Sounding off: EPA cuts, Musk, Trump among week's topics

EPA cuts will damage Americans’ health

I read with sadness about mass firings planned for the Environmental Protection Agency. How terrible for the health and safety of every American.

When government agencies are gutted and civil servants are fired, the excuse is often that private industry can do it more efficiently, but private industry doesn’t want to do what the EPA does. They don’t want to find out which of their chemicals cause cancer. They don’t want to know what their industrial pollution does to our health.

We the people created the EPA to fight for us against corporations who think our lives are cheap compared to profits. The destruction of the EPA will be a blow to our ability to protect ourselves from corporate greed.

Dawn Antoline-Wang

New Alexandria

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Musk working as advocate for all

Democrats argue that Elon Musk’s efforts to uncover and eliminate government waste through DOGE represent an illegal power grab. However, this claim couldn’t be further from the truth.

Musk is generously donating his immense talent and valuable time to the government. His expertise, worth a fortune, is being offered to taxpayers at no cost — a refreshing change from the wasteful spending often associated with past Democratic administrations.

Critics accuse Musk of being a billionaire seeking power, but his only goal is to advocate for good governance, not to control politicians.

Contrast Musk’s positive influence with that of progressive billionaire George Soros. Soros has entrenched himself in government at all levels, including here in Allegheny County, where he has funneled campaign funds to candidates for district attorney, judges and even county executive. Across the nation, Soros has been accused of “buying” influence by financially supporting congressmen, senators, attorneys general, judges and election officials.

Many believe Soros wields significant behind-the-scenes power, driving Marxist policies, anti-American sentiment, and radical cultural changes championed by the Democratic Party.

Musk, a visionary on par with Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, has improved the lives of countless Americans through his groundbreaking enterprises. In stark contrast, Soros has amassed immense wealth and power, using it to impose his will on the American people.

It’s time for Americans to recognize which billionaire is truly on their side.

Dave Majernik

Plum

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Hatred of Trump harming our country

Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real menace to our way of life. It is my opinion that our country is being destroyed from within by career politicians, elected members of Congress, who have become millionaires while collecting civil servant paychecks. These people will fight anyone who gets in their way. President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency are standing in their way right now.

As an American citizen, make the decision to support these corrupt politicians or support Trump, Musk and our country. The right choice is obvious to me.

Jeanne Shields

North Huntingdon

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If Democrats won’t fight, vote them out

In 2018, I was the founder of Mt. Lebanon Rise Up, an Indivisible Group that helped elect Conor Lamb and Pam Iovino. I spent hours canvassing and phone banking for Democrats.

I have since moved to Heidelberg, Germany, where it is obvious to everyone the United States has aligned itself with Russia, that the United States is hurtling toward authoritarianism at breakneck speed, where anti-American sentiment is the highest it has ever been.

And what are the Democrats doing?

Well, 10 of them just ceded their power to Trump.

The Democratic Party ignores its base in favor of the mythical white independent moderate male voter in the diner with “economic anxiety.” (It was never about the price of eggs, Democrats).

Until elections come ’round again. Then Chuck Schumer will be begging the base for support, and, naturally, he will blame the base when they don’t give it to him.

American needs a true opposition party unafraid to fight. And if Democratic leadership is unable to answer the call, then every single one must be voted out.

Lynne Hughes

Heidelberg, Germany

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Grieving for America

Who died?

As I was driving the other day, I noticed an American flag at half-mast at a university. I asked myself, “Who died?” I thought, “If I had a flagpole, I’d fly the flag at half-mast.”

Who died? I grieve and mourn the death of many of the values we hold dear in the United States of America. Values like “Our word is our bond.” Values like “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses … .”

I mourn and grieve at the decision to stop sending even 0.5% of our budget to provide life-saving humanitarian aid to our brothers and sisters overseas. Humanitarian aid had bipartisan support, until now. I mourn and grieve at the decision to tax imports from our two closest neighbors. I mourn and grieve at the decision to stop aiding our neighbor whose sovereign territory has been invaded by Russia. I mourn and grieve at the decision to fire without cause so many public servants. These policies have led to suffering and death abroad, and they have caused thousands of aid workers to lose their jobs.

As a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church, I do not speak for all Catholics, nor do I dare to speak for all people of faith. I know many people who pray and advocate for policies consistent with those found in their sacred texts. I urge our members of Congress to do the same.

Who died? We know.

Thomas J. Berna

Greenfield

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A common language binds us together

Annie Abbott’s opinion of the president’s declaration of English as the U.S. official language reveals a clear misunderstanding of history and political reality (“Multilingualism not a threat. It belongs in our country,” March 7, TribLive). Countries need a key core concept that cultivates “commonality” which binds them. The U.S. was able to evolve as a country in large part because of its common English language. Anyone who studied U.S. history is familiar with this analysis and reasoning.

I lived through this as a young boy in the 1940s when my parents surrendered their Italian and Polish for English so that I could capitalize on the opportunities available here. Yes, I have some regrets and nostalgia. However, the benefits that followed were more than worthy. It’s called the “American Dream.”

Abbott’s negative view is exaggerated and short-sighted. She should realize that any significant change in one’s life can be traumatic and there may be a price to pay. If the price is so high, as she seems to believe, why do they stay or keep coming?

Louis F. D’Emilio

Penn Township, Westmoreland County

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Today’s Democratic Party a far cry from Kennedy’s party

Today’s Democratic Party is directed by lifetime, millionaire politicians like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, non-elected Washington, D.C., bureaucrats and extreme progressive left-wing, woke socialists. In my opinion, it has become synonymous with open borders, sanctuary cities, defunding the police, weak leadership, poor schools, huge federal deficits, high prices inflation, antisemitism, pro-abortion, biological men in women’s sports and bathrooms, mandated electric cars, etc.

In order to regain their jobs and power, Democrats went so far as to weaponize the Department of Justice, FBI and IRS to remove President Donald Trump from office. This is a far cry from the working man’s law and order Democratic Party of President John F. Kennedy.

Today, many lifelong Democrats justify their loyal support of their party entirely by their personal hatred of Trump. Unfortunately there remains a core of loyal Democrats, mainstream media, opinion writers and Hollywood entertainers who overlook the lousy performance of the Democratic Party under Biden/Kamala Harris and buy into what I see as the misinformation and fake news of the legacy mainstream media.

Ron Raymond

Buffalo Township