Letters: November is COPD Awareness Month; A call for compromise

Editor’s note: The Centre Daily Times welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the Nov. 3 general election and will accept letters that are received by 5 p.m. Oct. 27. Election letters will be published through Oct. 31. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid mean-spirited attacks.

November is COPD Awareness Month

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the fourth leading cause of death and the second leading cause of disability in the U.S.

There are 30 million people in the U.S. living with COPD, and in Pennsylvania there are 694,000 who have COPD.

The official color for COPD is orange. Wear orange the month of November to support those with COPD.

World COPD Day is Nov. 18th 2020 to honor those that have COPD and those that lost their battle with COPD.

Each November, the governor signs and announces a proclamation for COPD Awareness month.

Pulmonary Rehab is important for every person diagnosed with COPD. It helps them to learn about the illness, what causes flares ups and how to cope and live with COPD. Gives those of us better quality of life.

My journey began at the age of 44. My Diagnosis COPD — Emphysema, and I am proud to say I have been smoke free since 2009. COPD makes it hard to do things that most take for granted. Having COPD is a life-changing event.

I not only speak and spread awareness for myself but all the others who are affected by COPD.

Research, Education and Awareness are essential for COPD.

Get involved, support and join forces with the COPD Foundation and start to learn to breathe again!

Always Keep hope in your heart!

The writer is the State Advocacy Captain of Pennsylvania for COPD Foundation

A call for compromise

As his constituent, I strongly urge Sen. Pat Toomey not to vote to confirm a nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy before the next presidential inauguration. When Merrick Garland was nominated, Republican senators earnestly argued that his nomination should be put on hold because “the American public should have a say.” Yet now, with presidential voting already in progress, all of them are arguing the opposite. Both positions cannot be simultaneously true. The consideration of which party holds the White House and which party controls the Senate is irrelevant — both are subject to change in the current election — the same logic should still apply. In fact, I believe it should apply tenfold now.

The change of position goes beyond mere disingenuousness; beyond mere hypocrisy; it is clearly in the realm of a cynical, unscrupulous power grab. I believe the public is sick of partisan warfare, in which it is guaranteed that nearly half the population is disgusted with the extreme positions taken by whoever squeaked out the last “victory.”

I believe that a neutral Supreme Court is vital to the health of the country. If Republicans force a distinctly conservative bias in the court, outraged Democrats with their backs to the wall are likely to meet one dirty trick with another by changing the makeup of the court when they have the chance. And the desperate strife will continue. We need compromise in all aspects of government. Won’t Toomey please contribute to that spirit of compromise?