Once again, one must point out that critical race theory is not being taught in any public school in the United States. Nor was it ever intended to be. The real attack is on the normal process of updating American history, something which every country engages in.

Beginning in the 1960s, historians began studying those who had been left out of our history: African Americans, immigrants, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, workers and women, among others.

Was this really needed? Ask your kids what they know about unions. Or the Homestead Strike. Ask them when women finally won the right to vote. Ask them who Sitting Bull was or who built the Union Pacific railroad. Ask them about the contributions made to our country by immigrants (their grandparents and great-grandparents).

These history deniers claim they want to protect our children from feeling guilty about the horrors of slavery. No educator with any sense would teach that subject to make students feel guilty. The real lesson of the history of slavery is quite different: It is what happens when one group of people is given absolute power over another group.

And that is not strictly a white problem. It will happen on a slave plantation, Auschwitz, the Soviet gulag or, for that matter, the Westmoreland County Jail. Kids should learn that.

It is easy to claim that we have no social divisions by leaving people out of our history. But the people left out know better. Any honest account of our history will not divide people. Only politicians can do that.

Robert Supansic, McKeesport

Strangled by green tape

In 2020, Nancy Pelosi blocked passage of a much-needed infrastructure bill to assure that President Trump would fail in its enactment. When President Biden took office, infrastructure spending suddenly became very important as Democrats stretched the “infrastructure” definition to include social programs and “green” projects rather than more typical spending for roads and bridges.

Some Republicans held their noses and voted for a $1.2 trillion bill that was the only major non-covid legislation passed in Biden’s first year. Now Biden has chosen to strangle its implementation by imposing extensive environmental reviews that will make it much harder to build roads, bridges, and especially oil and gas pipelines. With added costs and major delays that will result from this new “green tape,” many of these projects probably will be abandoned.

Biden says that he is doing everything he can to bring energy prices down, including his short-sighted tapping of strategic petroleum reserves. However, he has now turned over his war against fossil fuels to this stealth program run by the swamp that thrived under President Obama in stagnating growth and the economy.

So, enjoy the new electric vehicle charging stations that are part of this infrastructure act. They will be built. But be very cautious when crossing bridges and driving our deteriorating roads. The environment is very important, but prepare to pay substantially more than even now if you buy natural gas to heat your home, gasoline for your non-EV car or reliable electricity that requires fossil fuels.

Vincent J. Esposito, Murrysville

Can killers be reformed, forgiven?

To letter-writer Keith Kondrich (“If we respect life, we must end death penalty”): Did you know that the U.S. has more prison inmates than China, Russia and Japan, just to name a few? How can you reform a personality that has no respect or compassion for life? How barbaric is it when someone murders someone with no regard to consequences? Unless the murderer is insane and has no idea what he/she did, how can you say forgive killing? Tell that to someone who has lost someone near and dear to them.

We’ve become a nation of enablers who do not stand up for what’s right; just change the rules or laws to fit whatever person or group is offended.

Morals and life lessons should start at home with parents. If these aren’t taught, how can you “change” people after they’ve committed heinous crimes? I’m sorry, but I don’t think any amount of counseling will help them see the sanctity of the life they took.

Jeanne Snyder, Irwin

What will Republicans do for us?

All I hear from the Republicans about taking over the majority after the midterms is what revenge they will take. They say they will fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, impeach President Biden, impose more voting restrictions, go after Hunter Biden, etc., etc. Maybe throw in Hillary again. They love that.

What are they saying they will do for the country and the people they represent? Haven’t heard anything along that line. They keep pushing the big lie about the election being stolen when they must know the truth. They’ll do anything to appease King Trump, even after saying they know he was responsible for the insurrection at the Capitol. In my mind, treason was committed when meetings were held to decide the best way to overturn the election.

Where is their allegiance to the oath of office they took? Where is their patriotism? I hope and pray they don’t get the majority because I feel the country will be in great jeopardy.

Nancy Cochran, Springdale

Save the middle class — don’t vote left

In just 14 months, President Biden, Democrats and the Marxist elites have taken our country from prosperity, security and economic boom to a disaster and a potential major recession and world war.

Seldom in the history of the USA has the middle class accumulated so much wealth as we did under President Trump, contrary to the desires of the leftist elites.

Under Trump, we had secure borders, record low unemployment, record income increases and record wealth. We exported energy instead of being dependent on foreign countries again.

I believe Biden’s polices and that of his “puppet masters” are killing our democracy and jeopardizing the safety and security of this country with unsecure borders, critical race theory and prioritizing criminals over victims and our police.

The socialist culture has targeted the family, religion, education, history and “whiteness” and is currently targeting our wealth with rampant inflation caused by excessive government spending and a clueless Federal Reserve raising rates blindly.

Biden’s policies have killed jobs and, in my opinion, doubled the cost of gas at the pump and killed a profitable stock market where many pensions are invested.

It’s time for us to save America by voting against any left-leaning politician, no matter the party. We need champions for the “little guy.” We must act now and save America before it is too late. Vote to save our future and that of our grandchildren.

Leonard Stanga, Harrison

Let’s not blow county covid funding on poor choices

Apparently there is half of $105 million of federal covid relief fund money languishing in a bank somewhere right now with Westmoreland County’s name on it (“Westmoreland’s plan for $105 million in covid relief funds remains elusive”).

Your county commissioners want to know how they should spend it. But not until they awarded bonuses and raises to their staffs, who fearlessly manned the typewriters and copy machines throughout the pandemic. Oh, and they also bought a couple of new machines, as well.

Too, instead of going after the architect and contractor whose work may have resulted in the cave-in of the county courthouse and office building garage, they quickly decided that taking $7 million from the covid relief fund was a great use of those “extra” funds.

Before any more of the covid relief funds are misappropriated, how about the nurses and maintenance people who actually served those sick and those dying with covid? With too few nurses to start with, how do you commissioners plan to make it up to those precious few who dragged themselves in to work long shifts, day after day and then night after night? You cannot, but perhaps you could give money for every hour worked under those terrible circumstances. But how long would the funds last? Perhaps scholarships for nurses would be an appropriate use.

But for God’s sake, let’s not blow it all on stuff that would be neat to have.

Ed Collins, West Newton

Steelers standard is mediocrity

It’s official, the Steelers standard is mediocrity!

We were told third-round pick Mason Rudolph (their best QB on the roster) had a first-round grade, but Mike Tomlin won’t play him. Now we draft Kenny Pickett in the first round, who has a third-round grade, to be the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger. Every other team said no thank you. Any team sport is strong up the middle; we’re not. Our lines are castoffs from Gilligan’s Island.

Can’t stop the run, won’t run the ball despite the No. 1 playoff seed (Tennessee) being a run-first team. We now have the fourth best quarterback in the division to throw the ball all over the place when a sack, incompletion, holding call or interception will be the norm. Najee who? Should have drafted a talent evaluator, ’cause the Colbert/Tomlin team has no credibility or clue.

Cleveland and Cincinnati are no longer four easy victories every year, and the Cowher players are long gone. It’s time for Tomlin to go.

Rob DiSanti, O’Hara

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