Sounding off: Taxes, bigotry, student loans, Supreme Court, climate on readers' minds

The government will always get you

Regarding the article “Poll: Taxes, cost of living driving away young residents from Pennsylvania” (July 5, TribLIVE): I’ve developed a theory over the years that the government is going to get you somehow regardless of where you live. There will be exceptions, and one individual’s situation will be different from another, but the idea sort of holds.

My son lived in Texas for a number of years. Texas doesn’t have a sales tax. Unfortunately, property taxes, at least in Houston, are two to three times higher than where I live in Pennsylvania, and I don’t live in a low tax area.

A number of years ago we considered moving to Virginia. The sales tax is a hair lower. The income tax is hard to compare but is probably similar. Property taxes are much lower where we were looking. Unfortunately, Virginia charges sales tax on your car each year as well as taxing other things that aren’t taxed in Pennsylvania, and there is a 10% tax at restaurants, including fast food.

I’ve not looked at every state, so there will be exceptions, but I’m pretty sure the differences are going to be pretty minor in most states if everything is considered.

Bob Peirce

Venetia

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Freedom of speech; religion and morality

I think the writer of the letter “Our rights are being eroded” (July 9, TribLIVE) needs to reread the First Amendment. It states Congress shall make no laws abridging the freedom of speech. Nowhere does it say there will not be consequences for speech in the private sector. So people should not be allowed to voice their thoughts in rebuttal to someone else’s speech? Like I’m doing here. There are many types of speech given little or no protection, including fraud, child pornography and defamation.

The writer also seems to think that religion and morality are synonymous. Morality does not depend upon religion, and belonging to a religion does not make one moral; look at all the heinous crimes and atrocities that have been committed in the name of religion, or in spite of a religious belief. The right to practice your religion stops where it interferes with my beliefs.

As to the Constitution not being a living document, there have been 27 amendments from 1791 to 1992. That seems living to me.

Mike Anthony

North Buffalo

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We need pride celebrations because of our bigotry

Bigotry toward the LGBTQ community shows exactly why pride celebrations are so very necessary. The increased visibility and mainstream inclusion of this part of our population have caused great discomfort among those who spew hate-filled rhetoric toward those whom they don’t understand. This rhetoric has often led to violence against this community.

These people live in your neighborhoods. They shop in the same stores as you do. They serve with honor in the military. They may have children who attend the same schools as your children. Some of them may even be your own family members.

These are the people who are harmed when vile words are hurled into the public sphere. People who you may love, and love you in return. They are deserving of the same rights, respect and freedoms as anyone else. And every June they publicly celebrate their identities while reminding us that they still face great dangers from those who would erase their existence.

Brian Luce

Buffalo Township

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Biden is chasing votes

Regarding the article “Supreme Court rejects plan to wipe out $400B in student loans; Biden vows ‘fight is not over’” (June 30, TribLIVE): The Supreme Court’s decision to deny President Biden the authority to forgive $430 billion of student loans is all about Biden chasing votes. Promising to give tens of thousands in loan forgiveness to current college students who, over their working lives will on average earn more than workers who did not attend college, he discriminates against non-college workers and all who have repaid their loans.

College students protesting the court’s ruling generated huge media coverage, likely securing a major voting bloc for Biden.

When non-college workers and others, who comprise a much larger voting bloc, vote in 18 months, they may have a long memory of the president wanting them to pay someone else’s debt. His opponent should remind them.

Biden said he knew the president did not have the authority to forgive student loans, yet he tied up the courts anyway. When he lost, instead of saying “I will find other ways to pay off student debt,” he could have helped himself and even looked presidential by saying “I disagree with the court’s decision, but it is final, and I accept it.” That would have demonstrated leadership and statesmanship, concepts that this president neither practices nor understands.

Scott Brown

Greensburg

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Supreme Court should not be above the law

Supreme Court justices are given lifetime appointments so they will be immune to political influence. But the Federalist Society has created a quid pro quo system in which they receive lavish gifts from wealthy benefactors. This legalized bribery has resulted in the court trashing our norms, customs, precedence and the Constitution to reach conclusions favored by their patrons.

The judges’ corruption is evident in their Glacier vs. Teamsters decision (“No one — including unions — should be above the law,” June 15, TribLIVE). At issue was not compensation for damages. The issue was venue. The strike is protected by the NLRA and as such must be adjudicated by the NLRB and not the state or federal courts. As is evident in many of this court’s recent decisions, the notions of jurisdiction, standing or precedence are thrown out the window to reach a judgment favored by Big Money. Because of this ruling, unions will be hesitant to go on strike for fear of being bankrupt by a mountain of frivolous lawsuits.

The author of this op-ed also rails against the union’s campaign contributions. However, billions from the fossil-fuel industries, real estate, securities and investments, and health care and pharmaceuticals pour into political campaigns. This money is courtesy of profits derived from over-charging you, the consumer. You are paying for their actions, whether or not you agree with their positions.

Congress needs to create some sort of body with oversight of the Supreme Court. They shouldn’t be above the law simply because there is no other higher court.

Michael Garing

North Huntingdon

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Cal Thomas’ comic take on our climate

In his column “The catastrophe du jour” (July 6, TribLIVE), Cal Thomas offers ample servings of scientific misunderstanding spiced with unfortunate attempts at humor. He mocks everyone from King Charles to the Green Party as hapless dupes of of a conspiracy of climate “experts.”

Referring to climate predictions, he asks “whether any of them — even just one — has come true.” I can assure him that climate scientists accurately predicted more than three decades ago the nearly 2 degree Fahrenheit global temperature rise the planet has now experienced. The Canadian forest fires he cites are just one small consequence.

Thomas goes on to question the effectiveness of worldwide investments in clean energy. The same science that correctly predicted our current climate predicament shows that we would be much worse off now without this century’s rapid expansion of solar and wind power. It’s hard to imagine a wiser investment.

Thomas ends with a reference to W.C. Fields. I conclude instead with Erik Conway and Naomi Orestes. Their excellent book “Merchants of Doubt” highlights charlatans who once questioned the smoking-cancer link and now spread climate disinformation. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for a pseudoscientific conspiracy of doubt to fool millions — including the comically gullible Cal Thomas.

Robert R. Mitchell

Murrysville

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Ending frivolous lawsuits

A woman parks in a no-parking zone at a store, gets out and injures herself falling on black ice; never mind that she violated restrictions. A hot McNugget falls on a child’s lap, causing second-degree burns; never mind that food is supposed to be hot. A man showboats by leaping onto a raft in a pool and becomes paralyzed; never mind that he probably would have jumped anyway regardless of whether or not there was a warning label on the raft. It’s always somebody else’s fault.

Now we learn about lawsuits being filed over a slide (“2 more lawsuits target Mammoth Park’s Giant Slide,” July 6, TribLIVE). The insanity will never end as long as people continue to receive unjustified money. Simply file a lawsuit at no cost and hope a jury is dumb enough to award the jackpot. It has become the American way.

Most litigation is on a contingency basis, which means win or lose, there is no financial risk to the plaintiff. This is why we see so many lawsuits being filed. The defendant incurs all the risk. Even if a defendant wins, it’s still a loss because money must be spent on defense.

Changes should be imposed to eliminate these ridiculous lawsuits that have no merit. Maybe if the plaintiff was forced to incur equal risk, there would be less exploitation of the court system — perhaps a law that when the plaintiff loses, he or she is required to reimburse the defendant for legal fees and expenses. That would put an end to this madness.

Robin L. Rosewicz

Lower Burrell