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Don’t turn back on immigrant past

Don’t turn back on immigrant past

Three of my four grandparents immigrated to the United States, from countries as diverse as Italy and New Zealand.

Less than 75 years after the last two arrived, I graduated from college and began my professional career in education: not bad for the grandson of immigrants, even though my Italian grandfather only became a garbageman in New York City.

And now President Trump wants to build his infamous and expensive wall to keep out many potentially positive immigrants. As he said, not all Mexican people are bad; well, not all Italian immigrants were good, since some of them brought the very deadly Mafia with them, so one never knows.

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The President and his associates like to brag about and quote former President Ronald Reagan for his accomplishments and values, but I’ve never heard them refer to one of President Reagan's most famous statements, spoken in Berlin on June 12, 1987: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

That was in reference to the Berlin Wall, which separated East and West Germany. It seems as if Republicans at that time didn’t appreciate a wall that separated countries. How times change.

If President Trump goes ahead with his planned wall, we will be witness to something completely opposite to basic American values. My three grandparents answered the call shown at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Perhaps the President’s next move will be to tear down the Statue of Liberty.

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JOHN BAMONTE

Archbold, Ohio

 

Click here to submit a letter to the editor

 

Central city needs all the help it gets

I agree very much with Keith Burris’ April 23 column “A trajectory that points upward.” I am, however, still a bit skeptical.

I sold my home, which I had owned for almost 33 years and which had been in the family for 92 years, in August, 2015.

It truly saddens me when I now drive by this property on a weekly basis to help a former neighbor, who is wheelchair bound.

The property was sold in a short-sale to a man whose daughter is now living in the house. The property now looks deplorable.

This house, at one time, was one of the best-looking houses in that particular Old South End neighborhood and now ranks among the 10 worst places, possibly No. 10.

I truly hope ProMedica and KeyBank can bring some “new blood” to the central city.

JAMES M. CROSSEN

Shadow Lane

 

Berkeley wrong on handling Coulter

Kudos for the April 22 editorial “Berkeley caves.” The editorial reached the correct conclusion about free speech and the treatment of Ann Coulter, regardless of your politics.

THOMAS L. SCHLACHTER

Centennial Road

 

More than bullets needed in budget

President Trump’s proposal to drastically increase the Pentagon’s budget by more than $50 billion at the expense of funding some of our nation’s most important diplomatic, foreign policy, and national security tools is a travesty of morality and of common sense and will only serve to make our country less safe.

In addition to severe cuts to the State Department’s budget, Mr. Trump wants to slash EPA and U.N. funding. These moves will not only impede our efforts to mitigate humanitarian crises raging around the world, but it will also relinquish American leadership on key diplomatic issues like combating climate change, all the while turning the U.S. back to the military-first approach of the George W. Bush era.

Today’s biggest national security challenges — famine, refugees, climate change, and terrorism — cannot be met with military force alone.

I am not alone in this. More than 120 retired generals and admirals have urged Mr. Trump against cutting funding for diplomacy.

And as the current Secretary of Defense, Gen. James Mattis, once said: “If you don’t fully fund the State Department, then I need to buy more ammunition.” Let’s avoid buying more ammunition.

DEBBIE PERLMUTTER

Regents Park Boulevard

 

Venezuela proves socialism ineffective

These recent events in Venezuela are playing out like a rerun of a bad movie.

I have yet to see a nation with a socialist government that actually is prosperous; there hasn’t been one yet (April 20, ‘‘Venezuela’s opposition seeks to keep pressure on Maduro”).

Socialism has been tried in parts of Latin America, Cuba, and the former Soviet Union.

In most cases, the governments have collapsed due to the fact socialism as an economic theory simply doesn’t work.

While no system is without faults, capitalism and free markets do work.

Capitalist nations have the highest standard of living in the world. Goods and services, along with employment opportunities, are readily available. An individual has the ultimate say in shaping his or her own destiny.

Socialism just breeds mediocrity, mundaneness, and lack of incentive to better one’s self.

BRIAN SCSAVNICKI

Perrysburg

 

Nuclear plants a good alternative

While The Blade saying that consumers of FirstEnergy should not pay extra to keep nuclear plants open seems reasonable, The Blade’s editorial does not take into consideration the communities that will be adversely affected if Davis-Besse closes (April 20, “Reject this pitch for corporate welfare).

Ottawa County would be devastated by the loss of taxes, from the utility and its employees. I guess The Blade is not concerned with this fact. Secondly, does anyone think it is a good idea to rely solely on natural gas for generating electricity? When natural gas prices go up, and they will eventually, what then?

In my opinion, I would rather keep these plants open. I would rather pay a little extra than have only one type of power source. Once these plants close, they will be gone.

LARRY REED

Maumee

First Published April 27, 2017, 4:00 a.m.

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