The opinion column by New Hampshire state Sens. Sue Prentiss and Tom Sherman (“Leadership, unity over political showmanship,” Sept. 25) speaks to the importance of leadership and a unified approach, especially in responding to a public health crisis like the pandemic. Such an approach would require cooperation among public officials and citizens, which, in turn, depends on trust. I worry that citizens’ trust among themselves and of the government is at a low point.
For example, there is a growing distrust in our ability to make informed decisions about democratic leadership, a relatively new phenomenon. Americans’ doubts about each other seem due to partisan animosity, and anxiety that citizens are too easily misled by social media. As for the government, the public’s ire is focused on Congress and the way its members do their jobs. Many say elected officials don’t care what the people think and put their own interests first. A fraction of Americans now trust their government to do what is right.
Research shows that trust in government becomes more important when citizens face crises. For example, the Ebola crisis in Liberia created high levels of risk and uncertainty. A series of surveys during and after the crisis showed that people with low trust in government were less likely to support and comply with preventive measures than people with higher levels of trust. Many U.S. citizens’ resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine is due, in part, to distrust in government.
What to do? James Madison believed that the fate of the republic depended on an educated citizenry. More investment in civic education would be consistent with his principles. Relational factors like economic equality and social trust affect pandemic severity. It’s no surprise that the pandemic struck most severely in the U.S. in areas ridden with poverty and social conflict. Trust-building outreach will enhance people’s receptivity to emergency health measures. We need to acknowledge the role government can play to deliver certain public goods like workforce training and infrastructure investment.
BOB SCOBIE
West Lebanon
As NHPR’s Josh Rogers reported in the Valley News on Sept. 24 (under the very circumspect headline “Falsehoods reach NH lawmakers”), senior Republican state Rep. Ken Weyler, chair of the House Finance Committee, engaged in a heated exchange at a hearing with Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette, who accused him of spreading misinformation and opposing efforts to spur COVID-19 vaccinations in the state.
Based on his reported statements, Weyler is apparently firmly committed to evading the reality of COVID-19 and the current surge of infections in New Hampshire, including denying that the majority of those currently hospitalized with COVID-19 are not vaccinated. (Oddly, he apparently regularly receives the annual flu vaccine shot. Perhaps he is having difficulty dealing with change and information about a novel disease, its transmissibility and modes of prevention and treatment.)
Given his lack of scientific understanding, perhaps Weyler, in concert with other deniers in the House and in the wider population, will soon be urging the adoption of a modified state slogan for New Hampshire: “Live Vax-Free and Die.”
JERRY ROTH
Enfield
In Lebanon on Saturday there was a rally of 250-350 women supporting women’s health care, Planned Parenthood, including all its services, and abortion according to Roe vs. Wade as the law of the land. Why was this not front-page news in your newspaper? Are you a pal of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who I believe clearly hates women’s independence from the expulsion of men’s sperm? Your failure of women’s health is noted.
It is truly time to hold men’s sperm accountable for every pregnancy. The fetal cells must be tested and the sperm found and publicized. That sperm must pay the rest of his life one-third of his income for that new family he brought into being. The sperm must work the rest of his life to pay for his spawn. No more female humiliation and desperate attempts to survive. More boys need to have their tubes tied at adolescence. Rein in the sperm. Blame and shame the sperm for the next millions of years. We don’t want you to miss this horrifying opportunity.
Take note women. The Valley News failed us.
VICKI WARD
Barnard