Letters: Dec. 29, 2019

Pollution creates global warming

If Al Gore would have used the term “Global Pollution” instead of Global Warming, he would have had a much better reception. That is a term that people all over the world can relate to, especially if a large portion of your population are wearing surgical masks on the streets and their children are coughing, dying and developing expensive medical problems.

People can relate to children being kept inside at recess and acid rain on their cars and in the ocean, not to mention the plastics that our fish are eating.

If bigger tornados, hurricanes, floods and fires are introduced as a byproduct of the pollution, smog, smoke and exhaust from autos, trucks and airplanes, that people can visibly see and smell, they will be a whole lot more likely to do something about it.

When California had a smog problem, they did something about it. The rest of the world will too.

Just remember it is a pollution problem, and warming is just a byproduct.

Juvenile Court turned life around

Dear Benton-Franklin Counties Juvenile Justice Center:

I used to skip school any chance I got. I never wanted to go to school and learn anything. I would go there just to make my teachers lives hell because I didn’t like it there, so I wanted everyone to not like it too.

After I went to court for the last time, I had to talk to a lawyer. And he told me the next time I was there, I could go to jail, so I told myself I was never coming back there again because jail sucks. And that’s what I did. I haven’t been there for a long time now. I realized school is more fun if I’m there to learn what is going on in class.

My junior year I went from reading at a 5th grade level to reading at a college level. My teacher said I had the highest score she has ever seen and that made me feel good. I now love coming to school because of our Juvenile Court in Benton County. That’s why I wanted to thank everyone there for getting me on track to a better future.

Report it if you’re being stalked

January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Stalking is “a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.”

According to SPARC, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 17 men in the U.S. will experience stalking in their lifetime. Some examples of stalking behavior are: gathering information about the victim; showing up unexpectedly or hanging around the person’s home, school, or work; contacting by text, phone, or social media; sending or leaving cards or gifts. These behaviors may escalate to threats, vandalism or physical harm.

Responding to stalkers may increase their behavior. Victims may become anxious, depressed, develop eating or sleeping difficulties and miss work often. Stalking victims may tell a friend, relative or co-worker of their fear, so it is vital for all of us to be aware. While stalking is directed at a specific individual, stalkers may target others close to the primary victim.

Stalking is illegal in all 50 states. If you are being stalked, report it to law enforcement and tell your family, friends and coworkers. For more information, please call the Support, Advocacy & Resource Center. Advocates can help with reporting, safety planning, and counseling.

Republican Party: What happened?

What has happened to the Republican Party? Unlike in times of Nixon, who actually believed in institutions, Republican members of Congress and the Senate have gotten to an all-time low by putting party over country by protecting our unfit president by not only attacking the U.S. intelligence community and ignoring the testimony from loyal, lifelong American diplomats and from Trump-appointed Republican Ambassador Sondland, who witnessed and stated right in the transcript that the president was blackmailing a foreign government with millions of U.S. tax dollars so he could personally get dirt on his political adversary.

To make matters worse, they are now pandering that the Ukrainians were the ones responsible in hacking our 2016 elections. This ignores the extensive Mueller Report in Volume 1 and is based on no evidence. These Republicans are playing right into the hands of Putin, who can’t be underestimated and certainly not trusted and who this president can never say any wrong about. This seriously jeopardizes U.S. national security and our nation. The Russian government is not our friend, just like North Korea is not.

It is more than time to finally hold this president accountable for his unlawful behavior.

Kelley best guide to used car values

I am writing this letter to let the general public know about how some car dealers use some mickey mouse website to undermine the value of your car. Kelley Blue Book is the gold standard of used car values (trade-ins) and fair market prices.

Before you go car shopping, get a copy of a Kelley Blue Book quote and take it with you. You may be surprised to find out that the fair market value, (trade-in) is thousands, not hundreds more than they want you to believe.

If they were honest, they would use Kelley Blue Book. If they don’t, go somewhere else!

This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Dec. 29, 2019."