Traverse City Record-Eagle

Opinion

February 1, 2012

Letters to the Editor: 02/01/2012

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Move train to the depot

What a lovely idea to put the children's train next to the old train depot that sits near the Traverse City Public Library.

Both are historical, both are trains and the space by the old railroad depot would not only preserve the two trains, but would show parents and children Traverse City's lovely heritage.

And how lovely it would be to see the little train run, if indeed it still could.

Carolyn J. Lewis

Old Mission

Inequality corrosive

Financial inequality makes a nation weak in many respects. Social scientists have determined that it reduces community life and social relations; increases distrust, mental illnesses and drug use; reduces life expectancy; causes poor education performance; sends more people to prison; gives males more power over females and greatly reduces job opportunities.

Obviously, financial inequality is socially corrosive. The U.S. has, among the developed nations, the worst record for financial inequality. To establish these findings, the authors of the book "The Spirit Level" by Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009, used data from a great many research teams in different universities and research organizations via peer-reviewed reports, with much of the information only available in recent years.

How has this inequality come about? Via greed and love of power: A JP Morgan Chase analyst found that 75 percent of recent increase in profit margins (now at highest levels since 1960s) comes from knocking down workers' pay and benefits. Woe. The more people we have, the more government we need to regulate them, especially in our financial system. Instruct your congressional representatives, whose addresses can be found in a phone book.

Marian Gyr

Empire

Not left or right

I want to not let something go unnoticed. At the State of the Union last night, 208 Senators and Representatives sat next to a person from the other party.

Did you notice? They did so by choice by personally inviting a counterpart. They did so in an effort to show respect and the desire to work together, for bipartisanship, for the United States. How about that?

What I want you to know is we the people made this happen.

Many phone calls, letters, congressional office visits, television appearances, etc., were made by NO Labels members. Getting bipartisan seating at all appropriate meetings is just one of 12 congressional rule changes being put forward by NO Labels. This not left, not right, but forward group is 300,000 members strong and aiming for more than 1 million by the end of year.

Check out nolabels.org — see what we the citizens will be presenting and expecting next; how does NO Budget, NO Pay sound? Fellow NO Labels member, Sen. Joe Manchin, will be presenting just this at a February congressional hearing.

Put your disgust with Congress in the right spot, get it off your chest, go to nolabels.org and sign your name in support.

Jill Rahrig Bourdon

Traverse City

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