Letters to the Editor category, Page 177
Letter to the editor: More important issues than abortion
We all thought the abortion issue was decided long ago. I am weary of all the coverage devoted to it over the years. Every election, the subject is brought out and debated again, mainly by men who would rather make a show of power by trying to control women’s lives...
Letter to the editor: Covid created some strange scenarios
Today marks 883 days since the fateful day of March 15, 2020. There is one unanswered question that can never have an answer: What is the point of wearing a mask into a restaurant, sitting at a table and taking it off to eat when the same people are still...
Letter to the editor: Pa. residents in favor of RGGI
The last time I looked, Pennsylvania was supposedly a democracy. Seventy-two percent of Pennsylvanians support the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and Pennsylvania was all set to join. That’s until the fossil fuel industry and its henchmen in the Republican Legislature once again blocked the initiative...
Letter to the editor: Bushy Run’s reenactments well done
In my opinion, this extract from the article “Concerns voiced as reenactors replay Penn Township battle of British, Native Americans” (Aug. 6, TribLIVE), falls in the category of Bill Barr’s quote to the Jan. 6 committee (“BS!”): “… a complaint from an out-of-state resident of Native American heritage who reportedly...
Letter to the editor: Time to charge Trump
I couldn’t agree more with Cheryl Koloshinsky’s letter “Let’s stop blaming Trump” (Aug. 5, TribLIVE): She’s absolutely right. It’s time to stop blaming him and start charging him. The ex-president must be held accountable: For the first time in the history of our country, the president of the United States...
Letter to the editor: Why is voter ID a bad thing?
Could someone please explain to me why people are against showing an ID to vote? Why is that such a bad thing? You show it to banks, you show it to cash a check in stores, you show it buy cars, you show it to enter federal buildings, you show...
Letter to the editor: Hey, Acrisure, how about Joe Greene Field?
It is not too late for Acrisure to insure its investment in the 15-year naming rights to the Steelers’ stadium. And even improve upon the previous sponsor which just promoted itself. The fans will love it when Acrisure advises the Steelers that the Steelers’ home venue, for the next 15...
Letter to the editor: Monessen’s Heath deserves Hall of Fame honors
Since 1950, exceptional athletes, sports writers and coaches have been bestowed with the honor of being inducted into the Mid Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame. On June 17, they welcomed six new impressive, admirable sports figures into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations to the new inductees! But many, myself...
Letter to the editor: Why no gift ban for legislators?
As a former Pennsylvania state employee, my position as a law and regulation enforcer put me in contact with business and industry. I was not permitted to accept any gifts, meals or even a glass of water without documenting it with a receipt of payment for that item. This dispels...
Letter to the editor: Dems will help seniors with drug costs
Like the overwhelming majority of seniors, my 93-year-old mother and 85-year-old mother-in-law take daily prescription drugs. Happily, both are healthy, with annual out-of-pocket prescription drug costs under $1,000 a year. But for 1.2 million seniors, out-of-pocket drug costs exceed $2,000 a year, averaging $3,216 in 2019. And for the many...
Letter to the editor: Free school meals an investment in children
School meals are as important to learning as textbooks and teachers, but federal funding that provided free school meals to all students for the past two years has ended. This school year, only students from families who apply for and qualify will receive free school meals. The end of federal...
Letter to the editor: Not buying into global warming fear
Good fear, bad fear, birthed by truth, or, alternatively, lies. Good fear brings action and remedy. Bad brings chaos, fear and destruction. Global warming, truth or lie? Democrats say carbon dioxide levels are the greatest threat to life as we know it. To quantify the threat, think Heinz Field with...
Sounding off: Lessons from Kansas, Biden’s competence, guns, turnpike tolls, housing crisis
Lessons for Pa. from Kansas Kansas voters’ crushing rejection of the amendment that would have removed the right to abortion from the state’s Constitution sends a loud message to Pennsylvania’s GOP legislators. Underhanded tactics likely won’t play well here either, even with many conservatives. The Kansas amendment was deliberately worded...
