While opening my eyes when reading the letter published in the Aug. 24 Township Journal, I had many thoughts.
I have seen that (Donald) Trump in his first two years as president was unable to convince the Republican House and Republican Senate to fund the money to build the wall that he promised during his 2016 campaign. I guess those in Congress were also waiting for Mexico to pay for it.
Not until the Democrats won a majority in the House in 2018 did the Republicans make big deal about it and Trump was still president. What did he do about it except to separate kids from their families or want to shoot the migrants down at the base of the wall?
The fentanyl drug overdose issue is a serious problem. But it can’t be solved just by the president whether it be Trump or (Joe) Biden.
Open your eyes and look around you and pay attention. Government can’t solve all your problems ... unless you want total socialism and total government control.
Folks also need to be responsible and accountable for their actions and behaviors. The best way to eliminate the supply of fentanyl is to eliminate the demand. Don’t buy it!
Gasoline prices had surged after the pandemic, but they have been moderating recently. President Biden has little control of gas/oil prices just as Nixon (R) in 1974 and Carter (D) in 1978 had about the international (OPEC) price increases.
I lived through those situations and believe me not only had the prices skyrocketed but you had to manage your gas usage as here in New Jersey you had the odd/even gas-purchasing policy. If the last number of your license plate was wrong, ... then no gas that day ... regardless of price!
Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was not well-executed. But it must be noted that the terms of leaving Afghanistan was negotiated and signed by Trump on Feb. 29, 2020, with the Taliban, who were our enemy that we were fighting, and not with the Afghan government, who were our ally.
Trump’s staff during the transition did not provide a lot of information about many necessary issues that would help to make the withdrawal more successful. It’s unfortunate that we lost those last 13 Marines during the evacuation, but are their lost lives any more tragic then the 2,402 lost lives during those past 20 years of that war?
Republicans in the House have spent more than two years now with their investigations with what results? Have they produced any legislation that has been of any benefit? And after years of having Hunter’s laptop ... have they found any answers or solutions other than nude photos of Hunter?
Biden immediately made federal resources available to Hawaii which the governor appreciated. My brother, who has lived in Hawaii since 1970, has communicated with me that federal agencies are working hard to help.
The stories of Gold Star Families being billed for the return of their dead family members was proved to be false. None of the Gold Star Families have had to pay for the cost of the return of remains of fallen soldiers.
It’s time to open our eyes and ears to what’s happening around us and use common sense, rather than rely on just social media for our information which can often be misinformation. Real facts matter.
Pieter Uptegrove
Stillwater