Sounding off: Gun laws, Biden's policies, lying leaders, Tomlin's losses, Alzheimer's drugs

Sensible gun laws will help us back the blue

A recent feature article regarding law enforcement line-of-duty deaths was truly disheartening and speaks to our culture of gun violence. Eight local officers who lost their lives while serving our communities were highlighted. Five of those eight officers were fatally shot while responding to domestic disputes. At least some of those deaths may have been preventable.

We talk big of backing the blue, but to do so, we must support sensible gun safety laws. We need background checks to truly keep guns out of the hands of abusers. There must be restrictions on gun purchases and ownership. We need consistent application of laws regarding abusers. Law enforcement cannot continue to be outarmed and ambushed by those who have no business owning guns.

Except for years when covid deaths outpaced gun deaths, in recent years, including 2022, the leading cause of death of our police officers has been due to guns, homicides first, but also suicides.

To support our police, we must support adequate gun safety laws. The majority of Americans want stronger gun safety laws. If we truly want to back the blue, we must demand action from our lawmakers.

Lisa Messineo

Penn Township, Westmoreland County

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Proposed gun laws don’t properly address issues

The letter “Ending gun violence” (May 14, TribLIVE) advocated for new gun laws under the guise of the “Common Agenda to End Gun Violence.” It states that the laws are “broadly popular” and “bipartisan.” I believe both characterizations are false.

The bills are supported by the usual anti-gun crowd led by CeaseFirePA, so their popularity outside of that small group is questionable. As to being bipartisan, Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFirePA, indicated in a news article that if House Republicans support the final versions of the laws, then there might be a bipartisan path forward. Every Republican on the Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee opposed the bills when they were reported to the House floor.

Other significant misstatements include that universal background checks on private sales of long guns would close the loophole that allows felons to purchase military-style rifles which are the weapon of choice for mass murders. There is no loophole since felons are already prohibited by existing law from buying firearms. Would another law deter them from obtaining a firearm illegally?

Data from the Violence Project database of the Department of Justice shows that only 13% of mass shooters used firearms they had acquired illegally. The database also shows that handguns were the weapon of choice being used in 77% of the mass shootings.

It’s unfortunate that we cannot have an intellectually honest conversation based on the data, and not CeaseFirePA’s agenda and distortions, to develop evidence-based solutions instead of emotionally satisfying and superficial answers that do nothing to address the issue.

Mike Sivack

Murrysville

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Leaders must be held accountable for lies

If the average person lies on an employment application, he or she can get fired. If people lie under oath, about their taxes, to the police or on a mortgage application, it is a criminal offense; they can be fined and face jail time. Why do we hold our elected officials to a lesser standard?

President Lyndon Johnson lied, and over 58,000 American soldiers died in the Vietnam War. President Bush lied, and 4,000 to 5,000 American soldiers died in the Iraq War, with many more wounded or suffering from PTSD. In both Vietnam and Iraq, untold civilian lives were lost. President Trump lied about the seriousness of covid. It is estimated that 40% of the over 1 million U.S. deaths could have been prevented if Trump had been honest.

Unlike the average person, none of these presidents have been held accountable for their lies. These deceptions had enormous consequences, far greater than fudging a mortgage application. There should be consequences commensurate to the damage of their lies. If lies cause pain and suffering or death to others, there should be accountability.

Political dishonesty has become so pervasive; it has reached epic proportions and is tearing our country apart. People do not know what or who to believe. They have become angry and are lashing out at one another.

We must insist that our government and public servants act honestly and with integrity. They must be accountable for willful duplicity that causes harm. If it is a crime for us to lie to the government, then the same should be true when the government lies to us.

Michael Garing

North Huntingdon

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Biden’s policies not working

Just about everybody on Wall Street knows that the Biden administration’s economic policies are driving our economy into a deep recessionary ditch. Since President Biden took office and began reversing President Trump’s economic policies on fossil fuels, energy independence, the southern border and government spending, the inflation rate has surged to 6.4% , from about 2% during the Trump administration. This has caused the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates several times.

