Letter to the Editor

In the April 21 edition of The Steel Country Bee, the editor stated that page 4 of the newspaper is the opinion page. I have written a letter to the editor previously. My letter was never published; however, I did receive a response from Jim Snyder. You stated that anyone is welcome to write a letter; however, with the editor’s column. Mr. Snyder’s column, and the recipe, there is not space left for anything else. It is apparent that The Bee leans conservative, which it has a right to do. However, knowing Morris County is not 100 percent Republican, there are few letters or columns published containing a dissenting view. You are right that everyone is entitled to their own opinions; however, everyone is not entitled to their own facts.

I find it interesting that someone can write a column about how awful the Democrats are practically every week. Surely, there are some bad Republicans somewhere. None of the candidates (Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich as well as Hillary and Bernie) are squeaky clean. Do you really believe Donald Trump amassed his fortune being nice and polite? He uses illegal immigrants on his construction projects, and his products are made in sweatshops around the world. Ted Cruz has done nothing for Texas since he became a senator. Kasich is just taking up space. Every candidate, Republican and Democrat, has issues and baggage. It was stated that Donald Trump made a “joke” about shooting people in New York. Really? If it was a joke, nobody laughed. Plus, where does the do nothing Republican Congress factor into the mess that this country is in? Nothing is said about that. I wonder why.

“President Obama said he would stand with the Muslims.” Please read the book and tell me exactly what page and paragraph contains that quote. It is a fictitious email that has been circulated for years that it full of words that have been cut and pasted together and taken out of context. Sort of like when people take one verse from the Bible and quote it.

Valerie Jarrett was born in Iran because her father was an American doctor who happened to be in Iran along with others who were teaching countries in the region about health and agriculture. By the way, he was in Iran under the request of a Republican president. If Valerie Jarrett is a Muslim because she was born in Iran, then Ted Cruz is a Communist because he was born in Cuba. Valerie Jarrett’s parents are both black Americans. Her grandfather was the first recognized black architect in this country. She did not spend her childhood in Iran being indoctrinated in Muslim culture. Her family moved to London when she was five.

“The Obama administration is full of Muslims.” Please name them. I would like to know who they are, and I am sure that the American public would love to know who they are. It was stated that Charles Barkley said that poor people are where they are because of their choices.

Charles Barkley, like anyone else, is entitled to his opinion. It’s easy to sit on your perch and talk about others when you have made a fortune running up and down the court with a ball. To my knowledge, Charles Barkley has done nothing substantial to lift anyone out of poverty. Magic Johnson has used his fortune to invest in the community and empower thousands of people. Kevin Durant built houses in Oklahoma for people who lost theirs in the tornadoes. Shaq owns numerous business and has built homes for many people. Countless other professional athletes have foundations where they give back. Not Charles Barkley. Instead of criticizing, he should be on his knees thanking God that he was able to make millions running down a court and shooting a ball into a hole. By the way, Charles Barkley has come out in favor of same sex marriage and gay rights -- not things typically embraced by the right.

It was also stated that blacks are where they are because they vote Democrat. I am 100 percent certain that if every black person in this country voted Republican, absolutely nothing would change. No political party will ever be the savior of any group of people. For me, it does not matter who is elected in November. I will still have to get up, work, and make my way. It’s interesting that nothing is being written about a Republican administration that knew for years that the water was full of lead in Flint, Michigan, yet they allowed human beings to drink it, mostly poor people and people of color. General Motors stopped using the same water in 2014 because it was corroding the engines of the cars they were manufacturing, yet it was still acceptable to allow human beings to drink it.

As for what the founder of Planned Parenthood said about black people, not too many black people are surprised by what she said because it’s nothing new. Why not discuss the truth about another Republican president, Richard Nixon, who created the drug laws specifically to put black men and war protesting “hippies” in jail. The truth is out, but again, black people are not surprised. As a result, 1.5 million black men were taken out of their homes and imprisoned behind harsh drug laws. Interesting how drugs seem to flood minority communities. How did they get there? They are there because they were purposely put there.

It has also been stated that President Obama is a fraudulent, illegitimate President. I guess winning the popular vote and the Electoral College twice makes one illegitimate. George W. Bush was put in office in 2000 when the Supreme Court halted a recount in Florida, yet he is legitimate. It was also stated that this little experiment failed. We all know that is code for “see, we elected a black man, and see what happened.” It was never an experiment with the 43 others. For centuries, there was no voter ID law, yet over the last eight years, all of a sudden, we need voter ID because of the non-existent rampant voter fraud going on in this country. Coincidence. I think not. The President was criticized about attending a baseball game after a terrorist attack. I am certain that he had full access to a command staff and everything he needed aboard Air Force One. Did any other world leaders drop everything and go to Belgium? No, they did not just as no other world leaders came to America after 9/11.

Yes, this country has numerous problems; however, both parties are culpable in creating them. Politics in this country have become a joke. You now have two Republicans trying to band together to stop another from winning enough delegates, which in the end will backfire because people now realize that it’s really not the will of the voters because the party establishment and delegates are the ones who are really running the show. I keep hearing how great America was. Prior to the 1970s, America was great for only one group of people.

I know this is long and too lengthy to be published. My point in all this is that I am sure that there are some Democrats who subscribe to your newspaper. They too deserve a voice and space in your publication. D. R. Traylor