Children are sponges of their environment. This lesson was continually reinforced during my decades of trying to help early-childhood students evolve into loving capable adults. I ask, “What lessons are children absorbing today?”

The Saturday story, "Monterey Dam removal begins," on Page 9A states, "Janesville resident Bill McCoy called for the hanging of Janesville City Council members and the city manager because, he said, what was happening Friday was illegal."

I have known Bryan Steil for many years and have found him to be a man of integrity.

Recently, I was asked to be the honorary captain for our community-based football team, the Rock County Rage. I was probably asked because the team thought that I was a local dignitary.

The maniacal, despotic tyranny of political correctness has suffered a judicial flogging by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. On July 6, it ruled in favor of Professor John McAdams and against the University of Marquette.

Donald Trump is taking the presidency, an office that should command respect and represent our citizens with honor, and making it into a sideshow. He appears at campaign rallies and insults his critics, promotes his superior intellect and spouts false statements, while whipping the crowd int…

In January, select Janesville Transit System fares were decreased, thanks to the leadership of the Janesville City Council. Our cash fare was previously $1.75 per ride, positioning us with the second highest cash fare of our peers. Following the adjustment to $1.50, our fare is now more in l…

I read with great interest Stan Milam’s Sunday column about, amongst other things, the plight of downtown merchants. It reminded me of H.L. Menchen’s famous quote, “Complex problems have simple solutions. And they are wrong!”

Your Nation/World section Thursday (Page 6B) included an item regarding Angela Merkel, German chancellor, being concerned about a “new global financial crisis” possibly ensuing from the possible U.S. tariffs on European cars. In her address to Germany’s lower house of parliament, Merkel expr…

Someone has their own ideas of what “making Janesville a great place” means but is being misleading on the topic. They’re choosing not to see the many businesses that already are here and offering health and wellness opportunities.

Alcohol and drug addiction, childhood trauma, sexual abuse, mental illness, poverty, homelessness, Alzheimer’s, domestic violence and suicide. If your life and the lives of those around you have been unaffected by any of these issues, you should consider yourself very fortunate. Far too ofte…

I was disappointed to read your June 24 editorial ("So far, Steil not showing substance") about the Congressional 1st District Republican primary. You indicate Bryan Steil has provided little information about his positions. In fact, he has been campaigning diligently and consistently in the…

I am an American citizen living in Janesville who once lived in El Salvador and has firsthand knowledge of the continuing misinformation regarding Central America.

Name recognition seems to be a factor in the Aug. 14 Democratic primary for governor. Mike McCabe grew up on farms in Evansville and Curtiss. He graduated with a dual major from UW-Madison. He and his wife served in the Peace Corps.

Endless slow/no-wake killing summer fun

Stop me if you heard this before, but it will be Independence Day soon, and the people of the Janesville area will load up their boat and go somewhere else to enjoy the water. That’s too bad because we have an excellent river that’s perfect for water skiing, boating and using personal water …

On June 19, I attended the Walworth County GOP candidate forum for the 1st Congressional District. Four of the candidates were present, giving a lively forum.

As midterm elections come about, I have this constant question: What has happened to my country? We have always treated immigrants with mistrust and sometimes outright hostility. We denied Jewish people before World War II, even though we knew they were being killed. We detested the Irish, e…

For those of us in our 70s and 80s, many can trace our fathers and grandfathers to their immigration, legally, to the United States. They sought and were granted legal citizenship as tough as it might have been.

Recently I read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle which summarized a graduation speech former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave at a university. He mentioned President George Washington couldn’t tell a lie, but today we have politicians who cannot tell the truth.

Joyce Keller’s June 21 letter says public libraries shouldn’t celebrate LGBTQ. In response, I would like to ask two questions: What if we’ve got it backwards? What if families are destroyed and children are committing suicide not because we accept homosexuality, but because we reject it?

Since I'm not an activist, I did not engage the Parkland protest children Friday. I usually don't seek out idiots, but what I heard and saw today in Janesville was a group of children who think that only their opinion matters and everyone else can just go suck a brick.

The bullying epidemic has grown immensely the last couple of years and left-wing talk shows like "The View" and late-night entertainment, such as Jimmy Kimmel and "Saturday Night Live," has gone way beyond acceptable criticism of our president and his base. The news media have also become so…

Owners, not the dogs, to blame for attacks

Regarding to your pitbull editorial ("Pitbulls deserve their reputation," June 20), I've supplied information containing statistics from the National Library of Medicine-National Institutes of Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, pittbullinfo.org and the American Society for the Prevent…

To call David Hogg a shooting survivor ("Seeking change," Saturday, Page 1A) is like saying I survived cancer because I shared a hospital room with a cancer patient. He is NOT a survivor just someone that went to the school where a shooting happened.

