Sounding off: Church members put us all at risk

I was truly believing we were all coming together to quell this coronavirus. I was seeing less traffic and more people heeding the advice of our officials and our medical professionals. Then, the news that 200 people congregated together at Word of Life Church on March 22 (“About 200 attend Hempfield’s Word of Life Church amid coronavirus shutdown”) My heart sank.

My first thought was all of them had more than likely added a shopping trip to their outing. Some of them may still be essential employees and working daily in our community. What in the world were you people thinking? I am sure I know members that were in attendance, as this is a small town, and that hurts me even more.

Do I accept your apology, Pastor Tom (“Hempfield church pastor apologizes for open services on Sunday”)?

Absolutely not. Your followers say “he is a good guy, such a nice guy.” Maybe, but “careless” is the word I use. I think of what we said as children: “Sorry doesn’t help now!” The chaos you and your attendees may cause in our community could be devastating. We will know shortly. I think daily of the harm that may have been caused, and it brings me to tears.

Please go out and spread the word, not the virus.

Mary Beth Giron Weyant, Hempfield

The possible good that could emerge from covid-19 crisis

Let’s not ignore the possible positive results of this crisis:

• Over 3,000 people die each month in car accidents in America. With traffic reduced, many of those people will live now.

• Everyone who becomes infected, with or without symptoms, is likely to have acquired an immunity that may protect them against future pathogens.

• Our medical R&D capabilities are stepping up now, and they are getting priority in funding requests. That should result in many beneficial future developments. Medical advances always occur in times of war.

• The U.S. dollar is the world’s “reserve currency.” That means that any problem that can be fixed by money will be fixed.

• Speaking of money, with Treasury bond rates at record lows, the U.S. can finance or refinance its national debt at a very low cost. That’s good for our country.

• And on a personal note, it might be good for us to break our habits and rethink how we spend our time here on Earth.

So, while every loss of life is tragic, the truth is that some good will come out of all of this.

Richard J. Krauland, Kittanning

Leaders must act on property tax relief

I have not heard what our local governments and school districts are doing to offer property tax relief to all of us who have been affected by the coronavirus shutdown. It would be unconscionable to have our local government make profits with interest and penalties on property taxes when our neighbors do not have money to make payments due to the shutdown.

We need our leaders to make a statement and announce a clear policy now.

David A. Colecchia, Greensburg

We’ll be better country after coronavirus crisis

The order from Gov. Tom Wolf to Pennsylvania’s taverns and restaurants to limit service to takeout only initially shocked the industry. Fear of lost revenue and paychecks was very evident.

Pennsylvania’s taverns and restaurants were the tip of the spear in this fight against coronavirus. Early and decisive decisions had to be made by Wolf to flatten the curve, buy time for our health care professionals to prepare, and ultimately save as many lives as possible.

It was the right decision. The Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association supported the governor’s order early.

Fortunately, our elected leaders in both Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., haven’t forgotten the sacrifice small businesses are making. Financial help is on the way. The importance of saving lives is being matched by the importance of saving livelihoods.

I believe that as Pennsylvanians navigate this crisis, all of us will be better because of it. We now know what it’s like to have our jobs and ways of life threatened. We now know the value of loved ones and friends as we practice social distancing and self-isolation. And we now know how important each of us are, whether you’re a takeout cook or a health care provider.

We will weather this storm. And we’ll be a better country and better people because of it.

Chuck Moran, Harrisburg

Coronavirus cleaning methods suspect

I want to applaud the news media, including the Trib, for the extensive coverage during this coronavirus crisis. All the tips for keeping ourselves safe is certainly prudent at this time.

However, watching the television as workers clean school buses, subways, vending machines, etc., I noticed something discouraging, even alarming — everyone uses the same cleaning cloth as they clean.

Now, if as reported, this virus can live for a few days on surfaces, why use the same item to go from one thing to the next to clean? Won’t such a practice contribute to spreading this virus? Has anyone done any research on this? If so, I haven’t read or seen it reported and would like to know if this kind of practice is transferable.

I don’t use the same wipes from one surface to the next in my own home, let alone trust someone else to do it for me elsewhere. This doesn’t appear to be the time to take a cavalier approach, and we have to do all we can to protect ourselves.

Sonia Porco, New Kensington

Gov. Tom Wolf perjured oath, should be removed

Neither the U.S. Constitution nor state constitutions provide for their own suspension. In 1866, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the still-standing Ex parte Milligan that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law protecting all people in both war and peace and under all circumstances. It also states that none of its provisions may be suspended during any government emergency. In volume 16 of “American Jurisprudence,” an encyclopedia of high court decisions, it is stated in Section 71: “No emergency justifies the violation of any of the provisions of the United States Constitution.”

Gov. Tom Wolf swore an oath to uphold the U.S. and Pennsylvania Constitutions, and he perjured that oath when he assumed dictatorial powers, thereby vacating his office and authority. Purportedly, he did this under Pennsylvania’s disaster declaration law, which is repugnant to the Constitutions and, therefore, null and void just as are the Patriot, NDAA and Homeland Security acts.

The only reason these acts have any power at all is because the gutless, moronic masses are gladly subservient. Wolf should immediately be removed and his faux orders over this non-disaster ignored.

Mike Neely, Rochester

We’re bailing out corporations — again

There is one part of the $2.2 trillion stimulus that worries me: the $500 billion bailout to large corporations. They are partially responsible for today’s problems.

For the last decade, large corporations have had record profits while paying little in taxes. They have reduced our manufacturing capabilities and decimated the inventory system. They have created extreme inequality and a vulnerable economic system.

The way the bailout is written, the $500 billion could balloon to trillions. And again, the government could leak money to investors and not to the workers or the actual businesses. With our taxpayer money, they could increase dividends or increase mergers and acquisitions. There is no accountability written into this part of the stimulus.

It seems that every few years we have a disaster that requires middle America to bail out the 1%. First this century was the Iraq War, where companies had a windfall. Then there was TARP, with no accountability for the big guys. As Elizabeth Warren said, you cannot have accountability when there is no record of where the money went.

Then we had President Trump’s tax cut, which went to the large corporations and the 1%. Businesses did not add employees. Instead, they cut employees and in some cases moved factories offshore.

In the last few years Pennsylvania has lost manufacturing jobs. And again we are giving taxpayer money to the people who have put profits over people, community, product and country.

Michael Garing, North Huntingdon