Letters to the Editor for February 15, 2020

Impeachment trial was ‘disgusting’

The so-called “Senate impeachment trial” was totally disgusting. These gutless senators decided to side with Trump, even though they took an oath to be “fair and impartial.” Instead of holding Trump accountable for his actions, they ignored the evidence and testimonials, and gave him free rein to do whatever he wants. Then why vote, if he’s only going to rig another election?

I give Sen. Romney credit for having a conscience and voting to hold this president accountable. The rest of these senators allowed themselves to be bullied and intimidated into submission. It’s scary to see how this “Tyrant-In-Chief” shows how he will get even with those who cross him. He’s already fired two patriots and there will be more, like he says, he’s going to “clean house.”

As our country’s leader, he should get back to running the country instead of going to every caucus boasting about how he got off the hook. Heaven help us if he gets in for another four years.

Patricia Thomas

Carson City

Trump’s talking points

Guy Farmer said he is not a fan of Trump yet lists Trump’s talking points.

Farmer failed to acknowledge our current economy is an extension of the one started under Obama (and in some ways not as strong) and is in its 11th year without a recession, 1.5 million more jobs were created during the last three years of the Obama administration vs. the first three years of the Trump administration, wage growth was higher under Obama, GDP is slightly higher under Trump but not as high as under Clinton, Carter, Johnson or Kennedy.

The cost of Trump’s trade war includes an eight-year high number of bankruptcies in farming, $16 billion in subsidies to farmers and will cost the average family an additional $1,277 this year, per the CBO.

At Davos, Switzerland Trump stated he wanted to cut entitlement programs because our economy is doing so well. If re-elected Trump will try; his current budget proposal calls for cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and student loans.

The Mueller Report found Trump and his campaign were aware that Russia wanted to help him and they encouraged that help, supplying internal polling data to a person linked to a Russian oligarch. Trump illegally held up congressionally-appropriated aid to Ukraine (an ally) who is in a hot war with Russia to get Ukraine to help him in the 2020 election. Violations of fundamental principles of our republic, rule of law and the holding of free and fair elections.

Irene Rice

Gardnerville

Support Patricia Ackerman for Congress

Dear Nevada Appeal readers, if you haven’t heard or seen the advertising on the various forms of media, the United States has entered the “funny time of the year.”

What do I mean by this? Every two or four years various political folks come out of the woodwork to tell you and try to convince you that only they have a better way to run this country.

I first voted when I turned 18, almost 58 years ago. This translates to me having voted a lot. I have over the years for the most part made some pretty good choices but there is one thing for sure, I have yet to see a politician make our country a better place. From my perspective it seems mostly to be about power and control and he who has the most dollars has the most power and control. Can you say Trump?

Folks in Northern Nevada’s Congressional District 2 have been poorly represented, this is an understatement by no stretch. District 2 encompasses the northern third of the state with a population of over 700,000 inhabitants or almost one quarter of the entire state population. District 2 desperately needs a new representative and the ideal person to fill this void is Patricia Ackerman.

What is Patricia Ackerman’s platform and why is she the best candidate to beat Mark Amodei? First and perhaps foremost she is not a “yes” person, and when appropriate she will vote on what she believes is best for Nevada. To be specific, she will fight for an affordable healthcare system, support a workable education system for our children, protect public lands, support legislation that will ensure clean, renewable energy and the jobs that come with it, women’s rights, equality not based on race, religion, class or gender. To fight diligently for an increase in the living wage where it should be in 2020, to fight for our labor workers, and lastly but perhaps the most important, to get dark money out of politics and our elections. This is why I believe Patricia to be the best candidate to get the job done.

Please email her at patricia@ackerman4congress.com

Joel Flamenbaum

Carson City

Trump’s world

Donald Trump is the greatest president in American history. He is adored and revered by all the leaders of the world. He built the greatest and strongest wall on our southern border that Mexico paid every penny for. He created the best healthcare system in the world making our life expectancy the longest of all countries. He built the most fantastic infrastructure with the best roads and bridges in the world. He made American schools the greatest and the envy of the world over. He cleaned up the environment producing the purest air and most pristine water the world has ever seen. He made the economy grow at the fastest and most unbelievable rate ever. He raised taxes on the wealthy and protected social programs that helped people like nothing else in American history. He is surely the greatest and very stable genius in the world.

NOT!

Vince Agamennone

Carson City

Koble would have voted for H.R. 844

Once again, our Congressman Mark Amodei has voted against the best interests of his constituents.

As a Medicare recipient with a chronic disease, I’m well aware of the high costs of prescription drugs. Next to the total spent by private health plans, Medicare is the nation’s largest payer for prescription medications.

The House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 844, a bill which would require the Medicare system to negotiate prices for insulin and at least 25 other drugs for which no generics exist. The bill would be a huge step in reducing Medicare expenses and impose a ceiling on Medicare Part D enrollees’ out-of-pocket maximum drug costs.

This is an important and necessary piece of legislation. And three members of Nevada’s House delegation agreed and voted “aye.” The notable exception was Northern Nevada’s Amodei. Again, Amodei sided with a special interest, Big Pharma, against his constituents who would have benefited from this bill.

Clint Koble is running in the Democratic primary in CD 2 to unseat Amodei. A fiscally responsible man, Koble would have voted in favor of this important legislation.

Joyce Newman

Carson City

Gooses and ganders

Last week, once again our favorite ultra lefty liberal came out spewing his extreme hatred toward capitalism, billionaires, millionaires, Trump and any other wealthy person who has more money than he. Even when his ilk in Congress has totally ignored due process in the U.S. Constitution with their one-party impeachment of POTUS. Ignoring the rule, “innocent until proven guilty.” Isn’t it the opposite way around?

This by their statement, “Trump can come in front of the committee and prove his innocence.” The whole impeachment would be thrown out by the SCOTUS for numerous constitutional violations if it even got that far, but the U.S. Senate stopped Congress’ idiocy with their own one-party acquittal.

Maybe Biden should go before the committee and prove his innocence. Even with videotaped proof of his guilt where he admitted he withheld money to quash the investigation on his son. Common sense is a rarity among some, but Biden’s guilt stands out like a sore thumb.

Remember my ultra lefty liberal friends, what’s good for the goose, is also good for the gander.

George Gerlach

Gardnerville

Plenty of wizards to go around

Contrary to Vern Payette’s claim in his letter (Feb. 12), all of the economic indicators are not better than they have been for decades. Here are two significant ones which are not. Our national debt has increased by trillions of dollars during Trump’s reign. Our employment rate, which is the portion of all able persons who have work, has yet to reach where it was back in 2000. Evidently Payette is aware of only those indicators which have done better. I don’t blame him for this. He simply swallows what the Trump administration chooses to broadcast, and which our supine media happily parrot.

To answer Payette’s question, I don’t hate President Trump. I admire him. He’s a wizard, a master of illusions, a grand master even. In addition to the economy illusion, there’s the peace in the Middle East illusion, The Wall illusion, and the “perfect telephone conversation” illusion among others. Like many another grand wizard Trump shows us, much to our disadvantage, only what he knows we want to see.

I can’t blame him for this though. He has ample precedent, and much company. Our Year of the Wizard has just begun. We find ourselves besieged by wizards offering comforting illusions: Medicare for all, “free” college education, guaranteed basic income, billionaires spending only their only money, busily “not buying election.” We must take care not to swallow their medicine, the same way we must not swallow Trump’s.

Michael Goldeen

Carson City