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Letters to the Editor

Give and Take of Our Freedoms

Editor, News-Register: I recently read a Letter to the Editor in which the writer insisted that the rights granted to the people of the United States were given by God and that these God-given rights could not be taken away from us. I prefer to give credit to people such as George Washington who led the troops to defeat the British, to Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and to James Madison, the writer of the Bill of Rights. Without our Constitution and Bill of Rights, we have no guaranteed rights. If our rights are given by God, what about the rights of the ...

A ‘Wonderful,’ Nonsensical War

Editor, News-Register: A very bloody war — without purpose — is being waged in Ukraine. Just consider the toll this nonsensical war is having: - At least 20 thousand dead. - Tens of thousands injured. - 15 million homes destroyed. - 40 percent of Ukraine’s infrastructure destroyed. - Russia’s economy in severe depression. - Fuel prices soaring and seemingly out of control. - The U.S. suffering its worst inflation in 50 years. - Worldwide food supply threatened. - Nuclear war (that would kill hundreds of millions) is being bandied about like this is just a bar ...

Regulate Guns Like Automobiles

Editor, News-Register: The 2nd Amendment enshrines gun ownership, nevertheless, gun usage can and should be regulated, to preserve our safety and security. We need laws to regulate gun use like automobile use is regulated: - License gun owners for usage only after they pass periodic safety tests. - Require periodic inspection of licensed people’s arsenals to enforce modification prohibitions (like smog checks on automobiles). - Require gun users to carry insurance for damage done by their guns. - Maintain and enforce background check databases to restrict guns from criminals, ...

Provide for Wheeling’s Homeless

Editor, News-Register: If the city of Wheeling wants to get rid of the homeless encampments, they need to have, free of charge, a 24-hour place for all homeless residents to live. The city has enough money to do it. Rent is so high that people don’t have many other options right now, and it’s not going to get better anytime soon. It makes no sense that the city and the state shut down homeless encampments and then don’t want to give those displaced people a place to go. Marsha Blum Wheeling

Managing High Energy Costs

Editor, News-Register: AEP has requested yet another rate increase from the Public Service Commission (PSC), this time for another $18/month. (This follows an increase of 150% in rate hikes we have been paying over the past 15 years.) One question for AEP is: Were all options considered before requesting the hike? For instance, along with coal, were other power and efficiency systems considered in the mix? If so, which combinations showed the best returns on investments? Were there options that did not necessitate this rate hike, and where can we access this comparative ...

Pursue Viable Energy Options

Editor, News-Register: The current spike in gasoline prices should serve as a reminder of the stranglehold oil markets have on our economy. This is not a simple problem that can be solved quickly, it’s farcical when people suggest we just “stop using oil.” Energy availability is critical to every economic concern from industrial production to air conditioning to travel. Why then the strange political opposition to developing every reasonable source of alternative energy that we can think of? Energy sources other than hydrocarbon fuels will be the future, we can be the ...