Guardrails on I-95 would save lives
Oct. 18 − To the Editor:
A friend was tragically killed some years ago on Route 101 in Exeter when a car crossed the median that had no guardrail and hit her vehicle head-on. The state subsequently put guardrails in that area.
The NH Seacoast had another highway fatality yesterday on Route 95, with a lack of median guardrails playing a role. According to news reports a vehicle traveling north crossed the median in Greenland, unobstructed, and plowed head-on into other vehicles in the southbound lanes, killing two and seriously injuring others.
There are virtually no guardrails on 95 between the Hampton tolls and exit three in Greenland, just a depression or “V” in the median. This was hardly a deterrent to the vehicle yesterday and the median width can’t be more than 10-15 yards wide. Even the bridge abutments in this section are guard-free! Why?
Please insist the state or federal government address this problem soon before other people are killed. Yes, guardrails are expensive, but what is a human life worth?
Nick Drinker
Exeter
How many more have to die before NH installs median barriers?
Oct. 21 − To the Editor:
I am quite upset about the failure of the NH DOT and Gov. for Sununu not responding to my concerns regarding the lack of median barriers on I-95. This is especially painful for me since I wrote those emails well before the most recent preventable double fatality in Greenland on I-95. There have been at least 5 fatalities, possibly more, I lost count, over the past few years on I-95 in NH because there were no median barriers to prevent vehicles from crossing over the median into oncoming traffic. Why? When you travel on I-95 south into Massachusetts, almost all median areas have a barrier to prevent vehicle crossovers. This is why I inquired as to why NH did not have similar barriers especially considering our fatal crossove accident history.
In public health, when there is a serious threat to public health such as a disease outbreak, we investigate the outbreak first, stop it and second to see what actions could have been taken before the outbreak to prevent it from happening in the first place or again. Similarly, I assume, the NH DOT and the Department of Safety conduct post accident investigations to determine what caused the accident. This includes, or should include, the behavior of all the drivers involved, the condition of the vehicles, as well as the road conditions and design that may have contributed to the accident and the subsequent injuries. Obviously in these cases where vehicles cross the median into oncoming traffic there were a number of driver conditions that caused the vehicle to cross the median. However, if there had been median barriers in place only one vehicle would have been involved, and most likely not resulting in fatal injuries. If the NH DOT and Department of Safety were doing their jobs they should have reported that these fatalities were not only the result of driver error but because no median barriers were in place. Assuming that the DOT and Dept. of Safety did their jobs properly and noted these deficiencies, why was no action taken to correct the situation to prevent further fatal accidents?
How many more fatal accidents that could be prevented will it take before NH installs median barriers on I-95 and on other highways where median barriers could prevent crossovers? The families who lost loved ones due to this negligence deserve answers,
Rich DiPentima
Portsmouth
New Hampshire State Police investigate a fatal car crash in the southbound lane of Interstate 95 near the border of Greenland and Portsmouth Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.
More: Will NH put median barriers on I-95? Nearly 100 fatalities on state’s major roads in 2024
Selling the soul of America for the price of eggs
Oct. 17 − To the Editor:
Recent online interviews and focus group discussions make it clear: too many Americans are quite willing to sell the soul of America for the price of eggs .
The US economy, according to all reliable measures and expert analysis, is clearly the strongest in the world. Inflation is lowest among developed countries, and the financial markets are off the charts.
Yet too many American voters appear frighteningly ready to reelect a convicted felon and congenital liar because they dream he’ll bring prices down to pre-pandemic levels.
Clearly, if Trump wins on November 5th, America will get exactly what it deserves.
Malcolm Odell
Exeter
A reply to “Donald Trump betrayed our country on January 6”
Oc. 17 − To the Editor:
A Reply to “Donald Trump Betrayed Our Country on January 6” – A More Comprehensive View
At the outset let me congratulate Ms. Bagley for having the courage and interest to express her beliefs. Our society depends upon input from those willing to speak out.
