More American-made critical goods needed to shorten supply chain
There was a fine opinion article in the AJC on Dec. 29, by Michael Stumo, about one way to help American supply chain woes. His focal point was perfect: America needs to source critical materials and products from places not overseas.
Spot On! Only a few things are simply not possible to have without being imported from across the world, especially from nations not necessarily friendly to our critical needs. America is forced to rely on areas where some rare earth minerals and metals are located for mining. However, America can produce other goods for domestic marketing, some of which have currently threatened availability overseas (such as certain medications). Those could be withheld from us on a political whim. Australia recently told of their aluminum imported from China being of inferior grade, not usable for their warships.
Let’s make more critical things within America and shorten the supply chain, even if we can only afford fewer things.
TOM STREETS, ATLANTA
Following Trump’s downplaying of pandemic is risky
A recent AJC report indicated that roughly 15 percent of adult Americans remain stubbornly opposed to COVID-19 vaccination, putting themselves and those around them at risk of severe illness and death. Research also shows that since May, people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID as those who live in counties that went for now-President Biden. Though Trump is now finally encouraging vaccination, it’s too little too late. Since the pandemic started, he consistently downplayed the pandemic, encouraged resistance to vaccination and mask-wearing, and peddled ineffective and dangerous alternative therapies. His devotees have latched onto the sick notion that their “personal liberty” entitles them to expose everyone around them, including their own children, to lethal risk. Trump worship, like the COVID virus, is a deadly pathology.
CHRIS MOSER, STONECREST
