Letters to the Editor: White House renovations, restoring public trust and moving past coal

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

Imagine you own a rental house…

Imagine you own a rental house and one day your neighbor sends you a video of your tenant bulldozing a wing of the house. Imagine your outrage.

Well, that’s what happened last week when videos of the demolition of the East Wing of the White House — The People’s House — appeared on TV. 

Trump had been talking about adding a ballroom on the White House grounds since June, and he assured us it would not interfere with the White House itself. But the pushback he got over the demolition prompted him for the first time to publicly display a model of the project that included his planned ballroom.

The reality is worse than you might imagine. At 90,000 square feet, the ballroom is nearly twice as big as the White House and looms over it, making it look like an outbuilding on the grounds. 

As for costs, those had increased from the initial estimate of $200 million to more than $300 million. Not a problem, Trump said. Donations would pay for it. We’ve heard that before. You may recall there was a wall that Mexico was going to pay for.

The final insult is that this is happening during a government shutdown, when thousands of federal employees charged with doing essential work are going without a paycheck. Does this pet presidential project represent “essential work?”

The good news is that the ballroom hasn’t yet been built.

Let’s stop it!

Contact your Congresspersons and the National Capital Planning Commission — ncpc.gov/participate/guidelines — the body authorized to approve all proposed changes to historical buildings and sites in the nation’s capital.

Tell them:

• No construction without prior public input and approvals.
• No secret donors; complete transparency on the funding.
• We the people need to know who’s enabling this outrage.

Jim Dana
Grand Haven

Local officials: Uphold your oath of office

This is considered an open letter to local elected officials, members of law enforcement, and enlisted personnel in the Armed Forces and National Guard.

In these challenging times, this open letter calls upon you to uphold your oath of office — a sworn oath to the U.S. Constitution. For all but U.S. military personnel, this also includes an oath to the Michigan Constitution.

As concerned members of our community, we write to you in a spirit of civic responsibility and shared commitment to the foundational values of our nation. Each of you has taken a solemn oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States — an oath that binds our public institutions, protects individual rights, and preserves the checks and balances essential to our democratic republic.

Under the current Trump Administration, many Americans have observed with growing unease the expansion of executive authority and the erosion of norms that safeguard our freedoms. We have witnessed instances where the public has faced threats or abuses, and where dissent has been met with hostility rather than respectful engagement. These moments challenge the integrity of our institutions and the courage of those who serve within them.

The Constitution is not merely a document; it is the living framework of our liberties. The oath you have sworn is not conditional upon political winds or the preferences of those in power — it is a sacred promise to everyone, both citizen and non-citizen, regardless of background or belief. In times of uncertainty and tension, your fidelity to this promise becomes even more critical.

We urge you, as leaders and guardians of the public trust, to remember the core principles enshrined in the Constitution: the right to free speech, peaceful assembly, due process, and equal protection under the law. When faced with directives or policies that may conflict with these principles, we ask you to exercise judgment, integrity, and the courage to uphold what is right — even if it means standing apart from partisan pressures.

The nation looks to those in positions of authority not only for enforcement of the law, but for moral leadership and unwavering commitment to justice. Your actions set an example for generations to come. By honoring your oath, you reaffirm the promise of America — a promise of freedom, fairness, and accountability.

We thank you for your public service and sacrifice. In these pivotal times, we ask that you stand firm in defense of our Constitution and the rights it guarantees to all. Our democracy depends on your integrity and your resolve.

With respect and hope,

Dave Frederick and Hildi Paulson, White River Township
Ken and K.P. Mahoney, Montague
Laura Hollister, Fruitland Township
Terrie Hampel, Fruitland Township
Bruce Froelich and Margot Haynes, Montague
Jan Erkenbrack, Blue Lake Township
Jeanne Day-LaBo and Amanda LaBo-Walters, Blue Lake Township
Frank Hollister and Alice Frizzel, Whitehall
Ruth Skinner, Whitehall
Pat Kelley, Montague Township
Tracy Dobson, White River Township
Jim Rose and Kim Franke, White River Township
Julie Essenberg, Montague Township
Sue VanSlyke, Montague
Paul Pettit, Whitehall Township
Mary Ellen Valentine, Fruitland Township
Tyler Grove, Fruitland Township
Bob and Patti Wright, Cedar Creek Township

It’s time to move beyond coal 

Project BESS in Blendon Township is a great first step to moving beyond coal. It will provide stability and enhance our grid for years to come.

As we transition away from fossil fuels, this is a necessary step to providing stability to the electrical systems in our state. We are all using electricity and this will benefit everyone by helping us reduce the horrible side effects of fossil fuel usage in Michigan. Let’s all join hands and embrace the future electricity needs of our state. 

Ps. Let’s close down JH Campbell now and begin the long-term cleanup needed to remediate the coal ash fiasco left behind by that filthy fuel. We owe that to generations of the future. 

John R. Darling
Holland

The immorality of our national debt

Thomas Jefferson was a fiscal conservative (a rare politician today in our federal government). He hated debt because he believed that politicians in power who racked up national debts were going to affect future generations, even decades after the debt-loving politicians are lying in their graves.

Since 2024, our federal government has added well over one and a half trillion dollars to our national debt, the fastest increase since COVID-19. Our politicians in both parties seem to care less about this increase or the fact that we are putting the nose of debt around the necks of my kids and grandkids and their kids. This is immoral.

Neither party has a plan to stop the annual deficits nor a plan to pay off our national debt. President Trump's recent "Great Gatsby" party is symbolic of our government's excess. The rich play while the poor wait in line for food assistance. 

If the president read the novel, he must be aware of how the novel ends — the murder of Gatsby by a poor man out of misdirected revenge and his resentment against the rich and the privileged. The resentment in our society is turning white hot against the super-rich, who flaunt their wealth while so many millions of Americans cannot feed their families nor afford health care insurance.   

The tax breaks in the Big Beautiful Bill have accelerated our debt, adding to this brewing resentment.

I fear that, like the ending of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, this situation of rising debt and income inequality is not going to end well.

Henry Idema
Grand Haven

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