Letters to the Editor category, Page 315

In his column “Founders viewed democracy as tyranny” (Jan. 31, TribLIVE), Walter Williams asserted that our Founding Fathers saw democracy as a form of tyranny. We use the word democracy routinely to describe our form of government. It’s understood that we live in a representative democracy; our elected representatives vote...

It is a sad sight indeed to watch the spectacle of the Democratic Party choosing the delegates to their national convention this time around. It is an argument among candidates who espouse radical programs, all of which are ridiculously expensive and few of which comprise what the average American wants...

Alexander Hamilton, George Washington and others founders warned us about a man like Donald Trump in power. Hamilton wrote to Washington in 1792: “When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits — despotic...

Like many who opine in the Trib, letter- writer Al Duerig (“Trump tramples Constitution,” Feb. 12, TribLIVE) seems to allow his personal feelings toward President Trump to overrule his brain. 1) To the charge that Sen. Mitch McConnell refused President Obama’s 2016 nominee for the Supreme Court: That’s what elections are...

I am what the media calls a “conspiracy theorist” — a derogatory term used to smear a critical thinker who questions the statements of known liars. Teddy Roosevelt stated in a 1913 autobiography that, “Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government …” And in the 1986 Iran/Contra hearings,...

I was saddened to see your Feb. 7 print headline “Trump takes aim at ‘scum’.” Quoting people in headlines is what the tabloids do to convey misinformation. Why not put the truth in the headline and then quote President Trump’s words in the body of the article? The article was...

Well, another local election has come to an end, and our elected officials who ran on the promise of not raising our taxes once again are ready to stick it to us (“Tax hike stands after Westmoreland commissioners stick with budget,” Jan. 22, TribLIVE). Actually, it seems they are going...

Vladimir Putin must be rubbing his hands in glee. With the aid of GOP senators, his man in D.C. has succeeded in a masterful con. Better yet, Alan Dershowitz has argued that anyone running for office can do almost anything. No sense of ethics needed; laws are apparently mere suggestions....

Watching a news report about children protesting about so-called climate change gave me something to ponder. The young can lead us old nonbelievers by first scrapping their video games, computers, cellphones and other electronics that use energy in order to be manufactured, mostly from oil that injects carbon into the...

I never thought of myself as a political person, and I certainly never thought that a TV reality show host would become our president. But I am pleased with how things turned out. The economy is good, people are working, wages are favorable, unemployment is low and terrorists are being...

Criticism of President Obama isn’t racist, just well-deserved. His signature accomplishment was a cleverly named tax that didn’t save Americans $2,500 a year as promised and didn’t allow everyone to keep their health care providers or even always retain preferred doctors. Worse yet, rather than maximize a historic chance to...

President Trump’s critics consider him to be crude, self-centered, pathologically dishonest and childishly vindictive. Of course he is, but for some reason nearly half of the country doesn’t care. And I don’t believe there is any way to make those folks care. So how do we make Trump a one-term...

Both political parties showed the worst of already loathed politicians during the impeachment debacle. It never had a chance of succeeding. It really boiled down to Nancy Pelosi running out of options. It then became a Mitch McConnell show. Thus we saw the absolute worst of both Pelosi and McConnell....

Regarding Bob Bauder’s article “Draft plan calls for more bike lanes in Pittsburgh” (Feb. 11 TribLIVE): Dogs pee on trees and those alert bicycle enthusiasts and their clever strategists here in Pittsburgh have copied this primal territorial approach. They got hold of some white paint and cute abstract stencils of...

Lori Falce’s column “The black and white of guns” starts out lumping seven hot topics with gun rights/control as having “gray area” that must be understood before both sides of any issue are settled. When it comes to gun rights/gun control, it is black and white. Because the “gray area”...

The impeachment “trial” in the Senate was always a foregone conclusion based on the numbers. In my opinion, the reason Republicans didn’t want to hear new witnesses was because it would have been harder for them to justify an acquittal. I believe this will go down in history as the...

Regarding Oren Spiegler’s letter “Jesus, Democrats & Republicans” (Jan. 25, TribLIVE): I just returned from heaven and a long talk with God. He informed me that he recently formed a new neutral destination for Democrats in the next life. It is called Demotory, i.e., a somewhat serene place where Democrats...

Dear Nancy, I served this country for over 20 years in uniform under both Republican and Democratic leaders. Many presidents and speakers have come and gone. In my 65 years, I have never been as disgusted as I was by your contemptuous and childish display during the State of the...

A letter to U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey: It is obvious to me and many of your constituents why the Republican Senate voted against having additional witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial. I think you know that having John Bolton testify would confirm beyond any doubt that Trump conspired to rig...

On the same day the letter “Trump haters should be mindful of facts” (Jan. 17, TribLIVE) appeared, there was an article headlined “White House considers changes to law banning overseas bribes” (Jan. 17, TribLIVE). So what if bribery is unethical and illegal (not to mention impeachable)? The president is quoted...

Those who worship Hillary Clinton just never give up. Letter-writer Paul Messich (“Voters wanted Hillary Clinton as president,” Jan. 17, TribLIVE) knows that we don’t elect our presidents by popular vote. If we did, the states with the largest populations would choose our president every four years while other states...

I am weary after reading the letters to the editor that stress the imbalance of Pittsburgh and Greensburg politics, and the sorry global situation in Iraq and Iran, and then those that stress the struggles with traffic congestion between Greensburg and Latrobe. Occasionally, and only occasionally, can we not sing...

The lack of objective truth is the real reason for the insanity that we see each day. Removing objectivity and replacing it with emotions destroys common sense and one’s ability to reason. This is no clearer today than the impeachment trial. The desperate attempts to get rid of a duly...

The vote in the Senate to refuse to hear witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Trump puts the last nail in the coffin of what was formerly known as the Republican Party. Instead, we have a party filled with Trump sycophants and lap dogs lacking any integrity, moral character...

Feb. 3, 2020, 4:40 p.m.: Temperature 63 degrees in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Ya gotta love this climate change. … Robert Ritchey Penn Township, Westmoreland County...