Advice from Nunes: Letters to the editor, May 20, 2020

Note to Nunes: Please stop talking

Devin Nunes: Do me a favor? Please stop talking. I’m a grocery store employee in your district. Your constituents, the people who voted for you, hear what you say. Worse than that, they believe it. Then they come into our store and act like what we’re doing is “overkill.” Do you have any idea what that’s like? I really doubt you consider the implications of your words, because if you did, you’d have a lot less to say.

We’re trying to follow the CDC guidelines, asking people to patiently wait outside while our store empties out, so that we can practice social distancing. We’re just trying to stay safe. You’re making that more difficult than it already is. This is not time for your ill-informed rhetoric. Last I checked, there wasn’t an “MD” behind your name, so your opinions on the issue, quite frankly, doesn’t matter.

So please, just stop talking.

Music and climate change impact

Fender, the guitar manufacturer behind the iconic instruments played by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Brad Paisley, and so many others, is the latest company to announce that it is having to adapt to climate change. Fender recently announced that it will phase out the use of ash wood in the bodies of their guitars. Ash is believed by many players to be a key part of a Fender guitar's bright and distinctive sound.

I am not assuming that climate change led to this decision — Fender named the cause. Warmer weather resulting in tree-damaging insect outbreaks and increasingly common flooding has damaged the available sources of ash. What this means for music lovers is that, whether you like the country twang of a Telecaster, surf guitar solos on a Jazzmaster, blues wailing on a stratocaster, or hard rock riffs belted out on a partscaster, your music is hurt by climate change.

Companies like Fender are taking this seriously, but not Washington D.C.. Call your congressional representative to demand action. If you aren't going to fight for the future of your family or the planet, then fight for the future of rock and roll.

Blame shifting, not problem solving

Botching pandemic economics, desperate to wish away the problem before their failures become too obvious, Trump and allies don’t know how to manage government.

They should provide generous relief to those whose incomes have been cut off. They should rapidly ramp up testing and tracking, so that when we restart normal life we can quickly identify and neutralize any emergency hot spots.

Congress voted billions for enhanced unemployment benefits and small-business loans. But that money isn’t reaching the Americans who need it, because the federal government didn’t take responsibility for how the money was spent knowing that conservative state governments have always wanted to make benefits hard to claim. Now millions of Americans are hurt by huge backlogs of unprocessed claims, and millions of Americans have yet to see a dime.

Canada introduced an Emergency Response Benefit for those losing income as a result of the coronavirus, implemented directly by their federal government and easily accessible via a government portal and hotline; the Canadian program began paying out up to $2,000 a month almost immediately.

Trump and his allies don’t realize that it’s their job to solve problems, not shift the blame.

With his experience Joe Biden could do better.

This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Advice from Nunes: Letters to the editor, May 20, 2020."