Sounding off: Government leaders should at least try to balance budget

This is a comment about the Associated Press article “Biden’s $6T budget: Social spending, taxes on business”. I don’t care if you are a Democrat, Republican, independent, conservative, liberal or whatever — the government needs to at least try to balance the budget.

I understand we have been through a lot recently. There are things we need as a country now to get us “back ” to normal. Our elected officials need to leave their egos at the door, meet, discuss and decide what is actually needed to get the country back on track. Cut the pork and pet projects and act on what is really needed and that is it. Will programs need to be trimmed back or cut? Yes. Will some get upset? Yes. But let’s be realistic. If the money is not there, you have two choices: trim back or generate more revenue. Either way, you will have people disagree with the final decision.

Make the tax laws fair for all. Have no loopholes. Look at everything objectively and be honest with each other. Cut the politics in Washington and get to work with good results that benefit all — or get another job.

Ron Giuliana, North Huntingdon

‘Real world’ of conservatives

It seems letter-writer Tony Pittore (“Real world vs. fantasy world”) has decided to elucidate the rest of us on the difference between the conservatives’ “real” world and the liberals’ “fantasy” world.

I’m rather curious as to whether Mr. Pittore’s “real world” is the one where:

• The Democratic Party is populated by pedophiles and cannibals

• A child trafficking operation is run out of a D.C. pizza parlor

• Hillary Clinton was personally responsible for the Benghazi massacre

• Bill and Hillary Clinton are responsible for more murders than Tony Soprano

• A previous POTUS was actually ineligible to hold the office

• The coronavirus pandemic was a “Democratic hoax” (or alternately, that George Soros, Bill Gates and Dr. Anthony Fauci were responsible for intentionally loosing the virus on an unsuspecting world)

• That willfully thumbing one’s nose at public health mandates and protocols enacted to try to stem the pandemic was a patriotic act

• That a nefarious coalition of ne’er-do-wells recruited, organized and bankrolled by Soros hijacked the 2020 presidential election

• That the Capitol rioters of Jan. 6 were likewise merely a gathering of “patriots” engaging in peaceful protest.

Is this your “real world,” Mr. Pittore?

As Elvis Costello so elegantly wrote over 40 years ago, “I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.” Or, maybe as cartoonist Walt Kelly famously penned in his “Pogo” comic strip, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Russ Schmidt, New Kensington

UFOs could be the threat that unites us

If you haven’t noticed, Tucker Carlson, Marco Rubio, Harry Reid and others have been legitimizing the UFO topic.

UFO disclosure was supposed to come in 2016 from Hillary Clinton, who attended Laurance Rockefeller’s 1995 Wyoming retreat on the subject and can be seen carrying the book “Are We Alone?” John Podesta, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan also have been vocal believers in the subject. President Trump announced the Space Force in 2019.

Reagan’s 1987 U.N. speech references unity as a human race against a common alien threat. With all the hateful political rhetoric out there, wouldn’t UFO disclosure unite us as one race and make President Biden the accidental unifier he has not proven to be, even though Trump mandated the disclosure?

My firm belief is that our government will announce that the 2004 video taken by our Navy of a UFO is authentic and a real unidentified flying object. I predict no other details will be given, which leads me to believe it is our advanced technology. The stealth fighter is 1976 technology shown to the public in 1988. Don’t expect any formal announcement regarding E.T. anytime soon. I think this disclosure will take place on or before July 4 like the “Independence Day” movie.

It also may be used to fuel the great progressive reset deception against Christianity. If you believe in creation, then there are no aliens. It wouldn’t be the first false flag operation in history. I have an issue believing the disclosers who previously were the debunkers. Remember the name Robert Bigelow. Think I’m a UFO nut? Save this LTE and invite me to your July BBQ.

John Ventre, Hempfield

Lower, middle classes will pay for Biden spending

President Biden and the Democrats are saying only the rich will pay for their spending bills. They are lying. Biden said he “will not increase taxes on the middle class.” He is simply going to let their tax cut expire, which will effectively raise their taxes.

