Reader misses the daily newspaper
I miss the Saturday and Monday newspapers. I realize that you can get news from the TV, but to me, it is not the same.
The most potent tool of newspapers continues to be the spotlight newspapers shine on problems that need to be addressed and on solutions that ought to be considered. They shine it on stories that are heartwarming and uplifting. At other times, they shine it on topics that might raise the blood pressure of readers.
There has been a long tradition of newspapers advocating for the public’s access to government meetings and records, so citizens know what their government is doing — or not doing. This is hugely important now and long-term, because government should conduct its business (it’s the public’s business) in the open, not in secret, so citizens have the opportunity to share
their views on forthcoming decisions.
The important work of newspapers stretches far beyond government. They are there to introduce readers to interesting people. They tell their communities about events that are coming up. They provide the stuff that finds its way into families’ scrapbooks and onto the doors of refrigerators: News items about awards received, honors bestowed, touchdowns scored, prize-winning livestock shown at local fairs and on and on. Newspapers are set apart from other media, such as Facebook, etc.
I suspect that the immense challenges that newspapers are dealing with during the pandemic is largely due to needing journalists. America needs journalists and we need newspapers! I love having my newspaper every morning with my coffee.
Judy Harder
Kingwood
Festival of Ideas shines light on how to be an ally
I really appreciated The Dominion Post editorial recently that declared once again that Black Lives Matter is not a terrorist organization and called out the Republican West Virginia senators who repeated that lie from Rush Limbaugh. I also appreciated that Facebook finally said it was removing QAnon accounts to stop that conspiracy of lies from spreading. That was like giving Jim Jones a recruitment platform. But back to Black Lives.
Other responses to BLM are equally misguided. Kamau Belle of the TV show United Shades of America gave a webinar for the WVU Festival of Ideas Oct. 14, where he was asked what he thought when hearing “all lives matter” as a response to the call for Black Lives Matter. He said Black Lives Matter is not a terrorist group and it’s not even an organization. It’s an invitation to a conversation about how Black lives have not mattered. Saying all lives matter is saying, “I don’t want to have that conversation.”
He also said that for those who really want to learn something about that conversation, you can go online to the Movement for Black Lives and read their very nonviolent platform (m4bl.org). He gave many other gems of advice on how to be an ally (do the work of reading the history and know it’s a long journey) but keep having those hard conversations with friends and family.
What I am learning is that we have so completely mischaracterized Black human beings with unjust stereotypes, we don’t even notice that it’s time to consciously change it. One way to change anything is to vote for people with sensible convictions for human rights that include minorities. I am inviting Black and white citizens to join me in adding three words after “Black” that change the narrative from false to truth and help me spread them. Here are mine to start: Black lives are endangered; Black lives are invisible; Black history goes untold; Black pain is ignored; Black education is defunded; Black beauty is uncelebrated; Black voices aren’t heard.
Vote early to change that.
Eve Faulkes
Morgantown
Racial inequities have come a long way
Several editorials recently published in The Dominion Post indicate a lot of people in our area seem out of touch and do not understand what is happening to our great country.
Monongalia County, you’d better wake up! We live in the great state of West Virginia. A state founded during the Civil War in 1863. (A time when racial injustice and states’ rights issues were prevalent.)
·Racial inequities have come a long way since then and the “I Have A Dream” speech of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our state has a long tradition of patriotism, immigrants and is the epitome of the great American dream.
We have seen two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, 9-11and the civil rights conflicts of the 1960s. The vast majority of patriotic West Virginians believe that Black lives matter. We also believe that all lives matter.
Mary Anne Hardesty
Morgantown
In support of Fab Five for House of Delegates
“Why Can’t We Be Friends” is a song by the 70s band, War. When it comes to certain Monongalia County candidates for the House of Delegates, teachers and service personnel can tell you exactly why we “can’t be friends.”
Joe Statler and Cindy Frich have voted against teachers, service employees and public schools over and over again. They voted against a permanent fix for PEIA, they voted against pay raises and voted for charter schools and vouchers.
Right now, Monongalia County faces the very first proposal for a charter school in West Virginia. If implemented, that charter school will harm our existing public schools by robbing them of funding. Statler has proven he supports draining funds from our public schools by introducing legislation to establish charter schools in our state.
In 2018, Mon County teachers and school service employees went to Charleston to fight for our schools. We asked Statler and Frich for help. Instead, they attacked us. In our opinion, Statler and Frich demonstrated by their deeds that they are not friends of teachers or school personnel.
“I get by with a little help from my friends” is a refrain in a famous song performed by the Beatles. That song comes to mind when we think of the five current delegates: Barbara Evans Fleischauer, Evan Hansen, Rodney Pyles, Danielle Walker and John Williams, sometimes called the Fab Five.
