Text Size:
A|
A|
A
Email
PrintIt amazes me how this city can't get anything done or change its antiquated approach to revitalizing the Downtown area, but it can easily fall for traps such as this proposed carbon emissions legislation.
I have never seen a larger unintelligent group of sheep being led to the slaughter than these "Carbon Caps=Hard Hats" followers ("Proposed Controls on Carbon Emissions Could Mean Jobs," April 22). Whenever the existing plants in southwestern Pennsylvania can't meet the strict carbon emissions standards this same legislation will require, will these plants be rebuilt here or will they be constructed elsewhere where the nonunion labor rates will permit this level of retooling?
It is unbelievable that a blue-collar work force could fall for such a ridiculous/simplistic tactic by the environmentalists (gee, wind turbines are made of steel). And this includes the mayor of Braddock who has either sold himself out or didn't bother to understand the full ramifications or investigate the source of this propaganda. I have some land in Florida I'd like to sell the mayor as well.
This new jobs analogy sold to these people is like suggesting you should cut off your leg so you can run faster because today's prosthetics are better than they used to be (hey, plus they are made of "steeeeeel").
ENRICO BRUSCHI
North Fayette
My candidacy
The April 20 article "City Council Primary Races Heat Up" tells why Tonya Payne has been completely ineffective as a member of Pittsburgh City Council.
To call my candidacy "an act of revenge" completely ignores the hardships facing the people of District 6. They're not interested in Ms. Payne's personal feuds, her paranoia or her fascination with "power." None of that puts people to work, makes a neighborhood safer or keeps a kid off the street at night. If Ms. Payne cared about these issues, she would have sponsored at least one piece of legislation that directly benefited the people of District 6 in some way. But she never did. Not one. You can look it up.
Instead, she has spent the past four years engaging in class warfare and dividing the people of our district, and that I cannot tolerate. I am running for Pittsburgh City Council to bring all people together regardless of their political, social or personal affiliations. We cannot afford to lock anyone out of the process, particularly if they might have an idea that could make a difference, something Tonya Payne should have learned after four years in government.
In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama called on all Americans to "set aside childish things," like Ms. Payne's personal attacks and political vendettas. We need leaders who can disagree without being disagreeable to move our district forward. That's why I got in this race, and I'm confident that the voters will clearly see the choice before them.
ROBERT DANIEL LAVELLE
Schenley Heights
The writer is a candidate for City Council in District 6.
She sees our assets
Beechview is moving forward. To keep it going, we need continued positive movement from our leaders. This is not the time for petty squabbles, empty suits, empty promises or bureaucratic pencil pushing, but that is what we will get unless we support Natalia Rudiak for City Council in District 4.
Natalia knows who we are and where our communities need to go now and in the future. She understands that the neighborhoods are the city and that the city needs to strongly support its neighborhoods. We are a community of wonderful assets, not bad apples. We are a community of hope, not hopelessness. This is the mindset that our group, Pretty Up Beechview, operates from, and where Natalia hones her perspective. She gets it. She is one of us.
Where others see only the lost past, or point only to the problems and struggles of the present, Natalia sees the good, the upright, the future. She has the intellect, sensibilities and goodness of motivation to work hard to help us move forward in new, exciting and inventive ways so that our future not only embraces our historic past but, more important, is inclusive of our multifaceted present as well. This is what PUB is about, and why we enthusiastically support Natalia Rudiak for City Council from District 4.
RON BARAFF
Beechview
Rally behind history
I would like to begin by saying thank you to the Post-Gazette for bringing to the public's attention the grave situation we are facing concerning Bushy Run Battlefield and Fort Pitt Museum.
It has been reported as of late that both might cease to operate as museums and forums of public education. If this occurs, the items contained within will be removed from the region. These items and these sites are the very essence of Western Pennsylvania and early American History.
I believe the public fails to grasp the severity of this situation.
These two sites are not merely historical museums; they are the very reason we are Americans. Without the fighting that was waged in the Ohio Valley and at the crucial three rivers juncture there would not be the America we know and love today.
As an adjunct professor of history, I have taken my students on field trips to Bushy Run Battlefield and can affirm that there is no better way to convey history to the modern student than through a hands-on, sensory experience. These two sites are under-appreciated and overlooked gems within our own community which provide the often unengaged youth of today a way to take an active part in history.
If we lose these two sites, we lose ourselves and our history. In losing our history we lose the best of our culture and civilization. That is something that is happening at an ever increasing rate. I urge all Western Pennsylvanians to rally behind Bushy Run and Fort Pitt.
ERIC B. GREISINGER
Clinton Township
Labor should resist
Concerning the editorial on the United Auto Workers, I must disagree ("Auto Reverse," April 20). One of the precepts of unionism is that it raises the standard of living not only for its members but also those who are not its members and in general the middle class. Organized labor in this country has been fighting to maintain that standard in spite of our elected officials since the Reagan era.
Instead of the UAW cowering to the union-busting ploys of Congress and accepting less, it should stand proudly next to its Canadian brothers and sisters and work to raise the standard of those who work in the Japanese automakers' plants.
Where once it was inconceivable that a union worker would have to pay for health care it has become accepted by many. What is next? The loss of health care altogether for workers? Surely once it has been taken away from workers it won't be long before it is gone for all. Remember, it is only there in the first place because organized labor fought for it.
WILLIAM BUBB
Ambridge
Check into the ugly truth about gas wells
The Marcellus Shale natural gas boom in Pennsylvania is the biggest news since the discovery of oil in the state. Gas drilling companies would have you believe these new gas wells pose little environmental risk. But a quick study of Colorado, Texas and Wyoming gas drilling reveals the ugly truths.
Chemicals used in this deep geological fracturing process are called "frac fluids" and brief exposure put a Colorado emergency room nurse into organ shutdown in 2008. Her hospital couldn't even get a complete listing of the chemicals that sickened her since they were secret (proprietary) mixes.
Drilling companies would have you believe they don't use very much frac fluid, but it averages 1,500 gallons per well. They also downplay their unbridled water use, saying 3 million to 5 million gallons of water needed to fracture one well isn't really that much. But the thought that will make you hesitate to drink Pittsburgh tap water is that a big percentage of this water/frac fluid mix is processed and dumped back into our waterways.
The gas industry is exempt from too many critical regulations like the Clean Drinking Water Act, and its only watchdog is our overburdened state Department of Environmental Protection.
Whether you are county legislators or individuals, before signing a gas lease, do some thorough research to separate smooth promises from harsh facts. Do research on methane seeps and water-well contamination in Dimock, Pa. Write Congress supporting the current clean water legislation under consideration that would further protect our water resources from pillaging and pollution.
ROBERT DONNAN
Peters
