OPINION

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Military needs mail | Wonky shower head | Takeout containers

Military needs mail

Wait until our deserving military members overseas and families in the states get reduced mail service at an unacceptable level. The U.S. Capitol will explode with complaints. Veterans and military service organizations should immediately blast Senate and House members (some are veterans) to straighten this out. Everything USPS does here affects the military worldwide. This service is an extension of the USPS. It took over 50 years to advance the military system (MPS) to provide some of the same services that we enjoy here in the U.S. Just think, a service member in Germany, England, and other places can get delivery with the same delivery times as you can here in the U.S.

Additionally, no one person has mentioned the 2.8 million military retirees and their surviving spouses. They receive meds from a source separate from the Veterans Administration. Many, if not most, receive their meds via the United States Postal Service mail. Many have severe life-threatening problems, and if they don’t receive meds as scheduled, catastrophic situations occur, including death for some.

DAVID FLETCHER

Cabot

Wonky shower head

A big thank you to Mountain Home’s Kathy Hodnett for her letter to the editor of the Democrat-Gazette. The opening sentence in which she describes being “horrified” at the prospect of the president’s shower head under-performing gave me the best laugh I have had all week! Thanks for putting things in perspective.

SAM BUCHANAN

Conway

Not too well, I think

Approximately four years ago, Donald Trump promised to make America great again. How is that working out?

OTTO HENRY ZINKE

Fayetteville

Takeout containers

Writer Eric Harrison has done a great job shifting gears from in-person restaurant reviews to writing about not only the taste, but how well the to-go orders go. What I notice most from the pictures is all the plastic and Styrofoam containers. As a recycler, I pay a lot of attention to how much plastic I use. Though I want to support my local restaurants, I hate the containers.

According to WorldAtlas, scientists say it takes hundreds if not thousands of years for Styrofoam to break down from UV rays. I found several sources that say it can take 450 years for plastic to decompose in a landfill. With that being said, I would be happy to pay a few dollars more for sustainable containers to house my food. We all have a responsibility to take care of this Earth, whether it be producing less carbon dioxide, maintaining rivers and streams, and/or using fewer non-recyclable products.

LAURA BRIDGES

North Little Rock

Not ready to reopen

There is nothing controversial about stating the obvious fact that it is not safe to open Arkansas schools to in-class instruction. The straightforward and repeated question, “Is it safe?” has remained unanswered by the governor, the secretary of Education, superintendents, or principals. It is worth emphasizing this: It seems nobody at the top levels of the state of Arkansas’ administrative hierarchy can simply say, for the record, that it is safe to teach kids in classrooms. And yet, when Governor Hutchinson received a letter from parents, guardians, and concerned family and community members, with over 4,000 signatures, he simply dismissed it or erroneously asserted that the state had already addressed all its points.

But let us take a moment to visualize what most of us already know but don’t dwell much on. Teachers are being asked to teach in front of a classroom, filled about halfway with students, without moving around and attending to small groups or individuals up close. Simultaneously, they are required to teach those kids at home learning online. They must do this while wearing a mask and making sure the in-class students keep their own masks on as well as the proper distance between them. In the midst of this they need to produce a viable and pedagogically acceptable livestream of each class. These challenges are independent of whether the classroom is a safe environment to address them, for both teachers and students.

Now, over the summer, principals, administrators, support staff, and many teachers have been working tirelessly and even heroically to try to prepare our schools for this moment. They have done an amazing job. But as of yet, nobody involved can confidently say that the Ready for Learning Plan is ready to go forward safely.

MARCO DORFSMAN

Little Rock

Vote on redistricting

My vote matters, your vote matters. One hundred fifty thousand voters in Arkansas desire the opportunity to vote for redistricting as an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution. Let’s end politically manipulated gerrymandering and petition processing. I want to vote for fair redistricting and lots of other voters do as well. Make our democracy work.

MARY ALICE SERAFINI

Fayetteville

Level of enthusiasm

Which party do you think is the most enthusiastic about the selection of Kamala Harris as the vice president of the United States of America? Early voters would like to know.

GORDON SWAIM

North Little Rock

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