Letters: American ideals, judge ideology, waste treatment | Feb. 21

American ideals headed to the trash

Most political views deserve respect. If you don’t like Obamacare, Hillary Clinton, or what you perceive as the evils of socialism (or worse), I understand.

But what about those who spit on truth, democracy, integrity, science, the Rule of Law, civility and the Constitution? What do I say to those who worship a Mob Boss who bullies and seeks retribution against any citizen or whistleblower who has the courage to tell the truth? Millions of Americans have died in wars throughout our brief history to stand against tyranny. Did they sacrifice for nothing?

What do I say to people who cheer from the sidelines as American ideals are thrown in the trash can? Am I supposed to remain silent while democracy is overthrown from within?

Adolf Hitler came to power legally, assisted by the German elite – many from Germany’s military industrial complex. “Germany First,” they chanted. “Make Germany Great Again.” In the short term, the U.S. is fully employed. In the long term, annual deficits exceed a trillion dollars per year, as far as the eye can see, with 0 percent interest rates. They spell Trump’s re-election in the short term and U.S. economic destruction in the long term.

Pendulum headed where it belongs

I am writing in response to Theresa Bergsman’s well written letter in Sunday’s opinion section.

As an engineer, I agree with most of her letter and, especially, that all sides need to “turn down the dial.” However, I disagree with the premise of her statement, “Judges are being selected based on ideology rather than experience and qualifications.”

As she notes, “Our constitutional system with its three independent branches of government was designed to maintain stability.” The problem with the judiciary is that too many past judges have been ideologically driven to create new “laws” and “rights” that were the sole prerogative of Congress to create. The current administration is appointing judges who will uphold that separation of power by judging based on the Constitution and on properly enacted laws.

To use an engineering analogy, the pendulum has swung too far to the left and the current administration is attempting to bring that pendulum back to the center where it belongs.

Waste treatment article spot on

In the Nov. 13 Herald in the Opinion section, Gary Petersen pointed out the ways to treat Hanford wasted right now and save billions of taxpayer dollars. It was spot on the money. For every argument for the vit plant, there are at least five better ways. The vit plant will never run as it is now designed. It was like Obamacare; it was dead on arrival of implementing it. However, the state and federal politicians will not stand up against it.

This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: American ideals, judge ideology, waste treatment | Feb. 21."