While I usually refrain from this sort of back and forth, since Ms. Bagley chose to mention my name in her opinion, I feel compelled to add another perspective for her (and our readers’) consideration.
I agree that the attack on our Capitol on January 6th was a disgrace and should never be forgotten. The justification, causal factors, and the facts surrounding this event are still under legal and political scrutiny. I suspect we will learn more in the future about the degree of Trump’s involvement in the actual attack. However, the characterization of his involvement as a “betrayal of our country” and the appellation of “traitor” are harsh and inaccurate vilifications which should be reserved for those who betray our country to an external enemy.
Speaking of which, using the same standard to evaluate and condemn/blame a sitting administration for unsavory and deadly decisions raises the issue of the Biden/Harris Afghanistan disaster. Ignoring the advice of their Generals, the Biden/Harris team ordered an entirely preventable and deadly operation that resulted in the death of 13 Marines (for whom I maintain a memorial to this day), the serious wounding of 40+ additional service members, the abandonment of hundreds of American citizens (and thousands of Afghan military supporters). In addition, we abandoned about a billion dollars of modern military equipment which has been used to attack our troops and those of our allies. This incident was not only a blow to our military, it also created the perception of weakness among our international adversaries for which we are still paying the price. Talk about a disgrace!
In addition, the Biden/Harris administration has facilitated the invasion of our country by millions of illegal aliens which has already resulted in thousands of deaths from drugs, assaults and murders of innocent civilians, deadly gang activity in several cities, and indeterminate long term damage to our safety and way of life. This is something we will be dealing with for years.
Harris has said she would not have done anything differently when referring to the above actions. As with the January 6th reference, these are all inexcusable decisions which we must not ever forget and for which she must be held accountable.
So it seems now our choice is between an observably weak “enigma” unwilling to acknowledge the mistakes and dangers outlined above, or a flawed person (who is admittedly irritating), but who has secured our border, improved our economy, projected strength that has kept us out of any new wars, and created useful uncertainty about his response to enemy incursions (active and technical).
Tom Steele
Rye
Different voices, different choices
Oct. 17 − To the Editor:
In the BBC-made adaptation of John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, one of the characters, not only vain but vacuous, is described by an associate as “our resident buffoon.”
We are mere weeks from voting for the president of the United States, with one of the candidates an undisguised charlatan, whose rhetoric is disturbingly aggrieved, unhinged, and vile. Donald Trump continues to spout the unserious, the childish, the insane, the abusive, the vulgar, the vengeful, and undeniably the violent. As daily fodder, the taste of it becomes ever more bitter.
As she so abundantly displayed in the September 10th presidential debate, his opponent is the thinking grown-up in the room. People weigh her fitness for the office on what she says, the serious beliefs and policies she espouses, and what she does on the job. And what Kamala Harris does, she does most capably.
Too many seem not to judge Trump badly for his offensive rubbish. Hey, they laugh, he’s just being Donald. Don’t worry, they assure us, he won’t do any of that stuff. Okay, then, why is he saying it? Should a contender for the highest office in the land really be talking like that? Shouldn’t Trump be taken seriously, and evaluated using the same standards we apply to Harris? This is not a time for us to listen with tin ears.
It has become obvious that he is our resident buffoon. By contrast, she who acts like a president ought to be.
Nelson H. Lawry
Rollinsford
For Trump, it’s Putin first, America last
Oct. 17 − To the Editor:
Trump likes to talk about ‘America First’, but it’s just an empty slogan. For Trump, America comes last.
We just found out from Bob Woodward’s new book War that in 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, President Trump sent desperately needed but hard-to-obtain COVID testing equipment to Russia for Vladimir Putin’s personal use. Just to remind everyone, for most of that year, 7,000-15,000 per week were dying, but it got worse and by January 2021, about 25,000 Americans were dying per week (total of 400,000 dead for the year). But Trump decided to place America last and offer rare COVID testing equipment to one of our principal strategic adversaries, the very one that had used disinformation in the 2016 election to strike at the core of our democracy—our votes. Putin warned Trump not to tell anyone about this, as Americans might not like it. Might not!! But of course, eventually, the truth leaks out.
