Letters to the Editor: From Jesus to elections, the county and the federal shutdown

EDITOR'S NOTE: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writers and not of Ottawa News Network.

The true teachings of Jesus

Jesus did not call his followers to fight.

Jesus was unwavering in his teachings, but he did not engage in arguments or fighting. He didn’t waste time or energy verbally debating Jewish leaders to convince them he was right. Jesus stated the truth, presented transformative challenges, and then stepped back. He called his followers to love God, to preach, and to serve, not to fight (Matt 26:51-52, Mark 14:47, Luke 22:49-51, John 18:10-11, 2 Tim 2:24-25; Titus 3:1-14).

Sadly, many well-meaning Christians have embroiled themselves in the false narrative of the “Culture Wars” – a distorted approach to evangelization. The fears and emotional righteousness behind this are fueled by self-serving politicians and the media. Satan must get great satisfaction distracting Christians so that they have no time or energy to show compassion to people in need.

We must take care not to confuse these Culture Wars with spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is a battle of good versus evil. It is real, but it does not take place on a human level. Spiritual warfare battles are between principalities and powers, angels and demons, Jesus and Satan. Although spiritual warfare is a battle over our very souls and we can influence the battles through prayer and faithful obedience to God’s call, we do not engage in spiritual battles ourselves. That is left to Jesus and his angels in the spiritual realm. It is SPIRITUAL warfare, not earthly warfare. Political and ideological differences warrant earthly debates but not fighting.

It helps to remember that the most important war has already been fought and won. Jesus, through his suffering and resurrection, conquered death and secured a pathway for the salvation of our souls. Jesus has already conquered Satan. Spiritual battles will continue as Satan tries to lure people away from God, but the outcome of the war has already been determined. Love wins.

As Christians, we need not fight to defend the faith; we are called to live our faith.

Susan English
Park Township

Election workers are our heroes

Monday, Nov. 3, is Election Hero Day: a day to recognize and thank election workers at all levels for their tireless efforts to keep our democracy strong. 

To honor this year’s election heroes, please take time to thank your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues who have given their time to ensure our elections run smoothly and operate at the highest level or integrity. 

Our opportunity to vote depends on the ordinary people who ensure our elections run securely and every eligible vote is counted. Their work is critical to ensuring voters have a positive voting experience. 

Election workers have a challenging job, and many across the country have come under attack (verbal and even physical) in recent years. These critical members of our communities work hard to ensure that voters can cast their ballots safely and successfully in every election, often working over 15-hour days to ensure elections operate efficiently and securely.

Election workers at all levels, first-time volunteers at a polling location, a long-time election worker, a municipal clerk or a postal worker, should be thanked for making democracy work and ensuring every eligible voter can cast a ballot.

Thank you to our clerks, neighbors, friends, families and colleagues who serve as election heroes each year. They ensure safe, fair and accurate elections for all and allow voters to have their voices heard. They help make our democracy work.

Are you interested in being part of the election process? Consider being a member of the public that observes the Board of Canvassers post-election audit. You will see firsthand how election results are verified, and you can share what you learn to help others who may not have confidence in our election process. 

Watch the Allegan County or Ottawa County Board of Canvassers pages for notice of when the post-election audit will be held.

Rose Southard, President
League of Women Voters-Holland Area

Now that closed session minutes are out, what now?

Fraudulent misrepresentation occurs when one party intentionally uses false information to persuade another to agree to a contract, undermining the integrity of the agreement.

“Justice consists not in being neutral between right and wrong but in finding out the right and upholding it, wherever found, against the wrong.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

The question remains: Is lying, falsifying documents with the intent of coerce/extort money under false pretense a criminal activity? A breach of public trust? A breach of fiduciary responsibility?

A legal maxim: It is fraud to conceal fraud.

Is it time for the Ottawa County board to outline next steps that the board is going to initiate/undertake?

Does the county board need to take the lead?

Does the sheriff's department need to take an active role?

Has an internal investigation already occurred? 

What agency modality needs to investigate the actions of Joe Moss? The public? The county board? The sheriff? The county prosecuting attorney? The state of Michigan? The attorney general?

It is fraud to conceal fraud. What is to reveal fraud and do nothing?

The events leading up to and on Dec. 10, 2024, will be a test of belief system and reveal those beliefs as a result of reactive or decisive behavior.

Dan Zimmer
Port Sheldon Township

Huizenga needs to be focused on getting a budget done

Today, Oct. 9, I received a newsletter from my Michigan Fourth Congressional District Rep. Bill Huizenga titled "Government Shutdown Update.” 

I admit that I have not been pleased about how Bill seems not to care about the problems and issues that the citizens of the Fourth Congressional District are concerned about.

The following is the key part of my reply to his newsletter:

Bill, ... it troubles me to have you send out this newsletter including a lie. The ACA, Medicaid and Medicare all include specific clauses that state that people who are not in this country legally do not qualify for these programs. If there are undocumented immigrants to the U.S. that are currently receiving benefits that cost "nearly $200 billion in taxpayer funding for individuals illegally in the United States," then it is because the Trump Administration's cuts to the federal workforce is making it impossible for the agency responsible for these programs … to find these individuals, cut them off of these programs, recover this money, prosecute them for this federal fraud and deport them. 

