The Sunday Valley News article “Bearing the Minimum” (Jan. 17) concerning New Hampshire’s “long-stagnant minimum wage” stated that “Only about 2,000 out of New Hampshire’s 395,000 hourly workers earn at or below $7.25 (per hour).”
The use of the word “only” is deeply offensive. Are we to believe that a wage structure paying roughly 57% of the federal poverty line (for a family of four) is acceptable since “only” 2,000 New Hampshire workers are affected?
No wonder workers feel neglected, abused and marginalized.
MARK and CAPPY NUNLIST
Lebanon
With the recent events, I thought it very important to share my observations about the November elections.
I served as a nonpartisan voter protection volunteer with a New Hampshire organization called Open Democracy, a nonpartisan organization that works on pro-voter electoral reforms.
My task was to be a “rover” in Lebanon, driving among the city’s three wards and spending 45-60 minutes at a time at each polling place. I talked with voters exiting the polls and asked them if they were able to vote, about their voting experience, whether everything was to their satisfaction and whether they had observed irregularities.
It is impossible to be in three places at once, thus I coordinated with another advocacy organization, Rights and Democracy, which had two volunteers at all times at each ward, to have information throughout the day, in addition to talking to voters.
The feedback: Voters described their voting experience as “perfect.” There were no reports of irregularities at any of the polling locations. The biggest problems were a 30-40 minute wait at 7-8:30 a.m. and a short wait in Ward 3 at 11:30 a.m. One young man was appropriately turned away from voting because he moved to Massachusetts in September and no longer had domicile in New Hampshire. He was not a student and should have voted in Massachusetts.
All 90 Open Democracy volunteers shared their observations from both inside and outside the polling stations, allowing us to cover 60% of the polling places in New Hampshire. Official observers from both parties also made sure that proper procedures were followed, and all eligible voters were able to cast their ballots. Inside poll workers registered new voters from both parties with no reports of bias. Likewise, the absentee ballot process appeared to be fair and transparent.
Having firsthand information from throughout the state, I am confident the November elections in New Hampshire were fair, transparent and secure.
On behalf of Open Democracy, I would like to thank all the local poll workers, volunteers and election officials for a job well done.
POLINA SAYESS
Lebanon
The writer is a member of the Upper Valley Open Democracy Team.
Whether you voted for Joe Biden or Donald Trump, I hope you agree that it is important to keep our great country together. These challenging times require us to lower the temperature of nastiness and vitriol that is permeating our nation. A wise person once said, “It is impossible to solve problems if you view someone as an enemy.”
Because someone doesn’t agree with you, that doesn’t mean they are evil, that doesn’t mean they are unworthy. Everyone is worthy. It is up to each of us to model how we treat each other, to do so with respect and dignity.
Given concerns about this national crisis, I volunteer with Braver Angels (braverangels.org), a national citizens movement that is uniting Americans from across the political spectrum to depolarize our country. Embracing core values of respect, humility, honesty and responsible citizenship, we bring people together to listen and better understand those with whom they disagree. We offer online workshops, including one on “Families and Politics” that teaches skills to successfully manage political conflict with family members. Our next workshop is on Feb. 6, and there is no cost!
I also welcome you to join our online regional alliance meeting on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. You will meet some wonderful people from New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine who are committed to listening to each other and finding ways to unite our country.
I encourage interested people to reach out to me at dteschner@braverangels.org.
As Braver Angels co-founder Bill Doherty recently observed: “I think people are starting to realize that we can’t go on this way. I have hope that we are going to wake up and see divisiveness and polarization as our enemy, not people on the other political side.”
Thank you, and please join us to make a difference for our children and future generations.
DOUGLASS TESCHNER
Pike, N.H.
The writer is the New England regional leader for Braver Angels.
Several brief points:
■ Health insurance cannot continue to be a burden on business. It is a drag on employment, a problem for small business and harms all U.S. companies’ ability to compete internationally. National health insurance is the best way to support business.
■ There is a false equivalency claimed between the 2016 and 2020 elections. In 2016, it was alleged that the Russians interfered in the election by generating false information that affected votes. In 2020, Trump alleges the votes and the counting of the votes were interfered with and the election was not to be believed. Those matters are completely different.
■ Some claim Joe Biden’s proposed tax increases on incomes over $400,000 will negatively effect small-business owners who are already hurt by COVID-19. Taxes are paid on income, which is the profit of a business. If the business is doing poorly, it won’t have profits. And in good times it is rare for a small business to generate that level of taxable income.
■ In 2108, this newspaper published an op-ed column by The Washington Post’s Charles Krauthammer in which he observed that the problem with liberals is they think everyone is nice. Liberals are generally committed to cooperation and looking at the needs of everyone. But they are not stupid. When rabid right-wingers start saying we should all heal and get along, they apparently believe that liberals are stupid. They have spent four years saying, “I get my way because I have power,” and now they say, “you have to go my way to be nice.” Nice is how things get done in society. But nice isn’t stupid. I ask the rabid right-wingers to “heal and come together” by focusing on getting things done in Congress.
■ Believing Donald Trump won the election has the same effect as believing there is no pandemic. It is deadly.
LANEA WITKUS
Newport, N.H.