If men were the ones bleeding out in parking lots, abortion laws would be changed

Sexual discrimination

Imagine headline news across the nation, “Men are dying in Emergency Rooms and hospital parking lots because doctors refuse to treat, fearing prosecution, and loss of their licenses.”

This of course is not the case for men, but a reality in many states with restrictive abortion laws. The argument is that this saves “innocent lives” but offers no protection for woman having a miscarriage or other catastrophic pregnancy complication. Many women die because the laws are so vague that treating them poses a threat to the doctors. If fetuses and embryos have the legal rights of “personhood,” perhaps the legal distinction for women should be “incubators.”

Cheryl Keenan, Lexington

Gun bans

The AR-15 is the weapon of choice for mass shooters. It is now time to ban this deadly ‘weapon of war.’

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution protects the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, but to allow this weapon of war to be used to kill our school children is unforgivable. Other weapons of war are currently banned or regulated by our government. We can’t own or use war-type hand grenades. The ownership and use of dynamite is government controlled.

We need to classify the AR-15 as a weapon of war like hand grenades or dynamite. It can be done. The majority of people insist that something will be done to stop the killings. Why hasn’t it already been done? It is obviously our politicians who neglect to act. Or maybe it is our fault. We worship gun ownership over the safety of our children and fellow citizens.

Don Rapske, Lexington

Creating stories

Vice Presidential Candidate JD Vance said on CNN recently, “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

So here we have it. Not the quiet part aloud, the morally reprehensible part aloud. Most people I know would define “creating stories” as lying. And this begs the question, if he’s willing to lie to get what he wants, what else is he willing to do? If he’s lying to the American people, as he claims, he’s also lying to the American people. Lying to get what he wants.

That’s the man, who if elected, would be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. And heartbeat away. One heartbeat from one cold, cold heart.

Ross DeAeth, Lexington

Debate performance

And watched. I listened. Admittedly, my decision to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris was already made, but like gawkers at a train wreck or a burning building, I needed to see the show.

The old actor, former President Donald Trump, played his favorite roles perfectly. As the bully, he demanded loudly and defiantly to be heard even when it was not his turn. As the victim, any criticism was met with defiance and denial: he does things perfectly and things are rigged against him by untold enemies, but he will be vindicated. The fire and brimstone preacher role seemed to be his favorite: Ours is a failing nation overrun by criminals (did he forget he is one?), the laughing stock of the world, World War III is coming and our pets are being abducted and eaten by aliens. He is absolutely passionate about negativity because… it sets the stage for Super Trump to save us all.

I got so caught up in the drama that I almost forgot this was a debate about leadership, which Kamala showed by staying on topic and focusing on the possibilities of unity, vision and hope. I give Kamala four stars and suggest that Trump forget his acting career.

Janice Russell, Lexington

Trump tariffs

So former President Donald Trump’s economic plan is to eliminate the federal income tax to benefit all his rich cronies and replace it by “taxing foreign governments” through tariffs on all imports.

Despite having a diploma from the prestigious Wharton School of Business, Trump does not understand that tariffs are paid by the importer of the product, not the exporter. And foreign governments play no part in these transactions.

Of course Trump boasts about the billions of dollars collected by his “China Tariffs.” He mistakenly believed that money came from the Chinese government. However, no one in China paid a dime toward those tariffs. Companies like Walmart paid the tariff on goods purchased from China. Walmart then recouped their tariff expenses by raising the selling prices of those products. Thus, Trump’s “China Tariffs” were not a tax on the Chinese government, the tariffs were a massive sales tax imposed on American consumers — and one of the main causes of the inflation that President Biden inherited from the Trump administration.

Kevin Kline, Lexington

Trump promises

When former President Donald Trump ran for president previously he promised to build a wall between Mexico and America to stop illegal immigrants and drugs from coming in. He emphatically stated that Mexico would pay for this wall.

As president, Trump refurbished 378 miles of existing wall and built 80 miles of new barriers. The cost of Trump’s wall: $15 billion paid for by congressional appropriations, funds diverted from the Department of Defense, and other federal sources. Mexico refused any payment, and the entire cost was borne by US taxpayers.

