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Articles by John Putney
Letter: Hoping for a better GOP standard-bearer in 2024
To the editor — Steve McKenna's Nov. 21 letter certainly caught my attention. It was about the character, honesty and behavior of Donald Trump prior to his nomination to be the Republican Party presidential candidate in 2020. How could Republicans have overlooked all of these negative factors and still accepted Trump as their candidate of choice?
Letter:Trump has U.S. looking like Belarus
To the editor — Election year 2020 is turning out to be like no other election in my lifetime. One big difference is that the language very often used by one of the 2020 presidential candidates is totally mean-spirited and degrading of the other. On many occasions, candidate Trump is also making statements about how, if he loses the election, it would likely have been rigged.
Saturday Soapbox: Let's have a positive pandemic
Since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the entire world has been enveloped in a racial pandemic, which, as I write this, shows no signs of abating at all. There have been many demonstrations in Yakima, all parts of the United States and in many, many parts of the world. Looters took advantage of some of the early demonstrations, but don’t seem to be in the news as much during the last month.
Letter: West Valley will need better roads soon
To the editor — The end of April will be the first anniversary of my move into a new home in West Valley. In the months since that move, there is only one thing that concerns me, and that is the potential in the next years for serious future traffic delays caused by a substantial increase in the construction of new apartments and homes in three sites along South 64th Avenue. I’ve been told that the building site between 64th and 72nd avenues will have well over 400 apartments when finished.
Letter: Mocking the opposition should not become the political norm
To the editor — It is my feeling that, since the 2016 election, being a retired teacher is a very positive thing for me. The current mood in the country encourages citizens of all ages who don’t agree with someone or see those people as competitors to verbally mock and taunt them. I can well imagine that this kind of behavior is increasing at all levels in our nation’s schools.
Letter: Trump's erratic behavior creates uncertainty at home and with our trading partners
FILE — U.S President Donald Trump smiles during a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019, where they announced that the U.S. and Japan have agreed in principle on a new trade agreement. FILE — U.S President Donald Trump smiles during a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, Sunday, Aug.
Kentucky Court Holds That Public Pension Plan Beneficiaries Lack Standing to Sue | JD Supra
Updated: May 25, 2018: JD Supra is a legal publishing service that connects experts and their content with broader audiences of professionals, journalists and associations.
Pennsylvania Pension Review Commission Recommends Overhaul To Public Plans' Investments And Structure | JD Supra
Updated: May 25, 2018: JD Supra is a legal publishing service that connects experts and their content with broader audiences of professionals, journalists and associations.
People do not realize the long hours teachers put in
To the editor — I had to start this letter to the editor just minutes after reading Alan Jones’ Dec. 18 letter (“Take a closer look at teacher salaries”). All the figures he worked with and the conclusions he came up with suggests to me that he likely does not have teachers in his circle of friends. As a retired teacher with 35 years of teaching experience, I am curious as to just where he got his information about teachers and the hours they work.
Novel Suit by Kentucky Pension Beneficiaries Continues | JD Supra
Updated: May 25, 2018: JD Supra is a legal publishing service that connects experts and their content with broader audiences of professionals, journalists and associations.
President not above law
To the editor — Tweet away, Donald! I love one sent on the morning of June 4, assuring United States voters that “I have the absolute right to pardon myself.”He has certainly received some “interesting” legal advice from Rudy Giuliani. Perhaps this is in part the result of The Donald and his advisers having so much contact with and advice from Russian oligarchs. He is now beginning to publicly behave and talk like an oligarch.
Why we need immigrants
To the editor — The March 15 letter to the editor, “How racism hurts,” grabbed my attention. This seemed to be about people's intolerant reactions fueled by hatred of immigrants or people who spoke a language other than English. Unless one is a member of a Native American Indian nation, all Americans are either immigrants or the descendants of immigrants.The letter reminded me of a picture in a U.S. History textbook I used while teaching in the 1980s at Eisenhower High School.
Fake news purveyor
To the editor — Fake news? Just have a look at the ABC News fact-check of President Trump’s State of the Union speech. Unfortunately, they are not numbered, but after reading perhaps 20, the black icon that moves as I scroll down the page to read the article has only moved about an inch and one half.I think these many exaggerations and misinformation has earned him the undisputed title of “Fake News Purveyor of the Year.” Is that really a surprise to anyone?
Immigration history is instructive to today
Believe it or not, immigration has been an issue in North America since the pilgrims came in 1620. Native Americans were certainly not at all happy with the new arrivals, as was shown in the John Darkow cartoon in the Jan. 17 Yakima Herald-Republic. His cartoon bears the comments on immigration recently made about 21st century immigration to the United States, appropriate in 1620 as well.
We got what election gave us
To the editor — Well before either of the 2016 political nominating conventions named candidates to run for president, the Herald-Republic published my Saturday Soapbox piece on the upcoming election. The April 9 piece ended with admonition: “Be careful what you ask for, because you might get it.” Well, we “got it”, though by the electoral vote, but not by the popular vote. “The Donald’s” deportment as president has remained unchanged from what it was in the years/decades prior to that election.
Absentee policy gives students a lesson in irresponsibility
The Saturday, April 14, front-page article on student absences in Yakima Valley schools was an appropriate footnote to a recent substitute teaching experience at Eisenhower High School on the day before. If what I read/experienced continues, students may well be lacking the knowledge and self-discipline to be successful at their future jobs.In addition to subject matter, students learn commitment to meeting deadlines and expectations through self-discipline.
Americans have pulled together in the past and can do so again
President Trump's executive order bars immigrants from seven heavily Muslim countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days, bans all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days, and indefinitely bans Syrian refugees Do you agree or disagree with this executive order?
Do a downtown parking test
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Send presidential election into overtime
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Trump bad for business
The debate reaffirmed my vote for Donald Trump. The debate reaffirmed my vote for Hillary Clinton. I was on the fence, but now I'm leaning toward Trump. I was on the fence, but now I'm leaning toward Clinton. I was on the fence, but now I'm leaning toward a third party. I never was going to vote for either Trump or Clinton. I watched sports instead of the debate on Monday night.
Trump as school bully
To the editor — Of the many presidential campaigns I’ve witnessed, this one’s unique. The Aug. 9 comic strip “Lola” had a simple, nonpolitical comment on the election. Lola said “The population of the United States is roughly 324 million. ... And of that, well over 50 percent are past the age of 35. That’s like 172 million people. And out of all those folks ...
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