Who, before now, ever heard of an American president secretly assisting a hostile foreign dictator at the expense of American lives? How weak, servile, and disgraceful. And what a betrayal of his oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” which was written in the name of “We the People” to “promote the general welfare.”
On November 5th, please join me in voting against this betrayer of the American people, and for Harris and Walz who have proven track records of actually putting the needs of Americans first.
Beth Olshansky
Durham
You have the right to remain silent, but it could cost you
Oct. 18 − To the Editor:
Most of us are familiar with the opening lines of the Miranda rights: “you have the right to remain silent…” The same principle applies to voting. We have the right not to vote. Indeed, only about 66% of eligible Americans voted in the 2020 elections.
The reasons for not voting vary. Some Americans may not like the choice of candidates from either of the two major political parties – often because of negative campaign advertising. There are those who don’t see the value of government or how their tax dollars are spent. Gerrymandered districts also contribute to voter apathy by making a voter’s choice meaningless.
You have the right not to vote, but it could cost you. All those reasons for not voting may be legitimate, but they are also the result of voter apathy. If more people took an interest in voting, there would be more candidates running for office who were interested in making our government work better, rather than trying to tear it down. Gerrymandering would be outlawed by voters demanding to make their districts competitive. Elections themselves would be made easier, not harder for eligible voters to cast their ballots.
The US Constitution defines who is eligible to vote, but it does not guarantee us the actual right to vote. We have the right of free speech and free press, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to bear arms, but it seems surprising that for a representative democracy, we have no actual right to vote or to make our vote meaningful.
If you want better choices for candidates, whether on the national, state or local level, then register to vote and get to your polling station on November 5th and choose the candidate you feel will make voting easier for you, your children, and other citizens in your community. For all its flaws, America and our system of government is the envy of the world. We don’t need to tear it down and start over, we only need to make our voices more meaningful, and your vote can help make that happen.
James Fieseher MD
Dover
Trump’s tariffs hurt Americans and the US economy
Oct. 18 − To the Editor:
In 2018 President Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imported steel. He promised it would bring back jobs and help US companies. It did the opposite. The higher prices for steel forced the auto companies and other steel users to reduce their demand. US Steel had planned to invest $600 million in its Great Lake Works plant, the loss of orders caused it to close the plant instead, costing 1,250 jobs.
When Trump first imposed tariffs on China, it began buying soybeans, cotton and sorghum from other countries instead of here. The loss to farmers led to a $23 billion taxpayer funded bailout. His other tariffs caused Europe and 5 other major trading partners to implement retaliatory tariffs affecting $27 billion of US agricultural sales to the world. Other parts of our economy were affected. Whiskey exports to the European Union (EU) dropped by 41%. Europe imposed a 15% tariff on Boeing airplanes.
Trump promised his tariffs would bring back jobs to the US. Instead, they lost over 245,000 jobs.
After Biden was elected the EU suspended those tariffs on the US, but you can be sure they will bring them back and impose harsher ones if Trump imposes tariffs again. So will China and our other trading partners. Because Trump has promised to impose tariffs on all imported goods you can be certain the world is planning to hit us where it hurts us most.
Finally, Trump’s tariffs are a hidden sales tax you pay on those imported goods. He says he will use the money to give more tax cuts to the rich. If you think the rich need more of your money, vote for Trump. If you don’t and want to keep your job, vote for Democrats.
Walter Hamilton
Portsmouth
Deadline for election-related letters is Oct. 30
The deadline for letters related to the Nov. 5 election is Wednesday, Oct. 30. Please keep letters to 250 words or less. Submissions must include the writer’s first and last names, city or town and a daytime telephone number (which is for verification purposes only and will not be published). Send letters or commentaries to [email protected]. Letters from Seacoast-area writers addressing local topics will be given priority for publication.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Calls for highway median barriers; strong political opinions: Letters
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