Residents deserve voice in Congress
Abraham Lincoln said governments should be “of the people, by the people, for the people.”Some of our citizens are still excluded. The 572,000 citizens of Washington, D.C. have no voting representative in Congress.
These citizens pay the same taxes the rest of us do; in fact they pay the second highest federal income taxes per capita in the country. They have National Guard soldiers who were sent to Iraq. Congress runs their daily affairs. But D.C. is the only place in the country where the residents are denied congressional representation. And the United States is the only democratic nation in the world to deny citizens living in the nation’s capital representation in the national Legislature.
In March 1995, the U.N. Human Rights Committee expressed concern about the disenfranchisement of D.C. residents and the violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It’s embarrassing that other countries are more concerned than we are.
Historically, Republicans and conservative southern Democrats in Congress have blocked all attempts to grant D.C. citizens the right to elect a voting representative, for racial and political reasons.
Now our own Sen. Baucus is a leader in the efforts to keep D.C. citizens from having a voting representative.
That’s really embarrassing!
Please contact Baucus to tell him the people of Montana believe the citizens of D.C. have a right to be full and equal citizens with voting representation in Congress. Raise the issue when he is here in Montana campaigning.
Betty Wing, Missoula
Ingredients harmful to our bodies
Recalled meat, E. coli, outlawing certain substances from our food supplies - the FDA appears in favor of our well-being.It amazes me that common additives found in foodstuffs are deemed consumable. Forget about recalling meat that was packaged years ago - that is a different rant. I want to shed light on the artificial sweeteners and corn syrups.
Food we buy from stores today is highly processed unless you are going to an organic food store, but I still recommend you read the ingredients on food labels. Artificial sweeteners are found in everything claiming to be “low fat,” “reduced sugar,” “lite” or “diet.” Splenda, aspartame and saccharin, among others, are artificial sweeteners. These artificial sweeteners claim to be healthy; what we aren’t told is how they are made. These sweeteners are chemically combined with chlorine, making them resemble a pesticide rather than something consumable.
Like artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup is common in most food and drink. These ingredients are cheap but not the only reason they are abundant in foodstuffs. Unbeknownst to many, these substances create spikes in blood sugar, insulin surge and block the release of leptin. They disrupt our ability to feel full. In fact, these substances have shown to increase our sweet tooth, thus we eat more.
I challenge you to walk through the grocery store and read the labels of regular products they buy and see how many contain an artificial sweetener or high-fructose corn syrup. Just a reminder, ingredients are listed by how much is used in the product. The closer to the top, the more substance the product contains.
Joesy Exstrom, Missoula
Group has supported rental inspections
Just a clarification to the timely, well written (Feb. 27) letter by Associated Students of the University of Montana Vice President Tara Ness supporting health and safety inspections of rentals.Contrary to the statement that “even the the University Homeowners Association supports the idea,” UAHA many years ago proposed that the city perform health and safety inspections and adopt rental licensing. UAHA continues to hope that very soon inspections will be implemented, and before some unlucky renters are seriously hurt or killed.
Ian M. Lange, Missoula
Firearms in parks dangerous proposal
Our Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester think it’s an OK idea to have loaded guns readily available and loaded in the national parks and U.S. wildlife refuges - it’s our Second Amendment right.I believe that Baucus and Tester are too limited in their thinking; those rights should extend to all federally owned properties - like the U.S. Capitol, and the Senate and House Office Buildings in Washington, D.C.
While Americans haven’t expressed the same level of support for our members of Congress as they have for the wildlife in our national parks and wildlife refuges, I’m sure that all of those gun-bearing Americans wandering the halls of Congress wouldn’t cause any more problems there than they would in parks or refuges.
Dick Mangan, Missoula
Outsiders don’t know what’s best for us
In my over 63 years of life, I have yet to be in a conversation with relatives or friends here in Montana where the subject of the conversation turned to being what Montana was in need of was the benevolent guidance of outsiders.Especially this pack of thieves calling themselves conservationists. Like the current administration in Washington, they’ve changed their name from environmentalist to conservationist. You know, like from torture to “enhanced interrogation.”
Harry Turnland, Libby
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