Mask choice at Hilton Head restaurants ignores seniors. Good luck with that | Letters
As a Packet subscriber I periodically look at the recent deaths in Beaufort County. The 10 or 12 recent deaths printed are almost always people over age 70.
What must come as a surprise to mask-optional restaurant management is that people over 70 enjoy going out to restaurants. Even those over 70 with health problems like to eat.
It has become apparent that if a 70-plus individual contracts this virus, it may well become a life or death situation.
As many decisions regarding the health crises in the U.S. are based on politics, not health, the decision by restaurant management to have a mask-optional policy for staff is a political, not a health-based decision.
My guess is that these restaurants must be doing so well, they can ignore the serious threat to these seniors. Good luck.
Bob Leff
Hilton Head Island
Trump’s failures make a long list
A recent writer referenced the 300 accomplishments of President Donald Trump, as cited by Google.
While I have not sought Google’s listing, I am wondering whether it includes:
▪ The firing of four inspectors general, charged with overseeing and preventing wrongdoings.
▪ The turnover of more than 50 senior advisors and cabinet members, including the respected Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, H.R. McMaster, James Mattis and John Bolton, to name a few.
▪ The failure of such Trump brands as Trump University, Trump Shuttle airline, Trump Steaks, Trump bottled water, to name some.
▪ The promise that Mexico will pay for his favorite wall. Miles have been built, but I believe that we are still waiting for the first check.
▪ The details of the great, new affordable health care system.
▪ The pledge, made in February, that the coronavirus would magically go away.
▪ His cavalier treatment of women.
▪ His refusal to reveal his finances, which every president and candidate has done since 1974.
▪ His reckless spending to where the federal deficit exceeds $1 trillion.
▪ The disrespect that we earned from nearly every nation that was an ally in the past.
▪ Our “new friends” in the world, Putin, Kim and Xi.
▪ His total mishandline of the coronavirus pandemic.
The writer asks about the wisdom of changing horses in the middle of the stream. Fortunately, in less than 200 days we will be able to get a new captain before the boat sinks.
Murray Turka
Hilton Head Island
Fourth Estate not doing its job
Brian Williams’ “million dollars per person” debacle epitomizes the current state of journalism: a false claim originated on social media, unfiltered by a prominent liberal network, and sensationalized by a marquee anchor with a known record of dishonesty, only because the story fits their narrative that billionaires pay for every progressive agenda promoted by Democratic candidates.
These are the same people who pushed to impeach President Donald Trump before he was sworn in, smothered the airwaves with false Russian collusion, cheered as the FBI violated American citizens’ civil liberties, and refused to apologize for gross misreporting, all for the higher purpose of taking down Trump. When the Department of Justice is finally on the cusp of uncovering crimes against the Trump presidency by Obama officials, they choose not to report. Truth be damned.
American journalism is dead when the free press is willing to run fact-free allegations against political foes based on anonymous sources or invisible “whistleblowers.” Hard-hitting reporting is extinct when journalists become crusaders for “social justice” within the confines of their air-conditioned offices. The market for balanced news is history when Americans opt for information that placates their emotions and cower in echo chambers that shield them from discomforting truth.
Our republic is on shaky ground if the Fourth Estate fails to keep an eye on the government and speak truth to power. We the people have the obligation and the power to hold the media accountable by changing channels. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Xiaodan Li
Hilton Head Island
Trump does not believe in science
It is claimed that Marie Antoinette said: “Let them eat cake.” With President Donald Trump it would be “Let them drink Clorox.” Trump doesn’t believe in science and he demonstrates his ignorance every day.
He claims he has been taking hydroxychloroquine for the past week or so, even though the entire medical profession strongly advises against its use for the coronavirus.
Because Trump has made over 18,000 public false or misleading statements during his presidency, how can one believe anything he says about anything? So if he says he is taking the medication, he probably is not taking the medication.
Unfortunately, his claim will most likely persuade thousands of his misinformed supporters that they need the medication.
Trump obviously does not believe what his own scientists tell him because he contradicts almost everything they say. Of course the talking heads on the misinformation network (Fox) claim to know more about the virus and its spread than Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has spent his entire career as a scientist working with infectious diseases.
This is not the first time Trump has claimed to know more than the scientists. He has done it on numerous occasions with climate change. Even to the extent of embarrassing himself by attacking 16-year-old Greta Thunberg after she became Time’s person of the year. For heaven’s sake, Greta has Asperger’s syndrome.
We know the man has no decency or common sense, but does he also have to make a grotesque spectacle of the office of the presidency?
Tony Amadeo
Sun City
America lucky it has Trump as its leader
Some say President Donald Trump is not a leader. Baloney!
Trump has taken a lot of criticism for his leadership skills. Liberal politicians became accustomed to the “laid-back” style of leadership displayed by the Obama/Biden team, which meant we did nothing until it didn’t matter.
Trump is the leader who decided to implement a whole list of programs in order to control the influx of the coronavirus from China. When he did, criticism came from all liberal quarters.
Trump is the “non-leader” who isolated the United States from the world before untold thousands of Americans could die from the coronavirus. The “non-leader” who forced Europe to accept responsibility for its own welfare. The “non-leader” who decided to control illegal immigration.
This pandemic showed us how lucky we all are to have a solid leader in the White House. If Obama was still president, he would do nothing and people would say: “Look how brave he is.”Meanwhile, a lot of Americans would have died.
After eight years of nonsense, Americans needed someone to “make America great again.” We needed a president with the vision to expand our economic potential and then display the smarts to make it happen. Trump is proud to be an American!
Trump has the strength to believe in his convictions, despite the negative feedback constantly originating from the liberal press and socialist Democrats.
Americans were lucky to elect the right leader at the right time; anyone else would have been a disaster.
Clifton Jester
Bluffton
Yes, it’s time to change horses
I read a recent letter regarding the perceived accomplishments of Donald Trump versus those of the presumed Democratic nominee, Joseph Biden.
The writer made it a point to mention the alleged sexual misstep of Biden by someone whose past has shown a pattern of various unproven accusations, while totally ignoring the well-documented sexual dalliances my our current president, including the tapes that have been widely circulated.
He claims it’s not in our best interests to “change horses in midstream.” But if that horse is leading us downstream into a muddy morass, I think a change is in our best interest.
Bob Alberti
Bluffton
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