Readers write: Letters to the editor, August 14, 2017

Music Machine is newsworthy 

I attended The Music Machine performance last night. I was thrilled with the quality and skill of our talented local youth directed by Janet Carr-Campbell. This is the 37th year she has put together a Broadway-style show using young people ranging in age from 9 to 18, singing and dancing their way into everyone's hearts.

The show was in the Discovery Theater and due to very little coverage in the paper, the house was disappointingly short of patrons enjoying an amazing time. This is an exceptional opportunity for our community to support our youth in this huge production. These young people spend five weeks of their summer rehearsing to perform in week six. The least we could do is show up and cheer them on. In my opinion, this is positive news and should be reported.

— Christine Noel
Anchorage

Sullivan gave in to party line

ADN's extensive coverage of the health care repeal debate made one thing very clear: Sen. Lisa Murkowski fought hard to defend Alaskans' coverage at every step in the process. She objected to the Republican Party's decision to write the bill in secret. She criticized proposals to defund Planned Parenthood, which is important since Planned Parenthood helps reduce sexually transmitted diseases and screens for cancer and other threats to mothers' health.

Murkowski denounced her own party's attack on Medicaid. Finally, she made a courageous vote to block the so-called "skinny repeal," a bill that would have caused our private health care costs to spike — harming Alaska more than any other state.

In contrast, Sen. Dan Sullivan cowered in response to threats and voted the party line even when his vote would have taken away health care from thousands of Alaskans. Thank you, Lisa Murkowski.

— Zack Fields
Anchorage

Letter writers' book club pick

Many thanks to Jerald Stroebele's mentioning of the book "Sons and Soldiers" (ADN, Aug. 11) by Bruce Henderson regarding German Jews who escaped Nazi Germany and subsequently served in the U.S. Army as translators and interrogators of captured German soldiers. I immediately went to Costco and bought a copy. I can't wait to read it!

Thank you again, Mr. Stroebele.

— Barbara DuBois
Anchorage

Processors should let workers unionize to stabilize industry

Here is what commentator Dermot Cole did not mention in his commentary: "Immigration fight cripples fishing as foreign help vanishes," (ADN, Aug. 8.)

Corporations operate in self-interest. In fact, there is a mandate for CEOs to maximize shareholder profits. Letting corporations search unfettered for profits has not always been in the best interest of America and its workers.
Here is a suggestion to the cannery and fish processing owners: Let your workers unionize. Higher wages and better treatment would increase the cannery and fish processing workforce from American shores.

When canneries and fish processors set up a pipeline to foreign workers, it often excludes American workers.

— Faith Myers and Dorrance Collins
Anchorage

Fix the ACA, or lobbyists will

We have a medical care law on the books. We know it has many flaws, but it exists. We should fix it, not eliminate it. If we allow the "Trumpeters" to repeal it, there is a good chance we'll never see a replacement.

Or, if we do, it will be a structure concocted by the medical, pharmaceutical and insurance lobbies, and is likely to benefit only them.

I believe a first-class nation that boasts 15 million millionaires, and well over 500 billionaires, can well afford to increase the taxes on that wealthy segment to provide reasonable medical coverage to those from whom their wealth was extracted.

— Don Neal
Anchorage

War talk like 'Shrek' scene

The exchanges of chest-thumping bombast between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un calls to mind Lord Farquaad's speech to his soldiers in the movie "Shrek:"

"Many of you will lose your lives in this war, but that is a price I am willing to pay."

— Dale Gerboth
Anchorage

Valley park celebrates support

A sizable group gathered last week to celebrate the progress made toward development of the new Settlers Bay Coastal Park. This area will help protect important salmon spawning and rearing habitat, and provide a great place for current and future Valley residents to get out and hike, bike, view wildlife, etc.

We owe huge thanks to those that helped make this happen: Developer Bob Ackles and the Settlers Bay Golf Course LLC (which initially approached Great Land Trust) and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough for being willing to accept the land as a new park. And of course, without the hard work of the staff at Great Land Trust — raising money and helping various parties "close the deal" — none of this would have been possible. This exciting project is making the Mat-Su an even better place to live.

— Mark Masteller
Palmer

Invaders have good side

All of the invasive plants referenced in the ADN, Aug. 11 commentary are plants that produce nectar or pollen honeybees produce honey from.

Dandelions are the harbinger of spring and also when I stop feeding carbohydrates to my bees. Each dandelion flower consists of up to 100 florets and every one is packed with nectar and pollen. Rapeseed (canola) is also a honey plant, great for both nectar and pollen. Vetch is a member of one of the important bee plant families. Honeybees work the long tassels of vetch flowers readily. Vetch also helps return nitrogen to the soil. Cornflowers can provide about 100 pounds of honey per colony.

If these plants must be removed, please do not use herbicides.

— Karl Schroeder
Anchorage

The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.