Mackenzie Carpenter's contention in "Liberals a Sideshow In Denver" (Aug. 25) that liberals were being pushed to the sideline at this year's Democratic National Convention may be accurate, but to infer from this premise that liberalism is waning in both the Democratic Party and the country is a clumsy stretch that's not particularly original.

Apparently the "liberals losing influence" story line is a big mainstream media talking point; I heard essentially the same story on National Public Radio Aug. 25. In the wake of all this copycat punditry, I'd like to make a few observations:

1) It was liberal, progressive Democrats (the "democratic wing" of the Democratic Party) who helped put Barack Obama over the top through their tireless, enthusiastic grass-roots organizing.

2) Every poll shows that on the major issues of the day (Iraq war, health care, global warming), the American people consistently favor liberal positions whether they define themselves as liberal or not.

3) The day that more than 65 percent of Americans favor an endless war in Iraq and by overwhelming numbers show their unqualified approval for our health system will be the day I say liberals are losing political and cultural influence in the United States!

ROBERT M. GOETZ
Wilkinsburg

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John McCain has repeatedly made it clear that his wife has her own finances; she files a separate tax return so he has no need to track what is owned only in her name. As such, it is reasonable to assume he cannot quote off-the-cuff the number of investment properties she owns.

When asked how many houses he plus his wife own between them, John McCain appropriately answered he did not know and the answer would have to be researched.

Barack Obama, in his attack ad, states that John McCain's response showed Mr. McCain could not identify the number of homes owned by him. Since the question Mr. McCain responded to included properties owned by Mrs. McCain only, turning the quote into an inability of John McCain to keep track of homes under his own name is a false statement.

Mr. Obama's intentional misquote is therefore an outright lie about what Mr. McCain said. This lie not only has Mr. Obama's approval, it also has his voice.

DONALD CONWAY
Munhall

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This social class warfare must stop. John McCain knows how many homes he has and Barack Obama knows this. The disingenuous campaign has to stop.

John and Cindy McCain are wealthy people who have many homes including investment properties. So what?

He only said what he did because he was trying to be completely open and state all properties and could not think on the spot, including his investment properties; this is such a cloud of smoke.

Stop this. Stick to the facts, the real issues. And for heaven's sake, stop all the phony class warfare: It's old, it's not true and it is a major turnoff.

STEFFIE BOZIC
Mount Washington

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Like tens of thousands of other Americans, I sat riveted to my TV set watching the interviews of the presidential candidates by Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Southern California on Aug. 16.

During Sen. John McCain's interview, I was particularly struck by his statement, emphatically made, that we are "winning, winning, winning" in Iraq. What I missed in this statement was his definition of winning!

Does the senator want us to believe that 4,000 deceased U.S. service members, a mountain of debt for the war effort (hundreds of billions of dollars), a completely devastated Iraq infrastructure and scores of dead Iraqi citizens is winning? Has the United States elevated its leadership role in the eyes of the world with the effort in Iraq?

I agree that the removal of Saddam Hussein was beneficial for Iraq. My fervent hope is that one or the other presidential candidate can bring this war to a close, a particularly pertinent point for me as the proud father of a Marine Corps corporal. But in the final analysis, if Sen. McCain really believes we are winning, it behooves him to tell the citizenry of the United States how and what we have won.

MIKE GIBSON
Edgewood

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I applaud the efforts of 15-year-old Sherry-Lynn McCully, who has taken the task of cleaning up two small islands on the Allegheny River each week and properly disposing of the trash that has been left by careless weekend boaters ("Weekend Litterers," Aug. 21). That is a worthwhile community project and she should be commended.

However, her job would not be necessary if some of these boaters only used their common sense and a basic respect for the rights of others.

The majority of the boaters who visit these islands throughout the week and on weekends, are good, clean, decent citizens who do not leave their trash and debris behind. There is just that small section of the population who disregard boating and camping etiquette and leave their trash and broken glass on the beach to ruin things for everyone else. If it wasn't for Sherry-Lynn, I wonder who they think would be picking up after them and keeping the islands clean and decent for the majority to enjoy?

It's a shame that a small minority, with disregard for basic decency, can spoil things for everyone else. The majority of the boaters take their trash back to their marina dumpsters and dispose of it there. They know that there is no sanitation department policing the islands and cleanup is the responsibility of each boater. The responsible boaters also police their pets and clean up after them as well.

I think that Springdale Junior/Senior High School can be proud of its ambitious student, who has spent many a day keeping these islands in usable condition for the many recreational boaters who enjoy them throughout the boating season.

CAPT. GEORGE BOYLE
Executive Director
Boaters Are Voters
Harmar

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Sally Kalson's article on Yiddish words that are commonly used by English speakers was quite interesting ("Everyday Yiddish," Aug. 19). This is especially so to those of us who, to various degrees, speak some Yiddish.

In the South Hills we have a group called "Yiddish Laybt" (Yiddish Lives). We are an affiliate of IAYC -- the International Association of Yiddish Clubs.

On the first Sunday of each month we have a very informal session (open to all) at the South Hills Jewish Community Center. We call it a session because it's not a class. We simply get together and schmooze, discuss translations and, mostly, laugh. Yiddish is a language full of humor, pathos and fun as, I'm told, are other languages spoken by various other ethnic groups.

Allow me to use the common closing of a letter -- to all -- Zie gizunt (be well).

SOL W. TODER
Mt. Lebanon

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This is in response to your Aug. 27 article "Pittsburgh 5th Poorest Big City, Census Shows."

According to a May 16, 2006, Wall Street Journal commentary, "Live Free or Move," the rate of new job creation is 216 percent higher in the 15 states with the lowest taxes than in the 15 states with the highest taxes. The annual rate of personal income growth is also 31 percent higher in the low tax states than in the high tax states. This is very relevant, as Pennsylvania's corporate income tax rate of 9.99 percent is the second highest in the country, which makes our state very uncompetitive.

A Wall Street Journal editorial from March 3 of this year, "Texas v. Ohio," explains that in the previous decade, while Ohio lost 10,000 jobs, Texas created 1.6 million new jobs. While Ohio is a closed-shop state, Texas is a right-to-work state. Many companies, especially foreign ones, that create huge numbers of new jobs in the United States refuse to create any of these jobs in states that don't have right-to-work laws.

Based on this information, there are two things that Pennsylvania should do immediately to boost its rates of job creation and personal income growth: We should eliminate our corporate income tax, and we should adopt a right-to-work law.

DANIEL D. ALMAN
Squirrel Hill