How unfortunate that the import tax on newsprint has forced The Gazette to cut back on content! While I applaud your decision to remove the anonymous Sound Off section, I am not in favor of condensing the Every Day section in The Gazette. As a stay-at-home mom, I use that section to plan act…

July Fourth is a celebration of courageous ideals, not military strength. It seems all our holidays have become encomiums for soldiers, even though Nov. 11 is set aside to honor them and the end of a war. The July Fourth accomplishment was a unanimous declaration of independence by 13 united…

I really don't like politics. I dislike the phoniness, the nastiness, the lying and the talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Hey, Democrats, I like your concern and compassion for the crying baby being ripped out of the arms of the mother. How convenient that you don't hear the crying baby being ripped out of the womb of the mother. What a bunch of phonies.

I am writing in response to the political cartoon (Page 6A) you published Wednesday. And to start, what were you thinking (or at least, what was going through the illustrator’s mind)? Comparing what is currently happening at the border to the difficult choice of having an abortion is the mos…

I watched "Deadline" with Nicole Wallace on MSNBC Thursday afternoon. She is the former communications director for George W. Bush and provided an appropriate comment to Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan in regards to the child separation issue. She stated, "You have lost your soul…

To “never talk about religion or politics” is to give free, unrestricted reign to Satan-inspired politicians doing Satan’s work without voter knowledge and consent. Americans have accepted “see no evil, hear no hear, speak no evil” as our national motto. The Satanic New World Order attacks o…

To Paul Ryan,

On June 4, I went to the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville. There was a sign stating, “Celebrating LGBTQ month,” with numerous related books on display throughout the library at the eye level of young children.

Is there no shame in President Donald Trump and his family? I think not. A wannabe dictator and his family will come crashing down as soon as Congress gets off their knees. It only takes a few to realize Trump will throw them under the bus also. Trump has no loyalty to anyone but his family.

If you are reading this, I would like you to think about your family history. Think about the time when your grandparents or maybe your great-grandparents were young children. This information probably would have been passed along to you by your parents.

Funding road maintenance and construction is an issue only because Democrat Gov. Jim Doyle refused to implement essential Act 10 reforms and instead chose to deplete the transportation trust fund with his "Frankenstein" veto. I commuted to Chicago daily for 25 years. Wisconsin could save mon…

The June 10 editorial, "Report a sobering look at Janesville's prospects," is a disservice to the thousands of people in Janesville who have been working toward the future of the city.

Ben Bowling used a quotation in his valedictorian speech in Bell County, Tennessee: "Don't just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table. Donald J. Trump."

I never thought I'd live to see the day a president of the United States praise a dictator like Kim Jong Un right after publicly denigrating the prime minister of Canada. I just don't understand what goes on in Donald Trump's head. To call Kim talented, smart, trustworthy, funny, a great per…

What does the GOP stand for?

We have a president who ignores the basic principles of Americanism: the right to criticize; the right to hold unpopular beliefs; the right to protest; the right of independent thought.

Your editorial cartoon Thursday (Page 4A) was one of the most despicable ever. Inhumanity? Why must we be the only country with totally open borders? Would you let a stranger just waltz into your home unannounced demanding rights as a homeowner? I think not.

I think most people would agree it has been a relief to no longer have preexisting conditions as a caveat to obtaining health insurance.

This is a letter to the man who approached my husband and me at a restaurant in Janesville on Sunday evening. When we arrived, we parked in a handicap stall because we have a handicap license plate. I have had five back surgeries, four knee surgeries, and I have recurring bursitis in my knee…

In a 7-2 vote, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple due to his religious beliefs. A large amount of uncertainty remains even after this ruling.

Recently, I watched President Trump as he stated that any athlete who knelt on a knee (silently) during the playing of the national anthem should be fined. What’s more, that the athletes should not remain in the United States since they were unpatriotic.

Following World War II and the first use of an atomic bomb, the U.S. has had increasing difficulties in its attempt to limit the proliferation of such weapons.

Over the years, Wisconsin has had several issues with education due to budgeting. Wisconsin’s education system has seen several budget cuts because the state decided again and again that education isn’t important. These cuts have caused students to not have as high of a learning opportunity,…