Letters to the Editor

Please make the Trump train stop

Donald Trump is again making noises on becoming our fearless leader. What are these people thinking? With all the criminal activities that he has been accused of?

Many Republican people I know believe that because he was a millionaire that he was a brilliant business man and that makes him the best choice to run the country. My question is: Why don't we ever hear about the bankruptcies he had?

I just wonder if that is what is in store for our country if he is in charge of our country. And how can we trust a man who steals top secret information and takes it to his private home for who knows what reason? I, for one, would like to know why Trump continues to freely walk all over the criminal justice system and gets away with it.

I am a Navy veteran and was when Gerald R. Ford was president, but if our country re-elects another Hitler, our family has had serious talks about moving to Canada.

Tom WiersmaHolland

Come enjoy community-wide interdenominational services

On behalf of Christians Uniting in Song and Prayer (cuspholland.org), I heartily thank everyone who participated in our Nov. 20 community-wide Thanksgiving service at Third Reformed Church. Our interdenominational service featured vibrant music, uplifting prayer, and a stirring reflection on Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse (John 6:25-35). Thanks to all who braved the weather to join us.

We look forward to our next service, to be held in observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The service will be 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at 14th Street Christian Reformed Church.

Why does CUSP offer these community-wide services? We are all aware of the painful divisions among Christians, which lead to distrust and diminish our witness to the good news. Too often we let our differences overshadow our common conviction that “the Father delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” (Col. 1:13) We would do well to heed these words from Pope Francis. “We must never forget that we are pilgrims journeying alongside one another. This means that we must have sincere trust in our fellow pilgrims, putting aside all suspicion or mistrust, and turn our gaze to what we are all seeking: the radiant peace of God’s face.” (Joy of the Gospel)

CUSP is convinced that Christians joining in public assembly to sing and pray together can help to restore and promote our unity. Our conviction is rooted in the acknowledgment that Christian unity is both gift and task. So, aware of our need for healing, we look forward to again gathering with fellow Christians to lift our voices to God, as we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Jan. 22.

Mary JohnsonCUSP secretary, Holland

Let's help our children have food stability

Our Michigan food insecurity rates are higher than the federal average, and as both Michiganders and Americans we should care about this fact. The child tax credit (CTC) provides essential income for the daily needs of families who have children. During the COVID-19 pandemic the CTC increased, for children under 6, from $2,000 per year to $3,600 per year. This increase in yearly income permitted more stability for families and less financial burden.

In fact, this increase was so significant that after six months after the expansion there was a 30% reduction in child poverty according to Megan Curran, policy director at Columbia University. However, since January 2022 this tax credit was reduced back to the original $2,000, negatively impacting parents ability to provide food and other basic needs for their children. This reduction in funding is a reversion of one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic.

A study published in JAMA showed that a significant decrease in food insecurity was associated with the child tax credit; this change in the CTC will cause the removal of this new found security causing less food in kids mouths. In order to solve this issue, we urge you to reach out to your state representative through calling or sending letters about re-implementing the increase in the child tax credit. To make an individual impact, you can volunteer at organizations such as Kids Food Basket or Hand2Hand, whose goal is to provide food to children suffering from hunger.

Jonathan McCabeHolland

What exactly is Ottawa Impact's definition of a constitutional county?

Given Ottawa Impact’s demonstrated disrespect for norms of civility and behavior, it was not surprising to read in last Friday’s Sentinel that its county commissioners-elect had already met before being sworn in and announced they would elect the group’s founder, Joe Moss, to be chairperson of the county commission.Nor, given the tone of Moss’ grievances and Orwellian sloganeering, was it surprising to read in his prepared statement that he plans “to declare Ottawa County a constitutional county.”

But it was disturbing.

Disturbing because when Moss uses “Constitution,” he’s not really referring to the U.S. or Michigan constitutions. “Constitutional county” is a bizarre, pseudo-legal concept related to the “constitutional sheriff,” a far-right, anti-government movement that contends, in the words of Wikipedia, “that federal and state government authorities are subordinate to the local authority of county sheriffs. Self-described constitutional sheriffs assert that they are the supreme legal authority with the power and duty to defy or disregard laws they regard as unconstitutional.”

Since “constitutional county” and “constitutional sheriff” tend to go hand-in-hand, it would be good to know what Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Kempker thinks of this plan. I hope the media will find out and let us all know ASAP!

Disturbing also because it reveals a stealth agenda. Nowhere on Ottawa Impact’s website or in public pronouncements did this idea appear, at least before the elections. My guess is that not even many of Ottawa Impact’s supporters were aware of it, its real meaning, or the gravity of such a proclamation. What other secret plans will we hear next?

There are seven weeks before the Ottawa County commissioners are sworn in. In the meantime, concerned citizens of Ottawa County need to decide how they plan to contend with Ottawa Impact’s radical, ruinous ideas.

James DanaGrand Haven

As reported in the Nov. 18 issue of The Sentinel, the eight Ottawa Impact-endorsed electees to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners met in advance of being seated on the board in January to select Joe Moss as their choice to serve as chairman. Moss then released a separate statement detailing planned action items that includes passage of a resolution to declare Ottawa County a “Constitutional County.”

I believe those we elect to government positions should abide by both the letter and the spirit of the Open Meetings Act. The fact that this group will comprise a majority on the board doesn’t give them license to behave in a manner that smacks to me of the kind of governmental overreach they ostensibly oppose.

Perhaps readers who’ve heard of the “constitutional sheriff” movement will share my concern about the potential impact of declaring our county a “constitutional county.”

My initial introduction to this movement was thanks to news reporting about southwest Michigan Barry County’s self-declared “constitutional sheriff” Dar Leaf, whose actions following the 2020 election prompted a state investigation that was recently referred to a special prosecutor. Per an Aug. 30 Reuters article, that investigation is related to his “alleged involvement in an illegal breach of a vote-counting machine.”

Per Wikipedia, the “constitutional sheriff” movement defines the county sheriff as “the highest ‘legitimate’ authority in the country,” and some U.S. sheriffs who endorse this ideology have “publicly vowed not to enforce laws they deem unconstitutional.”

The Wikipedia entry also states that the constitutional sheriff movement seems to attract those who "tend to occupy the edges of anti-government conservatism.”

If these actions of Moss and his colleagues portend the kind of “conservative” agenda they plan to bring to the board, I urge Ottawa residents to pay close attention.

Karen ObitsSpring Lake

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: Please make the Trump train stop