Seniors matter (No, they really do)
We who live in the seventh Congressional District will be having a special election on May 12th, due to the abrupt resignation of our sitting Congressman last fall. Normally this would not be an issue as the Seventh District is heavily gerrymandered guaranteeing Republican candidates an easy victory as has happened repeatedly in the past. That said, there is an issue that has raised its ugly head with the advent of the COVID19 pandemic.
Simply put, it is the position that several Republicans are taking that loss of life, specifically senior citizens, may be necessary to save the economy. One of the first was Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin who said we should not shut down the economy because up to 3.4% of the population might die. I am not sure that he equated it to 8 to 12 Million Americans dying.
Next the Republican Lt. Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, said, and I quote, “there are things worse than dying” and people should gladly sacrifice their lives for the economy.
Then there is Republican Representative Trey Hollingsworth who said, and again I quote, “Letting people die is the lesser of two evils.”
Several other prominent Republicans have alluded to similar things and you can easily find them by doing a Google search.
This approach certainly puts money ahead of lives and could be the start of a slippery slope when it comes to seniors’ welfare. It is hard to hear these comments coming from members of the “pro-life party”!
Sadly I have heard no Republicans condemn these comments up to and including the President. This should concern you whatever your age!
Now if you are over sixty and living in the Seventh District, you might want to think about this long and hard before you cast your ballot. I am seventy-seven and my wife is seventy-five and we freely admit that most of our lives are behind us, but we are fairly healthy and still have things on our bucket list that we would like to do. Until now I have thought that most people valued my life equally to everyone else. Now I feel that there are people that do not feel this way and I am shaken by what I am hearing regarding this issue.
We face a serious problem with our economy—no doubt—but to value it over human life is just not acceptable! Please think about yourself and your loved ones before voting on May 12th, and stay safe!
Walter B. Hobbs
Tomahawk
Major changes cannot be fairly considered
I am writing in response to the letter from Diana C. Smith in the April 22, 2020 issue of the Leader.
Once again, we are confronted with efforts to make fundamental changes to the United States way of life. The Utopian ideas fostered in this writer’s letter are like a child sitting on Santa’s knee asking for a pony while the family is living in an apartment building.
While reading the proposals, one is reminded of Rahm Emanuel, former Chief of Staff to President Obama and former Mayor of Chicago, who proclaimed so confidently: “Never let a crisis go to waste.” We are in a real crisis, both health-wise and economically. To introduce such radical changes to our way of life at this time is, at best, irresponsible, and, at worst, invidious.
Many of these ideas have been discussed in the political arena but they also need to be discussed by the electorate. After sober, impassioned debate, if a consensus can be reached, then we should move forward, but now is not the time to seek any sort of consensus. We are worried and we are divided. Major changes to our way of life cannot be fairly considered.
Bernard J. Lyngdal
Tomahawk
Do you like your water?
Did you see the segment on Channel 12 had on the news talking about the water quality of the fifty states we have?
They ranked the states by what the states were doing to protect the quality of their water, by passing laws or denying permits that affect their water. Texas and Louisiana were at the bottom of the list last year as both of those states drill for gas and oil, affecting water quality.
This year Wisconsin is on the very bottom, going below Texas and Louisiana.
Tiffany is pro mining and hasn’t taken care of our water. Tiffany also opposed protections for pre-existing conditions (River News Online 2/16/20). Tiffany also voted against bipartisan business bill (WJFW 3/17/20, HR6201, 2020).
Tom Tiffany is bad for Wisconsin. We need people in Congress looking out for Wisconsinites, doesn’t matter, Republican or Democrat. We can live without oil. We can’t live without water.
Alan Dean
Tomahawk
Vote for Tricia Zunker on May 12th
NOTE: This is a paid political letter of endorsement, per Tomahawk Leader policy.
Dear Editor,
We are writing to endorse Tricia Zunker for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. Zunker cares about working people, seniors, children, and families in Northern Wisconsin. She will fight for us in Congress.
She cares about our schools, and is a member of the Wausau School District school board. She is an associate justice on the Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court, and cares about protecting our beautiful Northwoods environment. She comes from a farm family, and will fight for our local farmers, supporting fair markets, enforcing trade agreements, and providing access to timely loans, ending predatory lending practices.
Tricia Zunker supports affordable medical care for all citizens that want it. She will work to ensure access to quality, affordable, health insurance and affordable drugs. No citizen should die or go bankrupt because they cannot pay for basic healthcare.
Her opponent, Tom Tiffany, has proven himself to be a supporter of wealthy special interests, NOT the working middle class. Tiffany serves the special interests of big mining companies. He is willing to allow the degradation of our beautiful Northwoods environment, and sell out our water interests to benefit his privelidged and elite backers.
Tiffany’s voting record speaks for itself. He is against requiring mining companies to show a track record of protecting water quality before they are granted permits. He voted to drop state protection for wetlands, which will lead to more flooding and loss of wildlife habitat. He pushed to eliminate the Science Bureau at the DNR, specifically targeting staff who spoke out about climate change. He voted to curtail voting rights, and early voting.
The choice is clear. Vote Tricia Zunker on May 12th. The future of our beautiful Northwoods depends upon it.
Dan and Linda Jerzak
Tomahawk