Sounding off: A Biden win would benefit Republicans

A Joe Biden victory is the best hope Republicans have. Because if Biden loses, President Trump will continue to drag down the party for four more years. Republicans are already in serious danger of losing more seats than anyone ever imagined because they have protected and enabled Trump.

If the Republicans spend four more years protecting him, assuming we still have a free country left in 2024, they’ll do well to even win any city council seats. If they wisely refuse to support Trump in 2020 and if the number of votes for Republican senators and congressional representatives vastly exceeds the number of votes for Trump, the party leaders will see that their base has abandoned Trump and they may turn back toward sanity. If not, they’ll ride the Trump train all the way off the cliff.

Charles Henry, Greensburg

Perfect time to abolish death penalty

As our state faces inevitable social and economic change in light of recent protests and the current pandemic, Pennsylvania needs to abolish the death penalty. According to the United States General Accounting Office, a defendant’s race directly influences the likelihood of a death sentence, with Black individuals most likely to face death row.

Additionally, the Death Penalty Information Center reports that each death sentence costs taxpayers approximately $272 million, as opposed to $42,000 annually for a life sentence. Furthermore, a recent Gallup poll found that a historically low number of Americans find capital punishment morally acceptable, as only 54% of respondents find the death penalty morally acceptable while 40% find it morally unacceptable. Unsurprisingly, answers followed party lines to some extent, as 67% of conservatives found it morally acceptable, as opposed to 56% of moderates and 37% of liberals.

At the same time, no political group remains remotely uniform in its opinion, thus creating a viable path for legislators to join the bipartisan push to end the death penalty in Pennsylvania. With our current financial struggles, ongoing social change and the shrinking moral acceptability of the death penalty, it has never been more urgent that we finally abolish capital punishment.

Jeremy Mauser, Salem

Pandemic unemployment compensation must continue

At the end of July the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) will end and millions of families will be in dire straits if the $600 supplemental weekly payments end. If the feds pull the financial rug out from so many people who are hanging on with no jobs and little hope of reinstatement, we will see a terrible consequence in families and communities.

Please appeal to the GOP and Democratic congressional members. My observation is that company owners laid off many people to cut their overhead and secure their profit at the expense of their employees. Businesses large and small soothed their own self-focused consciences by letting the government provide the FPUC. People have stayed hopeful, patient and compliant, but most know their jobs are not coming back by the end of July.

With the ending of FPUC, individuals and families are very vulnerable to a financial free-fall down a deep hole. The government created the hysteria and made it impossible for the economy to function, while making it possible for employers to arbitrarily cut costs by hacking off employees. If the pandemic isn’t over, the FPUC should stay in place so people don’t despair and panic as bills pile up and disaster looms over them.

Ray Speicher, Ligonier Township

Sacrifice or selfishness?

From the time that America entered World War II until its end almost four years later, approximately 407,000 Americans made the ultimate sacrifice. They gave their lives in order to defeat the Axis enemies. While the fighting raged overseas, Americans back home also were asked to sacrifice. Cars and gasoline were rationed. Even household staples including meat and dairy were rationed. Yes, sacrifices were made.

Today, we face another enemy. A different kind, an invisible one. Covid-19. In the past seven months, this enemy has claimed approximately 138,000 American lives. That is 34% of the American lives that were lost in World War II. The projections are that 200,000 lives may be lost by this Christmas. So in less than one year covid-19 will have claimed half as many American lives as were lost in the four years of World War II.

Now the ask is to wear a mask and social distance. Are these really sacrifices? Or have we just become so selfish that we place our wants over the good of others? If we want a return to normal, the path to victory seems clear: masks, social distance and washing of hands. Is it really that great of a sacrifice?

Kurt Karafinski, Shaler

‘Left-wing’ labels misused

After seeing letters like “Democratic leaders must speak out, too” and plenty of fearful tweets and Facebook posts, I feel the need to share some thoughts about the threat of left-wing extremist violence.

It’s completely overblown. Pundits throw out misused buzzwords — “Marxist, socialist, antifa”— to create a fearsome boogeyman. Sure, there are extremists of all stripes, but the threat of left-wing violence is statistically tiny, despite what news outlets would lead you to believe.

In Gettysburg on July 4, armed right-wing white nationalists gathered to prevent an imaginary group reportedly out to burn flags. As it was, obviously, a hoax, no mobs appeared. So the group instead spent the day agitating locals and confronting a Methodist pastor visiting a cemetery.

News outlets stoking fears of violent radicals is not only dangerous but intentional. Fear is a great motivator to vote and also serves as a distraction.

The big picture remains that millions are out of work, and thousands are dead — in my opinion, because of the current administration’s incompetence in handling coronavirus. Bad faith actors drawing attention to culture wars about statues, flags and riots are attempting to distract you for their political benefit. Don’t fall for it.

Matt Achtziger, Mt. Pleasant Township

Confederate soldiers were not traitors

I am disappointed in Colin Powell, former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Democrats for playing politics by calling the Confederate military “traitors.” They are playing insult politics with the dead who were faithfully defending their seceded independent country and its principles.

I remember in the 1950s when both sides of the Civil War got together in Gettysburg and talked peacefully. My great-grandfather was in the 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry and fought in several battles of the Civil War, including Gettysburg, where he was wounded.

Using their “new normal,” politically correct definition of traitor, the people living in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone were traitors. (Words mean things.) Unless the penalty for treason has changed, they should be hung whether they were traitors for a day or traitors for years.

George Biskup, Penn Township, Westmoreland County

Trump could win if he becomes diplomat

Our country and our culture are being undermined and destroyed by terrorists. What we are doing about it is not working. We treasure our federal system of government. If President Trump is forced to call in the Army, it sets a dangerous precedent for him and for the country and future presidents.

We need a “diplomat in chief” to lead us in rediscovering the value and benefit of conscientious compromise. No matter the issue, we are deeply divided — seemingly as a matter of principle. A divided house, with a foundation under siege at every corner, cannot stand.

Trump should forget about the campaign and make the biggest deal of his life. Announce over Twitter his intentions to call a convocation to Camp David of all the most respected and brightest leaders on all sides of each issue, from law enforcement, government, media and civil rights to unite the country in a reform program. If successful in this effort, he easily wins the election in a landslide.

With this action, he sets a national preference to settle our differences with talking instead of rioting. Bringing us together, after the devastating events of the past few months, is the No. 1 issue in the minds of voters everywhere.

June Morrison, Zelienople