Letters to the Editor category, Page 197

The testimony submitted by Republican Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew to a state senate committee seeking comments on election integrity and reform deserves further response. It is a bit more than many constituents can swallow let alone, errr, chew on, especially his statement that “… most of my constituents would...

In response to Al Duerig’s letter “More guns means more shootings” (March 28, TribLIVE), in which he uses all of the words anti-gun organizations blurb, I would like to offer the following: His analogy of “I hear all the gun advocates’ arguments and scoff, like guns don’t kill, people do....

The following is a movie that needs to be canceled so our children don’t see it: It is titled “Pinocchio Joe and His Magic Pen.” It hasn’t been three months and this puppet has made America the joke of the world. If you don’t or didn’t like President Trump, that’s...

As I read about the perpetual political wars over the concerns of having a vaccine passport, my solution (to please both Democrats and Republicans) is to just print the vaccine passport on one side and the voter ID on the other side. Simple, everyone is happy and the country is...

Don Grasser in his letter “Our rights are for everyone” objected to the observation that “more guns mean more shootings.” He asked, “Guns were bought at a record pace last year, and how many mass shootings were there?” Well, this is something he could easily have looked up: Do gun...

Medical freedom and informed consent have always been fundamental principles in the American health care system. Requiring “vaccination passports” (documented evidence of vaccination) not only intrudes on the privacy of health information and frustrates the principles of medical freedom and informed consent, but its most nefarious infraction is that it...

I enjoyed Bill Beckner’s article “Iowa senior, Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee named nation’s top wrestler” (March 30, TribLIVE). The article looked at Lee being named the Hodge Trophy winner for two years in a row, which is remarkable. Lee’s career at Iowa has been incredible as was his high...

I was very impressed by Leonard Pitts Jr.’s column “Small wonder the church is shrinking” (April 6, TribLIVE). He states that for the first time since Gallup has been tracking religious membership, we are at an all-time low. In 1937, 73% of us belonged to some form of house of...

Dear state Rep. Kathy Rapp: You continue to introduce legislation about me without returning my offers to talk. You don’t consult with the health care professionals that cared for me and my baby. Instead, you choose to bury your head in the sand because you don’t want to hear the...

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,...

I can’t believe that a year ago this month my university sent me home because of the “new virus.” I remember thinking, “This won’t last long; in a couple weeks I’ll be back in school and everything will be back to normal.” Now here we are, a year later, with...

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” (March 23, TribLIVE), I wrote a blunt, acerbic email to the commissioner that emphatically indicated that I wanted to retain the mail-in ballot option. The commissioner...

Republicans who refuse to get the covid vaccine are to be commended for making the ultimate sacrifice. Some Republicans are good people, of course, but clearly that doesn’t apply to Republicans in Congress. When they weaken American democracy, deny climate change and reject science, they create a menace to human...

It is rare that a liberal hater can besmirch, demean and insult as broadly as Al Scovern did in his letter “Loyalty to Trump has gotten Allegheny Valley nowhere” (April 8, TribLIVE). He belittled our beautiful Western Pennsylvania countryside, our former president, our intelligence and our hope in one fell...

I am thankful to Rich Cholodofsky for writing the article “Westmoreland commissioner says county voters want end to no-excuse mail-in ballots, another disputes that” (March 23, TribLIVE). Sadly, Doug Chew is certainly not adequately representing all Westmoreland County residents. I disagree with the assertion that constituents do not want “mail-in...

Coming soon to a theater near you: the frightening blockbuster with the unforgettable catchphrase, “Show me your papers, please.” It’s the request for your internal passport: the vaccine documentation necessary for any travel, social gatherings, purchases and so much more. We’ve seen this movie before, and it never ends well....

In response to Rick Tatano’s letter “Keep Trump signs up” (April 11, TribLIVE): Yes, please do keep them up. Show Americans how you are self-denying. Show real Americans how you still follow a man who would try to do anything to be president — as far as suggesting a coup....

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...

Recent letters to the editor have blamed the poor inoculation progress in Westmoreland County on not having a health department and the county commissioners. I believe the fault lies solely at the state level. It doesn’t matter whether a county had a health department; none knew when, or how much,...

Republican efforts to restrict voting rights and widespread attacks on people of color and immigrants are symptomatic of many white Americans’ attitudes promulgated, in my opinion, by none other than Donald J. Trump. Sadly, his racist legacy lives on and will continue for many years. It is this nonsensical idea...

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...

This time we have a choice. On May 18, a special election will be held to elect the representative of the 59th District of the Pennsylvania House. All registered voters can vote in this election — Republicans, Democrats and independents — and they can vote by mail or in person....

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...

Would you agree that 12 weeks could be a lifetime during a pandemic? It has been about 12 weeks since President Biden took office. More than 150 million shots of vaccine have been administered to people. Just imagine how many people would have been vaccinated if, in the approximately 12-week...

Today I write to you not as a social worker or as a front-line worker. Today I write to you as a granddaughter who feels powerless in helping her vulnerable grandparents secure appointments for covid vaccines. I am a proud Excela Health employee, and my employer ensured I had quick...