Two views of President Trump, and more: letters to the editor

‘Our turn’

Throughout this current presidential administration, honesty, respect for the Constitution, and protection of our basic democratic principles and institutions have been suspended. It’s time that we as constituents speak out: Contact your Senate and House representatives, let them know that we expect them to do their duty and protect our Constitution, our democracy, and our nation.

Forty-four retired Senators, Republican and Democratic, have publicly and clearly spoken out to urge the current Senate to protect our Constitution and our democracy. These brave patriots see that without urging, the current Senate very well may follow the Executive Branch’s lead and put aside the rule of law when it comes to Trump.

Now it’s our turn to speak out. It’s going to take a long time for the U.S. to get over this one destructive administration. I hope our democracy survives. But it’s not assured – this noble experiment, our democracy, is young and tender. But a step in the right direction is for us, as citizens of this democracy, to act and push the House members and Senators to do their duty. - Ross Adams Boalsburg, PA

‘Permanent funding’

The best conservation program the public has never heard of is in jeopardy of losing its funding. The Land and Water Conservation Fund uses fees from offshore oil and gas revenues — at no cost to taxpayers — to invest in urban parks, walking and biking trails, wildlife habitat, historic sites, national parks and other open spaces.

Yet Congress routinely diverts much of this funding to purposes other than conserving our most important lands and waters. Over the Fund’s history, Congress has diverted over $21.6 billion dollars away from its intended uses of conservation and outdoor recreation.

Here’s the ultimate irony: Because Congress has routinely taken money from the LWCF and used it to pay for pet projects, they now claim they can’t permanently fund the LWCF until they come up with replacement money to continue funding their pet projects.

Since 1965, Centre County has received more than $3 million in LWCF funds for swimming pools, parks, trails, and other outdoor recreational facilities. More recently, Patton Township received $220,000 toward the establishment of Circleville Park and the Centre Region COG received $300,000 toward Oak Hill Regional Park.

Since there are no taxpayer dollars in the LWCF, we need to let Rep. Glenn Thompson and our Senators Toomey and Casey know we want the LWCF to receive permanent funding at the $900 million annual funding level that Congress promised when they founded the LWCF over 50 years ago. - Tim Herd, State College, PA, CEO, Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society

‘A true servant’

The political cartoon you published Friday underscores the media’s role in causing dissension and hatred in America today. Showing Pres. Trump dressed as Santa Claus and stealing money from a giving pot is both exceedingly offensive to the office of the president and exceedingly biased -- this is a man who paid for his own campaign to run for office, who gave up running a massive and profitable organization in order to do something for his country.

You, the editors, cannot name a single politician -- of any party -- other than Trump who is in politics for other than personal gain and power. Only Trump among all contenders for president is a true servant. The man even donates his salary! I really object to your running such politically biased cartoons. - Bruce Lorich, State College, PA