned in advanced, others, “which way do we go?” “That-a-way!”
Every roadside attraction, big or small was an adventure! Every local farmer’s roadside “garden stand” held stories to relate. Scenic overlooks, just an old rock, tree, bend in the road to locals, but to people, visitors, from the next county, truly fascinating!
Poof. The fantasy was good while it lasted. With the “power hungry blue line gang” issuing $1,000 tickets, for a lone girl just taking a relaxing afternoon drive, a father playing catch with his daughter by themselves in a remote section of a public park (that one, the father was arrested, his daughter “scarred for life” now by the sight of a cop), a lone paddle boarder on a empty beach arrested. A lone jogger on a totally empty beach fined and arrested. Four or five people hop in a car to combine a “drive and get some essentials” at a distant 7-11, all issued $1,000 tickets. How many more horror stories of the overzealous police abusing their qualified immunity, color of law and violating innocent citizens’ first, fourth and fifth amendment rights, by stopping, demanding ID, arresting, issuing $1,000 citations, seizing vehicles/property! For what? “Going for a drive.”
Rick Chaplin
Dellslow
Now is perfect time for DOH to work on roads
What a missed opportunity! The local DOH, with orders from the district office and state headquarters, is standing down with local road maintenance. Any evidence of last year’s spring help from across the state in ditching, culvert cleaning and other core maintenance has vanished as our ditches were not pulled in the late fall/early winter of 2019, and the heavy foliage and other debris have been washed in piles, inhibiting drainage and clogging ditches and culverts.
The back roads are covered with water, potholes and other assorted obstructions. The leaning un-addressed canopy with weakened root anchorage alongside the ditchless water-covered roadways reek of third-world government attention. And the citizens of Preston County witness the further decline of their road system.
Lack of money cannot be a go-to excuse for lack of materials and meeting payroll needs, as our winter was very mild with a minimal need for salt and overtime pay. Well, maybe the 13 fewer employees in Preston County called for some overtime but not a budget depleting amount. We really should be in very good shape money-wise.
Questioning the shutdown of the DOH because of the COVID-19 virus pandemic should not be taboo, as “state road” jobs pose less risk of catching the disease than other occupations. Operators of trucks, backhoes, graders, brush hogs, excavators, pavers, rollers, brooms and pilot trucks are not put in harm’s way.
Laborers could work cleaning culverts from opposite sides without interfering with his or her 6-foot distancing.
Flaggers can step an extra foot back and reach their stop sign out a bit further. Less traffic should certainly allow for much more maintenance with less downtime.
A vaccine for this virus could take a long time to develop. Limiting the duties of local DOH crews because of the virus seems questionable for this outside workplace. Why not use the time to increase local road maintenance? Perhaps Gov. Justice could be encouraged to use this unique opportunity to concentrate on making this happen.
Edward E. Knotts
Tunnelton
Reservation seating a social distancing solution
I have a suggestion on how restaurants could open and still provide social distancing once the governor allows sit-down service again: Reservation seating.
Seating could start at 11 a.m. and each reservation block would be for 1 ½ hours. Example: 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., etc. This way the restaurant could control the number of people and available tables at each seating.
Small restaurants and fast food sites would still provide drive-thru but could now offer inside eating and inside take out. They would not have reservations but could limit the number of inside tables available.
Restaurants could also limit the number of days open each week. Instead of seven days a week, maybe only five or six, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
By providing reservation seating, there would no longer be numerous people in waiting areas waiting for tables. Social distancing would be easily provided.
Mary Monahan
Maidsville
‘Greed majority’ putting other people at risk
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty tired of hearing how Americans are working together and helping one another get through this pandemic crisis we’re in.
If that were truly the case — if we were all working together to help our fellow Americans — I could go to Walmart and buy sanitary wipes and hand sanitizer, but I can’t — there are none to be found. Why? Because there are a lot of selfish, greedy people out there stocked up with hundreds of rolls of toilet paper, 50 bottles of hand sanitizer and hundreds of sanitary wipes hoarded in their closet.
But maybe I’m assuming too much; maybe they are hoarding this stuff so when things get tight, they can give them out to their friends and neighbors. However, I’m more inclined to believe that if things get tight, you’ll see them on Ebay or being sold along the road at 10 times the normal price!
Don’t get me wrong; there are a lot of good, decent people out there. We see it on TV every day — health care workers and first responders putting their lives on the line to care for others, Good Samaritans delivering food and medication to the elderly and shut-ins.
The reality is the greedy and selfish outnumber the good and decent 2:1. Therein lies the problem.
My mother always said that God will always help those who help each other. I hope you’re right, Hazel, but I have a feeling that God is as disgusted with the greed majority as everyone else.
Ken Ryan
Morgantown
Spring-breakers bring COVID-19 back with them
I wish I could say that WVU students coming back to Morgantown from spring break with COVID-19 surprised me, but it definitely did not. I told many people this would happen, online classes or not.
We have had relatively few cases of this virus compared to the rest of the country, but thanks to some of you, “our” town has been put at a much greater risk than before. Shame on you for going away to have a good time and bringing this killer virus back to endanger the residents of Morgantown (whether some students are from Morgantown or not).
In addition to this moronic act, the ACLU is condemning Gov. Justice for trying to keep out-of-state residents from coming to West Virginia to further spread the coronavirus. Is this your idea of freedom? Do whatever you want to do with no thought of harming others?
I’m sure this letter will offend some people, and, frankly, that doesn’t concern me in the least. What does concern me is where are some people’s brains? I think I know where.
Bob Holepit
Morgantown
