Your letters June 30, 2023

As parents, it is their job to monitor what their children are learning and reading. It is not their job to decide what is taught or read by everyone else’s children. Public libraries and public schools are for everyone. If you want your children to have a faith-based education and to not be exposed to things you don’t believe in or are uncomfortable with, then you have two choices. You can either send them to a faith-based school or home school them.

Our public schools and libraries are funded through our tax dollars. Someone’s religious beliefs should not set the standard for who is qualified to serve on a library board or a school board. They also should not control what is taught in our schools or what books are available in public schools or public libraries.

This is a First Amendment and discrimination issue. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs, religious or otherwise. I believe that they should be respected. What they are not entitled to, is to decide what everyone else can do or have access to.

Debra Miller, St. Joseph

Holiday celebrates all of America

The Fourth of July is not a Republican or Democrat holiday, it’s not a liberal or conservative day. It’s America’s birthday.

The freedom we have, the freedom we use and know, was fiercely fought for and dearly paid for long, long ago. The Declaration of Independence did not set us free on the Fourth of July, 1776, but each year we celebrate the indomitable, unstoppable Spirit of America.

Because we have freedom, because of our deeply held belief in it, and our unwavering devotion to it, America is the greatest place on earth.

America’s greatness comes from the foundation on which it was built, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, All men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.”

Let’s live up to our oath and pledge, “With liberty and justice for all.”

We the people, means everyone.

Happy Independence Day.

Shawn Harper, St. Joseph

You can make numbers say anything

As of 11/24/22 the U.S. population was at 333,386,988! Consisting of 12.6% Blacks, 5.9% Asian, 18.9% Latino, 59.3% white and 3% other.

Interracial marriage has been legal since 1967, via the 14th Amendment. Interracial marriage has gone from 3% in 1967 to 19% in 2019. Public approval has gone from 3% in 1967 to 94% in 2021.

This is America today, many like and many do not like this happening. As we all know you can make the numbers say what you want them to, just look at today — election numbers, climate change numbers, government waste spending, inflation, unemployment.

Unless the America people get off their butts, nothing good is going to happen, all we will get for our tax dollars is “rich” politicians. Yes, Black lives matter, but it should be “all” lives matter. More Black babies percentage-wise are aborted yearly, you’d think that would be more of a concern than who is marrying who. Keep killing babies and that will take care of who is left to get married.

The only thing going to save this country is when the above-mentioned groups all wake and start pulling “together” against a corrupt government — who spends millions to get a $174,000 year job, in hopes coming out as one of the 250-plus millionaires currently in political service.

Ben Pecora, St. Joseph