You're supporting the gutting of these programs when you voted for Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, which will take away health insurance from many of the struggling people living in Michigan's Fourth Congressional District.

Based on the responses I have received from Bill in the past, I don’t expect him to reconsider what he said. He and his party will continue to use this lie to justify keeping our government closed. When he was at Mayor Kevin Klynstra’s retirement party during Zeeland’s Pumpkin Fest last Friday, it seemed clear that he was enjoying his "Government Close Down Vacation." He should be in Washington working on a compromise to get it reopened as quickly as possible. 

Ken Kolk
Zeeland 

An open letter to Congressman Huizenga

Dear Congressman Huizenga,

From the New York Times, Oct. 9, regarding the proposed $20 billion bailout of Argentina, "funds will come in the form of a currency swap ... big global investors have been anxiously awaiting the details of the bailout, which critics have said will benefit wealthy fund managers at a time when American farmers are struggling and the government is shut down."

You serve on the Financial Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Please help me understand both why we are bailing out Argentina and how this bailout reflects President Trump's "America First" agenda.

Farmers are again in a position of needing bail-outs due to tariffs (particularly soybean farmers) when China is buying soybeans from Argentina and Brazil - and not the U.S. In 2019, under the first Trump Administration, there was a $16 billion farmer bailout due to the trade war with China. We are in a trade war with China, causing markets to dry up for American farmers and we're bailing out the very country that is benefiting from the trade war? Make it make sense.

Meanwhile, prices at the grocery store have not gone down; I had to sell jewelry to buy coffee. Your constituents in Georgetown Township just got hit with a 55% increase in water bills. As holidays approach I am stockpiling baking supplies now for fear of prices in November. The administration can fire the entire Bureau of Labor Statistics — the people living in your district know the truth: inflation is worse, costs are skyrocketing, health care costs are not affordable, housing costs are killing us, and childcare costs for working parents are overwhelming. Every grandparent I know within driving distance of grandkids is doing some weekly childcare for their overburdened family.

I read recently that the administration is considering sending $2,000 "tariff checks" to American families — is this true? And again, does that make sense? Will the American people be so cheaply bought off?

Given the government shutdown and the House not in session, how about hosting a public meeting in your district to explain the economic plan for America — and Argentina.

Kim Nagy
Georgetown Township

Hudsonville families need our support as SNAP benefits halt

As a candidate for Hudsonville City Commissioner and as someone who serves as a Pantry and Volunteer Coordinator at a local food pantry, I have seen firsthand how the recent halt to SNAP benefits is affecting families across our community.

What may seem like a temporary policy delay has created a very real crisis for many of our neighbors. Parents are skipping meals so their children can eat. Seniors are cutting medication in half to stretch their budgets. For many, the food pantry line has become their last safety net.

This issue is extremely personal to me. After escaping domestic violence, I relied on programs such as SNAP to help my son and me rebuild our lives. It provided stability and dignity during a time when we had very little. That experience shaped my understanding of how deeply food insecurity affects every part of life, from health and education to emotional well-being and community connection.

At Jehovah Jireh Ministries of West Michigan, we are now seeing shelves empty faster than we can restock them. The need has more than doubled in recent weeks, and while our volunteers are working tirelessly, the demand outpaces donations. Families who were once donors are now seeking assistance themselves.

This is a time for action from both residents and local leaders. While city commissions do not control federal nutrition programs, we do have influence over how our communities respond. Local officials can support and strengthen partnerships with food pantries, churches, and nonprofits that address hunger. We can invest in community awareness and resource coordination to help residents connect with food, housing, and utility assistance. City leaders can also encourage local grant programs or community funds that support food access initiatives and emergency relief, and we can advocate to state and federal partners for stable and accessible nutrition programs.

When local government listens, coordinates, and supports those on the front lines, we can help families bridge the gap and prevent deeper hardship. Hudsonville has always been a caring and connected community. Let us continue to live out those values by supporting our food pantries, standing with struggling families, and making sure every household in our city has access to healthy and reliable food. Together, we can ensure that compassion and community remain at the heart of Hudsonville’s future.

Gabrielle Dunai 
Candidate for Hudsonville City Commissioner, Ward 1, and Pantry and Volunteer Coordinator at Jehovah Jireh Ministries of West Michigan

Lack of resources will lead to more child neglect

There is one thing that unites folks from the far left to the far right – the abhorrence of child abuse and sex trafficking. This is why the outrage about the lack of transparency in the Epstein — Maxwell sex trafficking and child sexual abuse case endures in the media. And this is why anger and frustration are directed toward those politicians who stand in the way of justice for victims of sexual abuse.

As a professor of psychology with a particular interest in child development, I have unique knowledge about the impact of child abuse and neglect in our own local district, Ottawa County. 

