Sounding off: Reducing litter, keeping America beautiful

Regarding the article “Study: Pa. roads average 1,030 litter items per mile”: I have done my best to keep a stretch of rural road near my home free of litter. I pick up beer and pop cans, cigarette butts, plastic bottles, and bags from convenience stores and fast-food restaurants.

Trash along the back roads increases when school is in session. Garage sale signs go up but don’t come down. Push-in wire signs are everywhere, but are illegal on public property.

PennDOT spends $13 million a year on litter cleanup, and Pittsburgh spends $3 million. That is taxpayer money that could be put to better use.

What can we do? Here are some ideas:

• Educate children about recycling and litter.

• Make sure your vehicles have receptacles for trash, and use them.

• Be sure your trash is in a can. Night scavengers love to rip into plastic bags.

• If you smoke, use an ashtray.

• Put up “$300 littering fine” signs in key locations, and give out citations. Word gets around fast.

• Take down your garage sale signs after your sale. If it’s there a week later, consider it litter and subject to a fine.

• Keep your property litter-free. You may not have put it there, but it’s yours now.

• Local businesses that help to fuel litter (fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, gas stations) should sponsor litter-collecting teams on designated stretches of road.

• If you walk, carry a bag and pick up trash.

A clean environment benefits everyone. Keep America beautiful; don’t be a litterbug.

Howard Gordon, Lower Burrell

School taxes are unjust

Regarding Barbara Markle’s letter “Property taxes ruin seniors’ ‘golden years’ ”: Yes! You paid taxes and now don’t have any kids in school — very unjust.

How about those of us who never had kids? My husband and I have owned homes since 1959, thus paying taxes all these years. Add that up in school taxes we paid — with no kids in school, ever. Very, very unjust. There needs to be a better way.

Mary Johnson, Mt. Pleasant Township

Giant Eagle’s double-coupon decision

It has finally happened. Giant Eagle stores are no longer doubling manufacturers’ coupons, citing “industry trends towards eCoupons and digital offers.”

In other words, Giant Eagle is discriminating against anyone who doesn’t have a computer and anyone who doesn’t have the ability to print coupons from the internet. Those of us who use newspaper coupons to help defray the cost of rising grocery prices and who like double coupons, as we try to maximize our savings, will have to consider our options of where we want to spend our money. Shop ’n Save, along with some of our small community stores, will continue to offer double coupons and, therefore, receive my business, along with extra low-price stores like Aldi, which have excellent brands and don’t accept any coupons.

It’s a sad day for longtime Giant Eagle customers.

Mary Bach, Murrysville

The writer is a consumer advocate.

Pat Toomey is unfit for office

Sen. Pat Toomey has voted to approve seven judges deemed “unqualified” by the American Bar Association, including Sarah Pitlyk, who was appointed in December 2019. Pitlyk has never tried a case, civil or criminal, as lead or co-counsel, and never examined a witness in court, according to the ABA. She did argue one case in a court of appeals, but hasn’t taken a deposition, argued a motion in state or federal trial court, never picked a jury — or even “participated at any stage of a criminal matter,” the ABA stated. Sen. Toomey, the United States District Court is not the place for on-the-job training. Pitlyk is 43 years old and appointed for life!

In September 2017, Toomey voted to repeal major parts of the Affordable Care Act (Graham-Cassidy bill). It was billed as “repeal and replace,” but there was no “replace.” Those familiar with the bill described it as being “meaner than ever.” If not for the courage of the late Sen. John McCain, Toomey’s vote could have cost millions of Pennsylvanians with pre-existing conditions their health care coverage.

More galling, Toomey voted to block the testimony of John Bolton and the introduction of documents in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. How cowardly. Toomey chose funding and support for his own reelection over following the evidence, wherever it might have led.

Toomey has dishonored himself and shown himself unfit for the office. Please remember this in November 2022.

Mary Ann Clever, New Kensington

Living in Pa. is taxing

I agree with letter-writer Dwayne Buffer (“Officials keep sticking it to electorate.”) Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t seen a tax he didn’t like. He seems to spend all his waking hours coming up with new ways to soak the common citizen.

Pennsylvania has one of the highest gas taxes in the nation. We pay income tax and property tax. There’s a sin tax on cigarettes and alcohol, plus taxes on entertainment and surcharges on our cable and phone bills. Now they tax the internet. Shall I go on?

We keep hearing “it’s time to fully fund education.” When I went to school, they gave me a pencil, tablet and box of crayons. Now you’re supposed to buy your school supplies. People think that’s normal. It’s not. The school used to provide supplies.

What about college? I thought you went there for an education. Now they seem to be party palaces with basketball and tennis courts, exercise rooms, swimming pools and “safe spaces” where stressed-out students can go tap on their phone and color pictures. No wonder so many of them are strapped with debt when they graduate, and then can’t find a job in Pennsylvania and move out of state.

Pennsylvania has been run by tax-and-spend Democrats for years. When are people going to wake up and elect some folks who can manage a budget and quit ripping off the turnpike? Maybe then we can get the road fixed.

Jerry Miller, North Huntingdon

Game commission needs to attract young hunters

Regarding the article “Game Commission member, sportsmen rep clash over Saturday start to deer season”: I am against changing the first day of antlered deer season from Monday to Saturday. Many other licensed hunters are, too. Our reasons include the disruption of the Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday family shopping and potential shopping on Small Business Saturday.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission noted an increase of 3,351 more licenses, a minuscule 0.4% increase. If the Game Commission wants to attract younger first-time hunters, then a platform to attract them must be established — and not by changing the opening day.

The Game Commission procedures for purchasing doe licenses do not attract younger people. Embrace today’s technology, don’t avoid it. Smartphones are everywhere; churches are even broadcasting services for people to watch on their phones, with the traditional offering replaced by online giving via cellphone. Shoppers use their phones, and homes are sold on phones. The Game Commission needs a phone app to purchase hunting licenses and game tags, reporting kills and more.

Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Dravosburg, minority chair of the House Game and Fisheries Committee, said, “I want more youth in hunting also, but I don’t think we did it in the right way.” Have a platform to attract younger hunters.

David L. Helmstadter, North Huntingdon

Billionaires should buy peace instead of elections

I see a lot on the news about Michael Bloomberg and Jeff Bezos spending gross amounts of money to fight climate change. You cannot beat Mother Nature (floods, earthquakes, droughts, etc.). In my opinion, they are buying elections of presidents, senators, governors and attorneys general to do their will and are of the mind that our country is up for sale. I hope not.

I would rather see these “I have the money, I can buy anything” guys try to buy peace. Buy Afghanistan and see if it will get our sons and daughters out of there forever. Quit messing with this country and our elections.

George Biskup, Penn Township, Westmoreland County