Letters: Urge lawmakers to oppose judicial gerrymandering; Penn State’s reopening ‘a dangerous move’

Urge lawmakers to oppose judicial gerrymandering

Our Assembly leaders have shown their true colors, confirming what voters already know: Party leaders put party interests ahead of voters’ interests. Since 2017, politicians have heard demands to end gerrymandering. Despite overwhelming public support, including 66% of Republicans, reform bills died in committee. Sadly, our self-dealing political leaders will be gerrymandering new election districts in 2021. Although new bills are in the House and Senate specifying strict criteria to require open meetings and accountability, their passage is uncertain.

Twisting the dagger, the Republicans, led by Jake Corman and Kerry Benninghoff, with Stephanie Borowicz and Rich Irvin dutifully following, and despite bipartisan opposition, recently rammed through HB 196, a proposed constitutional amendment to allow the same cheating politicians to gerrymander judicial districts. This egregious bill has to pass again before the public gets a referendum vote.

Pennsylvania doesn’t need regional representation in the courts — that’s the Assembly’s job. State laws are not variable by region.

With no public hearings or amendments considered, where was the extended thoughtful deliberation and transparent process expected for a constitutional amendment? The only thing transparent here is the partisan revenge for the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision that said gerrymandering violates the state constitution and that resulted in redrawn competitive Congressional maps.

Call your legislators to oppose judicial and all other gerrymandering and to support the criteria bill HB 2638. Mention that your vote depends on results. These legislators, our employees, deserve to be fired for ignoring voters. At the next election, vote the gerrymanderers out.

Penn State’s reopening ‘a dangerous move’

The push for Penn State to open this fall is a dangerous move that will cause cases of COVID-19 to spike.

It’s clear as President Barron and the board of trustees hide in their homes, doing Zoom meetings to decide how their faculty will be required to endanger themselves with in-person classes they don’t care about them, their staff, students, or the people living in this town. Had they an iota of empathy this would not be up for discussion. They would not ignore the concerns of faculty and they would be countering the demands to open with reason and a sense of preservation.

Do not tell me about how you’re gonna insist on “social distancing” — I’ve seen the lines to the bars. Don’t tell me how it’s the student’s responsibility — I’ve seen them gathered in crowds outside houses already. Don’t tell me that you are not just driven by profit motives. I see through them and I hope other people do too. I will end this message saying this: Every single person who gets sick this fall, I hold President Barron and the board of trustees accountable for. I hold them accountable for every death, too. They are responsible for the pain, suffering and psychological damage this will do to the town. Much like Graham Spanier’s tenure was marred and defined by Sandusky, COVID-19 will be Barron’s mark on history.

Please demand remote learning in the fall, we don’t need to bury anymore friends and neighbors.