I am deeply ashamed of my fellow Democrats who are abandoning Joe Biden | Opinion
Biden
I am deeply ashamed of my fellow Democrats and their attempt to discredit Joe Biden’s ability to function as our president. I was very concerned about the events surrounding the debate. Joe was definitely off his game, but I will not dismiss him. The whole history of his exceptional career has been about making our nation a better place. How dare you dismiss him for having an off day, or slow to respond. He was dealing with a malignant narcissist who cannot tell the truth, who keeps quoting statistics that he makes up in his crazy mind. If Trump’s mouth is open, he is lying. Joe Biden has surrounded himself with good people who help him with his job. And Joe Biden does not throw them under the bus if he doesn’t agree with them. Does anyone remember how many people that Trump went through? The chaos that existed during his time in office?
I will still vote for Joe proudly, and with great hope and faith!
I am 82 years old and yes my mind still works fine, with only small delays in remembering why I went into a room, why I can’t remember the name of a movie until in the middle of the night, why I can’t remember the name of a person I went to school with. Sound familiar?
Give Joe Biden a break! He is a great leader with a staff already in place to give us another four years of sensible, balanced wisdom when it comes to the problems of this nation.
Jessie Chastain, Garden City
Phoenix purchase
I have been observing the intention of U of I to purchase the Phoenix online university. As an academic with 30 years of experience, I’d recommend that Idaho’s legislature say “no” to this deal.
The core problem is that a “bricks and mortar” university is a wildly different endeavor from a virtual online university: to acquire this function is mission creep. It is a “seemed like a good idea at the time” thing.
My experience at the University of Washington was that the “distance learning” enterprise was essentially a parasite upon the bricks-and-mortar campus. The UW’s “Continuum College” was entirely driven by entrepreneurial motives rather than by educational motives. I once discovered (to my astonishment) that the Continuum College was offering a certificate in Electrical Engineering that my Department (Electrical Engineering) knew nothing about: it was, frankly, obscene.
In contemplation of the difference between Phoenix and U of I, you should contemplate the difference between Amazon and your local grocery store or hardware store. Both are useful, but they are very different things.
Do not let U of I get distracted by Phoenix.
John Sahr, Otis Orchards, Washington
Which old man?
Both 2024 presidential candidates are old men with decreasing mental and physical capacities, but their similarities end there. Only one candidate supports American democracy, the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, trial by a jury, certified election results of American voters, the peaceful transfer of political power and that no American is above the law.
Only one old man believes in every American’s right to speak, vote, assemble peacefully, to practice their personal religion, or no religion at all, and the separation of church and state. Only one candidate believes no American should be verbally intimidated, or physically threatened, because of their race, age, religion, sexual orientation, language, ethnicity, disability or social status. Only one old man believes women and their doctors, not politicians, should make decisions concerning a woman’s personal reproductive health care.
The other old man candidate is a pathological liar, a narcissist, a convicted sexual abuser, a convicted felon, an adulterer, a dishonest business fraud, a xenophobic racist, an election denier and insurrection leader. Only one old man believes he is above the law and inspires to be the first Putin-style, American dictator-in-chief. Which of these old men will you vote for in November?
Steven Shake, Caldwell
