Letters to the editor: Lamenting FCPS layoffs, Barr not answering questions

Erin Petrey

My father died of an overdose. My mother worked two jobs and never owned a home. I grew up without stable housing, served my country, and came home to a system with no interest in people like us. I know what it costs when government fails.

That is why Erin Petrey is the only Democratic candidate in Kentucky’s 6th congressional district race who makes sense to me. She is a lifelong renter who has organized tenant associations and fought for renters’ rights. She treats the substance abuse crisis as the public health emergency it is, not a talking point. She is not reading from a briefing. She has lived close enough to these problems to know what is at stake.

While other candidates in this primary carefully avoid saying anything that might cost them a vote, Petrey goes on record. That kind of courage is rare. As a Purple Heart veteran, I don’t have patience for politicians who won’t put anything on the line. Playing it safe gave this district thirteen years of Andy Barr and nothing to show for it. We cannot afford another decade of that.

Democrats have a real choice on May 19th. Vote Erin Petrey.

Alex Dixon, Lexington

Barr non-answers

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., never answers questions.

I recently wrote Barr, my Congressman, about repeated, and verified, reports of ICE agents telling people that they “don’t give a s---- about your civil rights.” I also asked about President Donald Trump’s administration’s failure to follow court orders that they disagreed with.

In response, I received a form letter that blamed all of the nation’s problems on the Democrats. Not only that, the letter asserted that drug cartels “have launched a hybrid warfare campaign against our country using illegal narcotics as a weapon.” Going further, the letter asserts that the cartels have established an “era of cartel dominance and lawlessness in our country.” Illegal drugs are a problem, but I am unaware of any situation where the cartels are controlling civil and governmental activities across the nation.

From my perspective, the letter is nothing but the routine justifications of the Trump administration’s activities. Importantly, Barr never answered the questions as to why Civil Rights protections and the refusal to follow court orders by Trump is allowed to go on.

When did, and by what authority is, the President allowed to pick and choose what laws and protections are to be followed?

W.R. Torp, Lexington

Trump’s Easter post

Dear. U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., What is your reaction to President Donald Trump’s Easter post? As the father of four young children, are you comfortable with Trump’s use of the words “f---” and “b------?” As a current member of Congress, are you comfortable with Trump’s ever-changing threats and deadlines? As a Christian, are you comfortable with his ignoring the resurrection of Jesus on the most holy of days, and instead posting praise to Allah?

Diana Martin, Lexington

Trump’s Ballroom

On March 6, NPR reported that the National Capital Planning Commission heard from citizens who were “overwhelmingly opposed” to President Donald Trump’s privately funded, $400 million ballroom.

As anyone knows who’s ever held elected office and pushed for improvements – there’ll always be naysayers. I lost count of all the naysayers I faced in crowded rooms during my 12 years on the Clear Lake City Council in Iowa. For every improvement project there were knock-down drag-out battles that everyone involved would like to forget. With our downtown beautification efforts I heard, “We don’t need fancy bricks and lights we have sidewalks and streetlights” then as soon as the first street was done their tune changed to “why didn’t you start with my street?” “We don’t need a fancy garden park” turned to “what a perfect spot for my daughter’s wedding.”

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-CA, has always been a ballroom naysayer. When Trump cuts that ribbon on opening day if Schumer is anything like the naysayers I ran into, he’ll suddenly sound like the ballroom’s biggest fan. Maybe after the close call at the correspondent’s dinner opponents will figure out security is easier at the White House than it is at a hotel.

Ben Furleigh, Georgetown

Trump’s bunker

I feel somewhat disrespectful complaining about a ballroom while America is at war, but hey, that doesn’t stop President Donald Trump. So, with that in mind, I have another question regarding the White House Correspondents Dinner. What happened to the “private money” Trump had previously claimed would finance the ballroom? Up until the WHCD every ballroom mention was followed by “it won’t cost taxpayers a dime.”

The mess leftover at the Hilton, wasn’t even cleaned up before Trump and the GOP are calling for taxpayers to fund the ballroom. Did the private donors bail as soon as things got ugly? You’d think with such devotion to Trump, they’d double down with their bags of cash.

While you’re thinking and wondering where all that private money went, or if it even existed in the first place, here’s a way to finance the ballroom/bunker. Let’s use a little box on Federal tax forms. Taxpayers can check that box if they want a portion of their income tax refund used to build a ballroom. You want to give Trump a ballroom? You pay for it.

I think MAGA-world is more than capable of presenting their deity with his very own Parthenon.

Ross DeAeth, Lexington

Trump’s War

Neither the Executive Branch nor the military “inform” Congress on timing when military operations or excursions begin or end. The fact is the moment the first missiles are launched is the date and hour the war began, and the signing of the mutually agreed valid treaty of Peace is its end.

A War is a War whether it is bureaucratically recognized or not. The lack of formality is not consequential to the deeds of warfare. The only reason for any formal declaration is to gain the legitimacy from the “will of the people” through representation and to invest the whole of the nation in its outcomes.

We are told that Russia offered aid to the US with its war with Iran. Of course, it did so long after it was giving intelligence to Iran about our military positions. Only China and Russia did the United States allowed passage through Hormuz; only Russia was allowed to access to Cuba with oil.

Who is the one person that Trump will not throw under any bus? Vladimir Putin. Trump is his sock puppet and has been all along.

Robert Moreland, Lexington

School district petition

The Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) administration made a grave mistake by dissolving their Sustainability Team, ignoring both fiscal reality and future student health.

Research in The Lancet reveals that microplastics and toxic additives endanger our children’s health by disrupting hormones, causing inflammation, and triggering respiratory or neurological issues before children even learn how to read.

For 16 years, FCPS’s two-person Sustainability team led outdoor education, helped students advocate for and finally installed water bottle fillers at every high school, cleared trash, and planted trees to mitigate toxins. Students learned to tackle real-world problems and minimize microplastics exposure from the number one source - plastic bottles.

The fiscal argument for their removal is completely hollow; the team has saved $31.7 million in utility costs since its inception, paying for itself three times over. Eliminating these roles forfeits $500,000 in projected annual savings going forward.

I urge the board to reinstate the Sustainability Team immediately to preserve these essential student health and financial benefits. Concerned citizens can sign the petition at change.org/BringBackFCPSSustainability.

Tracy Ferrell, Lexington