Letters: Respecting the voices of Pennsylvania voters; Trump supporters spread misinformation
Respecting the voices of Pennsylvania voters
State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff and a number of other Pennsylvania state representatives have sent a letter to our representatives and senators in Congress asking them to object to the Pennsylvania election results. This action is a misguided attempt to subvert the will of the Pennsylvania voters, which will cause disenfranchisement and erosion of our democratic process. The letter does point out three reasons that the election results should be in question, however all of these reasons have been litigated in a court of law and rejected by the courts. Even Attorney General William Barr has said that there was no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of this election. Please contact Benninghoff and let him know of your outrage at his attempt to undermine our democratic process. The people have spoken and their voices must be respected.
Trump supporters spread misinformation
I read the op-ed piece “Differing opinions don’t call for shaming” by John Hook (Centre County Gazette Dec 3-9), and I agree with everything he said. He pointed out that less than 1/3 voted for the Trump-Pence ticket. The greater portion chose not to vote.
The issue I have is, the Trump supporters think the people who didn’t vote for Mr. Trump aren’t just “defective” but “evil.” They buy the rhetoric of QAnon (Democrats are members of a child molestation/cannibal cabal) or Trump’s “massive fraud.” On Election Day, about 75% who showed up to vote were Republicans, only half voted for Mr. Trump. They accept the assertions that the virus is a hoax, dissent is un-American, and Democrats are “socialists.”
The right played on the fears of people who would rather listen to conspiracies and false statements than facts. “If Joe Biden wins we will see the biggest recession in history,” and “Biden will increase your taxes” (without the “if you make $400,000 or more”).
They’re not bad people, just misinformed. I know, the left cherry picks information too, they just don’t go as far and are more civil about it, not bullying or questioning the patriotism of their opponents.
The gripe is this “massive fraud” B.S — if there was fraud, where’s the evidence? If the president and/or his lawyers have evidence, produce it! The fact is, no massive fraud. The politician trying to overthrow the elections should put up or shut up.
Mourning losses in area nursing homes
I’ve been leading poetry writing classes in Centre County’s low-income nursing homes for almost 10 years. I’ve made many good friends among my students, and I’ve become accustomed to losing those friends — when working with older adults, that’s part of the job. At least one or two or my students die every year.
But with Centre Crest nursing home, where I’ve taught since 2016, reporting last week that nearly 90% of residents are actively infected with COVID-19, I fear I will lose many more friends this year. I can’t help but think of all the stories my students have shared with me — stories of old barns and dresses, trips to the ocean, butchering, bowling, gambling, rambling and more — and I can’t help but think of the painful, lonely deaths that now surely await some of them.
It might be easy to ask, how did Centre Crest and other facilities let this happen? But with the virus so widespread in our region, it’s hard to see how they could have stopped it from happening, short of asking all staff to live on site — a costly move that even the wealthiest facilities couldn’t afford.
And it does all come back to money, doesn’t it? It was simply more important for Penn State to bring students back, more important for people to shop and travel, than it was to keep our older adults (who do not significantly contribute to the economy) alive. This was a communal responsibility, and as a community we failed.