Letters to the Editor

Readers write: Letters to the editor, Oct. 17, 2016

Trump is GOP's payback; vote for Stock for US Senate

Donald Trump is a direct result of the behavior of Republicans in Congress for the past 10-15 years. They have behaved in a haughty, condescending manner with no sign of collaboration or compromise with Democrats, independents or others. They have sneered at our president, snickering at rude jokes, and even acting like ''we'' are the takers and ''they'' are the givers (Romney). They deserve the candidate they got and they got the candidate they deserve.

Lisa Murkowski has been part of the Republican establishment, refusing to work collaboratively with anything initiated by Democrats or our president. As someone who once voted mostly for Republicans, watching Lisa and others, I wonder if I will ever again vote Republican.

Margaret Stock is a smart, hardworking independent who owes political allegiance to no party. She is a small-business woman with about a dozen employees for whom she pays their health insurance premiums. She knows the law, and works as an immigration attorney. Margaret knows how to get fair bi-partisan bills passed into law. She was a pilot in the military. She grew up with many disadvantages, including foster homes, and found the American way to work to lift her above her circumstances.

Let's try something different than the same. It's time for a fresh face and a fresh approach by an honest and hardworking woman running for the U.S. Senate: Margaret Stock.

— Linda Sharp
Anchorage

Vote for justices Bolger, Maasen

ADVERTISEMENT

After reading Jim Minnery's sour grapes commentary (Oct. 14), I was moved to voice another viewpoint. Voters, do you watch the Alaska Supreme Court on television to see for yourself who is doing a good job? I do. Voters, do you access the various organizations and their recommendations for judge retention? I do. I am voting to retain all 33 judges on next month's ballot, especially for Supreme Court Justices Joel Bolger and Peter Maasen, both of whom have won my confidence and respect over the many decisions they have made.

To vilify such fine justices due to personal disappointment over an issue that many other people voted against is just whiny and hurtful to two professional and highly respected careers. Please vote yes on Joel Bolger and Peter Maasen for Alaska Supreme Court retention.

— Denise Roselle
Anchorage

Election feels like a sequel

A long, long time ago in what seems like a galaxy far, far away, I seem to remember seeing an interview with Borat in which he claimed that Donald Trump was in fact Sacha Baron Cohen in disguise.

At the time I thought he was joking.

For those of you who have managed to scrub the memory of "Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" from your mind, Baron Cohen used Borat to expose hypocrisy and racism in very much the same way that Donald Trump has been doing.

Is it possible that we are watching the longest sequel in cinema history?

If so, what will happen next?

At this point, I'm not taking any chances. If I see Chris Christie and Donald Trump getting into an elevator on their way to the third debate, I am going to turn the television off immediately. I strongly advise you to do the same.

— Ian van Tets
Anchorage

Presidential race gets personal

Political discussions should deal with facts, not personalities. The current presidential race, however, has made that nearly impossible, so I inject my 2 cents worth for whatever muck it may stir.

I still have a severe distaste for Bill Clinton due to his extramarital shenanigans. They may not have meant much to many citizens (after all, he was re-elected), but they ran afoul of my own beliefs and my family standards. Still, to the best of my knowledge, there were only consenting partners involved. The acts were not illegal, merely immoral and insulting to his wife and daughter.

My distaste for Hillary Clinton is as severe, but because of other lapses of integrity — she can certainly not be blamed for those actions of her husband, which must have embarrassed her as much as they disgusted me.

In the case of Donald Trump, we have a different pattern of (mis)behavior. The victims of his crude mini-assaults did not consent, or could not refuse without drastic retaliation. There are enough accusations now to pretty well confirm his own brags. If Trump had not been able to evade legal action using intimidation, wealth, power, or "fame," he would now be a registered sex offender.

I would never vote to put a person in the Oval Office who I would refuse to invite into my home.

ADVERTISEMENT

— Don Neal
Anchorage

Trump is immature and insecure

Regarding the comments Donald Trump made in 2005 on the bus:
Yes, that was lewd and offensive and lots of Republicans are jumping ship. However, was that their first realization that Trump disrespects women?
You had to already know that. And also know that he disrespects Hispanic people, African-American people, his employees and contractors and anyone who ever disagrees with him on any subject. Political party affiliation is NOT the point. He is immature and insecure and has no impulse control, etc., etc. Just to cite one example: his 3 a.m. tweet attack on a former Miss Universe. If George W. Bush or Barack Obama or John McCain or Mitt Romney had ever done something like that, people would have become unhinged.

— Kay Barger
Anchorage

Health questions nothing new

Donald Trump thinks Hillary Clinton can't be a competent president because of her "health concerns." But I notice he did not similarly address President U.S. Grant's constant bout with alcoholism, nor Taft's hugeness (350-plus pounds!), nor FDR's near lifelong confinement to a wheelchair because of his early bout with polio. Should he have never run? Nor Dwight Eisenhower's mid-term heart attack. Should he have resigned? Nor the professional realization late in his second term as to Ronald Reagan's in-creeping Alzheimer's? Should he have stepped down?

Donald doesn't address anybody else.

— Steve Williams
Anchorage

Thanks, DOT, for paving ruts

I don't mind calling "stupid" when someone does something dumb … like not charging taxes on parts of the oil industry until the price of the barrel reaches $70. But, when a state agency does something good … that's worth mentioning. Last winter when I learned the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities was going to pave Abbott Road between Lake Otis and Jupiter this summer, I asked them if they could extend the paving to over the top of the hill just past Jupiter because of all the road-rut related accidents I had observed last winter in that section of road. They said no, it was not part of the 2016 paving and changes could not be made, but would look at the road again.

A week later they contacted me and said they could use road maintenance funds to fill the ruts and make the road safer for all drivers, especially all the young drivers at Service High School.

The ruts were paved this week. Thanks, DOT!

— Gerry Guay
Anchorage

The end is near

Stick a fork in it. The Trump Roast is done.
Trumpster's in the Dumpster.

Let's make history, Alaska, and vote for the first Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

— Ken Flynn
Anchorage

Media influence

Why is it that our media dwells so much on WikiLeaks and the "Russian influence" on our presidential election? It might just as well be Julian Assange acting alone, with no help from the Russians or anyone else.

There is rarely any media mention of George Soros and his huge financial support for Hillary Clinton's campaign. He is a billionaire socialist intent on the downfall of the United States as a world power. His support of Hillary is a foreign effort to further our demise.

ADVERTISEMENT

Could the reason for the media blitz also be the huge ownership of our media by Rupert Murdoch and other leftists routing for our downfall? Even Fox News, owned by Murdoch, appears to be more pro-Clinton in an effort to hurt Trump. All I can and will do is vote for Donald Trump and urge you to do the same. Alaska will support Trump, but heaven help us because of the outside 48.

— Tom Jordan
Sutton

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, emailletters@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 tocommentary@alaskadispatch.com.

ADVERTISEMENT