Now Trump is saying he’ll raise tariffs on all imports especially those from China. Those tariff taxes will fund a historic tax cut for all Americans, he says. The foreign countries sending items will pay billions to cover the tariffs, he says.

Actually, foreign countries and companies do NOT pay for import tariff taxes at US border customs. They never have. Import duties are paid by the importer of record, which is typically the company or individual bringing goods into the US (Macy’s, CSX, Walmart, Kroger, Target, Ford, GM, etc.), and eventually passed on to their customers…you and me.

America, don’t get sucker punched again by Trump’s empty commitment lies. Register and vote.

Gene Lockhart, Lexington

The Choice

Do you hate former President Donald Trump enough to help install Vice President Kamala Harris into the Commander in Chief’s chair? You do? Really?

Okay let’s do some thinking ahead to some REAL situations.

Who do you want to negotiate with Russia? Harris or Trump

Who do you want to negotiate with China? Harris or Trump

Who do you want to deal with border security? Harris or Trump

Who do you want to address inflation? Harris or Trump

Who do you want to deal with your tax bill? Harris or Trump

And on and on. Pick a domestic or foreign problem and honestly answer who you would rather have to deal with it — Harris or Trump.

Go ahead, hate Trump all you want. That’s your option. But will your hate serve you well for the next four years?

Good luck.

Wayne Burns, Lexington

Mar-a-Lago missives

I, an invisible 69-year-old, am spending a very pleasant day doing nothing much, driving my pick-up to the hardware store to buy a couple of tools I know how to use, then stopping by to play with the grand kids for a while before returning home to a couple of wagging tails.

Meanwhile, behind a walled compound somewhere in south Florida, a very important and very rich and very miserable 78-year-old who makes dogs cringe is pacing the marble floors of his palace wondering where he’ll be pacing this time next year.

Steve Stahlman, Berea

Voting choices

Please tell me who wants, higher taxes, higher food prices, higher gas prices, higher utility bills, more benefits for illegals, the destruction of girls/women’s sports, more crime, mutilation of teenagers, killing babies, and climate change foolishness. The answer is Vice President Kamala Harris — a clone of President Joe Biden!

Oh yeah, you and your families get to pay for all this mismanagement. Talk about the danger to democracy! She is not a friend to law abiding citizens.

Robert Adams, Lexington

Pro-family vote

The extreme anti-abortion laws put into place by extremist Republicans have turned both dangerous and self-defeating to purported “pro-family” values.

Dangerous because exceptions based on the life and health of the mother still put women at risk, as doctors make fear-based decisions. Too many women in America now live in counties where no OB-GYN practice or birthing facility even exists.

Self-defeating because abortions and sterilizations nationwide have only increased. And self-defeating even to people who want to have children! Young couples are afraid to start families in a state like Kentucky where the mother’s health is now routinely and unnecessarily put at heightened risk. Other young families are afraid to try for more babies, afraid to risk leaving small children without a mother. Parents with a toddler who moved to Kentucky to be near the dad’s parents may decide that it is safer to move to California where the mother’s family lives, only because they want to have more children.

The only pro-family vote this year is to vote straight Democrat and make Kentucky safer again.

Anne Chesnut, Lexington, KY; Marilyn Daniel, Woodford County; Rena Wiseman, Lexington; and Mary Lynn Collins, Frankfort

Tree canopy gaps

How can we close the tree canopy gaps in Lexington neighborhoods? The Colony had a tree requirement for each house per the home owners association. Unfortunately, we had a neighbor who volunteered to be HOA President who said nobody wanted trees because you had to rake leaves. At the annual meeting, we complained that there was a requirement, but since he was a lawyer, he brushed it under the table with all his legal eagle buddies.

Fortunately we have a new HOA President and hopefully he will see the sense in following the HOA rules and make our neighborhood like Cherokee Park off Nicholasville Road, the prettiest neighborhood in Lexington for trees, per my opinion. The New Colony is also a beautiful neighborhood.

We just need our trees per HOA rules. It does nothing more than raise the value of your house and our neighborhood. And yes, you will have to rake your leaves. There are always kids who want to make a little extra money and leaves only fall once a year.

Score A+ for the New Colony if they close the tree canopy gap in the New Colony and make our neighborhood as pretty as it can be.

Melanie Rhorer McCloud, Lexington

Edited by Liz Carey