Current leaders should emulate Jimmy Carter

Imagine if our current political leaders were more like President Carter.

Like President Carter, President-elect Trump could donate his time and fortune to eradicating tropical diseases like Guinea Worm, River Blindness and Dengue Fever. To do so in his old age, he would need to stop his dream of being a respected political leader and immediately move to one of the “s—hole” countries whose lives he believes are not worth very much.

J.D. Vance could resign as VP-elect and spend the rest of his life building houses with Habitat for Humanity. He could spend his remaining days on earth life learning from people who need housing in Appalachia, an area he so poorly described in his vacuous book, “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Co-President Elon Musk could redistribute his estimated $437 billion in wealth to all 335 million Americans, giving each of us a year-end bonus of $1,300.

Keep Hope Alive!

— Michael L. Radelet, Boulder

We must call for Hamas to surrender, not a ceasefire

I urge those yearning to see the suffering in Gaza end to join me in calling for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages. A call for a ceasefire that leaves Hamas in place guarantees that it will divert resources intended for rebuilding to instead rearm, rebuild tunnels and seek ever more lethal weapons. A ceasefire guarantees another war and suffering. Hamas’s surrender would also free Gazans from its authoritarian, murderous and misogynistic domination of Gaza.

— Mark Loewenstein, Boulder

Distraction is one of Donald Trump’s biggest cards

In the Dec. 29 Open Forum: “U.S. appears to be heading toward expansionism,” points to be aware of indeed, but remember that distraction is the biggest card Mr. Trump and his supporters like to play. Get everybody looking one direction while you sneakily weaken our democracy. Not so far fetched if you think about it!

— Zina Richardson, Boulder

I wish we had a vaccine to fight against autism

Vaccines have saved millions of lives. That is an indisputable fact.

And yet, some question their use.

In the late 1960s, I was an undergraduate at UCLA. I took classes from a professor who taught me about this mysterious disability called autism. Back then, autism was a very rare malady that seriously impacted the lives of the person and her/his family and friends. People with autism were people who could not distinguish another person from a person or a chair. Some were people who physically harmed themselves or others.

Then, in 2004, the federal reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), included a definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The number of children diagnosed with ASD was significantly higher than those diagnosed with autism in the past. In addition, this change increased awareness about this disability.

Some, including President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, have suggested that vaccines cause autism. Science says they are incorrect.

In a peer reviewed journal article, “Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses” (Clinical and Infectious Diseases, 48 (4), 2009), Gerber and Offit found:

“A worldwide increase in the rate of autism diagnoses — likely driven by broadened diagnostic criteria and increased awareness — has fueled concerns that an environmental exposure like vaccines might cause autism. Theories for this putative association have centered on the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, thimerosal, and the large number of vaccines currently administered. However, both epidemiological and biological studies fail to support these claims.”

Science matters. Vaccines do not cause autism.

Conspiracy theories cannot direct our national discourse, especially on health. Neither should Robert Kennedy, Jr.

— Stevan Kukic, PhD, Longmont