Letters to the Editor category, Page 139

One reads with interest the column “The problem with the word woke” (March 10, TribLIVE). Lori Falce decries how a word supposedly “meant to be about opening eyes turned into a club.” Such linguistic weaponization, however, might be implicit in the term “woke” itself. Merriam-Webster defines “woke” as “aware of...

State Rep. Brian Smith, R-Punxsutawney, and Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Bethlehem, have both announced plans to introduce legislation to move the opening day of Pennsylvania’s rifle deer season back to its traditional Monday after Thanksgiving. These legislators and others have recognized through considerable constituent contacts from hunters and businesses that moving...

I agree with Tom Purcell (“Still time to save us from DST,” March 6, TribLIVE): This back and forth with the time is all wrong. Instead of moving back and forth one hour, just move a half-hour and leave it be. We’re all tired of moving back and forth. William...

‘What-ifs’ regarding legal marijuana and workers I have a few questions and thoughts for all those people who want to make marijuana legal. Has anyone mentioned anything about those who employ someone on marijuana? What happens to the employer if this employee injures himself or someone else? Do you want...

Gov. Josh Shapiro recently outlined his first budget proposal. He mentioned raising the qualification income bracket to $45,000 from $35,000 for the homeowner/rent rebate program. For homeowners, that’s like putting a Band-Aid on something that requires surgery. Stop paying your property taxes and see who really owns your house and...

I question the assertion in the letter “Vote out climate change deniers” (March 3, TribLIVE) claiming that “Every scientific organization in the world that conducts climate research has determined the planet is heating up and fossil fuels are the cause” and “every nation in the world … accepts that global...

Looking for votes and money in one act, President Joe Biden declares the wealthy ought to shoulder a heavier tax burden to help fund Medicare (“Biden says new taxes on the rich can help save Medicare,” March 8, TribLIVE). His “pay their fair share” plea makes a good headline. It...

I believe that since November, Parks Township supervisors have been ambivalent regarding the welfare and safety of our community. The supervisors have had multiple closed meetings with three local township police departments, including Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department (SARPD). SARPD consists of Freeport, Gilpin Township and now Ford City. Ford...

I am delighted to learn that failed gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is contemplating another bid for high office, possibly an effort to become Pennsylvania’s next United States senator. I would look forward to Mastriano adopting the same “winning formula,” the tactics he used as he was humiliated in his high-profile...

Why is Oakmont willing to pay a different ambulance service $50,000 plus another $50,000 for a new ambulance (“Oakmont officials select Parkview EMS as borough’s new ambulance service,” March 7, TribLIVE)? How much did they pay Lower Valley Ambulance Service? Borough Manager Scot Fodi stated council had concerns following a...

Grooming: You may have heard the term as it applies to children, but adults also can groom adults. By definition, grooming is when someone builds a relationship, builds trust, an emotional connection with someone or a group of people, with the explicit intention to manipulate, exploit or use them in...

President Biden’s attempt to buy votes in the 2022 midterms and beyond by abusing his authority under the Heroes Act of 2003, and offering up to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness, is hopefully going to be struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. The Heroes Act was put in...

After reading the many letters to the editor in favor of more laws that could lead to confiscation of guns from legal gun owners, I have but a short note for them: Cain killed Abel without a gun. What we have is not a gun problem but a heart problem....

Railroads aren’t the only purveyors of pollution. Power plants bring us electricity, but they send us smog and soot, too. For anyone who breathes, this is bad news. The good news is the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed stronger power plant pollution rules. For the last month, I have battled...

I wish to expound on the letter “GOP and ‘fixing’ Social Security” (Feb. 10, TribLIVE). Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida has proposed a plan that would “sunset” all federal legislation in five years; “if a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again,” he said. He also said...

From a Feb. 27 U.S. News & World Report article: “There is not a consensus right now in the U.S. government about exactly how covid started,” (National Security Council spokesman John Kirby) said during a White House press briefing. “There is just not an intelligence community consensus. “When asked if...

The writer of the letter “Vote out climate change deniers” (March, TribLIVE) says all climate change deniers must be voted out and that the Republicans are the problem because they get so much money from the fossil fuel companies. First off, fossil fuels are never going away. Nothing else can...

The writer of the letter “Has America turned its back on God?” (Feb. 27, TribLIVE) cites James Madison as the source of a quote on the Ten Commandments. Some of those commandments prohibit bearing false witness, spreading untruths. The quote cited has never been proven to originate in Madison, though...

The authors of recent letters to the editor are obviously the malcontents of our current elected government. What are they truly angry about? It couldn’t be that President Biden picked up the ball that the previous administration dropped in reference to the covid-19 pandemic. It couldn’t be his persistent attempts...

I fully agree with the letter “Why can’t we stop the mass shootings?” (Feb. 28, TribLIVE). Obviously there has been too much bloodshed over this issue. I do not wish any ill will toward anyone, but I can’t stop thinking that if another mass shooting affects the personal life of...

For the last several years, I have attended WPIAL boys high school basketball championship games at the Petersen Events Center. The cost for attending a game has been $10 for many years. This year, I planned to attend all three games and was surprised to find the cost of the...

I have a few questions and thoughts for all those people who want to make marijuana legal. Has anyone mentioned anything about those who employ someone on marijuana? What happens to the employer if this employee injures himself or someone else? Do you want someone in your home who is...

One of the top concerns from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia is ensuring that our economy is well supported and continuing to grow, especially with the uncertainty of a recession looming. There is much that policymakers can do to add stability and provide opportunity for our communities. It is vital to recognize...

Bushy Run Battlefield has received a lot of support recently. That support has come from volunteers, the board of directors and board president Bonnie Ramus. That support has come came from Sen. Kim Ward and Rep. George Dunbar and their hardworking staffs. That support has not come from Pennsylvania Historical...

America has a gun problem. We are world leaders in both gun ownership and deaths. Statistics show 120 guns per 100 Americans. In the first six weeks of 2023, there were 71 mass shootings. We have become numb to media reports of the carnage that affects civilians and law enforcement...