Letters to the Editor: Trump announced, and the media are already failing like it’s 2016!
Thursday
Sep 29, 2017 at 11:55 AM
I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwest Illinois. I was born and raised there. My parents and grandparents have served four successive terms as members of the Illinois House of Representatives. My father served as a city commissioner and was elected to the Illinois Senate as well. My mother was elected to the state house twice.
I attended the state high school in Springfield, attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a B.A. in psychology. I received a master’s degree in criminal justice from Illinois State University. I have worked in corrections, psychology, business development, employment and criminal justice.
I am now retired and have returned to my hometown of Blue Ridge. However, there are many issues surrounding our community that can no longer be ignored. The Trump administration, and the Republican majority in the U.S. House have taken a negative turn for the worst.
These have included the recent firing of FBI Director James Comey, the rejection of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency climate science, the withdrawal of U.S. from the Paris Agreement and the nomination of now-former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to the U.S. Supreme Court. Many more issues are included, including the dismantling of public schools, the privatizing of our local ambulance services, the defunding of health care for women, and the gutting of our social safety net for the poor.
Trump and his appointees have put forward a philosophy of “America First” where it does not matter who the nation is – its people, or its leaders. These issues all have the common theme of one thing – no-one’s needs.
There has been a lot of news about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling this past June in Obergefell v. Hodges. This decision, which was issued by the Court, stated that married couples have the same rights as unmarried couples. However, there are those who are advocating for the repeal of this ruling, pointing to how this policy would harm gay Americans.
Now, while I don’t agree with this idea and I don’t