Letters to the editor
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The GOP race has become the best 'reality' show
The competition for the GOP nomination for president has become the most entertaining "reality" show of the season. How can other shows compete with the endless contentious debates, controversies over wealth, accusations of infidelity, a different front-runner nearly every week and even a post-election change in the winner (Iowa)?
Each state competition is a nail-biter as it threatens to get one of the show's stars voted out of the campaign and shoved back into obscurity. And Pennsylvania can take a bow for being the childhood home state of all three "non-Mitt" candidates still in the running: Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich.
The only missing element is some catchy nicknames for the stars of this show. "The Situation" fits Newt Gingrich perfectly since he has been publicly criticized by his second ex-wife and even by congressional Republicans he led as House speaker in the 1990s. Nicknames for the others are harder to identify, although any of the candidates very effectively act the part to ridiculousness.
KEN PERKINS
Squirrel Hill
GOP distortions
The economy is improving, unemployment claims are down; the car industry is back with loans repaid; Iraq troops are home; the health care law is benefiting many; bin Laden and many insurgents are dead; the birth certificate is revealed;
Oh, my! Auntie Em, what can the Republicans distort next? How about:
• Republicans never supported reforming health care similar to Obamacare;
• Newt Gingrich is a reborn and newly ethical hypocrite;
• Rick Santorum lives in Penn Hills, not a millionaire's haven in Virginia;
• The only important issue for America is to beat Barack Obama.
Imagine a presidency that bombs Iran, bans public employee unions and appoints former local cronies.
Can't wait to take America back!
ROBERT C. BALDIS
Hidden Valley
Money isn't success
Does anyone else feel a little uneasy when you hear someone described as "successful"? Mitt Romney has used this word often to describe himself and accuses rivals of being jealous of his success. But the word used in this context simply means, "I made a lot of money."
Whether Mr. Romney was financially rewarded for rescuing companies at Bain Capital or was ruthlessly gutting others for profit is not the issue. Bottom line: He made a lot of money. I guess that sounds too crass; successful sounds much better.
I can appreciate a successful heart operation or rocket launch. But since money is the definition for success, people like Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Jesus would be spectacularly unsuccessful.
Can we please come up with other words? Maybe, "I'm capital retentive" or a "greenback guru." C'mon, folks. Let's not make money the main standard of success.
RAY McGOGNEY
Shaler
Food stamp politics
The decision that led Gov. Tom Corbett and his political appointees at the state Department of Public Welfare to place an asset test for food stamps isn't about fraud, waste or abuse -- it's about blind ideology.
DPW officials first publicly mentioned an asset test 10 months ago, yet to date, no consideration, no study or assessment has been done on the implications of such a decision.
Food stamps are a voucher entirely paid for by the federal government, but the state pays for the program's administration costs, which will only be more cumbersome. It's clear Pennsylvania taxpayers will pay more and Pennsylvania seniors will get less. There very well may be no net savings.
Meanwhile, the governor risks collapsing the statewide network of food banks, further overwhelming county assistance offices with red tape, shifting costs to other safety-net programs (or what's left) and starving the retail industry and farmers of revenue. This is poor policy we can ill afford.
BRIAN GRALNICK
President
Jewish Social Policy Action Network
Elkins Park, Pa.
Thrilled with WESA
I was dismayed to see the ratings numbers for WESA-FM (90.5) and, then, "I-told-you-so" letters from jazz buffs who feel they've lost their station.
Am I the only person in town who is relieved, and thankful, that we still have a station that carries National Public Radio? In fact, there is much more NPR programming on WESA than we ever had on DUQ. Is everyone else satisfied with what passes for talk radio here -- non-stop right-wing nattering on KDKA-AM or whatever or whoever has taken over 1360-AM or the Rush Limbaugh wannabes on FM? Can the only news we want to hear be reports on local government, car crashes, fires and weather over and over throughout the day?
Count me among those who are thrilled with the new WESA format, right down through the BBC service overnight. I was a longtime contributor to WDUQ and I am continuing that commitment to WESA. I hope it's around for a long, long time.
KAREN M. KOST
White Oak
War is hell
I will not sit idly by while a bunch of professional sob sisters, Pentagon girl scouts and a bunch of draft-dodging politicians condemn the actions of four warrior Marines urinating on dead bodies of the Taliban. When you mess with America, this is what you get. Where was the self-righteous indignation when our U.S. soldiers were mutilated and their bodies dragged through Mogadishu? How about other Americans who were beheaded and gutted in Iraq? Where was the indignation?
America is at war with militant Islam. The Taliban gave refuge and support to al-Qaida as it prepared its attacks on 9/11. They work around the clock to bury Americans.
You do not know the mindset that occurs in combat. You cannot sit here and judge those Marines for what they did. We have had thousands of Americans killed because of a band of guerilla terrorists. Many will not come home and many will come home damaged in limb and mind. Families have been ruined. These Marines were running the operation, not the pantywaists in the Pentagon. They will be crucified because our military establishment specializes in abandoning these young warriors. Our country sent off our young men and women to fight, but heaven help us if they act like they are in war.
When you attack the United States, we are going to respond in kind, and you can pick up your pieces. These are United States Marines. They fight for each other, and they kill or be killed. This is their credo. War is hell. If you don't like it, sit down and shut up.
So, I say to all my brother and sister Marines, Semper Fi! Oorah! A job well done.
HERMAN J. BIGI
Monongahela
The writer was a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Corbett has erred in ordering flags at half-staff for coach
The sad news of Joe Paterno's passing not only rocked the college sports world, but also came as a surprise to many who simply know the name "JoePa" and the legacy he created at Penn State. As a Pitt graduate, and one who loved the Pitt-Penn State rivalry, I can honestly say I was saddened to hear that Mr. Paterno had passed away. The black mark at the end of a storied career aside, he left his mark on college sports and will be remembered for that.
However, I take issue with our governor's decision to order flags flown at half-staff in his honor. The U.S. flag is to be flown at half-staff "in the event of the death of a present or former official of the government," according to the U.S. Flag Code. Mr. Paterno was an employee of a state-funded university, no different from any of the thousands of other employees of that school or any other state-funded school in Pennsylvania. Do we fly the flag at half-staff when any of those people pass away? The answer is obviously no!
While I have the utmost respect for someone who managed to stay at one place of employment for 62 years, and had such a noteworthy career there, lowering the U.S. flag in his honor is inappropriate. I've served my country for 24 years and defended the people and the flag of the United States. Lowering the U.S. flag in honor of a college sports coach (even a great one) is not only a disservice to the flag, but also to those who defend it. It takes away from the true meaning and purpose of the lowering of our flag. Our governor should know better.
I am not downplaying Joe Paterno's passing, but I do believe that his legacy needs to be kept in perspective. He was a football coach.
RICHARD A. WARD
McDonald
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First Published January 26, 2012 12:00 am
