Michigan coyote hunts are 'gruesome killing contests' | Letters to the Editor

Hunting coyotes while they have pups should not be allowed

A recent headline asked about coyotes being hunted if they have pups. Whether the answer to that is informed by biology, ethics, or basic human decency, it should be a resounding no. ("Should coyotes be hunted when they have pups? Debate rages on shorter Michigan season," Detroit Free Press, Feb. 23)

Michigan’s coyotes were already being ruthlessly hounded, baited, snared, trapped, lured by electronic devices that mimic sounds of pups in distress and gunned down in gruesome killing contests throughout much of the year, when the Natural Resources Commission opened up their hunting to year-round in 2016.

This happened even though science had long established that killing more coyotes doesn’t result in more deer— good habitat is the key to that — and that numerous economical, proven effective nonlethal methods exist to prevent coyote conflicts from occurring in the first place. There’s really no question about it. The NRC should approve this new proposal to close the coyote hunting season once again while coyotes are raising their pups.

Lauren Dolega

Franklin

Mitch got it wrong on student loans

Mitch Albom's article regarding student loan debt relief reminded me of a 13-year-old complaining about life’s unfairness. Please, Mitch, when is a government program delivered that does not play favorites? A good deal for you is not a bad deal for me.

Student loans are different than consumer loans for a number of reasons. Here’s a good one — having more Americans gaining advanced training and degrees is good for all of us, and having young people deep in debt, who should be starting families and buying houses, is bad for all of us.

We absolutely need more people to gain more knowledge more affordably.

DJ Boyd

Northville

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Alabama IVF ruling shows courts can be capricious

So-called conservative judges change their ideology to fit their capricious opinions. (I call them "so-called," because activism is the opposite of conservatism.) The Alabama Supreme Court Ruling that a frozen embryo is a person is a glaring example.

These legal opinions start with the rationalization and end with the opinion, but as in "Alice in Wonderland," the verdict came first, then the trial. The presentation order then is reversed to create an illusion of legal scholarship.

Remember all that talk about banning abortion on detection of a heartbeat? Well, there's no heartbeat in a frozen embryo. Neither is there a heart to beat at the blastocysts stage, which is when the embryos presumably were frozen, according to any description I can find of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) and implantation process. By their own reckoning, the disposal of an unused embryo therefore is a legal abortion.

Furthermore, the mere fact that an embryo can survive freezing is a powerful argument that it is not yet a person since we know a living person cannot resume living after being frozen. That is a clear and unambiguous distinction.

Dennis L. Green

Farmington Hills

Free Press columnist got it right on charter schools

I applaud Michael Griffie's article on the history of charter schools in Michigan and suggestions for how to repair the damage. As a former charter school principal, I am guessing he has first-hand experience with how a charter school is managed.

He notes in his article the progression of events leading to the formation of charter schools, and how they were marketed as a choice but without transportation provided by the school, they were not a choice for most families. Their lack of innovation and superior achievement to public schools rarely happened.

I am a former teacher in the Grand Rapids area and have an ongoing interest in education in Michigan. Grand Rapids has had similar issues involving schools of choice and charter schools. One thing that has always bothered me is that charter schools receive the same funding as public schools but with little to no accountability with funding or student achievement.

It is my hope that the current administration and Legislature will recognize this failure and formulate a plan that leads to high rates of student achievement for all students of Detroit.

Thomas Scott

Grand Rapids

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The positive ripple effect of production work

I’d like to share with your readers that the Multimedia Jobs Act (HB4907-08) would benefit many Michigan residents and businesses. Our mutual goal is to grow the production infrastructure, and grow another strong revenue stream in Michigan. To do that, I feel the "playing field" needs to be leveled by providing competitive tax incentives. Producers need to know that they can get excellent work completed in Michigan by hiring local crew, renting local equipment and local production facilities … and that they can save money by coming here.

The strategy of creating competitive incentives has been successful in other midwestern states like Illinois and Ohio as well as Georgia. These incentives in other states leave the great state of Michigan at a disadvantage. We need to train our people here for the technical, clean and high-paying jobs. We can do this by making work available right here in Michigan.

There is a ripple effect for business and for communities where multimedia work is being done. In fact, the Department of Commerce calls the film making a "locomotive industry" similar to housing construction and automobiles.

Working in these industry hides the true impact on the economy because so many upstream, downstream and peripheral industries depend on the primary production plant.

Therefore, multimedia production can be called a manufacturing process.

This ripple effect also effects the hospitality industry. When commercial and feature film companies come to places to work, they book multiples spaces in the hotel. Other hotels also benefit as some crew members are boarded in these nearby accommodations.

Crews of 50 to 300 must be fed and transported to and from their accommodations to locations. This affects the food service and rental vehicle industry.

Location scouts buy fuel, food and supplies well in advance of production. Craft service production assistants and caterers set up menus for feeding crew and extras. They purchase food, water and necessary supplies for distributing food on set. They order food from different vendors and waste removal services clean it all for weekly stops.

This is a labor-intensive industry and a lucrative revenue stream for businesses. I urge you on behalf of myself and the Michigan Production Community to pass the Michigan Multimedia Jobs Act as soon as possible.

Mark Adler

Novi

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Donald Trump's lawsuits show he's not fit to be president

USA Today found that Trump and his businesses were involved in at least 3,500 legal actions in federal and state courts over the three decades. ("Exclusive: Trump's 3,500 lawsuits unprecedented for a presidential nominee," USA Today, June. 1)

His legal troubles are notably going on as we speak and while he's running for president. In addition to his four criminal indictments, a judge has ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties because he lied about his wealth for years as he built the real estate empire that vaulted him to stardom and the White House.

Judge Arthur Engoron's Feb. 16 decision punishes Trump, his company, executives and two sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. for scheming to pad his net worth.

To all MAGA supporters, do you really think that this person is fit to be president?

Joe DeMarco

Jay, New York

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Coyotes, student loans, Alabama IVF ruling and Donald Trump | Letters