Letters to the editor
Published 2:30 am Friday, March 6, 2026
God’s face
On Feb. 19, Border Patrol agents dropped off Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind legal refugee from Myanmar who spoke no English and could not read, write or use electronic devices, miles from his home in Buffalo, New York. They did not notify either his lawyer nor his family that he had been dropped off after an interview at a donut shop. His family searched but he was found dead five days later on the street in sub-freezing temperatures wearing the orange booties issued by the county. Mayor Sean Ryan said that the Border Patrol’s decision was unprofessional and inhumane. I say that federal agents take their cue from the evil wrapped up in Stephen Miller’s callousness and cruelty. Furthermore, I submit that if you don’t see God’s face on the next person you see, you needn’t look any further.
Michael A LeMay, Veterans for Peace
Homer
Cost-shifting onto disabled vets should be withdrawn
When the United States goes to war, two costs are weighed: blood and treasure. Blood is paid by those who serve. Treasure is paid by the nation. That balance is now at risk.
In February, the Department of Veterans Affairs implemented a rule, RIN 2900-AS49, changing how disability ratings are evaluated. Using emergency authority, the VA bypassed Congressional review and public comment. Although enforcement was briefly paused, the policy remains active.
The rule directs the VA to rate disabilities based on how Veterans function while medicated, rather than the severity of the underlying service-connected condition. If medication suppresses symptoms, ratings can be reduced.
Nearly six million Veterans receive disability compensation. More than 4.4 million rated between 0% and 90% undergo routine reexaminations every 18 to 30 months. Under this rule, those exams become moments of real financial risk.
A reduced rating does not just mean a smaller check. It can trigger loss of health care priority, housing assistance, education benefits, and other protections. Even Veterans rated Permanent and Total may face review if they file a new claim.
The VA projects $23.2 billion in savings over ten years, largely from reduced benefit payments. This is not efficiency. It is cost-shifting onto disabled Veterans.
Veterans have already paid the blood cost. Asking them to absorb more of the treasure cost breaks faith with a national obligation.
This rule should be withdrawn.
Joel Gilbert
Homer
A junior did the writing
A Soldotna High School junior wrote a letter to this newspaper last week about the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s eight-million-dollar budget shortfall. The student argued for a lodging tax. The student did the research, cited the numbers, named the boroughs, and made a specific recommendation.
The adults are still arguing.
The district held a community meeting this week and asked residents to reach out to their assembly members. The assistant superintendent said it plainly: your voice is easier to hear at the local level. The Balancing Act budget tool is open for input.
How many parents have used it? How many have written a letter half as clear as a seventeen-year-old’s?
I have worked with hundreds of writers over forty-eight years, and I still catch myself three paragraphs into something I should never have started. The question is always the same. What is this for? For whom? To what end?
The junior knew. The letter was for the assembly. It was aimed at a solution. A kid did what the adults should be doing. Write to your assembly member. Make it short, specific, and onfocused at the problem rather than the frustration. Or let the seventeen-year-old carry it alone.
Evan Swensen
Anchorage
