Letters to the Editor

Readers write: Letters to the editor, February 17, 2017

Grab Gorsuch while you can

When the Republicans refused to consider Judge Garland, primarily to show "in your face" to the Democrats, I was disappointed. My amateur research indicated that he was as middle-of-the-road as a Demo appointee could be expected to be. Also, I was worried that, if Hillary won, her appointee could easily be a super-liberal. Better the devil you know than the one you don't.

Now we have the Repubs offering Judge Gorsuch. His background seems to be pretty well on the center line, with leanings to the right — as expected. Plus, he's actually intelligent and well-spoken. It would be a shame if his approval were blocked by the Dems in revenge for Garland. After all, Gorsuch is the first Trump appointee who is actually qualified for the job, and if he is blocked from the Supreme Court, Trump's next candidate may turn out to be the Grand Dragon of the KKK.

I would tell the Senate, grab a good man while you've got him — there don't seem to be many hanging around Washington these days! Are you listening, Lisa and Dan?

— Don Neal
Anchorage

Trump Cabinet nominations

Nine years ago, we were outraged when Wall Street executives made millions of dollars in salaries and bonuses while the institutions they ran collapsed beneath them and millions of Americans saw the value of their retirement accounts vanish into thin air. Now, President Trump, who denounced Wall Street elites during his campaign and promised to support America's working class, is placing those very same Wall Street executives into key positions in his administration, including for secretary of treasury. In only his second week in office, he has also signed an executive order to undo regulations that were meant to protect us from Wall Street's greed. Among other things, the executive order reverses a policy that required brokers to act on the best interest of their clients when providing advice on retirement accounts. The reversal of such policies opens the door to the same Wall Street practices that nearly drove our economy to ruin less than 10 years ago.

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— Andy Durny
Fairbanks

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.

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