When school employees went on strike and were on the picket line, the Fab Five were there for us — voting yes for salary increases, standing with us on picket lines and voting no against charter schools and vouchers. The Fab Five stand up for our Monongalia County public schools. They are true friends of public education.
Sam Brunett,
President of Mon Co AFT
Heather DeLuca-Nestor,
President MCEA
Want term limits? Vote new people into office
Election time is drawing close. Once again the politicians are asking the American voters to trust them to do the work of the office they hopefully will be elected to. I believe it is time to support term limits for every state office. It is time that we elect new officers for the House of Delegates 51st District and the State Senate, etc.
It is time to vote out the Fab Five. They have been in office too many terms, and you rarely see anything they do for our district and area until it is time to be reelected. What has Barbara Fleischauer, Danielle Walker, Rodney Pyles and Evan Hansen done for our community? The only time you hear about what they claim they have done is when they are up for reelection, then they come out of the woodwork to announce what they supposedly did while in office.
I think it is time we get new people in these offices with new and fresh ideas, such as Cindy Frich and Justin White, Joe Statler, Zach Lemaire and Todd Stainbrook. We should not have the same delegates more than two terms deciding the laws and rules we are governed by. We need a new attorney general: Vote in Sam Petsonk. We need to vote in Mike Caputo, Randy Smith, Phil Wiley and Mike Manypenny, as our new state senators. It is time to get a new county commissioner in Jeff Arnett.
We should never vote a straight political party.
We should always vote for the person who will be the best for the office and do what’s best for their constituents. These are my opinions, but the bottom line is that this 2020 election from the local to the national offices will be making history. We should all get out and vote. If you do not vote, then you have no right to complain about the people doing the work in all of the offices.
Let’s make 2020 the biggest turnout of voters in American history.
Paul L. Hevner
Morgantown
Thank you to volunteers distributing food
Terry and I would like to thank Tom Bloom and all the volunteers that work at the launch pad distributing food to families with children.
They have been out in the hot sun, rain and soon snow. They are all devoted volunteers. They are always smiling and ready to help all of these families that are receiving food for their children. This program feeds hundreds of families and children in Mon County. Many families are sharing with neighbors with children.
The volunteers load all the foods in your car and every one of them spends hours on Saturdays to volunteer at Pantry Plus More. Some of the volunteers come from other states to help pass out the food.
We thank all of them and may God always bless them and their families and bring them peace, happiness and good health.
Carol Ann Miller
Terry Lee Tusing
Morgantown
Don’t allow vote to end ACA for West Virginians
I am a mother. I am a daughter. I am a community leader. And I am one of hundreds of thousands of West Virginians who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act.
I’ve grappled with many health issues, including ovarian cysts, miscarriages, heavy menstrual cycles and ectopic pregnancies. In 2016, after an ultrasound confirmed a cluster of cysts, I made the decision to have a hysterectomy.
At the time, neither of the two jobs I held offered health insurance, and my gross earnings were $14 over the qualifying income for Medicaid.
It was because of the ACA that I was able to purchase an affordable insurance plan — even though I have pre-existing conditions. It was because of the ACA that I didn’t have the burden of my post-surgery care expenses.
The ACA insures everyday working people. No one has benefited more from the ACA than West Virginians, which brought our population of uninsured from 14% to 6% in just three years — including people like me.
A week after the election, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case that could strike down the ACA, causing tens of millions of people to lose their health insurance and eliminating critical protections, including for people with pre-existing conditions.
Politicians in Washington want to fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat with a nominee hostile to health care. I urge Sens. Manchin and Capito to stand up for West Virginians like me and protect the ACA by not voting to confirm this nominee.
Danielle Walker
Morgantown
In support of Petsonk for attorney general
In 1999, I was finishing a doctorate and was offered my dream job as a faculty member at WVU. I wanted to take the job, but I had a huge barrier — a lump in my breast that might be cancerous. It would be a few weeks before I could go to surgery to have it removed. If it were cancerous, it would be a pre-existing condition that would not be covered if I changed insurance, which meant that I would not be able to take the job. My story has a happy ending — the lump was benign, I came to WVU and have lived in Morgantown happily ever after.
Now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, no one must face a decision like that. Families don’t have to wonder how they will pay for care after their chronically ill child reaches a lifetime cap on benefits, and young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance policy long enough to finish their education or get established in a career. The ACA has been a lifesaver, but our attorney general joined a suit to eliminate it, which would leave 200,000 West Virginians without health care and cost the state 16,000 jobs.
