Letters to the Editor category, Page 76

President Nixon instituted a 90-day wage and price freeze in August 1971. Inflation was rampant, and people were suffering financial difficulties. My husband and I lived through that period. Most workers’ wages were frozen. Most prices were frozen. Wage and price controls did not work perfectly, but they did cool...

The writer of the letter “Veteran won’t vote for Biden” (May 16, TribLive), who says he is an Air Force veteran, regurgitates numerous right-wing conspiracy theories about the erosion of “freedoms, values and individual responsibilities” by the left as reasons not to vote for President Biden and extolling the years...

Election Day is racing at us with what seems like breakneck speed. To me, it seems the big issues the candidates will be clashing about are abortion, inflation and millions of immigrants living off the American taxpayer. How many of them are here to do harm to our country? Of...

The letter “Tired of the whining about the border” (May 18, TribLive) stating that the southern border is a nonexistent crisis has flaws. Taxpayers are being told we must provide food, lodging and medical treatment for many of these immigrants — the real “free lunch.” Our national debt goes up...

The election of November 2024 is going to be a historic one. Pennsylvania will be a pivotal state. Allegheny County should be prepared for close scrutiny and have its voter rolls in order. Right now, they aren’t. The county reported 900,464 on the rolls in the November 2023 election. Over...

The National Institute of Justice has found the very debilitating effects of working as a correctional officer “stem from two primary sources: the demands of responding to critical incidents within the correctional facility (and) organizational stressors ranging from understaffing shifts to toxic environments.” The study found the suicide rate of...

During the Vietnam War, Donald Trump claimed (I say feigned) a foot injury and wouldn’t serve his country. In 2016, as Trump campaigned for president, he disparaged Sen. John McCain’s heroic service as a POW. According to news reports, Trump staffers claim that during a visit to France in 2018,...

Reading comments concerning Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College brought back some memories. I grew up in the 1950s, and my first job out of high school was at the home office of the G.C. Murphy Co. in Mc­Keesport. Computers were just being introduced, and...

Radical Democrats have declared a desperate war on Donald Trump and his America-first agenda. In my opinion, the current court case in New York City is the latest example of America’s justice system being twisted to keep him out of the Oval Office. Despite all the salacious allegations, Trump’s popularity...

Many Donald Trump supporters claim his legal troubles are due to a conspiracy of Democratic prosecutors, judges, politicians and others trying to keep him out of the election. A letter-writer asks, “Does anyone honestly believe it is a coincidence that all the Trump cases began at nearly the same time...

President Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” If only he were alive today to see the extremes that his government is taking to become a totalitarian technocracy, usurping his beloved constitutional republic. Did the...

I agree with the letter “Westmoreland County taxes could have been raised gradually” (April 21, TribLive) concerning the 32.5% raise in our property taxes. My township tax went up the first half of this year by $175.94. Maybe this doesn’t seem like much, but it is when your income isn’t...

Regarding the article “Wilkinsburg annexation failure reflects merger hurdles for Pa.’s 2,560 municipalities” (May 10, TribLive): Annexation, merger and consolidation are not interchangeable terms. Annexation is dead, only consolidation and merger remain. PA Statute Title 53, Part II, Chapter 7, Subchapter C on Consolidation and Merger, defines consolidation as “The...

We often complain about the costs of items we buy (inflation) or the taxes we pay (government spending). But are we doing our job to hold those who work for us in the government accountable? One problem is that our government obscures good comparative fiscal spending information. Here, I sum...

I read daily from Trump supporters who seem to believe lies and ignore the lengths this man will go to to succeed. Sadly, the person with no moral character and a liar continues his quest to be a sovereign and has a constituency of citizens who believe he is the...

Criticizing Trump doesn’t equate to support of Biden I am compelled to respond to those letter-writers who think criticism of Donald Trump automatically means the person criticizing must love and support President Biden. How nice to be able to see the world is such black and white terms! No need...

I’m really tired of hearing and reading the whining from grown adults (particularly aged 50+) about the southern border. If we rallied together the retirees, the armchair pundits and the people who use religion to mask their blatant racism, we could have at least four or five squadrons ready to...

Recent articles and cartoons have opined that our national government is a democracy and not a republic. Unfortunately they are wrong. Article IV, Section 4: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and...

As a speech teacher, I told my students about a boss who was hiring new employees. He deliberately left a book on the floor and waited to see who would stop to pick it up. Then he planned to hire that candidate. Recently, Donald Trump was about to board Marine...

Our Pennsylvania state House passed a bill in June 2023 to grant the pre-Act 9 (2001) retirees a cost of living adjustment (COLA). These retirees, most of them in their 80s and older, have not received a COLA for nearly two decades. They have been existing on the same income...

I am compelled to respond to those letter-writers who think criticism of Donald Trump automatically means the person criticizing must love and support President Biden. How nice to be able to see the world is such black and white terms! No need for any critical thinking. This lack of critical...

Regarding the letter “Conservative talking points don’t ring true” (May 9, TribLive): Famous scientist Carl Sagan once said, and I quote, “You can’t convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it’s based on a deep seated need to believe.” Facts don’t seem to matter...

It is difficult to understand how women and mothers can be against safeguarding our families. Two of our legislators, who happen to be women, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward and Senate Judiciary Chair Lisa Baker, are obstructing sensible gun-safety legislation. Protecting its citizens is the first responsibility of government....

The writer of the letter “Veteran stands for democracy, not Trump” (May 7, TribLive) stated that as a veteran, he pledged to defend our freedoms. I say, amen. Also as a veteran, I find it very difficult to stay silent when I see freedoms, values and individual responsibilities being regularly...

A few days ago I went to Macy’s to return some things. I didn’t have my Macy’s card with me. A lady said, “Here, use mine,” and inserted her card. Between the things I was returning and the things I was purchasing, there was 66 cents difference, and she paid...