Health is not a Trump priority in pandemic
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the Editor: I was a little insulted when I got the mail this morning and found an envelope from the Internal Revenue Service with a letter from President Trump letting me know my Economic Impact Payment has arrived.
Does he think I need him to tell me I received a check for $1,200? It is simply a vain attempt to get his name into every household, claiming credit for sending money to help get through a pandemic his earlier indifference helped compound and his current lack of leadership is helping to prolong.
How many millions of tax dollars did this campaign stunt drain from an agency already understaffed and with a limited budget? Trump doesn’t care. It saves his campaign money and might limit funds for investigating how much the Trump family is profiting from his presidency. To make matters worse, the letter he sent is less than honest.
He said his priority is my health and safety, but when the rest of the world was gearing up to fight COVID-19, Trump said he thought it would just go away and it wasn’t his responsibility. When other countries were testing thousands of people a day, Trump said testing was a state problem. He has refused to create a national plan of action to fight the coronavirus, insisting each state must develop their own plan, often having to bid against one another for scarce supplies. He says he is waging “total war” on COVID-19, but ignores advice from experts, suggests deadly home remedies, and encourages people to violate his own guidelines.
I watch President Trump cozy up to unfriendly countries, alienate traditional allies, and try to divert attention from the 107,000 American deaths already caused by COVID-19. His rhetoric is divisive and inflammatory and he has no plan. Unfortunately, the health and safety of the American people is not one of his top priorities.
Linda Osegard Neillsville
To the Editor: The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly unprecedented, testing our nation’s resolve and raising questions about the path to economic recovery. Job security for tens of millions of Americans was erased in a matter of weeks, leaving our leaders in Washington struggling to limit the damage and help those in need.
The impact has been especially acute in rural communities where the biofuels industry is a major contributor to our local economies. From hard-working farm families to local ethanol plants that provide good-paying jobs, the industry is a vital economic driver for small town Wisconsin. With fewer people now on the roads and prices continuing to suffer, the industry has taken a major hit, negatively impacting nearly 30,000 families across the state.
While the USDA neglected to provide relief for the biofuel community under a previous stimulus package, the House of Representatives crafted legislation that would limit the damage and keep our biofuel plants running. Now the pressure is on the Senate to finally deliver relief for this vital industry. The stability of rural America depends on it.
Anson Albarado Village Board President Cadott
