Letters to the Editor category, Page 23
Letter to the editor: Chicken restrictions too harsh in West Leechburg
I am writing as a concerned and engaged resident to urge West Leechburg leaders to reconsider the overly restrictive regulations on keeping backyard chickens in the borough. Backyard chickens are a source of fresh, healthy eggs, and they also offer families an opportunity to become more self-sufficient, teach children responsibility...
Letter to the editor: Nutting should think of the Pirates first
Dear Pirates owners Bob Nutting and family, I appeal to your responsibilities as Pirates owners to focus your management decisions on producing the best baseball team possible. I know this may conflict with your need to increase shareholder value and personal income, but you have a greater responsibility: to produce...
Letter to the editor: SNAP cuts would devastate local families
Food Assistance Match (FAM) is alarmed by the proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which would devastate families navigating food insecurity, especially in communities like ours. SNAP is among the most effective tools to reduce hunger, improve health and stimulate the economy. As a nonprofit that matches...
Letter to the editor: Cyber charter reform needed
The information revealed in a recent state audit of cyber charter schools should alarm every Pennsylvania taxpayer. These schools were so awash in excess funding that they had accumulated fund balances of $619 million in June 2023. This is money that should have been used for education or returned to...
Letter to the editor: ICE agents’ actions a disgrace
The recent actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations agents ordered to the streets of America has been a national disgrace. The role of our federal agents is to protect us, not to terrorize us at our work, our retail stores, our restaurants or our schools …...
Letter to the editor: America needs unity, not protest
With the Fourth of July approaching, I wanted to reflect on the recent “No Kings” protest. Within our country, thousands of people protested President Trump and his policies, implying he is a tyrannical king. This is flawed. America has not been ruled by a king since July 2, 1776. An...
Letter to the editor: Closed primaries work just fine
Some argue “open primaries,” where independents can choose to vote in one of the two major parties’ primary election, will ensure more moderate candidates being chosen. But the opposite is more likely. This is just an invitation to sabotage an opposing party’s primary. One common justification for open primaries is...
Letter to the editor: Metered parking deters shoppers, diners
When are Greensburg and Latrobe going to do away with metered parking? It’s 25 cents for 15 minutes to park. I would love to shop in downtown Greensburg and Latrobe more often, but when I go I feel the need to run in, get what I need and run back...
Letter to the editor: Border Patrol agents doing their job
The southern border is essentially closed for the first time that I can recall. This was accomplished by executive orders, and freeing up our Border Patrol agents to do the job they were hired to do. During the Biden/Harris administration, we were told repeatedly by the Democrats that we needed...
Letter to the editor: Air pollution and dementia
As a neurologist, I am concerned about the increasing prevalence of dementia. Current estimates of dementia risk are 11-23% for Americans. The number of new dementia cases is expected to double by 2060. Some risk factors for dementia (e.g., genetics) are nonmodifiable. However, one important modifiable risk factor is exposure...
Letter to the editor: Speaking out for Palestinians
The article “No kings protesters oppose Trump administrations’ policies” (June 15, TribLive) neglected to mention the large Palestine contingent that was present, including speaker Jacob Blumenstein representing Jewish Voice for Peace. After listening to Blumenstein’s plea to connect the fight against fascism, white supremacy and antisemitism in the U.S. with...
Letter to the editor: Don’t let ‘catch and kill’ be our norm
“Catch and Kill Bill” is not the title of a new movie sequel. It’s a phrase I made up to illustrate a few bad practices in our society today. “Catch and kill” is a real practice known to our media world and is becoming more common in our nontransparent or...
Letter to the editor: Paper checks ending Sept. 30
As a local tax professional, I want to alert the public — especially senior citizens — about an important change on the horizon. There hasn’t been much publicized about this, but the federal government has announced it will no longer accept or issue paper checks after Sept. 30. This affects...
Letter to the editor: The railroad is a great place to work
The article “Interest in skilled trades surges nearly 14%” (June 18, TribLive) confirms what those of us in the railroad industry are experiencing firsthand. The demand for skilled trade workers — welders, mechanics, electricians, equipment operators, engineers and conductors — for jobs within freight railroads, as well as contractors and...
Letter to the editor: Time to raise minimum wage in Pa.
It is beyond time to raise the wage in Pennsylvania and move to a livable wage for all workers. It is unacceptable for Pennsylvania to have the lowest minimum wage in the country, lower than every single bordering state, which makes it harder to retain and recruit workers in our...
Letter to the editor: Pay attention to the here and now
I will use my monthly opportunity here today to write a brief retort (noun or verb, look it up) to the letter “Democrats are threat to democracy” (June 23, TribLive). As I read his blather, all I can see in my mind is that his “group” — and I won’t...
Letter to the editor: Right vs. left media
The writer of the letter “Mistrust of mainstream media” (June 18, TribLive) has it backwards. He, as are so many who are ensconced in right-wing propaganda, believes the “mainstream news” is slanted to the left. I wonder if his sources have told him that Fox “News” was recently fined $787...
Letter to the editor: More fair reporting needed
The article “Military parade barrels through DC as ‘No Kings’ protesters across U.S. decry Trump” (June 14, TribLive)is an example of news reporting agencies telling us what the news should look like rather than just reporting an event. If nothing else, the Associated Press should be called out for inaccuracy...
Letter to the editor: Congratulations to Special Olympians
Congratulations to Jeff DePalma and Anthony Monstrola for winning gold and silver medals in basketball in the Pennsylvania Special Olympics championship. They, along with team players, were honored at the Terry Ranieri Memorial Golf Outing June 20. The hard work and dedication of the coaches and players paid off. Our...
Letter to the editor: We need a revolution of reason
Although June is recognized as Pride Month in America, an observance has taken place since 1865 on June 19 called Juneteenth. It marks a time when human beings made in the image of God were legally owned as property by rich white Christian men to work for free. In 1865...
Letter to the editor: First Amendment doesn’t protect criminal behavior
A student letter-writer recently lamented the sending of federal troops to Los Angeles and the brief detention of Sen. Alex Padilla (“Defending our right to protest,” June 20, TribLive). While I support his right to express his opinion, I feel the need to exercise my own right and call his...
Letter to the editor: Are immigrants lacking good work ethic?
When my dad, James Murko Sever, came over from Croatia, immigrants came to this country to make a good living. He was 16. He and my mother saved money to buy two farms. He worked third shift in the coal mines and came home and worked on the farms. They...
Letter to the editor: Lost fishing equipment harmful to animals
Regarding the article “Good for the gander: Wildlife Works heals goose injured by discarded fishing line” (June 17, TribLive): Fortunately, kind people worked to heal a Twin Lakes Park goose whose leg was caught in discarded fishing line. Many other animals aren’t so lucky. A study by the University of...
Letter to the editor: Flag burning should be a crime
Questions that make you go hmmmm: On June 22, 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court in R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul unanimously ruled that “hate crime” laws banning cross burning and similar expressions of racial bias violated free speech rights, and rightly so. How then is burning the United States...
Letter to the editor: Liberals are enablers, accomplices
To me, “No Kings” actually meant “No Matter” that illegal immigrants kill Americans. Liberal Democrats do not seem to care about the victims of crime. Period. And in their unconcern they are enablers and accomplices. Hank Baughman Latrobe...
