Letters to the Editor: Politics key issue for writers

Pontiac

Supporting Tom Vagasky for sheriff

We are proud to support Tom Vagasky in his effort to be the next sheriff of Livingston County. He will bring the respectability, leadership and proven experience needed in that office.

In the recent past, two sheriffs have resigned before their terms ended — one under investigation for official misconduct, the other for (retirement). Both of their entire careers were within the department.

Also, if you look at three other persons to hold the office in the past without such issues — Don Wall, Marv Rutledge, and Al Lindsay — they all have one thing in common — successful careers with the Illinois State Police. Tom is recently retired from the ISP, and served in many capacities, including overseeing a task force fighting drug distribution, a major problem in our county.

It’s time once again to get a fresh start in leadership in the sheriff’s office. Tom has the managerial experience needed in Livingston County.

Dee Ingles

Mike Ingles

Pontiac

Thank you, Adam Kinzinger

Adam Kinzinger defeated incumbent Democrat Debbie Halvorson in 2010 from the 11th Congressional District, beginning a 12-year career in Congress.

In 2012, after redistricting, Adam defeated incumbent Republican Dan Manzullo in the 16th District primary, then was elected in the General Election and re-elected in 2014 with 70% of the vote.

In 2016, Adam was unopposed in the Republican primary and unopposed in the General Election winning 99.9% of District 16 vote. This followed Kinzinger’s Aug. 3 statement that he would not support the 2016 Republican presidential nominee because “I’m an American before I’m a Republican.” He further stated he would not vote for nor endorse the Democratic nominee for president.

I, too, was deeply chagrined that someone with no Republican roots, no conservative background when judged from a lifelong record of activities, and seemingly living a life void of Christian values was placed on the presidential ballot in 2016.

In 2018, Adam received 67% of the Republican primary vote and 59% in the General Election.

In 2020, Adam was unopposed in the Republican primary, receiving 64% in the General Election.

Adam Kinzinger has faithfully honored and fulfilled the Congressional oath of office during his years in Congress as evidenced by his present position investigating the insurrection and “traitorous” armed invasion of our nations’ capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, actions violating the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

Adam took the military oath of office when commissioned an Air Force officer in 2003, later piloting aircraft in Afghanistan and Iraq. I took an oath of office in 1962 when enlisting in the US Army.

We need more Adam Kinzingers in Congress, who represent their constituents, as shown by previous election totals reflecting voting history, while honoring their oath of office.

Charlie Grotevant

Pontiac

Following the correct path is a must

We the people of the USA must look each other in the eye and do some serious considering together. We are approaching a fork in our path as a nation, and we must choose a direction.

In one direction our further accelerating standard of living and quality of life declines for all of use except for an increasingly shrinking elite minority of our fellow citizens. That will be our direction if we don’t focus and choose, and instead just keep stumbling along doing and not doing want we have been for decades now.

If we go in that direction, we can keep all but ignoring existentially threatening global warming and nuclear annihilation. We can detest more than respect each other. We can keep pulling apart instead of pulling together.

And, most significantly, we can keep thoroughly neglecting our unique and precious popular self-governance fund-accounting-based interactive public budgeting and auditing national internal control process.

Or we can focus and choose to go in the other direction. In that direction, we can keep our government and major corporations reliably domesticated and serving us in their intended yoked legal-political-ethical harnesses within our national internal control process.

In that direction, we can and must begin anew by demanding that our local governments clearly explain how and why they use fund accounting in their annual public budgeting and auditing activities to advance the public interest. And we must ask questions and demand refinements in those activities sufficiently to accomplish and sustain our inclusive informed consent.

Dick Haas