Letters to the Editor: Kentuckians are hurting while ‘Nero Fiddles’

Go blue

If Congress can only get one thing done before Election Day, I would strongly urge the passage of another stimulus package, not the seating of a new Supreme Court justice, who would be instrumental in destroying the protections made in the lives of those with preexisting conditions, women, and LGBTQ communities. (Let the voters decide that.) Why is that so difficult?

Congress should serve our interests, not their own. Kentuckians are lining up, waiting in their cars for hours, to receive a food box. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s and Congressman Andy Barr’s constituents are hurting, hungry, and hopeless while Nero fiddles.

The choice seems obvious to me. Vote Blue!

Diane Cahill, Lexington

Face it

Come on, admit it. Even if you voted for him the last time. Aren’t we all tired of the tediousness of President Donald Trump’s only two modes — arrogant, unjustified boasting about himself and petulant, paranoid anger at everybody else? Time to turn both off. Vote for sanity and competence. And quiet. Vote Biden/Harris.

Charles Edward Pogue, Lexington

Trump = death

To those still considering a vote for the con-man-in-chief, be reminded that the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging as we approach the winter months, and it must be brought under control quickly. COVID-19 is showing signs of mutating; and if it gets away, we all could be wiped out.

At this point, President Donald Trump is already directly responsible for at least 180,000 deaths by way of his incompetence, inaction, and ignorance. Inconceivably, he continues on the same trajectory, with apparently no comprehension of his failure so far. The single most detrimental factor in the fight against the pandemic has been Trump himself, through his misinformation and lack of leadership. Put another way, Trump has killed at least 180,000 Americans through his stupidity.

An emboldened Trump for the next few years of the pandemic will spell certain death for many thousands more, possibly millions, including those, ironically, who vote for him. Add to this his oblivious and careless disregard for climate change control, and the entire world must now be considered in peril because of him. I pray that Trump will be removed at the polls and get the hell out of the way.

Dr. John M. Fox, Lexington

Self-interest best

A recent article about undecided voters presented a woman who supports President Donald Trump’s policies and “fears her business could be gutted” if Democrat Joe Biden is elected. However, “she abhors Trump personally” and can’t decide who to support. To voters with this dilemma: I urge you not to vote against your own self-interest in the name of your feelings. Feelings have their place, but in elections, rationality should prevail. Voting lets us choose the candidates whose policies will most improve our lives, which is measured in America by expanding our freedom. And although it may sound crass, you have more freedom when you get to keep more of your own money to use as you see fit: buying what your family needs, saving for the future, raising wages for employees at your business, giving to your favorite charity, etc. Aside from not creating laws and regulations that infringe upon our liberties, the best way the government can preserve our freedom is to let us keep our money. You can ignore tweets that offend you, but you can’t ignore tax policies that take more of your money and therefore make you less free (and which will be inevitable with massively increased government spending).

Stephanie Mason, Danville

No help to state

Kentucky families are being hammered by a coronavirus pandemic and an opioid epidemic at the same time. Households are facing eviction and food insecurity from the effects of unemployment, and kids are out of school and falling even further behind in education.

Everyone in Kentucky knows a family impacted by the ravages of opioid addiction. It was not caused by illegal drugs smuggled into our state; it was caused by indiscriminate distribution of pharmaceutical pain killers. McKesson Corp. distributed 18.4 million doses of painkillers called opioids in Floyd County between January 2010 and the end of 2016 — enough for 477 pills for every adult and child in the county. Congress and Mitch McConnell allowed this overprescribing to occur.

Hold McConnell accountable and vote him out of office. He helped bring the drugs into Kentucky and he is keeping pandemic relief out of Kentucky.

Jamie Kirven, Louisville