Sounding off: Affirmative action, Tree of Life, women's sports among week's topics

Why stop at affirmative action ruling?

Yes, the Supreme Court and its painfully and reliably conservative ruling bloc were, perhaps, correct to rule that America’s institutes of higher learning had no right to give any sort of break to those whose lives and schoolings beforehand may have offered few or no breaks. Overcoming long odds and rags-to-riches stories no longer have a place in American mythology, except in Hollywood.

But why stop there? Why should kids with rich and connected daddies who are generous donors get preference at, for example, Yale or the Wharton School of Business, over really smart and hard-working kids? True, some of these Fauntleroys grow up to be president someday — including one asleep at the switch on 9/11 while the other being the switch on 1/6 — but aren’t learning institutions supposed to be about educating first and money grubbing second?

And what about star athletes? Unless much smarter than the average fencepost, why should they be allowed to snatch dorm space from the more academically accomplished?

But maybe I’m wrong here. Perhaps the matriculating not smart but rich, or the exceptionally big, strong and quick might be learning even more useful life lessons. If you can’t hack it yourself, you can always pay someone else to do the work and give you the credit. Write your papers, even take your exams. Or some powerful bigwig can twist a few professorial arms and get you those passing grades.

Yeah, faking it until you’re making it. What possible harm can come from that?

Joseph Jamison

Greensburg

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No mercy for Bowers

Abraham Jacob Bonowitz is sadly misguided in his calls for clemency to be extended toward convicted mass murderer Robert Bowers (“Pittsburgh synagogue shooter should not be executed,” June 25, TribLIVE). Bowers, who took the lives of 18 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, has forfeited any claim to life he might have previously enjoyed, by virtue of the malicious crimes he committed. His offenses not only targeted Americans of Jewish extraction, but the entire national community as a whole.

Offering Bowers any level of mercy desecrates the memories of the 18 precious souls swallowed up in his carnage. We can only pray the court hearing this matter will inflict the most severe penalty upon him.

David L. Blatt

Chicago, Ill.

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Let’s protect women’s sports

Fifty years ago, Title IX defined sports as education. That opened the door for a broad menu of choices for girls and women from elementary school to college to experience the joy of winning and the emptiness of defeat. Many learned how to compete and they learned they could win!

Five decades later, many of these competitive women are now found in leadership and decision-making positions in corporations, education, medicine, government and in professional sports, all the while nurturing the next generation. As a result, today’s women have enriched our nation and our world in untold ways.

Recently, transgender athletes are threatening the progress that girls and women have made. Biological males, larger, stronger and faster, are now competing in women’s sports. Female athletes are beginning to see their athletic careers, scholarships and future prospects diminished. Far worse, the joy of winning is often trampled, and with that comes the attitude of “what’s the use in striving?”

The larger issue is this. If allowed to persist, many of the gains that women have made competing on an equal playing field will be lost, potentially sacrificing many future leaders who might contribute so much.

The House of Representatives has passed legislation banning biological males from women’s sports. This is not a partisan issue. The Senate needs to pass it, and send it to the president for his signature. Not doing so would unfairly discriminate against half our population, and that’s too great a price to pay to benefit a few.

Maury Fey

Murrysville

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Don’t vote for obstructionists

It is encouraging to pick up the Trib these days and see the reporting of the increase in economic activity in our region. From the removing of dangerous and dilapidated buildings to the capping of abandoned oil and gas wells to the rebuilding of our roads, bridges, dams and airports using “Made in America” materials and being built by American workers, President Biden’s initiatives are delivering for middle America.

Finally, we have a president who is aggressively championing programs for Main Street and not Wall Street. From the development of New Kensington’s manufacturing and Carnegie Mellon University’s establishment of an artificial intelligence institute to production of battery cells and Pittsburgh’s designation as a workforce hub, our area’s research and development is humming. Thank you, President Biden.

These projects are just some of the 277 Pennsylvania-specific plans in the works, including investing in clean water, removing lead pipes, increasing access to high-speed internet service and clean public transportation, upgrading our power grid, cleaning pollution with the increase in the Superfund, and bolstering our resilience to extreme weather.

But we can do better. Vote for reasonable lawmakers who will cooperate with Biden to advance the peoples’ agenda and not simply be an agent for obstruction. There is more work to be done on tackling economic inequality, affordable health care, gun violence, the climate crisis and corruption.

Christine Baldonieri

Latrobe

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School retirees deserve COLA increase

As a music teacher, assistant principal and principal in the Pittsburgh area for 32 years, I dedicated my time to helping students untap their skills, expand their knowledge and continue to grow with curiosity.

When I retired in 2012, I soon realized that the contributions I, along with my fellow retired educators, provided to students over the course of several decades were underappreciated and unrecognized.

Pennsylvania’s retired educators like myself have not received a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in over 20 years. Given this circumstance, along with the fact that the price of everyday essentials has risen due to inflation, I believe now is the time for Pennsylvania’s retired educators to receive our long overdue COLA.

State Reps. Dan Deasy and Steve Malagari recently introduced two bills seeking to change this. Under House Bills 1415 and 1416, COLAs would be established for retirees under the State Employee Retirement System (SERS) and the Public School Employee Retirement System (PSERS). I applaud Deasy and Malagari for supporting Pennsylvania’s retired educators.

On behalf of Pennsylvania’s school teacher retirees, I implore members of the state Legislature to support these bills so we can have a comfortable retirement we worked hard to obtain.

Glory A. Getty

Brookline

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‘Subtracting from the sum of human knowledge’

Thomas B. Reed of Maine was speaker of the House from 1890 to 1899. He ruled the House with an iron hand, partly through his acid wit.

When one member said he would rather be right than president, Reed retorted, “The gentleman need not be disturbed; he will never be either.” When another began a speech saying, “I was thinking, Mr. Speaker, I was thinking … ,” Reed announced, “… no one will interrupt the gentleman’s commendable innovation.”

I have been reminded of another of Reed’s remarks as I read the letters to the editor published in this newspaper and others, as well as some of the comments made by network pundits. Of two of his colleagues, Reed once remarked, “They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.”

I will not name names. I have no desire to embarrass anyone. But I assume most of your readers will have a list of candidates of their own.

Robert Supansic

McKeesport

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Trump and Biden, who’s ‘above the law’?

In your two-page editorial section on June 18, I noticed that questions were asked about “above the law” and classified documents Donald Trump kept at Mar-a-Lago. President Biden’s keeping documents at his home in Delaware and elsewhere since his senatorial days, through his vice presidency and now were not mentioned. How come? It seems “above the law” doesn’t apply to Biden.

The letter “Is Trump above the law?” (June 18, TribLIVE) asked, “When was it that the party once concerned with national security lost its way?” I’ll tell you: It was the day Biden took office — our southern border, the stupid Afghanistan withdrawal giving aid and comfort to our enemy, the Chinese spy balloon and so much more.

Dennis Coulter

Ligonier Township