Letter to the editor: Addressing housing crisis in Westmoreland
American Rescue Plan Funds are finally being used in Westmoreland County. Commissioners Gina Cerilli Thrasher, Doug Chew and Sean Kertes, thank you for your preliminary work. You now have a moral obligation to spend the remaining $70 million to help those most devastated by the pandemic. Allocating funds toward blight...
Letter to the editor: Jefferson would not have supported violence against government
Regarding the letter “Jefferson may have OK’d Jan. 6 insurrection” (July 31, TribLIVE): Thomas Jefferson was a revolutionary. He wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He wrote the Virginia Statute of Religious Liberty in the 1780s. His friend James Madison codified citizens’ liberties in the 1791 Bill of Rights....
Letter to the editor: Why aren’t unpaid turnpike tolls collected?
Why is the turnpike raising tolls when they have almost $150 million of tolls that are past due (“Pa. Turnpike tolls to go up for 15th straight year,” Aug. 2, TribLIVE)? Sen. Kim Ward and her staff have known about this for several years and haven’t done anything about it....
Letter to the editor: New Kensington intersection needs safety upgrade
For a while now, I’ve notice highway markings around the valley have been missing, unnoticed or disappearing. The public works departments are great and hard workers, especially in the winter when roads are snow- or ice-covered. But the markings at Route 366 (Tarentum Bridge Road) and Leechburg Road in New...
Letter to the editor: Lessons for Pa. from Kansas
Kansas voters’ crushing rejection of the amendment that would have removed the right to abortion from the state’s Constitution sends a loud message to Pennsylvania’s GOP legislators. Underhanded tactics likely won’t play well here either, even with many conservatives. The Kansas amendment was deliberately worded to confuse voters and hide...
Letter to the editor: Shapiro will deliver results for Pa.
We need to elect a leader for governor who will take the initiative to get things done. But, wait, what sorts of things? Josh Shapiro, as attorney general, stepped up when a fight between health industry behemoths UPMC and Highmark threatened the care of thousands of Pennsylvanians. He brokered a...
Letter to the editor: Joe Biden and the Peter Principle
To understand Joe Biden, you must understand the Peter Principle. Laurence J. Peter developed The Peter Principle, which states that a person rises to the level of their incompetence. In a hierarchical management system, a person is promoted due to past success until they reach a level where they can...
Letter to the editor: Plenty of evidence for Jan. 6
Letter-writer Kathleen Bollinger (“Jan. 6 witch hunt,” Aug. 4, TribLIVE) compares the investigation into the attempted coup against our government to the terrible events of the Salem witch trials, wherein hundreds of people were imprisoned and 20 were executed for their alleged crimes of “witchcraft,” all without a shred of...
Letter to the editor: Gun ownership and freedom
Rights can be considered to be individualistic or society-wide. The Founding Fathers, understanding that individual rights don’t actually lead to freedoms, wrote the Bill of Rights to provide the American society with certain freedoms. Take the Second Amendment. When people cite it as justification for our lax gun laws, they...
Letter to the editor: Democracy in action in Kansas
Finally, true democracy in action. Hooray for the all the voters of Kansas. The issue of abortion was put on the ballot for the voters to decide. I think there was a bigger issue decided here. It wasn’t just the right to keep abortions legal, but the rights of the...
Letter to the editor: ‘Election integrity’ is the Big Lie, rebranded
Pennsylvania Sen. Kim Ward is creating fear about a problem that doesn’t exist. That is clearly the point of her op-ed, “A step toward election integrity in Pa.” (July 24, TribLIVE). Voters are losing confidence in elections solely because of the Big Lie told by Republicans. The 2020 election was...
Letter to the editor: Big cat legislation will protect animals, community
The House made the right decision in overwhelmingly passing the Big Cat Public Safety Act, House Resolution 263. Law enforcement and animal welfare groups agree that it’s reckless to allow private citizens without the resources and know-how to keep endangered tigers and lions in their backyards and basements. It is...
