Letters to the editor: Aug. 2, 2019

Division threatens democracy

In contrast to a recent letter to Viewpoints that complained about the “same old liberal drivel,” I am thrilled to be able to read liberal drivel. For me, it beats Trump’s drivel, which, so far, includes 4,229 false statements and counting, according to The Washington Post.

I’m a Democrat, but I don’t hate president Trump. What I do hate is the division he has caused — that and the indication he enjoys perpetuating this division, which undermines and threatens our democracy.

This is a president who has put his family in positions of power in an effort to increase his standing and provide personal benefit. Are we going to trade democracy for personal greed and embellishment?

The solution, in my view, is to make sure our current president is not re-elected in 2020.

We all need to participate in the democratic process. We must educate ourselves on the issues and vote!

Most of all, we must pay attention to what we believe to be facts, check them for accuracy and act accordingly. Democracy can still prevail, but the further we go with our present administration, the harder it seems to get.

Janet De With

Yamhill

Hypocrisy knows no bounds

Sen. Brian Boquist’s political hypocrisy knows no bounds.

First, he violated his elected civic duty to vote among his peers. He deliberately absented himself from the chamber so he would not have to cast his vote.

Second, he threatened law enforcement officers with physical harm if they carried out their legal responsibilities to return him to the chamber.

Now, he conflates his First Amendment rights to include the right to disregard his elected duty and the right to threaten law enforcement officers in their line of duty.

He also claims secret meetings were held against him, and that he was prevented from exercising his religious rights, all without supportive documentation. The secrecy claim amounts to blaming the media for failing in their duty, which is a typical red herring with those wishing to divert attention from themselves.

I live in Sen. Boquist’s district, and never as an Oregon citizen have I been subjected to such crude political hypocrisy by an elected official supposedly representing me.

Sen. Boquist’s political words and actions do not adequately represent me in Salem. He has shamed his political office with behavior on a par with a Barnum & Bailey clown. He is thus not fit for public service.

At the next election, my hope is that the good people of this district will remove him. If Sen. Boquist is the best Oregon’s Republican Party can offer, it’s no wonder we have a single-party government.

Michael Groshong

McMinnville

Freedom of choice

As the presidential race moves along, there’s been lots of discussion about Medicare for All.

Getting healthcare coverage for every American is important. It should be something we demand of our leaders.

Those leaders all have good coverage themselves, paid for with our taxes. We don’t.

The only disagreement I have with the Medicare for All proposal is the version where it’s mandatory. I prefer the version where American citizens have the option to sign up for Medicare if they choose to.

If it works out that people are really satisfied with their current coverage and cost, fine. Over time, more and more people will choose to sign up.

If full coverage turns out to be a combination of Medicare and existing plans, that’s still full coverage. Rather than fostering a divisive battle over participation, any plan should allow people to have the freedom of choice.

Fred Fawcett

Lafayette