Speak Out is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you there’s something you’d like to comment on, send an email to ksorensen@tribpub.com. Please include “speak out” in the subject line.
Pay your debt: There are 26 million applicants now waiting for a Supreme Court decision on student loan forgiveness. Those payments have been suspended for three years and it’s probably safe to guess most have not even tried to make payments on these loans. We still have over 11 million unfilled jobs in this country. Instead of expecting working taxpayers to pick up the tab, get a job and, if that’s not enough, like millions before you did, get a second job.
Fasten your seatbelt: Donald Trump’s latest gimmick in his reelection dream is to say that a vote for him is our best hope yet for redemption. The obvious follow-up question is “from what?” The unemployment rate is at its lowest in years, the COVID pandemic Trump labelled a “hoax” is mostly behind us and Joe Biden has never once embraced an insurrection or easy access to assault weapons. Is it any wonder that the “Trump the Redemptor” bandwagon is finding the 2024 campaign trail a very bumpy road.
He’s gotta go: Our president needs to step down! He will not do anything about the Mexican cartels at the border and now they’re killing Americans. He didn’t inherit the problem, he created it. Our country is spending over $182 billion on illegal immigrants as they get free health care paid by us, the American taxpayer, and hotel rooms to live in while our people are sleeping on sidewalks. When will it be enough for you? Vote him out if you love our country that he is ruining.
Uprising misrepresented: Tucker Carlson’s recent videos of the Jan. 6 insurrection were video clips purposely selected to mislead the viewer from seeing what was a violent mob by showing only calm activity or minor disturbances. Obviously the importance of the insurrection is about the violent attempt to overrun the Capitol and those participants who were responsible. McCarthy was well aware as to what Tucker would be doing with the video footage! The resulting footage is an insult to the American public with such a dishonest intent to cover up the seriousness.
Missing good movies: What happened to the movie industry? The movies today are full of violence, too much heavy sexual scenes. What happened to movies with a story or a good plot? The actors and actresses of yesteryear were professionals who knew how to play a character and portray a story.
Drug cartel war: Sen. Lindsey Graham, never at a loss for words or swell ideas, thinks it’d be terrific if the United States crossed over the border and started a war with the drug cartels. But what if Mexico decided to rid us of our felons — do you really think that turnabout would be considered fair play in the hallowed halls of Congress?
Train crash politics: I don’t like what I hear in reference to East Palestine, Ohio, the town that had such a terrible, horrible train accident. There’s no question this town is 100% red when it comes to voting, therefore both parties have used the train accident as a political football. Regardless of their political viewpoints, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was slow at going to Ohio to help the people. Former President Donald Trump had no problem getting there with his MAGA and water. Playing politics with people’s lives is just flat-out wrong.
Freedom of expression: Some of the public has shown a dislike of drag shows and want laws to stop them. But there are also many people with different opinions who attend these shows and support them. As Americans, we should support freedom of expression for them as we would for any other group. Are we to put laws in place for groups we don’t approve of just because it doesn’t match our own standards? Political partiess have freedom of expression, should we disallow them?
Easy choice: It’s popular these days to see rankings of American presidents and while it’s debatable who’s our greatest, it’s not all that difficult identifying our worst. Donald Trump is the only chief executive to be impeached twice as well as the first to call for an insurrection before leaving office. What’s more, by calling the COVID pandemic a “hoax,” he is a co-conspirator in the suffering and deaths of countless citizens. Any questions?
Dilbert decision wrong: Dropping “Dilbert,” the most thoughtful cartoon, because of racist remarks made by its creator puzzles me. I’ve reviewed “Dilbert” cartoons from recent editions and find nothing racist. The Tribune Co. has become a typical, intolerant, woke, leftist news source, allowing no diversity of thought or opinion. I’ll get my daily dose of “Dilbert” humor online, and find my news elsewhere.
Voters will decide: Regarding President Biden’s bid for reelection in 2024, the question brought up is: is he too old? Well, age doesn’t really matter. A person who’s 83 could be just as sharp as someone who’s 21. The real question is does he have all of his marbles intact? And that’s a question the voters will have to decide for themselves.
