Letters to the Editor
We welcome letters to the Editor, a chance for members of the community to comment on issues of concern to them. All letters must be original, not duplications of letters addressed to public officials or written by others. The views and opinions expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication, its publishers, Editor, or staff.
To the Editor:
Be on fire to “Fill the Gazebo” at Normal Park on Aug. 6, 2022, from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
As a community of churches in the Merrill area that used to do the Crop Walk to restock the food pantries of Merrill, we now do “Fill the Gazebo” for this result.
Our goal is to see if we can get enough boxes to Fill the Gazebo. We will divide all foods, toiletries, paper products, and monetary gifts between the Merrill Community Food Pantry, Trinity Food Pantry, New Testament Food Pantry, Food For Kids, MAC Home, HAVEN, and St. Vincent de Paul’s Outreach Center.
We are hoping to have a fire truck at the event for everyone to come see and learn about our City Fire Department.
– Cheryl Buck and the Fill the Gazebo Committee
Merrill, Wis.
To the Editor:
THE ROAD TO FREEDOM FROM GAS PRICES
Dear Editor, friends and neighbors:
My grandmother raised her children in The Great Depression of the 1930’s. She would say: “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without.” And so it is today as we deal with our changing automotive needs in a world threatened by a changing climate. It takes a lot of energy to produce a car or truck, so we’re not likely to just discard our half-used gasoline or diesel vehicles. But we can start using them less. And when it comes time to get a new car or truck, consider this.
Freedom from gas prices is liberating! I have a 2004 Dodge pickup. I now use it only for dump runs and chores; it costs about 35 cents a mile for gas. I still shudder each time I have to pull in and fill it up. Until recently it was what I drove everywhere. My wife drives a Toyota hybrid which is not nearly as painful to fuel, but we still cringe at the price. By contrast my Chevy E-car is liberating. It releases an unexpected sense of freedom: a hundred-mile round trip on $4 worth of electricity. A trip to town used to cost me $5, now is costs me 60 cents. When I got the E-car about a year ago, I hadn’t realized how liberating it would be. I now go places and do things that in my old pickup, due to gas cost, I would not have gone. This E-car has set me free.
– George Einar Busséy
Town of White River
Ashland County, Wis.
Letters To The Editor Policy:
*Letters must be 250 words or less. (There will be no exceptions to this. Any letter longer than 250 words will not be printed.)
*The writer must include their full name, complete address, and a phone number where he/she can be easily reached for verification. Phone numbers and street addresses will not be published, but will be used for verification purposes, if necessary. Letters must be signed and the name, city, and state will be printed.
*Letters may be edited for style, grammar, and length. Form letters or those we determine to be libelous or slanderous will not be accepted. Any letter deemed derogatory, inflammatory, or involving vulgar language will not be published. We reserve all rights to reject material submitted to this publication.
*Letters will be published on a “first come, first served” basis. Any letters which we are unable to publish in the printed newspaper may be run online at www.merrillfotonews.com and/or may be printed in the paper at a later date.
*In fairness to all, and due to space constraints, there is a limit of two letters per year from an individual writer. Additional letters may be submitted to our Paid Letters to the Editor column and will require payment in full prior to publication at the same rate as Political Letters to the Editor (see policy below).
Political Letters To The Editor Policy:
All letters submitted as an endorsement for a political candidate, referendum, or political agenda will carry the same guidelines as above; however, they will be charged $40.00 per letter of up to 250 words in length. Longer political letters will be accepted but will be charged $10.00 per additional 50 words. All political letters must be prepaid prior to printing. Letters to the Editor will not be accepted from candidates running for election or representatives of an organization endorsing their own referendum, as these are clearly advertisements and not opinion letters; those submissions will be referred to our Advertising Department to be run as paid ads.