Letters to the Editor category, Page 326

Having lived on both sides of our criminal justice system, through my own incarceration to now assisting re-entrants back into society as the founder of Breaking the Chainz Inc., I’ve seen multiple stumbling blocks to success: access to safe housing, family reunification, job readiness, substance abuse treatment, anger management, financial...

I would like to clarify a few things for Wayne Campbell (“Keep Sunday hunting ban,” Feb. 23, TribLIVE). He thinks the public should have had more time to discuss lifting the ban on Sunday hunting, but this argument has been around for years. He doesn’t reveal that Pennsylvania legislators have...

I most enthusiastically applaud Al Duerig’s acknowledgment of the problem of overpopulation (“Overpopulation will destroy earth,” Feb. 27, TribLIVE). I do think he is proposing a solution at the wrong end of the problem. Eliminating the unborn or newly born is not really most efficient. The ultimate approach is to...

People who refuse to vaccinate their children are violating the law. This is a law that is taught in high school, but not in law school. It was made in 1666 by Sir Isaac Newton: “For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.” If you do not vaccinate...

The letter “Can we survive 2 more years of Trump?” (Feb. 19, TribLIVE) was illuminating. After calling advisers to President Trump “classless” and “know-nothing,” the writer only lists what he judges as Trump’s failures. Then, this revealing quote: “This reality is known to anyone who reads or watches news other...

As a horseback-riding enthusiast, I fear that hunting on Sundays would greatly limit the time that non-hunters would be able to enjoy the woods. We currently ride nearly every Sunday in the state parks. It is the one day during hunting season that we know we can enjoy our horses...

March 6 marked the beginning of Lent, the period before Easter, when devout Christians abstain from animal foods in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. The call to abstain from eating animals is as traditional as Genesis 1:29, yet as current as the teaching of evangelical...

Pennsylvania Grange president Wayne Campbell’s op-ed (“Keep Sunday hunting ban”) is missing existing perspective/data. Yes, hunter numbers will likely decline over time. The Pennsylvania Game Commission agrees culture shifts are significantly to blame. Campbell ignores the fact that hunters cite lack of free time as the overwhelming reason they stop...

Eureka! I’ve figured out why the mainstream media and the D.C. political establishment detest President Trump: He’s an alpha dog and they aren’t. Joe Marmo Cheswick...

I’m a longtime fan of Walter Williams. I think his columns are well written, and I like the way he expresses his points of view on current issues and his common-sense analysis of those issues. He is a keen observer of the human condition. I respect his opinions and often...

Interesting article about the Parkway East/West having major traffic problems, especially for a city the size of Pittsburgh (“Parkway East, West among the most congested U.S. roads, study finds,” Feb. 12, TribLIVE), plus the subsequent “lance” from the Trib’s editorial board a couple days later (“Laurels & Lances: Perfection, Parkway,...

Letter-writer Keith Vacula (“No walls,” Feb. 17, TribLIVE) lists three places — Area 51, the Eastern Russian border, and the border between North and South Korea — without walls. I would like to see you try and walk into Area 51. I would like to see you walk across the...

Apollo’s council raised taxes for the first time in over a decade (“Apollo tax hike approved, office hours cut until manager hired,” Dec. 18, TribLIVE). Although a bitter pill to swallow, it was overdue to keep up with inflation. The additional tax money will go into the general fund for...

Guys … it’s time. The Republicans won the election in 2016. It’s undeniable it was a slaughter, winning the presidency and majorities in both houses of Congress. It wasn’t the outcome I wanted, but I accepted it. In the first two years of the Trump presidency, you’ve put an indelible...

Let’s be clear about the emotion of hate. Some letter-writers are aghast at the degree of hatred that has been directed at Donald Trump and his presidency. Here are two questions for their consideration. 1. From our earliest years, are we not taught to hate mendacity, fraud, arrogance, narcissism, rudeness,...

In 1950 Sen. Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin said there were communists in our Congress. He was right then, and he would be right today, only today they would be called the New Socialist Democratic Party. Maybe we should call them the Democratic baby killers. Steven “Hoppy” Ignatz West Mifflin...

Regarding the letter “Where is my Democratic Party?” (Jan.27, TribLIVE): I think the Democratic Party started its decline under President Carter, who was a nice guy but lacked the experience to be president. President Reagan put us back on track, but that only lasted until Bill Clinton was elected. Clinton...

Regarding the letter “Greensburg needs competent planning director” (March 3, TribLIVE): As a graduate architect, the importance of the planning director position is not lost on me. City Council would be remiss to not search close to home to find their new candidate. Highly educated, skilled and talented young people...

I really enjoyed Tom Purcell’s column “Living the cord-cutting dream” (Feb. 18, TribLIVE). He hit the nail on the head when he wrote that the average cost for cable TV is $1,848 yearly and will go up again this year. Purcell writes of cancelling cable and getting an antenna to...

After reading the editorial “Pope lowers sex abuse expectations” (Jan. 29, TribLIVE), I am left somewhat disillusioned by the writer’s interpretation of the Pope Francis’ words. While I agree that sexual abuse is a major problem in the Catholic Church and powerful action must be taken, the “inflated expectations” the...

Letter-writer Susan Jones worries that legalizing marijuana could potentially lead to an increased usage of cocaine, crack or heroin (“Legalized pot a gateway drug,” Feb. 16, TribLIVE). The “gateway drug” argument is an example of assuming that correlation is evidence of causation. Studies do show that the majority of people...

Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States — people who have not been tried or convicted of any crime — are held in jail simply because they cannot afford bail. They may spend days, weeks or months in jail awaiting trial. And in the process, they may lose...

Letter-writer Robin Hammonds (“Time’s up for Trump,” Feb. 13, TribLIVE) managed — in three short paragraphs — to spout hatred, sexism, ageism, classism and racism toward rich, old, white men. Impressive, if it wasn’t so bigoted. I guess Democrats truly are the party of tolerance and inclusion. Thomas Wagner Murrysville...

Letter-writer Keith Vacula (“No walls,” Feb 17, TribLIVE) is sadly mistaken on there not being a wall between North and South Korea. They may not have a “wall,” but they have a mine field in a wide no-man zone. Also, the Vatican has a wall, as does Jerusalem. Tthe Roman...

Regarding “Robert Kraft charges no reason for celebration” (Feb. 25, TribLIVE): Come on, what a shallow editorial. Kraft’s charges are all about human trafficking. He has had a girlfriend, Ricki Noel Lander, 39, since 2012, one year after his wife died. Kraft is worth $6 billion, so put that money...