Sounding off: Indifference may end our republic

The end of an empire slowly creeps in unawares. It’s like a chronic case of indigestion repeatedly ignored until it’s diagnosed as stage 4 stomach cancer. And the prognosis for America the Beautiful could be terminal.

Generations indoctrinated by a lifetime of the blue glow of television have been rendered all but incapable of critical thought. The corrupt corporate control of most all media has enabled the disease of disinformation to infect the masses into passively accepting a Brave New World. And the use of reason and logic as a counteractive are just as ineffective as radiation and chemotherapy at such a late stage.

We’re watching the highest form of political stagecraft being performed in our nation’s capital, a nightmarish play that could’ve been written by Franz Kafka and directed by Terry Gilliam. Lifetime actors are portraying our political leaders. The curtain should have been brought down long ago on these criminal charlatans but a sedated and distracted audience only continues to applaud.

We should take to the streets like they have in Hong Kong, France and other nations, but seem incapable of getting off of the couch with the football game playing and the Cheetos bag half-full. Will we continue to ignore the willful destruction of our Constitution, rule of law and moral foundation so long as we can binge-watch Netflix and self-medicate?

Orwell predicted many would become indifferent to the state’s assault on truth. If it continues, then our unique experiment as a constitutional republic may be coming to a frightening end. Stay tuned.

Steven Crichley, South Side

Presidential candidates should recuse selves

Apparently people are unaware of our system of government. One party cannot railroad a president who has not broken a law out of office. The Democrats are avoiding the judicial branch in their effort to get rid of President Trump.

Many people think that Congress voting to impeach means he gets thrown out of office. This is not so. The framers of our republic made three branches of government. Now it’s up to the Senate to decide. They are the jury.

At this time there are five members of the Senate actively campaigning for the presidency. How can they fairly pass judgment on the president? Having been on several juries when I was in the service and having watched my share of trials, I’m sure that a member of the jury cannot be campaigning against the accused.

Those Senate members must decline to vote for the trial in the Senate to be fair and impartial. The chief justice should remove those members if they do not recuse themselves.

John L. Otto, Hempfield

Trump’s put-down of Thunberg shameful

Amid the thousands of Donald Trump’s tweets, rally rants and “whiny” letters, e.g. recently to Nancy Pelosi, one episode stands out: the recent contretemps vis-a-vis Greta Thunberg. This reveals the reality of Trump’s character in all its smallness.

Greta Thunberg, 16, is a Swedish climate activist diagnosed with Asperger syndrome “having an anger management problem” according to Trump. In reality, she captured Time magazine’s Person of the Year award, obviously highly coveted by the president. In his mind, someone “stole his trophy.” With his vanity thus wounded, he resorted to his customary method of communication, the tweet machine and in his jealous petulance, he couldn’t resist the temptation to put her down in a shameful display of envy.

While in many respects we are a blessed nation, one wonders at what was the collective sin our country could have committed to be punished by the political gods with such a misfit for president as Trump.

Trump supporters might give him a pass on the hundreds of thoughtless and hurtful tweets of the past three years, but there is a bottom somewhere, and when you parse the details of the Greta tweet, you must conclude that this is it. Recall, this isn’t just any man of wealth and power. This is the president of our country.

When all is said and done, the man sitting in the Oval Office is nothing more than a schoolyard bully picking on a 16-year-old girl. Trump, as well as his supporters, should be ashamed.

Robert Jedrzejewski, Tarentum

We need a cleansing of Congress

Regarding the article “Report: U.S. misled public on progress in Afghanistan war”: Congress on both sides of the aisle should be ashamed of themselves and seriously consider resigning from office or not running for reelection. Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell and Jim Sensenbrenner, along with the rest of the career politicians, have failed the American taxpayer and the Constitution.

Estimates are more than a trillion dollars wasted in Afghanistan, including loans for a five-star hotel in Kabul that never opened, money to corrupt police officers and government officials, and a power plant that is rarely used. Meanwhile, they have approved an astronomical amount of money to be spent on the Mueller report, impeachment, the failed F-35 fighter program and more while promoting their own agendas.

Imagine if they worked together. We could have a stronger immigration policy, stricter drug enforcement, better health and prescription plans and stronger border security, but instead we have children denied hot school lunches, homelessness and poverty, poor veterans’ programs, and lies and deception that never end.

It is clear to me that Congress is content on endorsing a deep-state government, a corrupt FBI and who knows what else they have lied about. They should be charged with dereliction of duty and removed from office. The American taxpayer deserves 100% more from their elected officials.

The time has come for our voices to be heard — and a cleansing of corruption in Congress and career politicians.

Jack Juris, Buffalo Township

Reelect Trump, keep making America great

President Trump was elected to office by more than 63 million Americans. He was elected to make our country prosperous again. To make our country safe again. To make our country respected again. He has accomplished these things and much more in spite of the constant opposition from the Democrats. I believe Trump has accomplished more positive changes for our country than any other president in history.

Stop and look around. In my opinion, our country is envied by every nation in the world, and our economy is the best ever. Unemployment is the lowest in decades. The stock market has hit more than 100 highs since Trump took office. What more can we ask of this man? He loves this country and has taken the necessary steps to bring it back to its former greatness against the constant, unwarranted opposition from the Democrats and liberals and their never-ending cry for impeachment.

The media, the liberals and the Democrats deliver negative talking points every day in an effort to destroy Trump. Many people believe these lies and repeat them as if they are the truth. This is the swamp working at a feverish pace to cover their own corrupt efforts to fix the 2016 election and, more importantly, to control the 2020 election too.

We are witnessing history in the making. In 2020 you can reelect Trump and continue making our nation the greatest in history, or you can wallow in the swamp and achieve nothing.

Jeanne Shields, North Huntingdon

Will new county commissioners fix ‘death spiral’?

In 2016, Wall Street analysts said President Trump would be bad for the economy. So much for experts. We get to re-elect Trump next November with our best economy in history.

Locally, the outgoing Westmoreland County commissioners wrestled with a 2020 budget shortfall of $9.3 million, and in an act of classic incompetence and elitism, they decided to raise property taxes by $450 per household and freeze salaries on non-union county workers but take a 1.94% raise for themselves, 2.3% raise for county retirees and 2.75% raise for courthouse lawyers.

We had $28 million in the bank three years ago and now it is gone, and there was never a plan in place to correct the deficits. Kick the can and reap what you sow.

Chuck Anderson has retired and says he plans to split his time between Greensburg and a second home near Carlisle (probably smart to have a backup plan). Ted Kopas ran an uninspiring reelection campaign and lost. So how do we grapple with a shrinking population, new union contract and zero reserve funds? Do our two new Republican commissioners have the time, foresight and creativity to fix this death spiral (Anderson’s words)? Will these three commissioners lead us to success?

Hindsight is 20/20 but remember, the definition of insanity is repeating yesterday and expecting something different to occur.

John Ventre, Hempfield

Conor Lamb in line with Nancy Pelosi

When Conor Lamb ran for Congress, he emphasized that he would not be a Nancy Pelosi hack. It didn’t take long for him to renege on his promise and fall into line with Pelosi. It seems like it doesn’t take long for an amateur politician to learn how to lie and to fall into line with his or her party.

Lamb says that he took an oath to protect our country and defend the Constitution. This is so lame. Maybe he can explain what danger President Trump has exposed the country to and who besides the Democrats has violated the Constitution. The fact that he might truly believe these remarks would be an insult to his own intelligence.

Because of the above, I firmly hope that he will be voted out of office.

John H. Esposito, Brockway