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PrintI'd like to suggest to Patrick McMahon, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85, and the union's executive board that they and the members of the union get off their high horses and come back down to earth, where the rest of us have been living for several years already ("Onorato Says He Won't Join Port Authority Talks," Sept. 17).
I read the fact-finder's report and am outraged by the union's demands. We haven't received "cost of living" raises since the mid-'90s. We've been contributing to our health-care costs for at least the past seven or eight years. We don't even have retirement medical benefits! Not only do we have to pay for all of our own benefits, they honestly expect us to pay for theirs as well?
Allegheny County now has a 10 percent drink tax to support a service that most of us don't even use, so the Port Authority workers can be treated like royalty! What arrogance these union leaders have!
We all know what the unions did to the steel mills in Pittsburgh ... maybe the transit authority should be next. Why not privatize it and let someone run it like a real business instead of a golden parachute for its union employees? Let's see what kind of cuts a private company would make to tighten the agency's belt instead of allowing the union to suck the life out of it and the rest of us in the community.
ROSALIND HEID
West Mifflin
Busway biking?
Now is the time to plan for how we as a community will handle a transit strike. I have been wondering, if there is a Port Authority strike, will the busways sit empty?
As a dedicated transit user (I am licensed to drive but choose not to own a car), I've been making contingency plans of how I'll get around if there is a strike.
Naturally, one option I'm looking at is biking to work. It would be so wasteful for the busways to sit empty, so I think it would be a great idea to open the busways to bike commuters in the event of a strike. There will be a lot more traffic on the streets and this would offer bicyclists a safer, less congested route for their commute. Many car drivers, who will be sitting in heavy traffic, will also likely appreciate having bicyclists on a dedicated route.
I hope the Port Authority management, the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County consider this and any other options for helping commuters through a strike. By working together, we can all help each other and keep this region moving in the event of a devastating strike.
KELLI JONES
Lawrenceville
Palin's the one
In a Sept. 8 letter by Esther J. Tucker ("Truly Dangerous"), she commented on Sarah Palin's beliefs and how she wasn't the woman for the White House. Well, Ms. Tucker, our ideas don't exactly coincide. Sure she's Republican and she's not Hillary Clinton, but none of us are.
Ms. Palin is the woman for the job; she's as American as they come. Every family has its problems. Not one family is perfect and not every child has the same views as their parent nor should they. Ms. Palin's daughter may be pregnant and that goes against her views; we should just be happy that she hasn't promoted the idea of disowning her daughter.
Sure, Sarah Palin is against gun control and is a member of the National Rifle Association and we cannot fault her for that. Even though I favor gun control, our Second Amendment does say that we have the right "to keep and bear arms."
One last thing, Ms. Tucker: Ms. Palin has said more, done more and will be more than Barack Obama. Sure you may not agree with her views and that's fine. Think about this, though: Do you necessarily know Mr. Obama's views? Going back to the point that she's no Hillary, well neither is Mr. Obama.
Ms. Palin is the only woman up for the job since it shall not be Hillary.
GABRIELLE DePASQUALE
Ross
Campaign baloney
The recent discussion of the "credentials" of Sarah Palin is a lot of hooey and should be so labeled by the media.
She was selected by a now disingenuous John McCain to garner the women's vote and, at the same time, the votes of the evangelicals. No one could even suggest that she was the Republican most qualified for the job itself. Some Patriot, McCain!
We other non-evangelicals had better pray also -- pray that she and her church do not achieve the power they crave.
ANDREW GERENYI
Franklin Park
Scary scenario
I can't imagine anything scarier than the one-third prospect of a far-right 44-year-old vice president who has experienced highly limited public service, succeeding a 72-year-old president who has had several bouts with melanoma. That nightmare is a picture of insanity. Incidentally, I just passed my 82nd birthday.
STANLEY REISMAN
Churchill
Essential question
Wake up, John Q. Public. While you are mesmerized by those proverbial spinmeisters on both sides of the political spectrum, Rome (your American Dream) is burning!
It is time you "vote" your interest. When you cast your vote this time, ask yourself the following question: "Am I (or my neighbors or this country) better off now than I was (or they were) four years or eight years ago?"
Oh, before you answer that question, remember that cliche: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!"
TREVOR EDWARDS
Forest Hills
Awful 'Obsession'
I am upset with the Post-Gazette allowing the placement of the DVD advertisement "Obsession" in Sunday's paper. Is the newspaper that desperate for advertising income?
I am horrified by its anti-Muslim stance and its equating Islam with Nazism.
The timing and placement of this ad in political swing states by a so-called nonpartisan organization is cynical at best. Its theme of confronting radical Islam provides a not-so-subtle message as to which presidential candidate to support in the upcoming elections.
I hope and I pray that the American public can see through the fear mongering.
TED POPOVICH
Franklin Park
Why, PG?
I was extremely disappointed by what I found in my newspaper Sunday morning.
If I wanted to see fear promoted, I'd go online and read hateful blogs. Or I could watch Fox news. I don't need to be assaulted with fear mongering in my ads and coupons!
What possessed you, and your advertising department, to place that garbage in my Sunday paper? Of course I'm referring to the DVD called "Obsession."
PATRICIA GRUPHOFER
Monroeville
Irresponsible action
About the "Obsession" DVD -- this does seem like throwing gasoline on a fire. Do you really think distributing it was a responsible thing for a newspaper to do? I am already worried about my Muslim friends and neighbors in this city.
PAT SCHUETZ
Regent Square
Inhumane rejection
I was dismayed and saddened to read that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declined Cuba's request for a temporary lift of the trade embargo to allow relief supplies to be delivered to Cuba ("Local Nonprofit One of Few Allowed to Help in Cuba," Sept. 9). I wondered why this piece of news was buried at the end of an article on Page A-2.
This blatant disregard for human suffering screams front-page headline to me. Or have we come to expect and accept this inhumane behavior from the current administration?
LONNIE JANTSCH
Bridgeville
Of course Obama is targeting the economy ... Why wouldn't he?
John McCain has said that "Sen. Obama sees an economic crisis and he has found a political opportunity" ("McCain, Palin Stump for Votes in Mahoning Valley," Sept. 17). To that I say, "And well he should."
For most of us, politics is economics (think "a chicken in every pot"; think "it's the economy, stupid"). If the economy were booming, does anyone think for a moment that that economic boom would not be the centerpiece of Sen. McCain's campaign?
The voters need real answers from both candidates about how to address this crisis, not more rhetoric.
SANDRA PREUHS
Forest Hills
In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Sen. John McCain referred to the Democrats' proposed single-payer health reforms as a "bureaucrat standing between you and your doctor." This blatant fiction just refuses to die.
Mr. McCain knows this old canard of a scare tactic is untrue, because as a member of Congress, he has a fine, single-payer health plan, just like the one he is deriding, now and for the rest of his life, funded at taxpayer expense. He knows single-payer does not mean "socialized medicine," meaning the doctors are government employees. It means that the government, as with Medicare, pays for the health care. But he apparently doesn't want the rest of us to have access to a plan like his.
Mr. McCain instead proposes tax rebates to pay for private insurance, which, he certainly must know, cherry picks the young and healthy while refusing coverage, or pricing it prohibitively high, for persons with health conditions. Given his health problems, he wouldn't be able to purchase insurance under his own plan! And his proposed top $5,000 tax rebate will fall about $8,000 short for a family lucky enough to qualify for coverage.
But the Republicans want to distract us from these realities by resurrecting the same old lie -- "socialized medicine." I hope in this election cycle we are too smart to be taken in. Let's just tell our elected representatives that we want what they have: a single-payer, universal, privately delivered heath-care plan, for life. After all, if it's good enough for them, it should be good enough for us.
LINDA HALLER
Mt. Lebanon
The writer is a registered nurse.
Health insurance woes will continue with McCain
Anyone have a son or daughter set to hit the job market? Better hope he or she finds work at a big business with good benefits, because working for a start-up or small business could cost your child $4,800 more per year, especially if McCain/Palin win this election.
Currently, insurance companies can deny coverage at will. If you have any pre-existing conditions, you'll probably be told not to even bother applying for the $80/month plans. Instead, since you are lucky enough to live in a state (Pennsylvania) that mandates that insurance companies offer a plan to everyone, you will be able to purchase a $480/month plan that provides the same coverage.
I'm now beginning to see why medical bankruptcy is the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy in the United States.
I'm 21 years of age, but because I have gastric reflux (GERD), I'm going to continue paying $480 a month if John McCain is elected. GERD is very minor and costs about $3 a month to treat. What will people with other problems have to face?
Thank you, John McCain, for helping me pay higher medical costs at the start of my professional career.
More than 124,000 physicians support a single-payer plan. In the words of my primary care physician: "Obama's is a thousand times better."
MATTHEW STEIN
Mt. Lebanon
Obama is not the right choice
The editorial pages on Sept. 8 seemed a little over the top, even for the liberal media here in Pittsburgh. For instance, Esther Tucker's letter about Sarah Palin scaring her ("Truly Dangerous") seems like an extreme overreaction. How is a woman dangerous if she opposes the hideous act of abortion? Would you rather have Barack Obama allow partial-birth abortion? Mr. Obama voted against banning partial-birth abortion a year ago and continues to be pro-choice. That's a big no-no for most rationally thinking people. Killing a child seems more dangerous than opposing the killing of that child, correct?
Sarah Palin's stance on gun control is a reasonable one, considering all U.S. citizens are protected by the Second Amendment in that regard. One thing Ms. Tucker doesn't say is that most (if not all) of these policy decisions would be made by John McCain, if he were elected. That being said, Mr. McCain is the better candidate here.
He's against abortion, good with the economy (part of the Reagan Revolution), has a good stance on education (will help people in failed schools get the education they need) and has way more foreign policy experience than Mr. Obama will ever have.
Mr. Obama, on the other hand, supports partial-birth abortion; voted against reducing federal spending by $40 billion; wants early childhood education, which will cost large families even more money; and has as much foreign policy experience as any citizen of the United States has.
On the days leading to Nov. 4, I want Americans to look at key issues, and not the useless information and mud that the liberal media publish every day. Make the right choice, America.
MATT RANDALL
McCandless
A me-first mother
I thought a mother put her children first. She would go to any extreme to protect them from and preserve their honor.
When Gov. Sarah Palin was offered the VP nomination, her daughter was three to four months pregnant. Ms. Palin was well aware this would bring shame and ridicule to her child, but her motherly love came in second to ambition. Her daughter would have to be sacrificed. Mother comes first.
She tried to hide the baby bump at her introduction with a large blanket. The next day at a rally the girl stayed on the bus. Having been caught, Ms. Palin had to admit the deception. Then she parades the young boyfriend before the public as if to say, go ahead, have sex, get pregnant, it's OK. She praises her daughter for having a baby. She is 17; he is 18. What does this say to all teens?
What an example to set. God help us if we elect this me-first mother.
Before you praise or elect Ms. Palin, ask yourself: How important are my children to me. What should come first?
RICHARD C. GROVE
Penn Hills
Will family come second?
It's enough for Bristol Palin to have made a mistake; she is only 17. But does this need to be publicized across the world? She must be feeling self-conscious already without the additional exposure and hype she is receiving because of her mother's surprising vice-presidential nomination. Is the Republican vice-presidential candidate setting a good example for her daughter and the world? Choosing an office over the needs of her family?
It does not seem that Sarah Palin is making a wise choice in accepting the Republican nomination for vice president. If the Republicans do win, it is a question of whether Ms. Palin will have the time and energy required to take care of her family. Will her family come second to the tasks of being vice president of the United States?
Her 17-year-old is certainly in a time of need and deserves privacy, and her youngest son, Trig, who has Down syndrome, also requires her attention and care. The message being sent from Ms. Palin is office and publicity first, family second. This is not the example that should be set by any parent, especially one with two children who currently have extraordinary needs.
LUKE BADACZEWSKI
Hampton
A vote to stop the killing
On Jan. 22, 1973, in the case of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States, in an act of raw judicial power legalized abortion on demand. This has resulted in the deaths of nearly 50 million pre-born babies and the scarring of women who suffer from post-abortion traumatic syndrome.
Two current Supreme Court justices, John Paul Stevens, 88, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, 75, are suffering from poor health and are likely to retire in the next few years. These justices both voted in favor of abortion rights. Their replacements will join a stable court of seven justices who are 53 to 72 years old. The replacement of Justice Stevens and Ginsberg by our next president will decide if millions will have a right to life.
Barack Obama has stated "with one more vacancy on the court we could be looking at a majority hostile to a woman's fundamental right to choose for the first time since Roe vs. Wade. And that is what is at stake in this election." Mr. Obama has promised to appoint justices who will uphold Roe v. Wade and abortion on demand during all nine months of pregnancy.
John McCain has promised to appoint justices in the mold of John Roberts and Samuel Alito, who both voted to find the federal law banning partial-birth abortion constitutional. A vote for Mr. Obama would mean the appointment of justices who favor abortion on demand, which will continue the slaughter of human beings legalized by Roe v. Wade.
A vote for McCain is a vote to stop the daily killing of 4,000 babies, which Roe v. Wade permits.
BRIAN BEAL
Hermitage
Lasso real change
Yippee Yi Yeah! Now that the maverick has found his rhinestone cowgirl, I hope we don't become so bedazzled and befuddled that we expect any real change from this duo.
Yes, we Americans love our cowhands, and these two are straight-shooters in the same mold as George W. Bush. (Unfortunately, Cheney's aim wasn't quite as good.)
Four years ago, Mr. Bush made some campaign promises, which he kept. He gave us exactly what he promised, and now people are complaining. Go figure ... I'm hoping Americans want real change and will let these cowpokes mosey into the sunset.
ANN TITUS
Green Tree
We welcome your letters. Please include your name, address and phone number, and send to Letters to the Editor, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222. E-mail letters to letters@post-gazette.com or fax to 412-263-2014. Letters should be 250 words or less, original and exclusive to the Post-Gazette. All letters are subject to editing for length, clarity and accuracy and will be verified before being published.
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