Letters to the Editor: We can still stop the dehumanization of women by exercising our vote

Vote yes for the senior millage on Aug. 2

This year’s August primary election includes the renewal of the senior millage and the provision of senior services in Emmet County for the next four years. Organizations, like Friendship Centers of Emmet County, Bay Bluffs, Friendship Center of Harbor Springs, and Wawatam Area Senior Center which all benefited from this millage in 2021, rely heavily on the local senior millage to provide revenue for essential services and programs for senior citizens in our county.

Friendship Center’s mission is to provide need-based, simple assistive care services to seniors in Emmet County, allowing older adults to remain living in their own home. It’s a particularly important mission here in Northern Michigan, where aging in place can be a challenge.

The programs and services provided by Friendship Centers continue to grow and expand at a rapid rate as the demand has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Essential services provided include Meals on Wheels, homemaker services, personal care, transportation, support groups, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, fitness programs, and much more.

Because the senior millage comprises more than half of Friendship Centers’ annual operating revenues, it is essential to those it serves and their loved ones that this millage is supported by local citizens who recognize the value of these programs to older adults. The millage, due to expire, is based on property taxes and is indicated at .5 mills for Senior Services millage. A property owner with a taxable value of $200,000 would pay no more than $100 annually in taxes to support local organizations who provide vital services to senior citizens.

The Council on Aging in Emmet County is thankful to the community who has supported older adult services for over fifty years! Please continue to support area senior citizens on Tuesday, Aug. 2, and vote yes for the renewal of the senior millage.

Terri Winegarden

President of the Board, Friendship Centers of Emmet County

We can still stop the dehumanization of women by exercising our vote

This is no ordinary pro-life bill. What’s been passed in other states, and is on the ballot in Michigan is just another example of the battle between two extremes, except now people’s lives are at stake.

Personally, all I ask for are three things: I want to live, I don’t want to be raped, and I don’t want incest. That’s not a lot to ask. The fact these basic rights may be denied to me and other women makes me feel worthless, unloveable and subhuman. I find myself questioning why God even bothered creating women if our lives were deemed so worthless.

But then I remind myself: This isn’t God talking, this is an extremist Supreme Court that the majority of the nation disagrees with. No husband wants to be a widower and single parent, and no child wants to grow up without ever having met Mom.

Women have so much to offer. After all, it was a woman who invented the APGAR test that saves the lives of many infants. It was also a woman who invented the field of nursing.

Women save lives. We can do a lot of good things for this country. I love my country, my state and my region. I’ve always wanted to do something to help people and spread kindness in the world.

I dream of one day living in Traverse City. I have the coolest job ever. This place is my home. It would break my heart to have to leave, but I’m not going to stay somewhere where I am unvalued and unloved.

It doesn’t matter where you fall on the political spectrum. People are free to believe what they want, but don’t allow these extremists to hijack our country anymore and destroy the lives of innocent women. Please vote.

Valerie Reeves

Mancelona

EPA Supreme Court ruling could be key moment in climate change fight

In a landmark decision on June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court endangered our climate future by siding with fossil fuel interests.

In their ruling, the court’s six conservative justices agreed that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — a federal agency created by a bipartisan Congress to protect Americans’ health and environment from pollution — has exceeded their authority to regulate carbon pollution from power plants. Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels accounted for 79 percent of the total U.S. emissions in 2020, according to the EPA Overview of U.S Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Although West Virginia v. EPA hampers current action, this decision confirms that the EPA does hold the authority to set regulatory standards for power plant emissions. Ironically, this opens a significant opportunity for climate leaders and the EPA to leverage their authority to promulgate new coal and gas plant emission rules.

Limited federal response makes local action even more critical. In Petoskey, our community values transitioning to clean and renewable energy. We’ve built energy independence through the city's commitment to power the entire community with 100 percent renewable electricity by 2035 and the success of the Grow Solar Little Traverse (GSLT) program (offered by Michigan Interfaith Power & Light and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities). This spring, 18 households and businesses joined the pilot GSLT group buy program to install significantly discounted solar arrays on their properties, representing solid steps in the right direction.

But now, we know we must do more. The time is ripe to organize, advocate, litigate, and show up to the polls. This year, climate champions must be elected at all levels of government. Locally, that means voting for leaders who will ensure that our community meets our clean energy commitments and continues to be a beacon of hope and inspiration for the region.

Liv Rollinger

Petoskey

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Letters to the Editor: We can still stop the dehumanization of women by exercising our vote