Letters: Grateful for an influential teacher; Urge legislators to take action on fair districting bills

Grateful for an influential teacher

Jim Hoy, or as we affectionately called him “J.E.,” was my small engines shop teacher at Park Forest Middle School from 1970 through 1973. At that time it was Park Forest Junior High. Very clearly, J.E. set the trajectory for my career path that I’ve followed even to this day, establishing a love for all things mechanical. J.E.’s method of teaching, at that time, was to give us some of the basic information we needed and then to set us loose. We were set free to make our own mistakes, of which there were many, as well as to revel in our successes and to learn that we could actually figure this stuff out. Bear in mind that we were a bunch of 14-year-old boys.

Beyond learning the literal and metaphorical nuts and bolts of small engines, I appreciate J.E.’s presence in my life for stepping out of the curriculum to open up the world to a 14-year-old. My entire career path started with J.E. Hoy and his small engines class in junior high. It is a career path, through various permutations, that I know and love, taking me from small engines to cars and motorcycles, to aerospace, to semiconductors, to digital publishing. A world wide open; how could I possibly not be grateful? I hope he is well.

Urge legislators to take action on fair districting bills

Are you frustrated by the gridlock and partisan rancor in our state and national legislatures? Are you tired of politicians being more responsive to lobbyists than to the people they are elected to serve? Do you think it wrong for politicians to decide the borders of their districts and thus dictate who gets to vote for them? If your answers are yes, then I urge you to demand your state senator and representative support and call for action on the fair districting bills that are stalled in key committees.

With the U.S. Census underway these bills must be passed this session. If they are not passed, Pennsylvanians will live with grossly gerrymandered districts for years to come. Fair districting bills are broadly supported by citizens across the political spectrum. Our legislators are resistant to these bills because they will move redistricting power from politicians to an independent citizens’ commission with clear standards and a transparent process for drawing districts.

Call State Senator Corman, 355-0477, and your state representative (Irvin 644-2996, Benninghoff 355-1300, Borowitz 353-8780, or Conklin 238-5477). Demand immediate action on Senate Bills 1022 and 1023 and their House versions HB 22 and HB 23.

Seeing quarantine in a positive life

I am a Boy Scout from Troop 66 currently working toward my Communications Merit Badge. Requirement 7 A says to write to the editor of my local newspaper with my opinion about topics. My topic is the thing everybody is talking about: coronavirus. Many people think that quarantine is a bad thing, but it is good in many ways. One of the ways is the expected, it keeps the virus from spreading. Another way that quarantine is good is that images from satellites are showing that the ozone layer is slowly healing because there is less pollution due to people being stuck inside. My final point of reasoning that quarantine is a good thing is that it is giving animals a chance to recover due to less pollution.