That is a big reason I voted for Sam Brown Petsonk for AG. Sam is a West Virginian who puts the needs of West Virginians above partisan politics. Petsonk will defend our rights, enforce our laws and protect us against fraud and abuse. He has a record of fighting for better wages and working conditions for coal miners. As a bonus, he plays the banjo! Who would not love that? Sam Brown Petsonk will make a great attorney general for West Virginia.
Cindy Fitch
Morgantown
In support of White for House of Delegates
I am writing to support Justin White for the West Virginia House of Delegates 51st District. Justin is a long-time resident of Monongalia County and his family has roots here dating back to the 1700s. He takes great pride in his West Virginia heritage. He is a graduate of West Virginia University with a background in health care and business and has served as adjunct professor in the WVU College of Business and Economics.
Justin’s diverse background, and his affinity for the residents of Monongalia County and the state, provide him with the knowledge, experience and passion to be a top choice to represent our county. I first knew of Justin as a competitor in business. We were introduced by a mutual client, after which we came to know each other personally and professionally. We have worked together on joint projects and on advancing our profession. Justin is able to bridge the gap that typically exists between people of opposing interests and help them work to a solution that is mutually beneficial to both sides.
This gives him the ability to serve our residents in the legislature with a clear mind and the spirit of co-operation. These trying times and divisiveness at the state and national levels require representation that will put aside the partisan politics and work with all concerned parties to arrive at solutions that are mutually beneficial to the region and the state. So, I am asking that you join me in casting a vote for Justin White for the West Virginia House of Delegates 51st District. With our help, and a vote for Justin, we can begin “Moving West Virginia Forward!”
Michael R. Biafore
Morgantown
In support of Fleischauer for House of Delegates
I support Barbara Evans Fleischauer because she is a fearless, principled and strong advocate for her constituents. I’ve known Barbara for about 20 years. I’ve canvassed with her many times. She’ll average one house to my five or six because she stops and really gets to know her constituents and the issues they care about. She takes notes and follows through with her promises.
Her compassionate and creative approach to the problems facing the people of West Virginia is complemented by her insight and knowledge of the issues. And, that leads to results. She is always ready to help individuals navigate the complexities of government agencies, such as the unemployment system or work with institutions such as helping to ensure funding for the award winning WVU rifle team.
But, her vision and ability to work through details goes beyond individual advocacy. As a legislator, she is an effective advocate for all of West Virginia’s families. As our delegate, her accomplishments are too numerous to list in this letter. She believes that health care should be available to all and has sponsored bills to expand in-home services for the elderly and disabled as well as legislation to keep insulin affordable. She has fought for protections for veterans and their families and has introduced legislation to help prevent domestic abuse, guarantee fair pay for women and help stop human trafficking.
She is a former attorney for the UMWA and believes workers and their families are entitled to fair compensation and a safe work place. Her daughter attended Monongalia County public schools and she stands with the teachers who are the pillars of that system. She doggedly seeks justice for all West Virginians regardless of their political views. Her compassion and love for this state is unparalleled. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, a vote for Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer is a vote to make life better for all West Virginia families.
Elizabeth Rossi
Morgantown
Constitution no excuse for Trump COVID response
After reading Rep. David McKinley’s comments about President Trump’s response to the COVID pandemic, I feel the need to comment.
McKinley admitted Trump made mistakes and misstatements in regard to COVID, which is more than many GOP representatives, including Sen. Capito, have the courage to say. But mistakes and misstatements are a vast understatement.
Throughout the pandemic, Trump has lied, downplayed the severity, rejected science and expert opinion, pushed conspiracy theories, mocked those who wear masks, pitted red states vs. blue and even encouraged militias to “liberate” their states. Recently, he called Dr. Fauci an “idiot.”
These are hardly misstatements. But McKinley goes on to say that Trump did not want to overstep constitutional bounds by telling states what to do. Seriously? This is a president who openly flaunts the emoluments clause of the Constitution every day. Who solicited foreign governments for help in investigating political enemies? Who uses the supposed independent Department of Justice to investigate false claims about political enemies and pardon criminal friends? Trump has no fear of overstepping the Constitution. The states asked for federal help in acquiring PPE and needed equipment. Trump refused. He claimed it was not his responsibility that the U.S. was off to a slow start in testing.
To this day, he still discourages testing. He encouraged governors to relax social distancing rules and to open up schools and bars regardless of case numbers. He wanted to refuse federal aid to blue states because they did not vote for him. Trump constantly throws doubt on the election process and refuses to say whether or not he will follow the transition of power if he loses the election. Is this upholding the Constitution that he swore to protect?
So, please, Rep. McKinley, you cannot use the Constitution as an excuse for Trump’s pathetic and tragic response to a pandemic. There is no excuse.
Daniel Wheeler
Independence
