Letters to the Editor: Remembering Larry Hopkins. Where are leaders in legislature?

Leaders missing

We were disappointed and deeply disturbed to learn that the Kentucky legislature is one of 23 such bodies considering or already having passed legislation that would ban in the public schools any content that might provoke any discussion of the subject of race relations.

We need precisely the opposite! We must research, analyze, try to understand, plan, and then teach in the appropriate way at the appropriate level about a subject that has been central to the building of our nation, contributed mightily to its tensions and divisions, and still deeply troubles us. How can we resolve one of the most critical issues facing us without knowledge of where we have been and how we got to where we are today. We cannot learn from history by sweeping it under a rug!

A similar crisis one hundred years ago offers a glaring contrast — and a possible model for us. In the early 1920s, the Kentucky legislature earned the dubious distinction of being the first in the nation to seek to block teaching in the public schools of the theory of evolution drawn from Charles Darwin’s classic “On the Origin of Species”. Remarkably, In that instance, civic, business, journalistic, academic, and political leaders, along with educators and some ministers and legislators, headed by the redoubtable Frank McVey, president of the University of Kentucky, used reason, logic, personal contacts, friendly persuasion, and McVey’s eloquence to sway the lawmakers from passing foolhardy and self-destructive bills.

Where are the leaders today?

Ron Eller and George Herring, Lexington

Rep. Hopkins’ legacy

The passing of Congressman Larry Hopkins is felt so deeply and individually by so many whom he touched personally and professionally throughout his distinguished career. Many may not be aware of how in the late 1980s he championed the cause to establish public library services in Madison County. The movement to initiate a public library had stalled and was floundering on failure. His eighteen months of support and successful congressional intervention to acquire the Federal Building in Richmond as a public library facility became a visible turning point and re-energized the movement helping to insure its success.

The Madison County Public Library has flourished and enriched and enhanced the lives of so many residents of our county. The expanded original building is now 36,000 square feet with over 336,000 library visits a year and greater than 600,000 circulations and 98,000 computer sessions yearly. That original acquisition of the 5,000 square foot facility on an acre of land on Main Street in Richmond stands as a visible, vibrant testimony and enduring legacy of his support and help. As I speak for all library supporters, thank you Congressman Hopkins.

Dr. Stuart Tobin, Richmond

Senate must act

I am thrilled that the House has finally passed the Build Back Better Act. This bill is an historic investment in the American people.

Build Back Better will help 300,000 new low-income renter households finally get assistance to help them afford a place to live. It also extends the new child tax credit (CTC) payments, which have already lifted more than three million children out of poverty. But Congress is cutting it close; the CTC monthly payments are currently scheduled to end in December.

The bill now goes to the Senate. With so much on the line and the clock ticking, the Senate must pass this bill as soon as possible. Americans have waited far too long for Congress to get this done.

I strongly urge our senators to demand immediate consideration of the Build Back Better Act and to vote yes when it comes to a vote.

Gina Petty, Lexington

GOP ‘socialism’

It’s cute that Sen. Mitch McConnell is accusing President Joe Biden and Democrats as being “socialists” on the Build Back Better bill now going to the Senate .

Mitch was majority leader during the four years of Donald Trump’s presidency when Trump added almost $7.7 trillion dollars to the national debt, but McConnell did not complain. Yet McConnell complained continuously during President Barack Obama’s eight years in office, during which $6.7 trillion was added to the national debt. Trump in four years added more to the deficit than Obama did in eight years.

Taking it further, using the Congressional Budget Office deficit numbers from Ronald Reagan through the end of the Trump presidency. Republican presidents have outspent Democratic presidents by $5.707 trillion. If you adjust that debt for inflation using the Consumer Price Index by each of those fiscal years since 1980, Republican presidents have outspent Democratic presidents by $8.538 trillion.

Welcome to Moscow, Mitch!

Joe and Kathy Crouch, Lexington

Dangerous intersection

I live at the intersection of Turkey Foot Road and Alumni Drive and am sure it is a matter of time before someone is killed in one of the many accidents that occur at this intersection. The cars coming down Alumni after crossing Chinoe Road fly like they are on the autobahn. Every police officer in town could meet their quota if they just sat there one day a week. Many of us live across Alumni and are taking a huge risk every time we have to cross the road. The city should seriously consider putting in a stop light at this intersection. Hardly a week goes by that there is not an accident and some of them have been quite severe with injuries. Stop wasting money on those stupid electric gadgets that get left every where and are extremely dangerous and give us a stop light that will one day save a life!

