I am sorry that a piece written by Recorder columnist John Bos [“Are there any responsible western Massachusetts conservatives?” Recorder, March 2] insulted writer Bob Pruitt, who responded with a March 13 My Turn [“Not everyone is happy with Joe Biden”].

We are all citizens of the U.S. and have a right to our own beliefs and values. I salute Mr. Pruitt and his service to our country by serving in Vietnam. As a 71-year-old woman, I also think it’s important as citizens to get information from many sources and to find out the facts as best we can.

Biden is certainly not perfect, but in terms of immigration, he has asked Congress for $13.6 million for more agents, asylum officers, and investigations into cartels and drug traffickers. More importantly, he has met with the leaders of the countries the immigrants are coming from to find ways to make life there better, and to stem the flow of immigrants.

Vladimir Putin has never endorsed Biden and both Putin and Trump make no secret of their respect and praise for each other. If we don’t support Ukraine, I believe Putin is going to think he can invade any country he wants. That is not a value I support.

Yes, women in Massachusetts are able to have control over their own health care decisions, but in two dozen states abortion is banned or so sharply limited a woman would not even know she was pregnant should she need to make a decision. Women have had to travel out of state to get emergency care, and I am horrified that my daughters and granddaughters will have less choice than I did to control their own health care decisions.

From what I read and research, presidents have little control over gas prices. But Biden inherited the mess of the COVID pandemic when gas prices rose due to supply chain issues, and then companies kept their prices high to gain more profit. Biden has consistently worked at bringing inflation down, along with the Fed, and he has succeeded quite a bit. The programs he created — Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, and CHIPS and Science Act — are all bringing money and jobs to rural and underserved areas to boost revitalization of roads, jobs, and especially new technology jobs to areas that have been left out of national economic growth.

In addition, Biden has been an articulate and seasoned leader in international politics, working with the leaders of other countries, to contain the violence in many areas. Israel is an area that I disagree with him on, I believe an immediate cease-fire would benefit that area, though now he is shifting his views and is trying to work with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to find some humanity in this horrible situation where death and famine are rampant.

I hope we can respect each other’s views and values, agree to disagree, and still strive to always find the true facts in a world where artificial intelligence, Instagram or Facebook feeds can bedevil and hide the true facts. I also hope people of different views and values can talk to each other in these small towns, like Petersham where I come from, so that we can better understand each other.

Karen K. Davis lives in Petersham.