To the editor: Neither the left nor right is helping the problem
7/11/2018
Activists march past the White House to protest the Trump administration's approach to illegal border crossings and separation of children from immigrant parents in June.
I have been reading several letters to the editors over the past few weeks and most have dealt with the separation of children from their parents who have crossed the border illegally. While I also abhor this treatment, I feel it is also important to report some other statistics regarding children.
An article I read in 2007 reported that there were 147,000 children in the U.S. whose mothers were in jail. It also reported that 42 percent of these mothers were mothers who had lived with their children the month before being incarcerated. While we cannot extrapolate the exact number of children from this data, I also read an article which stated that the children of three percent of mothers in jail live in foster homes.
Both political parties are arguing over who has the right way to fix the immigrant problem and, in the meantime, the problem continues to grow. On the left, we hear that Hillary Clinton received more votes than did President Trump. I would state that the electoral college numbers determine the president. Just like in baseball, the total runs, not the number of hits, determines the winner.
On the right, which controls both houses of congress, there seems to be no consensus as to how to change the laws to reduce the illegal immigrant problem. So as always, the wheel just continues to go around and in the meantime children both residents of U.S. citizens and of illegal immigrants continue to suffer.
TOM SCHUMAKER
Delta
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A country for the people
Is this still a country that is “of the people” and “for the people,” or has it become a country governed by those who serve only themselves and those like them, with no thought, no care, compassion, or empathy for those whom they consider second-class citizens. We are not meant to be governed by dictators with egos.
God help us who have to live under their rules, and those who will come after us who will never know the real freedom this country was built on.
SANDY FLICK
West Toledo