Sounding off: Laws protect us from religious subjugation

We are one nation under the Constitution of the U.S. created in 1787 by representatives of “We, the people.” The Founders also incorporated a Bill of Rights in 1791 to protect individual rights and liberties, and citizen independence protected by freedom of speech, peaceable assembly, religious liberty and freedom of the press.

The U.S. was not created, as letter-writer the Rev. Tony Joseph (“Is anyone listening to God?”) claims, based on “One nation under God,” “In God we trust” or “God bless America,” bumper-sticker slogans developed long after the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Joseph conjures up an angry, vengeful God who creates and warns us with covid-19, tornadoes and other disasters. Joseph sides with his angry, vengeful God and says liberal, socialist and communist movements have undermined and ruined the U.S. when the real dangers to America are would-be tyrants, authoritarians and national socialists.

We must restore the U.S. to its earlier Godly status, Joseph argues, for people to regain what the U.S. once was. What would that be? A Godly slave masters’ and slave traders’ republic? A Godly Jim Crow racist society? A nation of subjects without voting rights?

Fortunately, we have a Constitution, a Bill of Rights and national and state laws that protect us from religious and political overlords who would subjugate our spiritual lives and citizen independence.

Rodger C. Hendersonm, Johnstown

Legislators like Leslie Rossi making us less safe

I recently received a “news letter” from my state representative, Leslie Rossi, encouraging her constituents to apply for covid-19 vaccination exemption assistance. Is she not aware that she was elected in a special election because our former representative died from an apparent brain aneurysm that could have been related to his covid-19 diagnosis? Is she not aware that over 95% of people in the hospitals suffering from covid are people who have not been vaccinated? Even her hero has been vaccinated andhad his booster shot. One would think that our representative is working to have fewer constituents in her 59th District to “serve.”

She also cheers the Republican Legislature for duping voters to enact an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution, making us the first state in the nation to impose restriction on any governor’s authority under the emergency disaster declaration. Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandates during the worst pandemic our state has endured since 1918 saved thousands of lives — our parents, grandparents and children were more safe because of his concern and authority.

This General Assembly is bent on having Pennsylvania become the “Wild West.” Our Legislature is touting “personal freedom” — what is that but not having concern for the safety and well-being of our fellow man and woman and those we love?

My fervent hope for the new year is that Pennsylvania voters will realize that our current General Assembly is making our commonwealth less safe and more radical — not the friendly, beautiful state we can all be proud to call home.

Harriet Ellenberger, Mt. Pleasant Township

Opioid settlement money will be misused

After reading the story “Westmoreland County signs on to $26B settlement in opioid lawsuit,” I couldn’t help think that settlement money will do nothing to stop a single addict from using and/or overdosing.

The interesting part of the story was learning that J&J is the parent company of a sued pharma company. J&J is making a ton of money selling covid vaccines to the government!

The settlement money would be paid over 18 years. Long enough to disperse that money into enough pockets and greedy hands with very little oversight to how it is being used.

The misuses will be many. Spend it on advertising that junkies don’t see or care to see. Pay rent for places to hold “town hall meetings” and “self-help workshops.” Or pay salaries to so-called professionals to tell the junkies “it’s not your fault.” Courts to go lenient on drug offenders because “prison isn’t the place for addicts.” Better yet, use the money to purchase Narcan and clean needles so junkies can get their fix day after day.

Problem is, maybe they drive while high and crash their car head-on into an oncoming car with the undesired result … the junkie survives while an innocent family is destroyed. Keep enabling.

Paul A. Hornbake, Bolivar

Disingenuous tax plans

“Build Back Better” is purported to be legislation that transforms our economy from the so-called trickle-down effects of capitalism, which benefits only the rich, to one that presumes to grow from the bottom up and the middle out, that works for the good of lower and middle classes. A significant source of the revenue to pay for the changes is to come from income tax increases to those not paying their fair share, the very rich.

The income tax cuts of the Trump Administration provided for a $10,000 cap on the income tax deduction for state and local taxes by wealthy taxpayers. At a reduction in tax revenues estimated at $300 billion from these richest taxpayers, “Build Back Better” raises that cap to $80,000. To put the impact of that tax reduction in perspective, the combined cost contained in the bill for paid preschool, extending the child care tax credit and increasing the earned income tax credit is estimated to be less than the $300 billion tax savings for the very rich from this provision. How disingenuous is that?

Ken Mowlm, Derry

Single-use plastics ban good for our health

Pittsburgh City Council is currently considering Councilwoman Erika Strassburger’s proposed legislation to ban single-use plastics (“Experts join discussion about potential plastic bag ban in Pittsburgh,” Dec. 18, TribLIVE). An important issue connected to this legislation is the health consequences on all of us by continuing the manufacture of plastic bags.

Plastic bags are made from fossil fuels, the main cause of climate change. Studies have shown that the impact on the health of Pennsylvania families living near natural gas fracking wells for cancers, asthma and other respiratory problems is significantly higher than for those families living far away from fracking wells. The microplastic particles generated pollute the air we breathe.

The reduction in the use of single-use plastic bags will reduce the demand and thus the pollution generated by its manufacture. Rather than dealing with the recycling problems, we need to stop the initial creation of single-use plastic.

I support the saying, “The greenest bag is the one we don’t use.” I am confident that Pittsburgh City Council will identify solutions to the implementation of this ban and improve our health by improving our air quality.

I urge council to pass this legislation.

Barbara Grover, Squirrel Hill

If election system works, audit should be supported

Tricia Cunningham’s op-ed “Corman, Mastriano act tough on election integrity, but they caused the problems” denigrates Republican state Sens. Jake Corman and Doug Mastriano for advocating a complete audit of the 2020 elections on the basis that they both voted for Act 77 which was partly to blame for all the confusion in 2020.

What’s wrong with trying to fix a broken election system, regardless of what caused it? An audit is the basis of any effort to fix it.

Act 77 allowed a major increase in mail-in voting. But what happened was that the secretary of state and local election bureaus made additional changes that were not included in Act 77.

Many mail-in voters were allowed to vote without providing identity, nor verification. Some districts allowed voters to fix errors on their ballots while others did not. Deadlines were changed at the last minute. None of these changes were approved by Act 77, nor any other legislative action.

In addition, the Democrats and the media are dead set against any audit, examination of voting machines or any other effort to fix the system. Why ?

If our system is as clean as the Democrats claim, they should support all efforts to audit it. It will prove their point. But they are not. What are they hiding?

I applaud the Republicans trying to fix the system. Require voter ID and verification regardless of voting method, and make reasonable time deadlines. Nothing is more important than protecting the sanctity of our elections.

Bob Jacobs, Unity

We need a true conservative Republican in Toomey’s seat

To Richard Patton (”We need a real Pennsylvanian in Toomey’s seat”): Hear, hear! But more important than actually being from Pennsylvania is that we get a true conservative Republican. No RINOs! So welcome any candidate that fits your request and mine. And to RINO Pat Toomey: Bye!

Thomas Wian, Hempfield