Making it harder to vote

Next week, the US House of Representatives, including our Congressman John James, is expected to vote on the dubiously named “SAVE” Act (H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act). It would require people registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship, meaning a birth certificate or passport. Despite its name, this bill will make it harder to vote. It is a solution in search of a problem and should be rejected.

Many people do not have these documents. They take time and money to obtain. And for the vast majority of women who have changed their name through marriage, birth certificates won’t match their driver’s license which is required.

Here in Michigan, we have adopted ballot proposals to both increase access to voting and to make our election system more secure. The SAVE Act would also get rid of on-line and mail-in voter registration. It will make additional work for our local election clerks.

I urge all readers of The Macomb Daily to contact Rep. James and ask him to vote no on the SAVE Act.

JoEllen Shubitowski

Shelby Twp.

An example of tariff pain

Trump’s policies on tariffs are negatively affecting everyday Americans. I’d like to use myself as an example. I work as an account executive for a European lingerie brand that sells products to small boutiques across the USA. Trump’s tariffs on the EU (and other countries) will now directly impact my company, which must either absorb these extra costs or pass them on to our clients. Neither of these options are appealing.

These tariffs will also hugely affect the small businesses to which I sell. These small businesses source their wares from a myriad of different brands across the world. There are very few lingerie companies that produce their product in the U.S., mostly due to the high cost of labor. A bra is one of the most complicated garments to sew, so it takes a lot of skill and training to be able to sew it, especially for the high-quality garments for which my company is known. Most Americans could not afford to buy a bra that was entirely produced in the U.S.

Trump says that the reason for these tariffs is to bolster American manufacturing. Moving manufacturing of our product to the U.S. is not feasible, financially or practically for my company, and this is the case for my entire industry. Instead, it will end up hurting small businesses, both in my industry and in many others.

Rachel Hackett

Roseville