We now have had three bank failures, the highest level of credit card debt in our history, some at 20% interest, a struggling stock market, declining job opportunities and wage growth unable to keep up with inflation. Over 50% of our middle class is now living from paycheck to paycheck.

To address these recessionary forces, if not too late, Biden should reduce government spending and government waste, get out of the way of the energy industry and quit paying Americans not to work. According to University of Chicago economist Casey Mulligan, two years after the pandemic, we are still paying people excessively in cash and benefits not to work, at a time businesses desperately need workers. In fact, in 24 states, a family of four, with no one working, receives between $80,000 to over $100,000 per year in benefits, Mulligan reports.

Biden needs to realize that our economic goals need to be opportunity, prosperity and freedom for all, not excessive social programs, or green energy, or woke socialism for some. For our future, should we vote for a likable guy with terrible policies, or an abrasive one whose policies work?

Ron Raymond

Buffalo Township

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More shootings, more inaction

Here we go again and again and again … another mass shooting after another. It seems the reaction to these horrible crimes nowadays is, “Really? Where at?” instead of, “Oh my God, what is going on in this country?” Who cares, and so what. To me, this is evidence of the inaction of our legislators.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and other loved ones.” That sounds nice but does absolutely nothing. How can our legislators sit back, kick off their shoes and watch these monstrous occurrences happen over and over again? I couldn’t.

Please, someone help me get my head wrapped around this crime of doing nothing at all.

Jeffrey Zabroski

Glassport

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Steelers shouldn’t put up with Tomlin’s losses

When will the Steelers wake up and fire Coach Mike Tomlin??

Tomlin continually gets out-coached in the playoffs as evidenced by now going six years without a playoff win. Under Tomlin, the Steelers have only had three playoff wins in 12 years.

I am so sick of hearing the mantra “Tomlin has never had a losing season.” Under Tomlin the Steelers have had three 8-8 seasons; I wouldn’t call an 8-8 record and missing the playoffs a “winning season.”

Many have blamed the Steelers’ lack of game planning woes on Tomlin’s assistant coaches instead of on Tomlin himself. Tomlin is the one who hires his coaches; in the end, it’s Tomlin who has oversight on offensive and defensive game planning … or lack there of.

Remember when the Eagles fired Andy Reed for not making it to the Super Bowl after four straight trips to the NFC championship game? Or when the Packers fired Mike McCarthy, who was two years removed from a Super Bowl win? McCarthy made the playoffs nine times in his 13 years with Green Bay, but that didn’t save him. The Chargers fired Marty Schottenheimer, who had the same problem as Tomlin with regard to not being able to win a playoff game, following a 14-2 regular season for once again losing in the first round of the playoffs.

Other teams don’t put up with a lack of success, and neither should the Steelers, who are now considered an easy outcome if they make it to the playoffs.

Jim Campbell

Dunbar

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People with Alzheimer’s should have access to treatments

As a caregiver and advocate, access to treatments that can change the course of the disease in a meaningful way for people like my grandfather and the residents I cared for is incredibly important to me. On Jan. 6, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lecanemab, now known as Leqembi, using the accelerated approval pathway, but months later, despite unequivocal evidence confirmed by the scientific community, bipartisan support from 94 members of Congress, and urgent requests directly from those living with and caring for those with Alzheimer’s, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is still refusing to change its decision and stop blocking access to FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments. My grandfather passed before this treatment was created, and Leqembi would have allowed us to rewrite his story.

Every FDA-approved drug is covered by Medicare, except for Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on CMS to change its decision. Please join me in urging Reps. Summer Lee and Chris Deluzio to demand CMS take action to ensure individuals living with Alzheimer’s have equitable access to FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments. To learn more about how you can join the fight to end Alzheimer’s, visit alzimpact.org.

Alexandra Borelli

Lincoln Place

The writer is an advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter.