Letters to the Editor category, Page 222
Letter to the editor: Casinos shouldn’t cater to smokers
Regarding the article “Pennsylvania casinos not ready to cut smoking from gambling experience” (Jan. 3, TribLIVE): I’m from Greensburg, and when I left, it was a smoking city. I’m a nonsmoker (actually no bad habits). There are 24 states that outlaw smoking (an addictive habit) in their casinos. A lot...
Letter to the editor: Reducing violence, starting with schools
This is in response to your editorial “Truth is kids need to be safe from gun violence”. The truth is kids need to be safe from all violence, and schools should use education to try to make it so. We should be using schools to reduce violence throughout life with...
Letter to the editor: Just say no to plastic bags and straws
Here’s why I am happy to refuse plastic bags and straws: I know that I am not responsible for the beached whale that died with its stomach full of plastic trash. I know that the pain of the sea turtle with a plastic straw caught in its nose was not...
Sounding off: Biden hasn’t kept word on covid
Letter-writer Dale Vukovich (“Vaccines and gas prices”) must have missed President Biden, Vice President Harris and many of their Democratic friends last October saying they wouldn’t “trust or take the vaccine that was developed under Trump.” He must have missed Biden during the second presidential debate saying that “anyone who...
Letter to the editor: Actions speak louder than words
OK, multiple days of letters to the editor by people complaining about the Westmoreland County commissioners not putting money toward homes for the homeless, mental health facilities, drug treatment facilities, etc. Enough: If you Voice of Westmoreland people feel so strongly about helping people who need those facilities, why don’t...
Letter to the editor: Use ARPA funds to bridge economic divide
The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on access to affordable housing. A 2022 report found that, since the pandemic began, Southwestern Pennsylvania was near the top for rents rising faster than home prices. In Westmoreland County, renting costs $400 a month more than a home mortgage. That $400 represents...
Letter to the editor: Jesus was no socialist
I read with interest the letter “Socialism in line with Christian faith”. An extensive history of socialism was conducted by Igor Shafarevich, a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician and an associate of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn and Shafarevich had a front-row seat to the glory days of socialism. That seat provided them with...
Letter to the editor: No praise for Democrats’ ‘accomplishments’
My open letter to Congressman (Hope-to-be-Senator) Conor Lamb and Sen. Robert Casey: I have received several of both of your “updates” extolling your perceived legislative accomplishments under the guidance of President Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and you know guys, I’m just not feeling it. What both...
Letter to the editor: History lesson on political parties
Regarding Jim Papke’s letter “Biden should learn history, humility” (Jan. 19, TribLIVE), contending that President Biden should learn the correct history of the Republican and Democratic parties: The first thing one should learn is that the parties have switched stances throughout our history. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were Republicans...
Letter to the editor: Many lack access to commissioners’ meetings
We, the people of Westmoreland, have the absolute right to access our county commissioners when they hold public meetings at the courthouse, without fear of contracting covid-19. As an individual with multiple sclerosis, I am desperately trying to avoid putting myself at risk. Transparency and accountability at these meetings are...
Letter to the editor: Facts about electric cars
What the politicians and car makers aren’t telling you: The maximum distance most electric cars can travel between charges is around 260-300 miles. That’s if your car has permanent magnets made from neodymium oxide in the motor. Guess who controls 90% of the supply of neodymium oxide? China. Mining this...
Letter to the editor: Polarization has replaced unity
I was touring Ireland when foreign terrorists attacked the U.S. on 9/11. So it wasn’t until I returned three weeks later that I really began understanding that event. I recall how proud I was seeing the waving flags and sense of national unity I returned home to. But no more....
Letter to the editor: Other forms of indoctrination in schools
Reagarding Cheri Blum’s letter “Indoctrination in schools”: If schools aren’t supposed to be used for indoctrination, why do students say the Pledge of Allegiance? And why do Catholics have their own schools? Kris Weinschenker Unity...
Letter to the editor: Volunteers seem to care more than commissioners
Westmoreland County residents should thank Diana Steck, Bob Mason and Michael Pardus for their leadership and advocacy around the American Rescue Plan funds ("Westmoreland County needs a people’s American Rescue Plan," Jan. 9, TribLIVE). For almost a year, these three concerned citizens, alongside the many volunteers at Voice of Westmoreland,...
Letter to the editor: Vaxxed and unvaxxed divisions
We are at a tipping point in this country. Around the world, countries are locking in the unvaccinated and forcing vaccinations on citizens, with some putting the unvaccinated or those with covid in “quarantine camps” for their, and society’s, safety. Here in the United States, we are being divided into...
Letter to the editor: Look to help life on earth, not find it in space
Instead of looking through a telescope for life somewhere else, look through the body to find a cure for arthritis and cancer. Bobby Rowe Arnold...
Letter to the editor: MINDS Act will prioritize mental health
Mental health awareness has been on the rise in recent years, especially with the added pressures covid-19 has supplied. We’ve come a long way as a society creating a space for those suffering from mental health issues, of any capacity, and creating a supportive and resourceful community. However, there is...
Letter to the editor: Celebrate farmers by taking climate action
The recent Pennsylvania Farm Show celebrated Pennsylvania farmers with a 1-ton butter sculpture. Unfortunately, climate change is poised to impact our state’s dairy and agriculture industry. Average annual temperatures in Pennsylvania have risen roughly 0.5 F (0.3 C) over the last century. Climate change causes an increase in the number...
Letter to the editor: Making Pittsburgh more accessible
Regarding the article “Pittsburgh looks to make city more accessible for people with disabilities”: As a full-time wheelchair user and student at the University of Pittsburgh, I unfortunately have experienced many accessibility issues in Pittsburgh. Reexamining policies and programs in place for those with disabilities would be extremely beneficial. In...
Letter to the editor: Indoctrination in schools
Regarding the article “Norwin school board member wants to bar CNN news show for students” (Jan. 12, TribLIVE): Schools are for teaching, not for indoctrinating. Cheri Blum Canonsburg...
Letter to the editor: Dealing with public health emergencies
We are faced with allowing the executive branch full powers to deal with public health emergencies. Before you decide if you agree with that, consider two things. First, covid-19 is not the flu. It has already killed nearly 1 million Americans. Perhaps half of those hospitalized suffer serious, long-term health...
Letter to the editor: Trump should be ashamed
In every ward, precinct and voting district throughout the United States, there is a judge of elections who certifies the votes after both Democrats and Republicans count the votes. Likewise, at the county and state levels, both parties count the votes with poll watchers overseeing the process. It’s very difficult...
Letter to the editor: Vote to stop the madness gripping America
America has just undergone the worst year in many decades. We’ve suffered sky-high inflation, a terribly botched covid response, uncontrolled immigration, the Afghanistan debacle, supply chain bottlenecks and restrictions on American freedoms. And make no mistake — we’re all affected and we’re all frustrated. With the support of both Houses...
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland needs health department
The covid pandemic has underscored the need for a local health department in Westmoreland County. In this public health vacuum, county commissioners Sean Kertes, Gina Cerilli Thrasher and Doug Chew have failed to make a coordinated and concerted effort to use American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to promote covid testing,...
Letter to the editor: Nursing home industry should be scrutinized
Five-star pricing to be left alone and helpless with sex offenders. I felt disgrace and disgust when I read the article “Hidden danger: Registered sex offenders often go undetected in care homes” (Dec. 30, TribLIVE). The audacity of not telling families that you are harboring sex offenders. The words “every...
