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Letters to the Editor

EPA decision harms tribal, rural communities

Lisa Finley DeVille, Mandaree The EPA’s decision to narrow the scope of the Clean Water Act is troubling, especially for communities like ours who live with the consequences of weakened water protections from oil and gas development. Wetlands are vital to our survival. They filter pollution before it reaches our rivers, reduce flooding, and sustain entire ecosystems and habitat for thousands of aquatic species and cultural plant life that our people have depended on for generations. Removing federal protections ignores the science and the reality on the ground, where every acre of ...

Random thoughts from 12 feet high

Jerry Ness, Nome Last month, I spent a weekend in Clay County, perched on a ladder stand, looking for an unfortunate Minnesota deer. A hyperactive squirrel entertained me as my mind rolled with disconnected thoughts. E.g, we know 80 percent of illegal drugs enter the US in vehicles through ports of entry. So should we position Sherman tanks and occasionally blast a Winnebago driven by a couple of senior citizens? Due process is clearly overrated. I thought about my life as a farm boy. When we sold cattle, we got what the market dictated. Now the convicted felon in the Oval Office ...

Fedorchak misses mark on health insurance

Vicki Voldal Rosenau, Valley City In her Nov. 20 column mocking the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Julie Fedorchak got one thing (and only one thing) right: “Clearly, we need an off ramp from these massive payouts to insurance companies.” But any changes she advocated would still leave the for-profit insurance monstrosity wielding life/death power over us all! Nothing would improve for worried consumers who are, indeed, “fed up with” the existing insurance-dictated scheme. Real reform necessarily means eliminating the root problem. That is: removing the stranglehold of ...

Good leaders refrain from too much poking

James Olson, Minot The best leaders are those the people hardly know exist; they become servants of their people. For only he who is the lowest servant of the kingdom is worthy of becoming its ruler. Good government is unobtrusive and this enables the people to become whole. It doesn’t interfere with the people unnecessarily.. “Governing a large country is like frying small fish. Too much poking spoils the meat.” – Lao Tzu (old master). Namaste.

Shutdown reinforces need for nest egg

Kevin Nelson, Minot My grandfather was born in 1883 and homesteaded near Makoti in 1912. In that era, farmers saved seed from the crop in order to plant the next year’s crop. Grandpa said that he always saved an extra bin so he could plant again if he had a crop failure.This may not have been a common practice, but having a “nest egg” to cover unforeseen events is a good idea. We never know when something unforeseen, and expensive, may occur and having something set aside to avoid having to borrow, or do without, is a good idea. The concept of a nest egg seems to be ...

Proud Americans, not terrorists, join rally

Jerry Ness, Nome After being told by House Speaker Mike Johnson that the crowd would consist of anti-American, Hamas supporting terrorists, we were filled with trepidation and concern. Our minds were filled with scenes of violence and debauchery. Maybe Central Avenue would be ablaze. Perhaps the bakery would be being looted by crazy people scooping up glazed doughnuts and long-johns. I had visions of farmers throwing soybeans at local law enforcement. Our hearts were filled with fear as we descended the hill past the Bubble. Imagine our surprise when we found a large, calm, and ...