Letters: Angry about Iowa; A new name for Penn State’s West Halls?

Angry about Iowa

I am angry about the Iowa Caucus.

I’m previously a Democrat (fourth generation) and now an Independent.

Not coincidentally I quit the Democratic Party after the last primary season. I felt the process and the outcome were, simply put, corrupt.

I am 70 years old; my parents were in Democratic politics, my father an elected chairman in Allegheny County.

For better or worse I’ve been a political junkie all my life, and in plain English the primaries of 2016 were suspicious and the outcomes were more than suspect.

Lest we forget, Democratic Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign. Democratic activist Donna Brazile was disgraced, apparently providing CNN advance debate questions to candidate Clinton, but not to candidate Bernie Sanders.

Brazile now has a new job at Fox News while Wasserman Schultz is still in Congress.

What happened in Iowa is an outrage. Sorry Democrats, but this just stinks. Last time, I quit — after this disgrace more will.

Sanders is not my candidate but he deserves honesty and fairness. He did not get fairness last time he certainly did not get it Monday, and neither did the American people.

The Iowa Caucus merits a Congressional investigation — the American people, the Constitution and Democracy all lost Monday.

Voters beware of campaign promises

Politicians make promises with the intent to get votes. Voters understand that most of these promises are insincere but still look to these politicians to solve problems. In 2004 Congressman John Peterson, who sat on the House Energy Committee, told a group of constituents that due to high natural gas prices, dwindling domestic production, and reliance on imports from Russia, we must open up exploration of the U.S. continental shelf. He went on to say this situation constituted a national security emergency.

Congressman Peterson’s identification of and solution to the problem were obviously sincere but a solution that meant drill rigs off the Atlantic coast was clearly going to be a heavy lift in Congress. At about the same time George P. Mitchell was perfecting a technique of directional drilling and fracturing to release gas and oil from rock deep underground. Peterson never got a drilling bill passed but Mitchell succeeded and caused a paradigm shift. Natural gas prices fell from over $10 to under $3. The U.S. went from an energy importing country to an exporting country. Mitchell’s success in the pursuit of profits benefited millions due to lower energy prices and job creation.

Government, no matter how well meaning, can’t match the creativity, innovation and wealth creation of the entrepreneur. Edison, Bell, Ford, Walton, Mitchell and countless others have enriched themselves while enriching the lives of millions of fellow humans. Politicians can make no such claim. This election year, voters should be properly skeptical of campaign promises of free education, health care, etc., from people who likely could not satisfactorily provide either at any price.

Limbaugh’s Medal of Freedom is ‘worrisome’

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was conceived of by President John F. Kennedy. During his 2020 State of the Union speech, President Trump announced Rush Limbaugh as a recipient of this honor.

The United States is about freedom. Including the freedom to be a blatant racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic liar. But isn’t it worrisome when the U.S. President honors someone exhibiting just those qualities?

Here’s someone who should be honored: Mitt Romney.

A new name for West Halls?

When I worked at Penn State, my office was in Carnegie Building, and from one of my office’s windows I could see Old Main on central campus and from another window West Halls across Fraser Road. But since I retired in 2003, the compass points have moved across North Atherton Street and that area is now referred to as West Campus.

West Halls needs a new designation because it’s no longer on the western edge of campus. Since the dorms are behind the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, why not “Bellisario Halls”?