Even if income tax is only increased on those making more than $400,000 and corporations, the lower- and middle- income household will bear the brunt of the increases. Increasing corporate taxes results in decreased stockholders’ value, decreased workers’ pay and higher prices for goods and services. Utilities, by law, have to recover tax increases. So everyone’s water, gas and electricity bills will go up. Guess who will be impacted the most when utility bills go up? Low- and middle-income families.

As prices go up, inflation will increase. It will increase further as the government prints and spends more money to pay for the “giveaways,” e.g. free preschool and child care, tax credits for children, college, etc. You may make more money, but it will buy less.

On May 10, Biden said he created 1.5 million jobs, the economy is growing at 6.4% and his plan is working. If so, why does he need to spend more money to stimulate the economy? Biden says one thing, but his actions say the opposite. So although the Democrats say they are helping those in poverty, the result will be the opposite, and the economy will sink further into debt. Don’t believe me? Listen to the economists.

Tom Cerra, Latrobe

Not all who are vaccinated are immune to covid

Many people heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that the mask mandate was lifted for fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians. I did not.

As of June 6, 45% of Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated against the covid-19 virus. This does not mean that 45% of the state’s population has immunity against the virus. The wonderful numbers reported do not take into account the large group of people who are fully vaccinated but failed to develop antibodies.

It is unfortunate — and dangerous — that the media does not give as much attention to studies that have shown little or no response to the vaccine by people with blood cancers and lymphoma, those who have received organ transplants and are immunosuppressed, those taking immunosuppressing drugs for a host of other conditions and people who have received chemotherapy. This means there is a large group of people who feel a degree of safety because they have been vaccinated but are still very much at risk.

We all need to be mindful of this and not think that we are back to prepandemic normalcy. If you add those who refuse to be vaccinated to this group, you will see that herd immunity is not just around the corner.

On April 15, The New York Times published an informative article about this: “Vaccines won’t protect millions of patients with weakened immune systems.” It also shows why it is so important for everyone to be vaccinated. It is worth reading. The health and safety of your family member or loved one may depend on whether or not you are vaccinated.

Judy Sproat, Buffalo Township

Severance tax not solution for Pa.’s recovery

For the seventh consecutive year, Gov. Tom Wolf proposes a severance tax in the state budget. The Wolf administration claims that the severance tax, along with other proposed taxes, will help us recover from the covid-19 crisis.

The natural gas industry plays a critical role in developing products we use in our everyday lives as well as personal protection and medical equipment to combat covid. Affordable energy will help people return to work and help our economy stabilize and recover.

The administration would have you believe that other states with natural gas drilling have a severance tax while Pennsylvania has none. Pennsylvania has an impact fee, which is our severance tax. The natural gas industry has paid nearly $2 billion in taxes through the impact fee. Most importantly, the impact fee money has been distributed to all 67 counties in Pennsylvania and used for important local public safety, environmental and infrastructure projects.

Butler County is the first county in the commonwealth to develop its own infrastructure bank program utilizing its own impact fees. In three years $43 million worth of infrastructure projects have been reinvested throughout 15 county municipalities.

Levying another energy tax is not the solution to Pennsylvania’s budget problems and certainly will not help Pennsylvania’s economy recover. The governor’s plan has the severance tax proceeds going directly to Harrisburg in lieu of counties and taxpayers. Local government is in a better position to put these dollars to use closest to the people they serve … not Harrisburg.

Kimberly D. Geyer, Adams

The writer is a Butler County commissioner.

Bucs boycott could help save baseball in Pittsburgh

Bottom-line Bob Nutting is doing a great disservice to Pirates fans who would like to see a competitive team. Since Nutting doesn’t own PNC Park, can the Pittsburgh Sports and Exhibition Authority do anything about putting pressure on Nutting, such as raise the rent so high that he will be forced to sell the team or move it out of Pittsburgh? If he moved out, I have no doubt other prospective owners would love to have a team in Pittsburgh. This is a great sports town.

What else can be done? If you want competitive baseball, you should boycott the games. If you go now to the games, you are helping Nutting abuse the fans. These may be long-term solutions, but ultimately they should bring fans the competitive baseball they deserve.

John Kristof, Lower Burrell