Letters to the editor: Election results, COVID-19 relief payments, vaccines, H-2A wages
Fall of the United States?
After World War II, people questioned how Germany fell to Nazis. One need only watch Republicans in Congress today to understand.
With no admissible evidence of voter fraud for the courts — because lawyers are not willing to lose their licenses by making false claims with no evidence under oath — Republicans are caving to fear and/or are seeking personal gain by using propaganda.
Considering how strongly Republicans feel about gun rights, it is perplexing they would throw away democracy. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher are doing just that, attempting to use their positions to deny voters in other states their votes. If you are a Republican or a Trump supporter, ask yourself this: If the shoe were on the other foot, how would you feel if an elected official tried to take away your right to vote?
A group of people, seeking self-interest supported by narrow- and weak-minded citizens, took control of a country then found themselves prisoners of narcissistic, homicidal sociopaths, became unable to do anything about it. This is how Germany fell to the Nazis.
Carrie Huskinson, Mountain Home
COVID relief
We are pleased Congress has passed a COVID relief package including $600 direct payments to help people pay bills and stimulate the economy. My wife and I do not need relief and would put the money in savings. We have decided to donate our $1,200 to the Idaho Foodbank and Garden City Clinic to help those in need.
We challenge our fellow Idahoans to help others by donating where they can, wearing facemasks, practicing safe behavior and getting your vaccine when available for your priority group.
We challenge our leaders to protect us in the next few months and ensure the highest priority people are vaccinated. Our daughter, who is a long-term care nurse and administers COVID tests, was discouraged to learn a dermatology clinic office received the vaccine while her staff is still waiting.
Let’s all help one another get to the end of this together.
Eldon and Janet Hattervig, Garden City
Vaccines
Vermont’s vaccination schedule: After first vaccinating health care workers and nursing home residents/workers, Vermont will forgo the CDC recommendations of a vaccination schedule. Vermont’s vaccination order will be based on age, health and public trust.
Vermont’s decision is based on the recognition that age and health have been the major determinants of serious illness and death from COVID-19. Using age and doctor referrals is also rather simple to verify. It is unrealistic to think a process can be implemented that verifies that someone claiming to be, is in fact an essential worker. Importantly, the public will have greater trust in the use of age and health to determine the order of vaccination.
L. Owen Farnsworth, Boise
Vaccine distribution
How did Idaho come up with the distribution plan? The CDC guidelines have identified the population of 65 and over as at risk. Idaho has decided that 75 and over is the target range. I can see where essential workers should be first up but politicians and felons? Some states are already distributing to 65 and up. Others are scheduled months before the April distribution date in Idaho. Is Idaho getting fewer doses than other states or are we just more inept at distribution?
Baron Lockard, Boise
H-2A workers
A headline in the Statesman reads “Federal effort to lower H-2A wages appears doomed.” The article refers to an effort to make a foreign worker program cheaper for farmers. Instead of paying $13.62 per hour to farm workers in Idaho, farmers would be authorized to pay less. A good deal for farmers, huh? How about for farm workers? $13.62 per hour equals $28,314 per year based on a 40-hour work week. So let’s pay these folks less? How many of us are living on a yearly income of $28,314? Let’s reduce that yearly figure? Thankfully this federal effort appears doomed. Let’s call this proposal by the Trump administration what it is — racist. Foreign workers are overwhelmingly people of color. I suspect farmers are overwhelmingly white, especially in Idaho. Members of the Upper Caste, farmers, get richer while members of the Lower Caste, people of color, get poorer yet. That is a racist policy proposal — let’s call it what it is.
Jim Grunow, Boise