Letters to the Editor category, Page 388
Letter to the editor: Speed cameras & safety
Regarding the article “National Transportation Safety Board releases ‘Most Wanted’ list for reducing traffic deaths” (Feb. 4, TribLIVE): The safety argument for speed cameras has been debunked. Studies have shown speed camera areas having an increase in crashes or the cameras had no effect. In the UK, a substantial increase...
Letter to the editor: Socialism will destroy us
Upon reflecting on the passing of President George Herbert Walker Bush, it occurred to me that those of the World War II generation — “The Greatest Generation” — will soon be gone. This generation helped rescue us from being taken over by a brutal totalitarian regime of the Axis powers...
Letter to the editor: Idiots & imbeciles
On this date in 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt (a Democrat ) signed an immigration act that excluded “idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded persons and insane persons” from being admitted to the United States. The bill was incomplete because there was no provision to exclude these same American-born persons from being politicians or...
Letter to the editor: Commit to 100 percent renewable energy
I want to thank the following Pennsylvania House representatives for co-sponsoring Rep. Chris Rabb’s House Bill 2132, to transition Pennsylvania to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. If passed in the Pennsylvania House and Senate, it will add 380,000 good-paying jobs to Pennsylvania’s existing 60,000 clean-energy jobs, while saving all...
Letter to the editor: Hunters need more opportunities
In response to letter-writer Sylvie Pomicter (“Say ‘no’ to Sunday hunting,” Feb. 11, TribLIVE): Pennsylvania is rich in hunting tradition, and unfortunately we are losing our youth and adult hunters because of lack of opportunity. Pennsylvania is one of three states that do not allow Sunday hunting for big and...
Letter to the editor: Ban polystyrene
Recent media reports have shown that at least half of Philadelphia’s recyclable materials end up in incinerators. The National Geographic Society recently reported that only 9 percent of plastic materials are recycled. These are reminders that we need to minimize waste in the first place. Polystyrene foam, known by many...
Letter to the editor: Democrats & our freedoms
Our great nation was conceived so that all men and women could live in freedom: freedom to worship, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, freedom for us — not the government — to control our lives. Today, the liberal Democrats want to take away our freedoms. The Democratic...
Sounding off: Legalized pot is a gateway drug
Having a family member who went through outpatient rehab a few years back, I am amazed that Pennsylvania would consider legalizing marijuana. During every family meeting I attended, it was stated that marijuana is a gateway drug. Has that changed? Make it legal, and the next step could be cocaine,...
Letter to the editor: In politics, compromise is possible
The divisiveness at the federal level is stigmatized as the “worst ever,” “unprecedented” and “without comparison,” to cite just a few epithets. Good rhetoric. Grabs viewers. Raises partisan money. But untrue. There has never been a “golden age” of politics, and in fact the current level of acrimony is historically...
Letter to the editor: UPMC’s positive impact
In Bob Bauder’s article “AG Shapiro: UPMC’s ‘corporate greed’ hurting patients” (Feb. 7, TribLIVE), UPMC said its practices have increased competition in Western Pennsylvania, which benefits consumers. This statement stands in stark contrast to statements by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who called UPMC’s practices “corporate greed.” Many Western Pennsylvanians will...
Letter to the editor: Voter registration is easy
One has to admire the subtle cleverness of state Rep. Sara Innamorato’s op-ed “It’s time for automatic voter registration in Pa.” (Feb. 9, TribLIVE). This appears to be taken directly from the socialist playbook. Drum up a phony problem where there isn’t one, disguise it as saving democracy, then soft-sell...
Letter to the editor: Damage of legal pot
Legalize pot? Why not? It could get us more money to run our already-bloated state government. It could also provide us a whole new class of citizens who would like to get — and stay — stoned legally. Just what we need, huh? More Timothy Leary fans who want to...
Letter to the editor: Why all the wall hoopla?
I don’t know anything about the southern border. I live in Pennsylvania. So I went on Google Earth to look at the southern border. I just typed in “San Diego” and I saw that there already is a wall there. Now mind you, I only looked at California up to...
Letter to the editor: No free ride on police protection
An open letter to Sen. Don White, Rep. Jeff Pyle and fiscally responsible legislators: I was pleased to read the letters “Hempfield should share casino wealth” (Dec. 23, TribLIVE) and “Hempfield needs police” (Jan. 18, TribLIVE). I request that you require the $25 per capita tax that Gov. Tom Wolf...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s wall plans
Illegals entering the country is at an all-time low. If President Trump really wanted his wall, wouldn’t it have been a sure thing to bring it up when his party controlled both houses of Congress? Why did he wait for the Democrats to take control of the House? He knew...
Letter to the editor: Fall of Roman Empire
The Roman Empire is said to have lasted from about 27 BC to 476 AD. There were many reasons why it fell, but three stand out: • Overspending and military expansion. Check. • Political instability. Check. • Migration of the Huns ( open borders ). Check. Tony Pittore Penn Township,...
Letter to the editor: Cheap shots at Hempfield supervisors
Regarding the article “Hempfield to review past votes, but supervisors balk at state audit” (Jan. 31, TribLIVE): It seems to me that this is nothing more than a cheap political attempt by upstart township supervisor Robert Ritson to discredit the previous township manager and the supervisors who hired him. With...
Letter to the editor: Josh Shapiro and Medicare competition
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, appears on the front page taking UPMC to court to force it to permit Highmark Medicare recipients to forever be entitled to UPMC’s lower in-network rates for their physicians, services and hospitals, eliminating the inherent competition between the two firms (“AG Shapiro: UPMC’s...
Letter to the editor: Vandergrift’s problems
We moved to Vandergrift from another state, and although we were born in Pennsylvania, this is our first impression. Some of the borough employees appear to have the attitude that the citizens of Vandergrift work for them. Any Vandergrift employees with that mindset, please be advised that you work for...
Letter to the editor: Peduto’s gun wishes
Why are people so up in arms (pun intended) about Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto wishing for a gun ban? Little girls wish for ponies and to be princesses; little boys wish to be cowboys and astronauts. Parents don’t tell them that wishing is wrong, and that most wishes don’t come...
Letter to the editor: Voter ID a free fix
Riddle me this: In today’s paper it was reported that Westmoreland County may have to spend $7 million to upgrade its voting machines to make them more secure (“Commission recommends Pennsylvania security measures for elections,” Jan. 29, TribLIVE) — but not one word about doing something to help make the...
Letter to the editor: Hempfield supervisors do great job
The 2019 primary election season is fast approaching, and the spring always promises us daffodils, weeds and yard signs. Regardless of your party, you will be choosing between candidates for local positions. Our choices are not always clear, as many candidates are inexperienced and have no record, or experienced and...
Letter to the editor: What’s happening to our country?
Are politicians really working for us? Can there be no compromise? Is the revelation that a governor put on a black face or white sheet, more than 30 years ago, really more offensive than the bill he backs that legalizes the murder of an infant in the late third trimester?...
Letter to the editor: Pollution & our leaders
In the article, “Officials: Temperature swings cause poor air quality in Allegheny County” (Feb. 5, TribLIVE), Matt Mehalik of the Breathe Project says that Allegheny County’s air-quality issues may be exacerbated by a quick temperature warm-up, but the problem of air pollution comes from polluting sources in the county. I...
Letter to the editor: Ask Venezuelans about socialism
So you think socialism is the answer? As the Venezuelans who haven’t left their country yet what they think. They can’t afford toilet paper in the near-empty stores. Just sayin’. Joseph Marmo Cheswick...
