LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editorial Board’s double standard
The following is a response to “Repeated Republican lying about 2020 election puts democracy at risk.”
It’s interesting though not surprising for the USA TODAY Network-Wisconsin editorial board to write that when a Republican, Donald Trump, questions an election, it’s a threat to democracy. But, if a Democrat does the same thing, it’s A-OK.
How many times did we hear Hillary Clinton state that Trump was an “illegitimate president?”
Too many times to count.
Here is a quote from Clinton from 2019:
“I believe he (Donald Trump) understands that the many varying tactics they used, from voter suppression and voter purging to hacking to the false stories — he knows that — there were just a bunch of different reasons why the election turned out like it did.”
That sure sounds like Clinton is questioning the integrity of the 2016 election. And, she did it repeatedly. Why wasn’t that a threat to democracy?
Also after that same 2016 election, seven Democratic House members objected to the election results in seven states. Sheila Jackson, D-Texas, objected to the votes in four states, including Wisconsin. Reasons cited were faulty voting machines and massive voter suppression.
Or, how about Stacey Abrams? To my knowledge, she still hasn’t conceded. Here’s the headline to a story in the April 28, 2019 New York Times Magazine about Abrams, “Why Stacey Abrams is still saying she won.”
Seems that would constitute an assault on the integrity of that election. Why isn’t that also considered a threat to democracy?
Could this be a double standard?
Timothy Hennig
Pewaukee
Sen. Johnson derelict on COVID
Sen. Ronald Johnson, R-Wis., should be sued for public health malpractice.
When the COVID epidemic unfolded, what did Sen. Johnson do?
He chose to grasp at therapies that didn’t have any positive effect (hydroxychloroquine). He chose to be contrary to each and every public health strategy we had available.
He chose to peddle ivermectin and mouthwash, while all along not elevating our most powerful strategy for the public’s health: vaccines.
Sen. Johnson has chosen not to work with science and public health leaders of Wisconsin. He has chosen to generate misinformation and disinformation.
It is my opinion that a public health law firm from Wisconsin should sue Sen. Johnson for public health malpractice.
Malpractice involves four elements:
• Duty of care (to the public).
• Dereliction of duty.
• Direct cause of injury (to the public’s health).
• Damages: The economic and noneconomic losses suffered. (Read: how many unvaccinated patients in our ICUs were following the senator’s advice)
It is clear to this writer that he may have violated all four elements of malpractice.
Sen. Johnson does not possess any known medical or public health credentials or expertise. He should be sued for public health malpractice.
Steve Hargarten, MD, MPH
Comparing Mueller and Gableman
This is in response to Jim Klement’s Dec. 26 Ideas Lab letter headlined: “What About the Mueller Investigation.” He compared wasted tax dollars then as compared to the Gableman “investigation” now.
On one hand you have a respectable, honest and thorough investigation versus a judge who admits he knows nothing how elections work and confers with conspiracy theorists rather than election experts.
If you want to use the Mueller investigation as a point of comparison, total up the wasted dollars spent nationally by the so-called stolen election. Add up the cost of all the recounts, court cases, lawyers, investigators, poll workers done in the disputed states of Arizona,
Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Millions were spent and turned up nothing of substance.
And yet we continue to waste more money. The Gableman “investigation” is to please Trump, to keep the base fired up at taxpayer expense and to find new ways to skew elections in the favor of Republicans.
There is no real search for honest and fair elections.
David Stagg
West Allis
Clean up Milwaukee!
Has anyone else noticed how the sides of the roads throughout Milwaukee County on the interstate highways are covered in garbage and debris?
I have written this same letter in the past because it is embarrassing that our city looks so awful.
I travel across the country several times a year. There is no large city that I travel through where we see this kind of garbage lining the highways. I love Milwaukee and right now in my travels I am learning that it’s getting a bad rap for the level of crime.
Who is responsible? The state? The federal government? I understand all the cutbacks but for years, this is how Milwaukee looks. Even though he’s on the way out, I would think Tom Barrett would want to make sure that garbage was cleaned up on a regular schedule so that our city was beautiful. Not only for us locals but for the people passing through.
Donna Lee Milwaukee
Consider environmental choices
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an excellent article (“Midwest rainfall poisons the Gulf,” Dec 13) on the negative ecological consequence of excess nitrate fertilization in agriculture. Excess nitrates create dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, feed the algae in our lakes, and add unhealthy amounts of nitrates to our drinking water.
The article failed to identify the root cause of the problem, which is our lifestyle choices.
Field corn is the largest crop grown in the United States. It is grown for both the kernels and silage made from the rest of the above-ground plant parts. About one-third of the kernel crop is used for livestock feed, with ethanol production a close second. The silage is used for livestock feed.
When you choose to eat meat products, you provide motivation for farmers and ranchers to raise more animals. This raises the demand for field corn.
There are additional downsides to meat production. Cattle ranches in the Western states require enormous amounts of water. Rivers, reservoirs, and aquifers are becoming perilously low. Cattle are major contributors to methane gas in our atmosphere and methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Many believe that a meat-heavy diet is not healthy.
Your driving habits and preferences affect the use of nitrate fertilizers because corn is used to make the ethanol additives for gasoline. Try to plan your travels to minimize mileage, drive within speed limits and avoid driving gasguzzling vehicles.
Lawns are another source of nitrate runoff. Do you really need the greenest lawn on your block?
I urge all to reconsider your choices that impact nitrate fertilizer use and its consequences. Eat less meat, drive wisely, and settle for a less lush lawn.
Wally Marks
Greendale