Name changes are for the birds
On Aug. 27, Donald Trump signed an order to change Lake Ontario's name to Lake America.
He also plans to change the name of the lake's best-known bird, the loon, to the American Loon, in honor of himself.
Bob Grand, Springfield
Will Eric Burlison campaign in public?
Election season is upon us. Races in southwest Missouri, along with the rest of the state, have many Republican incumbents facing Democrat challengers. The vast majority of those Republican incumbents voted in favor of Amendments 4 and 5, which were designed to disenfranchise citizens from the initiative petition process and increase and expand sales taxes on the majority of us so the wealthiest in the state would get another tax break.
Many of those same Republican incumbents also support the push for massive, hyperscale
data centers. Voters from St. Louis County to Jackson County to Jasper County to Greene County are standing up and speaking out — tired of having bad policies and practices pushed on them.
Now should be the time when voters are able to see candidates who will be on the Nov. 3 ballot and hear those candidates answer questions. Voters deserve the opportunity to size up their candidates — choosing based on track record, character, and priorities, NOT just by party. Incumbents owe it to their constituents to have face-to-face conversations with them, to explain their votes and discuss priorities.
Congressman Eric Burlison and his staff dodge every single person who calls or emails his office or campaign attempting to set up a public forum.
On Sept. 3, Speaker Johnson sent Congress home for the rest of September. And Congress is not in session in October. Members of Congress up for reelection will be paid for two months of campaigning. I want this to serve as notice that I will avail myself any Sunday-Thursday evening in October to have an organized and civil public forum alongside Congressman Burlison. I'll let you know if we hear from his campaign.
Missi Hesketh, Democratic candidate for the Missouri 7th Congressional District
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Letters to the Editor: Politics of name changes and public appearances
