Sounding off: We don't deserve the wealthy's money

President Biden’s new plan to fund American public programs is by taxing the wealthiest Americans. It’s not a question of if they should, but how much. Yet the question that is never asked is, “Why do we deserve their money?” The seemingly overlooked answer is we do not.

Elon Musk, for example, is a producer. He invented PayPal, made Tesla an industry leader and is taking humankind to Mars with SpaceX. What have you and I done that is comparable? He, just like many others of the hated “1%,” create products for society that you and I never thought of or knew how to create.

Can we engineer the iPhone? Do we understand how Google’s search algorithm works? Hence, until you and I can create like Elon Musk, we do not deserve a cent of the wealthy’s fortune.

Dominic Cicala, Avonmore

Gun violence prevention laws effective and a moral imperative

Regarding the letter “Base gun decisions on facts, not emotions”: The author’s claims are based on outdated studies and directly contradict extensive data that demonstrate the broad efficacy of gun violence prevention laws.

In addition to correcting the record, this response letter is to state clearly: As a Presbyterian pastor, I can say confidently that the recent mass shootings in Virginia Beach, Boulder and Atlanta, and the epidemic of gun violence that kills 1,600 Pennsylvanians and over 40,000 Americans every year, should be an emotional issue and is a moral issue.

First the facts: 2020 studies conducted by the same researchers who did the 2004 and 2013 studies cited by the author in his letter have updated their previous assessments. The body of research now demonstrates that mass killings have increased after the ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines expired. One of those studies clearly demonstrates that background checks are associated with decreased gun deaths in general.

Our faith community is two blocks away from the Tree of Life synagogue. Squirrel Hill continues to grieve the senseless deaths of our neighbors. Anyone with compassion who values human life should be morally outraged by our society’s refusal to prevent this slaughter.

Rev. Vincent Kolb, Squirrel Hill

The writer is pastor of Sixth Presbyterian Church.

Vaccine refusal is concerning

It is encouraging that the number of vaccinations in Westmoreland County is on the rise. However, I am concerned about the large number of people who are reluctant or have even refused to be vaccinated.

As an example, I recently heard a nurse discussing why she was not getting vaccinated, which was based on misinformation surrounding the vaccine. While vaccination rates among health care workers in Pennsylvania hover around 60%, the top eight U.S. health care systems have achieved staff vaccination rates greater than 80%, with some clinics achieving more than 90%.

How, then, did these institutions achieve such high rates of vaccination among their staff? Peer-to-peer outreach, vaccine champions, ongoing education and outreach, and effective leadership at all levels including the nursing units, have been critical to their success.

These strategies also have broad applicability and can be employed to effectively address vaccine hesitancy among county employees in the courthouse, Westmoreland Manor and the county prison. But it starts with the county commissioners providing very public and ongoing leadership and outreach.

I call on our county commissioners to use all the available tools and strategies to improve vaccination rates among county employees, and provide an example of success throughout the county.

Michael Pardus, Hempfield

Doug Chew is wrong on mail-in voting

Eric Falk was right to call out Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew’s Senate testimony as one-sided and misleading in his op-ed (“Not all Westmoreland residents want mail-in voting eliminated,” March 29, TribLIVE). As a county resident, I was proud and happy to vote by mail in 2020.

Current voter suppression efforts in Pennsylvania foreshadow a similar threat to democracy and restriction of rights seen in Georgia last month. The Pennsylvania Senate committee on election integrity and reform is collecting evidence of fraud to justify future laws aimed at voter suppression. Yet there was no fraud in Westmoreland, turnout was high, and our votes were counted and verified. Commissioners Chew, Gina Cerilli and Sean Kertes worked together to certify the will of the voters. There were bumps in the road, but the county did just fine in the 2020 election.

The divide between the commissioners and Chew’s inaccurate testimony are chess pieces in the state Legislature’s game to limit voting access. Chew must heal any rifts with his co-workers, publicly support expanding voter access and stand with the people he serves. Westmoreland County will not be an accomplice to the systematic dismantling of voters’ rights in Pennsylvania.

Susan Witt, Greensburg

Morality of gun control vs. abortion

In his letter “Gun violence prevention laws effective and a moral imperative,” Rev. Vincent Kolb laments mass shootings and states “anyone with compassion who values human life should be morally outraged by our society’s refusal to prevent this slaughter.”

Someone should ask him about the morality of the 60 million unborn being murdered since 1973.

The prophet said to Judah: “Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)

Are the nearly 1 million abortions performed annually, moral? Is a woman’s right to do with her body as she pleases sacrosanct to the extent of exterminating a preborn life?

The logic on the left is: 39,773 deaths (23,854 suicides/self-abortion) is an “outrageous slaughter and moral tragedy,” but nearly 1 million deaths are just a statistic.

If liberals are willing to consider giving up their right to exterminate unborn children, conservatives may be willing to consider giving up firearms.

Therein lies the hypocrisy of this conundrum.

David A. Scandrol, Lower Burrell

Frustrated with Biden

Regarding the letter “Disagree with election results? Return stimulus checks”: I do disagree with the presidential election results, and I would send my stimulus check back but for the following reasons:

1. I work and have paid taxes for 57 years, so I believe it is my money to begin with.

2. I have to pay it to OPEC since energy costs have risen since Jan. 20.

3. With the influx of illegal immigrants who are given health care, housing (some in hotels), food and bus rides, if I returned it, they might get it.

4. The House of Representatives wants to give stimulus money to locked-up felons. Why?

5. Since the Keystone XL pipeline was shut down by executive order, we have new unemployment claims to pay for — including $300 federal pay per person per week.

6. Illegal immigrants crossing our southern border need vaccinations for covid-19.

I am so frustrated with the Biden administration, whose members seem to dislike America so much that they dismantled President Trump’s policies that were making America great again.

President Biden said the middle class would have no new taxes, but when you increase corporate taxes, they are passed on to consumers (the middle class). Jobs will continue to flee overseas because of the tax benefits.

People who hated Trump so much have cut off their nose to spite their face. My Trump flag still flies.

Kenneth W. Norman, New Stanton

Mail-in voting good enough for Trump

Kudos to Commissioner Doug Chew. When I saw the headline “Westmoreland commissioner says county voters want end to no-excuse mail-in ballots, another disputes that,” I wrote a blunt, acerbic email to the commissioner that emphatically indicated that I wanted to retain the mail-in ballot option. The commissioner graciously sent a follow-up email reply with an attachment of his testimony before the Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform.

I generally agree with Chew’s proposed changes to current voting practices as expressed in his testimony. He emphasizes continuing voter education, and I hope he follows through on this initiative. Coaching for trivial matters like signing and dating mail-in ballots should be beneath us, but apparently not. I also support whatever anti-fraud measures are deemed reasonable for improving election security. If these measures allow battalions of poll watchers and signature reviewers, so be it. I want everyone to walk away from an election thinking “no stone has been left unturned.” The perpetual insinuations of the “big lie” cohort will have nothing to stand on.

Having once tasted the 21st century, I have no desire to head back to the 20th century. A county and region that supposedly want to embrace economic development and progress should be of like mind.

I will leave you with the following: If that champion of the common man, Donald Trump, with the resources of the presidential office (which he took every opportunity to exhibit) utilized mail-in voting, then it is good enough for me in my considerably humbler circumstances.

James Kvitkovich, Hempfield