Thank you

Dear Editor:

When I bought my home in Claremont, I not only wanted to live here, but to also be an integral part of this city and help shape its future. That was the impetus of my run for city council. However, this run was not my time. I would like to congratulate incumbents Corey Calaycay and Larry Schroeder on their re-election to Claremont’s city council.

I also want to thank every voter who supported me and voted for me. I would like to say to all the voters of Claremont, I enjoyed every moment of every conversation. It was an honor to speak to so many of you, to get to know you and to hear what is really important to you. Your honesty was highly appreciated. I learned so much about this special city, and even more about myself.

Running for city council was a most humbling, yet invigorating experience. I look forward to serving Claremont in some future capacity. Thank you.

Anthony Grynchal

Claremont

Give Trump a chance

Dear Editor:

It’s a shame our politicians put “politics” in front of “country.” I believe President Trump is sincerely trying to fulfill the campaign promises that he made and the “establishment” in both parties is fighting him every step of the way.

President Trump was absolutely correct when he said he “inherited a mess.” A $20 trillion deficit, a weakened and underfunded military, multiple trade deficits, a collapsing so-called “Affordable Care Act” and a polarized electorate trying to decipher “fake news” from “real news.”

The stock market has gained over 3,000 points since his election so the business sector is looking forward to a promising future of regulatory simplification and elimination, tax cuts for both businesses and consumers, a workable health care system based upon market principles vs. governmental controls and a sorely needed “America First” nationalistic ideology.

President Trump is having an ongoing war with the media and has ignored Mark Twain’s advice of “Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.” His ability to tweet is bad in one sense in that it shows he can be thin-skinned, but it is good in another sense in that he can immediately communicate with the American people without being censored by the press.

The liberal press, including this newspaper, claims their coverage of the president is fair yet they castigate him at every turn in lieu of providing fair and balanced reporting. The so-called “fact checking” organizations such as Factcheck.org, Politifact and Pundifact are owned by or receive a majority of their funding from liberal activists or media companies such as the Tampa Bay Times. There are also conservative “fact checking” organizations who are oftentimes equally biased.

As a self-proclaimed “irredeemable deplorable,” I object to the overall liberal media bias against President Trump both in their negative coverage of his blunders or misspeaks as well as their negativity by omission of the good things he’s trying to do for this country. While I fully agree that a free and oftentimes critical press is essential to maintain our constitutional liberties, I believe that accusations of President Trump following some sort of “Dictator’s Handbook” are not only biased and unfounded, but serve to further divide a country that is in need of nationalistic and civil unity.

President Trump’s first speech to a joint session of Congress signaled a new willingness to work with both sides of the aisle for the good of the country. I’m personally tired of the fighting between the two major parties. It is high time our elected officials and the media work together to “Make America Great Again.” This will take compromise and understanding from both sides.

Let’s argue about policy in lieu of personalities. We should concentrate on jobs, the economy, the national debt, protecting our borders, healthcare, an aging infrastructure, strengthening our military, international trade, the education of our youth, and care for our elderly and those with special needs. Let’s not forget: as Americans, we’re all on the same team. 

Kris M. Meyer

Claremont