Feds find billions more for Ukraine while EKy flood victims are still living in tents

Herald-Leader Readers
·6 min read
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America last

Once again, we see the “America last” policies of President Joe Biden’s administration as billions are allocated for the corrupt regime in Ukraine while pennies are raked together for the flood victims of eastern Kentucky.

While eastern Kentuckians live in dire conditions in tents and travel trailers, FEMA requires displaced American citizens to jump through bureaucratic hoops and administrative red tape. At the same time, billions are being pumped into Ukraine without oversight or congressional review. Ukraine got their money in 24 hours without snags! A foreign government, where the U.S. has no vital interest, takes priority over citizens genuinely suffering the devastation of Mother Nature’s wrath.

Like the crime victims in American cities and the 100,000 dying yearly from fentanyl nationally, this administration just doesn’t care. It’s “America Last” again! I guess the folks in eastern Kentucky, my home, lack enough lobbyists and donors to merit attention from the “swamp rats”, both Democrat and Republican, cutting up money for D.C. elites while working for the same interest group... lobbyists! To hell with the Constitutional Preamble which the “rats” took an oath to defend, they don’t care!

It’s a sad commentary for America!

Robert Adams, Lexington

Focus inward

Some of our leaders are not bringing out the best in us. We know better.

When I was a teacher in Scott Co., for five days a week I would try to have an orderly classroom where learning could take place and goodwill was present. Then would come Saturdays and junior pro basketball. I would go to some of the games, and to be honest, there were adults who acted terribly. Obviously, that was a situation that didn’t bring out the best.

We’re becoming a state and nation of taking sides, and many of us are getting quite vocal in defending our own side. But it’s also becoming rather obvious that both sides have their faults and plenty of bad behaviors are associated with each. Those bad behaviors could be bringing out the worst in us.

A solution could be for us to focus more on our own daily lives. We could be allowing our leaders to have too much influence over us. I’ve heard it said that just because you have a right to do something doesn’t mean it’s right to do it. We can do much good in our own daily lives. There can be great impact.

Belinda French, Columbia, Tenn. (formerly Georgetown)

Blue-White game

In the September 26th edition of the Herald-Leader, I read about the University of Kentucky men’s basketball decision to move the annual Blue-White scrimmage game to the Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville. This is part of a continuing effort to raise money for flood victims.

As admirable as it may seem, I feel that they should have just kept it at Rupp Arena.

I have nothing against the City of Pikeville and Pike County. They were one of the 12) counties to be affected by flood waters. Yet, out of the 12, six of the counties were majorly hit with devastating and unheard-of levels of flooding. These include Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Knott, Letcher, and Perry Counties - five experienced death tolls. It is my opinion that the game should be more centralized or just been kept at Rupp. Floyd, Knott and Letcher counties may be closer to Pikeville, but the other half are not. Additionally, there are other gyms in Eastern Kentucky that aren’t high school gyms, i.e. the gyms at Lees College or Alice Lloyd College. Though small, they are right in the middle of the majorly hit areas.

Brandon Gross, Jackson

Candidate endorsements

After receiving a recent copy of The Cumberland, the newsletter compiled by the Kentucky chapter of Sierra Club, I was drawn to an article about candidates they were endorsing for the upcoming election. It is important for voters to know which candidates want to support environmental issues and want to make policy for a sustainable planet. Thank you Kentucky Political Committee of the Sierra Club for your efforts. What totally shocked me about this article was the following statement:

“You may have noticed all the endorsed candidates in partisan races are Democrats. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Regretfully, Republican candidates contacted by the committee were all in a state of lockstep choosing not to explain their position on issues important to the Sierra Club.”

Why would stating your position on environmental issues be a frightening issue for the Republican candidates? Are they all climate change deniers? Is protecting Mother Earth a controversial issue? Should the violent tornado in western Kentucky and the catastrophic floods in eastern Kentucky be ignored? What about droughts and fires in other parts of our country? I will not support any candidate who refuses to address one of the most serious issues affecting us today!

Barbara Rave Plymale, Lexington

Medical autonomy

In response to John Vance’s letter about U.S. Sen. Rand Paul - As a licensed medical professional, and person with a medical exemption to the COVID injection, I am proud that Paul is working hard to protect medical autonomy. I am one of 500,000 in America that suffer from a rare disease; Primary Immune Deficiency. My monthly life-saving infusions make vaccines contra-indicated. Not to mention studies from John’s Hopkins have proven the COVID vaccine may be ineffective for many P.I. patients; just as it is for those who are immune-suppressed from anti-rejection medications following organ transplants. Additionally, I had an underlying cardiac history, which gave my doctor to pause. Forced vaccine mandates on those of us where there is no benefit, is illogical. It is denying science.

Medical autonomy is a freedom and privilege that makes us uniquely American. Sen. Paul is working to protect this freedom, so people like me with a legitimate medical exemption would not be forced into anything that is contraindicated. Thank you, Sen. Paul, for following the science.

Andrea Rinella, Lexington

15 pallets of zucchinis and cucumbers sit in a refrigerator at at God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington. The produce was delivered through the Farms to Food Banks program which distributes locally grown food throughout the commonwealth.
15 pallets of zucchinis and cucumbers sit in a refrigerator at at God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington. The produce was delivered through the Farms to Food Banks program which distributes locally grown food throughout the commonwealth.

Ending hunger

This week’s historic White House Conference on Hunger is timely as Kentuckians and one in 10 households in the U.S. struggle to feed their families. Rising food prices and inflation compound the challenges. With poverty being the primary cause of hunger in the U.S., ending hunger will take far more than encouragement to eat better and exercise more. Commitments to expand the child tax credit, provide universal free school meals, invest in childcare, cover the Medicaid coverage gap, and increase the minimum wage sound promising, if we can get them passed in Congress.

Yet, ending hunger will require a transformative approach that addresses the racial and systemic dimensions of poverty with a focus on the most vulnerable people and communities. A dedicated focus on poverty can move us in that direction. In addition, we must address farm policy, which hurts farmworkers, food chain workers and family farmers alike, while polluting our water, air, and food, and contributing to climate change. Beyond short-term infusions of money, addressing the poverty behind hunger requires long-term funding and the strengthening of local-regional food economies. All of this must be implemented in ways which address disparities caused by a history of and continued racism.

Andrew Kang Bartlett, Louisville