Sara Houston Wellnitz, Lexington

Op-ed spot on

Michael Coblenz’s recent op-ed in the Herald-Leader on Second Amendment gun rights is absolutely correct in explaining the context in which it was written. State regulation of firearms was an element of law at the time. It should also be added that the Founding Fathers were loath to establish and pay for a standing army to replace the British colonial standing army given their experiences as British colonists. They thought they could substitute a “well ordered militia” for a standing army. Through border warfare and skirmishes leading up to the War of 1812 they rapidly learned otherwise. The Second Amendment did not work in providing an adequate defense of the country even though state level militias would continue through the Civil War.

Berle Clay, Lexington

Thoughts on letters

Comments on recent letters: One writer mentioned a “vaccine” which neither stops people from getting, spreading, or dying of the virus. Absolutely correct. It just improves your odds. Vaccines and medications have risks. Me, I will risk a poorly defined side effect somewhere down the road rather than an awful death or one of the side effects already known. Lots of supposedly healthy people have died from and will continue to die from COVID.

Another writer commented that if someone is outraged by the Hazard High School fiasco, then they should be outraged by other events. Conflating unrelated issues only works to influence some people. Many of us like to choose our own outrages.

A third writer mentioned our God-given freedoms. That has a nice ring, but I doubt the Jews in Egypt, the Jews under the thumb of the Romans, or the Jews in the diaspora would be comforted by it. Freedom has always been earned, never given. God has put His finger on the scales, but the Jews had to do their part. Also, our government was not designed to protect our individual liberties. That’s the intent of the Constitution. To ensure our liberties and to protect us from those who believe they are more equal than others.

Ben Patton, Berea

Come to WoodSongs

If people are looking for something to do on a Monday night, consider going to WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour at the Lyric Theatre. The professional musicians are excellent and Michael Johnathan does a great job bringing in talent. The best part is the kids who are now a part of every show. They are recruited from all over the country. Many of the kids equal the adults in their showmanship and ability to play. All patrons must wear a mask and seating is spaced out so you should feel comfortable. Come support some remarkable young people and enjoy a night of excellent music. It’s a great way to start your week.

Carol Graham, Lexington

Biden’s mistake

Sen. Mitch McConnell and former Rep. Paul Ryan had been talking about “repeal and replace” Obamacare since the day it was passed. Donald Trump made the mistake of assuming that Mitch and Paul actually had a plan ready. So when Trump became president, he thought healthcare was going to be an early easy win. He didn’t realize that McConnell and Ryan were “trickle-down economics” one trick ponies. For them the solution to everything is tax cuts for the rich, which of course only trickle down to their re-election campaign funds.They had no plans to benefit the average American.

President Joe Biden made a similar mistake. Throughout 2020 he listened to Trump and then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talk about their negotiations with the Taliban. Trump even claimed to be ready to pull out of Afghanistan in the summer of 2020, but he got too busy spreading rumors about election fraud in an election that had not yet taken place to actually do his job.

So Biden thought everything was ready to pull out of Afghanistan. Instead he found out that Trump and Pompeo had no agreements. After 20 years and billions of dollars, the Afghan army was no match for the Taliban.

Kevin Kline, Lexington

Bring attention to 22q

November is 22q Awareness Month, but in Kentucky 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q) is relatively unheard of. Doctors use archaic diagnostic terms, like DiGeorge Syndrome and Velocardiofacial Syndrome (VCFS) when forming a diagnosis. With over 180 symptoms that affect one out of every 2,000-4,000 live births and one in 68 children born with heart defects, it’s easy to understand how a 22q diagnosis can be overlooked. Physicians may treat the cleft palate, the recurring ear infections, the symptoms of ADHD and be totally unaware that they may all be symptoms of 22q.

Special clinics offer parents current research data and a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to caring for their special needs child, however, there are none in Kentucky. The nearest clinics are in Cincinnati, Durham, Atlanta, and Kansas City. The 22q Family Foundation believes Kentucky parents deserve better.

Here’s how you can help: Go online to 22qFamilyFoundation.org to learn more, request a free brochure, and then share what you have discovered with someone else. Help us educate Kentuckians and support families affected by the many uncertainties of life, from conception and beyond. And maybe someday their much-needed medical attention will be just a few miles down the road… right here in Kentucky.

Karen A. Heilers, Louisville