Letters to the Editor: Bloomberg won’t purchase the 2020 election

Letters to the Editor
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Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg shakes hands with supporters during a rally at Alabama State University student center in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020.

We have for decades incrementally increased the cost to “serve” our country in an elected position. 

Thinking about this for a while, I believe it appears to coincide with the rise of the establishment political elites in both parties.  It’s one of the reasons I advocate term limits. 

The rise of technological advances has allowed access to knowledge.  It also has created opportunities for the wealthy to have an impact on elections via PACs, individual donations and other financial support. 

Nothing recently has been as blatant “buying” an election as evidenced in Mr. Bloomberg’s willingness to spend a fraction of his vast fortune to pull the wool over our “deplorable” eyes. 

This is why he will be unsuccessful.  Like the vast majority of coastal elites, he actually believes the rest of us are too stupid (not ignorant) to see through the verbiage and make our own decisions. 

One thing non-coastal citizens understand is that we are being treated as children and we know when out votes are being bought.  We tend to rebel against being told to vote for.  Remember we all have access to knowledge, no matter where we reside.

Teri Baker 


Antibiotics are bring overprescribed to patients

Recently, The Journal of the American Medical Association published a review of the most significant articles on medical overuse. One of the articles confirmed what I had come to suspect based on my experiences with patients in Montgomery: urgent cares inappropriately prescribe antibiotics at alarming rates -- giving them to almost half of patients with respiratory illnesses that do not respond to them.

Overprescribing presents a danger to both individual patients and the population as a whole. It unduly exposes individual patients to adverse drug reactions and accelerates antibiotic resistance in microorganisms, ultimately resulting in gratuitous deaths from infection. Already, the CDC estimates that antibiotic resistance causes 23,000 deaths annually.

Urgent cares value speed and efficiency; they do not want patients waiting more than a few minutes to see the clinician. Consequently, rather than take extra time to explain to patients who expect antibiotics why they do not need them, the clinician prescribes the desired medication and moves to the next patient.  Additionally, urgent care clinicians fear that withholding a medication that a patient believes they need will leave the patient dissatisfied with their care, prompting them to go elsewhere the next time they require medical services.

While the nature of urgent care facilitates overprescribing antibiotics, it is unclear what can and should be done to address this problem. Unfortunately, as with many of the problems in healthcare, no quick, easy, or satisfying fix readily presents itself. However, an awareness and characterization of the problem is always a decent place to start. 

Michael Tanael, M.D.


Could Trump win both popular and electoral vote? 

In the 2000 Presidential election, George W. Bush lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote. 

In the 2004 election, he won both the popular and electoral vote. 

It is possible that Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote in 2016, will win both the popular and electoral vote in 2020? 

Most presidents win reelection because of the inertia of incumbency.  The Democrats hope to take the 2020 election by attracting the votes of women, blacks and Hispanics. 

Another factor is that Trump would be running for re-election after his impeachment trial.

The biggest factor might be the economy.  It should be an interesting election year.      

Daniel Haulman


Tax payers forced to subsidize goals of tax exempt

In reply to the “Can we return to God's way?” letter by Mac McGee:  Thanks for warning about the downward spiral toward atheistic socialism.

Most people don’t realize government forces tax-payers to subsidize goals of tax-exempt organizations!  Donors include donations as itemized deductions, reducing both personal taxes and government’s revenue.  Government then forces other tax-payers to replace its lost revenue from tax-exempt organizations.

For example, atheists finance “pro-abortion,” tax-exempt organizations.  Government forces Christian “pro-life” tax payers to replace lost government taxes and revenue.  That violates First Amendment freedom of religion!

Will your representative vote to continue government abuse of power?

Joe Boyett


Another example of celebrity going unpunished

On June 12, 1994, two people were brutally murdered in Los Angeles California. A celebrity was charged with committing these homicides.

At the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that overwhelmingly and irrefutably proved the celebrity's guilt.

After a very lengthy hearing the jury, who were prejudiced against the Los Angeles justice system, let the celebrity go.

This emboldened the celebrity and in 2007 he went on to commit another crime in Las Vegas Nevada. This time the jury found him guilty.

The celebrity wound up serving 9 years of a 33 year sentence.

On December 18, 2019, a celebrity was charged with abuse of power (soliciting foreign interference in a presidential election) and obstruction of the Congress of the United States of America.


Unfortunately, the majority of jurors were prejudiced against the Democratic prosecution.

They also disallowed witnesses to be heard. So, it was no surprise when they let the celebrity go. 

You can rest assured this celebrity is now emboldened to go forth and commit more crimes.

Ron Yeomans


Trump impeachment should have used secret ballot

The vote by Senate Republicans to acquit Trump was based purely on fear of retaliation from Trump, other Republicans and their constituency, not on facts, truth or charges.

If it had been by secret ballot, I feel Trump would have been convicted. Why wasn’t it?

The Constitution says only that a decision to convict will be by vote, but does not specify what kind of vote.

Trump has succeeded in establishing a cult following, a dictator-like mesmerizing of white supremacists and a gullible electorate. How can a man like Trump with no morals, no integrity, no honor be elected president of the United States. I'll never figure that one out.

Cristy Herndon


What does Romney's impeachment vote mean? 

President Trump’s impeachment spectacle is over, but let’s consider the controversial vote from Sen. Mitt Romney (R) that the president was guilty of abuse of power -- the lone party defection. 

It is clear that these proceedings were hyper-partisan and there was more showmanship than substance to the whole process.  Perhaps the clearest summary of the situation came from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) of Tennessee.  Senator Alexander’s message was that Trump did use his position to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, it was an abuse of power, Trump should not have done it, but it is not an offense that rises to the level of “high crimes and misdemeanors” for impeachment. 

So, President Trump did something wrong, but the decision to keep him in office should be left to the voting public in November.  The lesson President Trump should walk away with is that he cannot use his presidential power willy-nilly.  The world is watching him, and he needs to set an example befitting the most powerful office on earth. 

By all accounts, though, President Trump sees nothing wrong with his actions.  This is why Mitt Romney’s guilty vote matters.  His lone break from the party line (knowing full well Trump would be acquitted) is perhaps the clearest message to the president that he needs to wield his power wisely and be a better role model for the world.  Or maybe Mitt Romney is just a wild card.

Douglas Ray Jensen


Trump fired witness in retribution

Alabama Republicans like to tell us how patriotic and religious they are. All the candidates running for congress (both houses) seem to be in a contest to see who can kiss up to Trump the most.

So, maybe these candidates can tell us if they support Trump's firing a highly decorated, combat wounded officer in retribution because that officer told the truth? Draft dodger Trump not only fired LTC Vindman, he ordered him to be escorted from the White House.

Trump spoke at the so-called National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. It was a poorly disguised campaign rally for Trump, where he told countless lies and insulted Christians. Does this bother "evangelicals" and other Trump supporters?

As I watched some of Trump's performance at the breakfast, I was reminded of Jesus cleansing the Temple with whips. He said the religious right (Pharisees) had made the Temple into a den of thieves. The Pharisees were the "spiritual ancestors" of the Trump supporting "evangelicals."

Carl L. Hess


Sen. Doug Jones has character, integrity

I’m truly hopeful that you folks realize what a treasure you have in Sen. Doug Jones. His vote in the impeachment trial proves that he is a man of character and integrity, with a backbone of steel. 

He and Mitt Romney chose to do the right thing and stand up for our country. He is to be congratulated, not vilified.

I’d be most happy if we had him as a senator here in North Carolina instead of the two horrid ones who embarrass us daily. Be proud that you have a man of honor representing you.

Bill Cole

Greensboro, NC

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