Neither the post office or Congress wants to deliver

By Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


Some of America's problems can be fixed easily. One of them, voting by mail in the November election, should not be one of them for Americans.

I suggest the polls remain open for at least two days. Every state should open their polls from 6am until 8pm. Some states already have later evening hours like California where residents may vote until 8 PM and in New York where voters can vote as late as 9pm.

Some states allow you to show up at the courthouse and vote early. It should be easy to vote on one of the voting machines like always if you aren't available to vote on November third.

Indiana will allow voters to come in as early as October sixth to cast their ballot. It's called "Absentee in-person voting". This would be a good idea for every state. You will never have more than one or two people in front of you when you vote early. Social distancing occurs, you pick the day and you know for sure your vote has been cast.

The stage for a fiasco is set for any kind of mail-in ballots this year.

It's a big issue. Some people want it and others don't. This is not the year to try it out. People are hollering social distancing and Covid-19. Yet, these same people are walking through Walmart without a mask.

One idea for handling the election day voting is to let Chick-fil-a handle the process.

I've never seen anyone take the orders of fifty cars and have all their food to them in ten minutes like they do at our local Chick-fil-a. Every time I go there, I think, "Wow, this being closed on Sunday is just killing them." I say that as a joke, of course, as their business is better and greater than ever.

The United States post office has timed their demands for money at the right time. They've declared they can't guarantee delivery of mail-in ballots on time because of lack of funds.

Can they ever really guarantee delivery? I mail stuff out priority mail occasionally and sometimes it shows up ten days down the road. The promised delivery time is sometimes much shorter than actual delivery. I would never depend on my vote making it to the courthouse via mail. Oregon uses mail entirely for voting. Washington state has a lot of mail-in votes.

I'm sympathetic with the needs of the post office. I think they should eliminate delivery and close the post offices on Saturday. This should save some money.

Go ahead and raise all the postage costs five percent. Many Americans pay their bills online. Christmas cards are going out online for many.

Oh, and someone needs to make sure Amazon is paying a fair price for delivery of their goods. Free delivery of Amazon products is not really free. Someone is paying the cost.

For seniors over 70 on minimal incomes, give them some free stamps very month to mail their bills. They're already hurting enough.

Some of America's problems can be fixed. Our greatest problem is fixing Congress. They are the greatest obstacle in solving most of our problems.

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Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

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This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of PhotoNews Media. We welcome comments and views from our readers.


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Area youth football season suspended

"It’s with a very heavy heart that we have to announce that we are canceling our 2020 season," wrote Brittany Elliot on the SJO Youth Football Facebook page nearly two weeks ago. The decision mirrors others from youth football programs from the state due to mandates by state offices restricting youth sports competition.

Four days ago, Governor JB Pritzker announced new restrictions on youth sports in the state that would have ended the youth football program's season on August 15.

"I know our hearts break when we hear the word 'restrictions,' especially when it comes to our children's love for their sports. Whether this year is their first time on the court or it's their senior season - this isn't the news anyone wants to hear," said Governor Pritzker during his pandemic update this week. "But with rising rates of spread of the virus, with rising positivity rates throughout Illinois and the United States, this is a situation where the toughest choice is also the safest one. Therefore today, my administration is releasing new guidance restricting youth and adult recreational sports in Illinois. We have worked in consultation with the governing bodies of many of these organized sports programs, and collectively we hope that, when metrics and risks improve measurably, we will be able to restart these sports."

Elliot wrote the decision, made long before the governor's latest decree, was tough despite working diligently the past couple of months to figure out some way to salvage the season. She said it wasn't easy.

"We understand that football is an important outlet for our kids so we are going to continue to meet as a board and hopefully come up with some creative ideas to keep the kids involved."

The Spartan program is the smallest in the Central Illinois Youth Football League. Champaign, Danville, Rantoul and Urbana are the other league members that fielded teams from three age groups.

Stress-free Thanksgiving tips for those short on time this holiday season

While gathering for Thanksgiving is intended to be a joyous occasion, everyone who has hosted the feast knows it can also come with a lot of stress, and expenses.

The good news is that whether you’re a Gen Z-er hosting your first Friendsgiving on a budget or you’re a busy family preparing for guests, there is a lot to be thankful for this year.


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