Letters: Corman, Benninghoff stonewalling on fair districts; Rethinking sacrifice

Corman, Benninghoff stonewalling on fair districts

In the June 27, 2018 issue of the CDT, state Sen. Jake Corman was quoted as saying: “We are committed to doing whatever it takes to pass significant redistricting reform in Pennsylvania.” He went on to say: “To do nothing means you support the status quo. We have been very clear – we do not support the status quo, but rather want to give power back to the people.”

At a May 17, 2017 town hall, state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff said he was in favor of fair districting.

You will hear both Corman and Benninghoff claim they want to reform the system, but the fact is, they are stonewalling. If they can keep SB22 and23 and HB22 and 23, legislation to create an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, from coming to a vote this year, the redistricting effort will die. And the reason they don’t want redistricting is that the current system allows them to run mostly unopposed year after year after year, because it has been rigged so the districts are dominated by voters who support them.

Studies show Pennsylvania is among the most gerrymandered states in the country. The Electoral Integrity Project gave Pennsylvania a score of 56 out of 100, tying for fifth worst in the United States.

Although they don’t want to see this independent commission formed, one thing politicians understand is constituent pressure, so it is up to us to let Rep. Benninghoff and Sen. Corman know we want them to pass SB22 and23 and HB22 and 23.

Rethinking sacrifice

This letter is in response to the June 12 article about sacrifices the football team is making as they return to campus. Living in hotels and eating takeout is not sacrifice. People are struggling to pay their rent or mortgage and feed their families. Lack of access to the player’s lounge and nutrition bar is not sacrifice. It is simply loss of privilege that most students don’t have anyway. Adjusting workout and practice routines to play a contact sport that by nature is high-risk behavior for spreading the COVID-19 virus is not sacrifice. It is selfish. It puts the health and safety of people on campus and in the community secondary to the desire to engage in a fall ritual. Even discussing the possibility of having fans in the stands, even at reduced capacity, is not sacrifice. It is foolish, jeopardizing the health and safety of the community.

I enjoy Penn State sports. I have had season tickets to the Lady Lions for years and have maintained them through the recent lean years. I understand and appreciate the value sports have for both athletes and community. I also understand that they are not essential. In some instances sports can bring us together as a community. In the midst of a pandemic in which a serious, in some instances life-threatening, virus is spread through social contact, playing any kind of contact sport, especially with fans in the stands, represents an unnecessary risk to athletes and community, not sacrifice.

Let’s cheer for the governors

The movement to change the nickname for Bellefonte High School from the Red Raiders to something else should be seen as an opportunity, not an attack, on a pseudo-sacred symbol. Let’s face it: It’s a boring name.

My high school’s nickname is the Blue Raiders. If you search Wikipedia for “high school raiders,” you will get hundreds of hits (although not all are high schools).

I propose that the Red Raiders become the Bellefonte Governors. It is a unique name and no other school has such a claim to fame as being located in the home of seven governors.