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To the editor:
Mr. Sellers' letter to the editor of Tuesday, May 18, is a fine example of opinions being presented as facts. I will respond to these opinions one by one.
All of good conscience will agree that the situation at the border is out of control. Unaccompanied children crossing the border is a problem that so far doesn't have a good solution. The Biden administration needs to take steps to curb this situation. However, the statement the "cartels are using these illegals as a diversion..to smuggle drugs across at some other location" is an OPINION. I do not deny that drug cartels are a measurable problem in the U.S.; however, where are Mr. Sellers' facts and figures to support this argument? Does he have information to share about increased overdoses, armed robberies, murders tied to drug cartels? Perhaps he'll include those in his promised next letter.
"All these Democratic politicians … are looking to have a group of people dependent upon the government for their every need." This, again, is an OPINION. The Biden administration is injecting money into the economy by its stimulus program to help those who, due to the pandemic, have lost jobs or have left the job market to take care of schoolchildren at home, stimulus payments which, I submit, have helped all of us in Mifflin County. I wonder if Mr. Sellers sent his $1,400 back to the government?
The current administration is also giving tax breaks for parents of school-aged children to help to reduce childhood poverty. The proposed infrastructure bill aims to provide good-paying union jobs to millions, arguably more construction jobs than the approximately 1,000 construction jobs lost on the XL pipeline and the 35 permanent pipeline jobs.
The Democrats "admire communist dictators who have power over their people." I challenge Mr. Sellers to back up this statement with fact. I can state that the former president stood up at Helsinki in July of 2018 with Vladimir Putin to say that "President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today" that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election.
In November of 2018 President Trump again defied American intelligence agencies when he said that "It could very well be that the crown prince (of Saudi Arabia) had knowledge of this tragic event (the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi) -- maybe he did and maybe he didn't!"
In February of 2019 President Trump said this about Kim Jong Un of North Korea: "He wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters" "We fell in love." Mr. Trump told journalist Bob Woodward "I get along very well with (Turkish president) Erdogan, even though you're not supposed to because everyone says what a horrible guy, but for me it works out good." Which president is a fan of dictators?
"…the Biden administration's policies on energy are for the birds." To support this opinion, Mr. Sellers brings up the shutting down of the XL pipeline. Tom Tunstall, research director for the University of Texas at San Antonio's Institute for Economic Development, is quoted: "If oil prices go to $4 a gallon, it will be for other reasons than the fact that the Keystone isn't under construction" Some experts have said that they doubt that higher transportation costs would make their way to U.S. consumers, given where the Canadian oil was likely headed (to China), and how the oil markets operate.
Mr. Sellers then moved on to the Colonial Pipeline hacking, saying that "Russia and other countries have no respect or fear of Biden and his crew." This opinion doesn't take into consideration the conversation that President Biden had with President Putin in which he told Mr. Putin that he knew Russia had tried to meddle in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. He also warned the Russian president that the U.S. was ready to defend itself against cyber-espionage, and any other attacks. Bounties on American troops were mentioned by President Biden, as well as Russia's jailing of dissident Alexey Navalny.
"Biden has no backbone to stand up to the (Palestinian) terrorists and support our greatest ally Israel." Again, people of good conscience may argue about Israel's moral position in denying Palestinians a homeland. Opinions may also differ about who the terrorists are in the Israel/Palestine conflict. President Biden has spoken with both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, urging a cease fire.
As I have said in previous letters, I beg writers to the editor to make statements of fact, rather than opinion.
Joan Loewen
Lewistown