Offshoring jobs

As Election Day draws closer I am being bombarded to vote for two candidates, Mitt Romney for president and D. Raja for state senator in the 37th Senate District, based on their success in the business world. With our economy being what it is -- the financial sector running amok and a high employment rate -- at first glance this assertion might seem sensible.

However, I am left wondering how Mr. Romney and Mr. Raja have gained a reputation for being successful. I question why both have sent jobs offshore. Was it to keep their companies from failing, or is this where we should employ workers for successful companies? Were any of the jobs they sent overseas from failed companies or only to keep companies from failing -- or just to increase profits in an already profitable company a little more?

I think all Americans can agree that we need job creators, which they claim to be. And I think we all can agree that we need jobs created here in the United States, not overseas.

How is it that they can claim the title and honor of successful businessmen/job creators when their companies find it necessary to ship jobs and money overseas? How do we categorize American businesses that manage to remain on American soil? Are they failures? Are their CEOs and other company officials not as competent as these two candidates? Perhaps these two could learn something from them.

Furthermore, Mr. Romney, I don't believe that your business acumen in shipping jobs overseas or keeping money in the Cayman Islands or in Swiss banks will work if you attempt to solve our deficit problem with the same tactics.

VIC DePASSE
Mt. Lebanon

GOP ideologue

The Post-Gazette endorsement of U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy for election in the 18th Congressional District was perilously shallow and shortsighted.

Challenger Larry Maggi has been the budget-balancing commissioner of Washington County for the past eight years. Ten-year congressman Mr. Murphy can't get his own party's leadership to allow a vote on any of the major bills he sponsors.

Mr. Maggi may not be the most articulate speaker, but I always vote based on ideas. Mr. Maggi's ideas are common sense; Mr. Murphy's are driven by right-wing ideology.

Larry Maggi is an independent, pro-business, pro-life, pro-gun Democrat who opposes his own party on regulation of natural gas and coal, while rejecting Mr. Murphy's votes to turn Medicare into vouchers. Mr. Murphy has voted with Republicans more than 90 percent of the time in the past four years.

Mr. Maggi's economic views are in the Bill Clinton camp. Mr. Murphy's are mostly indistinguishable from George W. Bush's.

Mr. Murphy's vote to voucherize Medicare disqualifies him from further service. His efforts to bring home the bacon locally create temporary benefit for some. Ending the Medicare guarantee, as he voted to do, would cause long-term, permanent damage to all Americans.

Mr. Murphy even voted against the plan already in effect that saves Medicare from bankruptcy. According to the Congressional Budget Office, his actions would lead to Medicare going bankrupt by 2016.

Mr. Maggi works with Republicans as county commissioner and believes in combining the best ideas from both parties. Please vote for common sense over ideology and choose Larry Maggi on Nov. 6.

DEAN ORFANOYANNIS
Ingram

Playing with fire

I urge voters in the 12th Congressional District not to vote for Keith Rothfus. A recent campaign ad featured him cooking hot dogs on a grill abutting what is supposedly his house. If Mr. Rothfus is so irresponsible as to grill so close to his family home, surely his "playing with fire" should be an unfavorable omen for anyone considering voting for Mr. Rothfus. Mark Critz is the better choice!

KATHLEEN DeFILIPPO
Churchill

Fresh perspective

In a recent endorsement of incumbent Robert Matzie in the 16th Legislative District race, the Post-Gazette acknowledged that challenger Kathy Coder is "articulate and informed" and her local government experience has "taught her to cross party lines." Sadly, the experience of incumbency gave Mr. Matzie the edge for the endorsement. But what has incumbency done for Pennsylvania lately?

Incumbents like Mr. Matzie have left Pennsylvania with billions of dollars in unfunded pension costs, hundreds of failing and unsafe schools and a $4.5 billion deficit. Pennsylvania needs leaders who stand for something more than bloated pensions and per diems. I want someone to represent me (a hard-working, taxpaying, "pensionless" individual) who will focus on bringing jobs to our area and focus on the future.

I admire Ms. Coder's stance on not taking the pension and refusing the per diems, and I think other "politicians" could learn a thing or two from her. Ms. Coder has that fresh perspective to represent me in Harrisburg, and I give her my endorsement and my vote.

NATASHA POLAS HAZELWOOD
Bellevue