Sounding off: As election approaches, readers share thoughts on parties, candidates

The moderates need to take charge

It’s supposed to be majority rule and minority representation, but instead we have a noisy and dangerous left and right minority turning things upside down. Moderate conservative Republicans have no home in today’s Republican Party, and centrist Democrats see the radical left calling too many of the shots. Moderates in both parties seem willing to work with each other and to act civilly and in the best interest of the country.

It is time for a new Independent Party. If the moderates are not to be in control of either party, then the independent conservative moderates can leverage their position and the majority position in this country to regain control, either by demanding that their reasonable mainstream candidates gain the party nominations or, as West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin exemplified, they can either make or ruin one of the parties’ agenda. Time to turn the tables on the radical minorities.

So many people have bought into the radical positions that they cannot even discuss the issues and listen to differing points of view. Whether it is pride or stubbornness or just plain foolishness, they always think the wise cliches apply to the other guy.

Everyone had better wise up soon and have some foresight and common sense and get back to caring about one another. What we have now is a lot of dangerous nonsense coming from a host of unqualified candidates.

Timothy J. Kunselman

McCandless

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We need leaders who will heal our country

Our country’s problems today are so significant and far-reaching that we need to put in office only leaders whose policies would help heal our country.

It now costs our typical family about $600 more a month for food, gas, housing and utilities than when President Biden took office in 2020, and this inflation has caused people’s retirement savings in the stock market to drop over 20% so far. Primary causes of uncontrolled inflation are the overspending and increased debt of the federal government and the Democrats’ stated goal of eliminating the need for fossil fuels.

Crime in the streets and shooting of police are frightening, blatant and said to be largely caused by the radical left’s call for defunding the police and the premature release of hardened criminals. Drug and child trafficking across the southern border became an ongoing crisis when the present administration reversed President Trump’s border policing policies and border wall construction.

And many military experts believe that Putin would not have attacked Ukraine had the USA not shown weakness withdrawing from Afghanistan and reacted earlier to the buildup of Russian troops on the Ukraine border.

So, before you cast your vote, you might want to consider which political party triggered all these frightening situations.

Ron Raymond

Buffalo Township

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Republican hypocrisy and fascism

The hypocrisy of the majority of the Republican Party is not surprising. It’s just difficult to understand their support against democracy, women’s rights and, really, all rights.

All this concern for President Biden’s cognitive abilities, even though he has passed numerous major bipartisan legislation in these unprecedented times. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s stroke seems to be a disqualifier. But Sen. Doug Mastriano, Herschel Walker, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler and Dr. Oz are given a pass? I see nothing good for democracy with these Republicans. Amazingly, Christian groups support Republicans and their lies mainly by their silence. What’s with that?

Voters need to be better informed and get out of the Fox News bubble. Read, be open-minded, watch the Jan. 6 hearings. The Mueller report to the insurrection investigation hearings and everything in between shows democracy is damaged.

Many from the right have accepted the ugliness and hatred of fascism, not patriotism. Seeing anti-American behavior over the last six years, I believe that is who the Republicans have become. American division is unsustainable and must be repudiated. My hope is voters take their responsibility seriously and realize they have been used by one power-hungry, egotistical person and have been played as suckers. Time to change that.

Frank Flori

Hempfield

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Preserving our republic the No. 1 issue

Given all we’ve learned from the Jan. 6 hearings, there’s only one question I need to ask any Republican running for any office: Do you think the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump? If the answer is anything other than an unequivocal “no,” I vote for the Democrat no matter what their policy positions may be. It’s that simple. I vote to preserve our republic every time.

Joe Corcoran

Penn Township, Westmoreland County

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Mastriano the clear choice for governor

Josh Shapiro is sworn in as Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement officer.

Where is he during Larry Krasner’s run of crime, scandals and corruption in Philadelphia? Criminal and corruption investigations involving Krasner’s assistant district attorneys have dissolved. Philadelphia becomes more dangerous every day, with increases in carjackings, robberies and murders, due to Krasner’s soft-on-crime attitude.

Why does Shapiro do nothing?

In April, Shapiro stated, “I have voted for more commutations than every single one of my predecessors combined. We voted for a record number of pardons.’

Is this what we want from Pennsylvania’s leaders?

In 2020, Shapiro investigated caretaker neglect in nursing homes. He did not investigate the covert placement of covid patients into Pennsylvania nursing homes. It is estimated that 12,000 patients suffered deadly consequences.

If Shapiro becomes governor, what will change?

Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a record 54 bills including Fairness in Women’s Sports and Pennsylvania Election Code omnibus amendments.

Former Secretary of Health Rachel Levine placed covid patients in nursing homes.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, endorsed by Shapiro, danced and sang to the tune of “sanctuary city.”

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman continues to commute convicted murderers’ sentences.

Shapiro is more of the same.

Sen. Doug Mastriano’s plan:

• Hold elected officials accountable for enforcing the law and prosecuting crime.

• Clean up PA’s worst neighborhoods.

• Appoint a secretary of State who will secure our elections.

• Strengthen and enforce statewide curriculum transparency requirements.

• Work with the Legislature to establish a universal “Parental Rights” statute in the law.

The choice is clear.

Carol A. Holland

Murrysville

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Support for Mastriano is horrifying

My mother was a Jew living in Germany when the fascists came to power. Her parents, three younger brothers, grandparents and almost everyone else she loved were wiped off the face of the Earth by those fascists.

Seeing fellow Pennsylvanians proudly support Doug Mastriano is horrifying. He would disqualify any election results he doesn’t like. He supported the violent attempted overthrow of our government. He would force everyone who gets pregnant to carry that pregnancy to term, regardless of whether it ruins or ends their life. He would slash the education budget in half.

He actively supported Gab, the white supremacist platform used by the Tree of Life murderer. He wore a Confederate uniform for an Army War College photo in 2017. He thinks the U.S. should be a Christian nation. Remember all the uproar about “sharia law?” Were you part of that?

Josh Shapiro will not force everyone to rest on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, because he actually respects everyone’s religious freedom, as did this country’s founders. If you support Mastriano, make no mistake; you’re supporting a fascist.

Michele Feingold

Squirrel Hill

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Which is the lesser evil, Oz or Fetterman?

I received an interesting email from Dr. Oz.

In the email, he interviews a young lady who has lost 140 pounds in less than a year with no diet or exercise!! None!! He touts this as a pure miracle!!

Dr. Oz claims to have investigated countless success stories regarding this wonder supplement. He claims to have participated in a major university study. The more I read, the more I picture an Old West traveling medicine show with Dr. Oz as the snake oil salesman.

Does Oz still live in the $3.1 million, eight-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom mansion in Montgomery County? Or does he hide out in his northern New Jersey palatial estate with the subterranean basketball court and infinity pool?

I cannot trust this man, a man who doesn’t know much about Pennsylvania (other than the Philadelphia area), a man who is worth at least $200 million and possibly $500 million.

And if he is sticking to his plan to privatize Medicare, I really do not trust him. That one is a real scary one! That plan would raise taxes somewhere in the neighborhood of 20%. And maybe make him a few more million, as it sounds like he has a big stake in the private company that he would force us to use. I just can’t trust him!

Again, in this election, we are being forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. Is there a third-party candidate out there who makes more sense than either John Fetterman or Oz? I mean, this system was designed as a multi-party system.

Donna Hein

Greensburg