Now is the time to share it.

In 1987, I began an intensive study of all of the cases of child abuse and neglect reported in Ottawa County over the previous 10 years. Brilliant and committed Hope College students aided me in the research. Our findings still resonate today. 

The causes of neglect were highly correlated with poverty. Parents, often single mothers, lacked secure, affordable housing, steady work income, resources to provide medical care or even food for their children. In the intervening years, greater care for the social safety net, such as food stamps (now called SNAP), housing subsidies, and guarantees of medical care through Medicaid and Obamacare, lessened the pressure of poverty and decreased child neglect. This is something both those on the left and the right should celebrate.

The causes of sexual abuse were quite different. Pedophiles were as often people from elite, wealthy families as from poverty. Poverty did not correlate with sexual abuse of children. Some of the abusers were elites in their churches and professionals in the community. Does this sound familiar to the Epstein situation?

We examined the outcomes for the children as a result of court intervention. We found that the most successful outcomes occurred in situations of physical abuse, where the visible scars on the children did not allow for the denial of their stories by law enforcement or courts. 

By contrast, the most difficult cases that left long-term scars came from sexual abuse. When we listen to the victims in the Epstein case, we see this dynamic. Often, the perpetrators had resources, wealth, and social support, whereas the children often lost those adults whom they should have been able to trust and gain support. The children’s stories often went unheard or unbelieved, allowing the perpetrators to continue their insidious damage. We hear these very denials from Ghislaine Maxwell a convicted sexual abuser, predator,and pedophile.

Let’s now bring this home to Ottawa County, Congressional District 4. Where are you, Bill Huizenga? Those of us both on the left and the right want to know. When you supported the Big Billionaire’s Bill, you stole away the safety net that prevents many children in your district from suffering neglect. That bill (and therefore, you, because you supported it) took money from Medicaid, SNAP and other programs that support education in order to give a great big tax benefit to the wealthy and the elites. Where were you as the country was calling for full disclosure of the Epstein files? Why have you sided with Trump and the Justice Department that is not bringing any of the wealthy elites to trial or even allowing us to hear the victims’ stories?

Know this: The research evidence suggests that your actions will lead to more cases of child neglect and sexual abuse of children in your own district. We are watching and we will be looking for someone who stands with children in 2026.

Dr. Jane R. Dickie
Saugatuck

Mental illness is not the problem: We can do better

On Oct. 6, readers of opinions on the Ottawa News Network were greeted with the question: Should we bring back state mental hospitals?

I thought the writer, Henry Idema, would explain that the previous practice of confining mentally ill people to institutions for long periods (typically a lifetime for those diagnosed with schizophrenia) was the wrong answer to the right question: What is our obligation as a society to people among us whose illness has made them pariahs? 

Are we fulfilling the vision of President John F. Kennedy when he led a revolution in the care of mentally ill people with the passage of the Community Mental Health Act of 1963? Its aim was to move mental health care from state asylums to community-based care. In Kennedy’s words, “If we apply our medical knowledge and social insights fully, all but a small portion of the mentally ill can eventually achieve a wholesome and constructive social adjustment.”

Community Mental Health departments throughout the U.S. today provide important care to many people who would otherwise be in mental institutions, both those with insurance and without. Their therapists treat people who need care, doing so sometimes in the person’s home, sometimes at their own facility, and even by reaching out to people who are homeless with care. Many people who would previously have been kept in asylums are successfully stabilized, allowing them to have families, work, and enjoy life, to give, share, and thrive.

Nevertheless, the needs have outstripped public services and private outreach. As a result, we see more homelessness and many in jail without adequate treatment for their illnesses.

Henry Idema, without supporting data, suggests that recent gun violence and crime are linked to the decline of state mental hospitals. Actual data proves that these assumptions are invalid. Here is a good summary of what we now knowWest:

“A large body of research exists on the relationship between mental illness and violence. Studies have repeatedly shown that the majority of individuals with mental illness are not violent and that the majority of violent acts are not committed by those with mental illness. Further, research indicates that only 3% to 5% of violent acts can be attributed to persons with serious mental illness. Though some believe only a person with mental illness could commit an act of mass violence, researchers estimate that persons with mental illness are responsible for fewer than 1% of all gun-related homicides.”

What residents of West Michigan need to know is that help is now available to many of our neighbors living with a mental illness, and that more help is needed by better funding (not less) of our Community Mental Health organizations.  More help is also needed to house homeless people with or without a mental illness, because stable housing makes it possible for people to receive needed help, acquire stability, and often move back into the labor force.

We need to see people living with a mental illness as neighbors, as someone’s son or brother or mother.  Each person has dignity and deserves to be enabled to flourish along with everyone else. 

Robin Klay
Holland

How to submit an opinion

Ottawa News Network accepts columns and letters to the editor from everyone. Letters should be about 300 words and columns should not exceed 1,000 words. ONN reserves the right to fact-check submissions as well as edit for length, clarity and grammar. Please send submissions to newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.