Readers write: Letters to the editor, December 10, 2016

Founding Fathers did right thing for all Americans

Your fine paper has gotten a touch too far to the left for my taste in recent years, but I found myself reading your opinions/letters to the editor section a few days ago regarding the Electoral College and felt compelled to offer my opinion. The wise, mature and thoughtful leaders of our great country felt it was necessary to establish a system that would minimize confusion and corruption. The system was modified a few times over the years but both parties virtually agree it is as good as it gets.

One could imagine in those early days that large population centers (Boston, for example) could easily decide the presidency and governing policy without considering the lifestyles, values and economic concerns of the rest of the nation. Fast forward a couple hundred years and imagine a close, important presidential race that could again be decided by a large population area. The color-coded map would clearly convey the will of the entire country as a whole, but California, for example, with all its economic challenges and make-believe standards could have pulled off exactly what our Founding Fathers tried to avoid.

I had to hold my nose when I voted, like many of my hard working associates, but I am much prouder of our country today than before the election and tip my hat to those white-haired dudes who had the tremendous knowledge of human nature and misplaced political power.

— Chuck Agate
Anchorage

Election is over; Trump won

As President Obama famously and arrogantly said to John McCain eight years ago: "I won, John. Elections have consequences." Well, folks, this election is over and Donald Trump won. I understand that his opponents are upset.

Conservatives were upset when Obama won, but there was not the continuing outcry we are hearing from this election's losing side. Please stop acting like sore losers.

I also understand that Hillary won the popular vote. That would always be the case if heavily populated, liberal sections of the country — East Coast, West Coast — were allowed to pick our president. Conservative states, areas, communities would simply not have a vote that counts. Hence, the Electoral College, very carefully and ingeniously put into place by our founding fathers.

Stop picking at the fabric of our Constitution and start showing a willingness to work for a wonderful, free country that needs to move forward.

— Carolyn Coller
Anchorage

John Glenn was my hero

I read with sadness about the passing of John Glenn. He was a Marine, an astronaut and a senator, but to me he was a hero. When he became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth in 1962, I was in junior high school on the far west side of Cleveland. He was someone I looked up to as being upstanding, courageous and a great American.

I was also a Boy Scout and, in 1964, I was lucky enough to attend the Boy Scout National Jamboree at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The Cleveland Council of the Boy Scouts organized a provisional troop of about 60 boys and adult leaders to attend the jamboree. This troop was subdivided into patrols, of which I was one of the patrol leaders. In honor of our hero, we named our patrol the John Glenn Patrol and I made a patrol flag that showed the space capsule, Freedom 7, returning to Earth. I still have that flag. Shortly after the Jamboree ended, I was an usher at a Boy Scout ceremony at which John Glenn was the speaker. In appreciation of our service, all of us ushers received a program for the ceremony that John Glenn had signed. I still have that program too.

During the uncertain days when the threat of world communism and nuclear war were major concerns to Americans, it was good to have John Glenn, a hero, representing everything that was positive about the United States.

— Christopher Roe
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.