Letters: Biden is aiming high; Grateful for competent and caring health care workers

Editor’s note: The Centre Daily Times welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the May 18 primary election and will accept letters that are received by May 10. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid attacks on other candidates.

Biden is aiming high

Ralph Waldo Emerson advised us to “hitch your wagon to a star.” By that he meant to aim high, surround yourself with good people, have worthy goals.

Apparently, today’s Republicans have never heard of Emerson or ethics. The moral stench from the Trump White House has permeated the Republican Party. Trump is gone, but Trumpism lives on in the forms of Ted Cruz, Matt Gaetz, Josh Hawley, voter suppression tactics by state legislators, and the lack of concern for those affected by the coronavirus and its devastating human and economic suffering.

Joe Biden is indeed following Emerson. He’s aiming high, he’s surrounded himself with good people, and his goal is to do things for the country rather than to the country. Last week, Biden convened his first cabinet meeting with competent experts and introduced an economic plan that will bring jobs to Pennsylvania and fix the 3,000-plus structurally deficient bridges across Pennsylvania.

Emerson would cheer for Joe Biden. We all should.

Grateful for competent and caring health care workers

Mount Nittany Health is a great example of the many competent and caring health care professionals we have here in Centre County. Last week my family had an urgent need for a rapid COVID test to get my wife quickly admitted to a nursing care facility. We learned that Mount Nittany Health did rapid testing for their admissions. Several of their employees worked with us to get through road blocks to make the test possible on short notice. Thanks to these fine people she was able to be admitted to the nursing home.

Gerrymandering is a local issue

If you live in the Centre County and don’t believe that gerrymandered voting districts is a local issue, I have news for you. Fact No. 1: Centre County has four different state House Representatives: Stephanie Borowicz (76th district), Scott Conklin (77th district), Rich Irwin (81st district) and Kerry Benninghoff (171st district). Fact No. 2: Voters in Patton Township are divided into two House districts (77th and 81st). Fact No. 3: Ferguson Township voters are split across three House voting districts (77th, 81st and 171st).

This means that voters in Centre County, and particularly in Patton and Ferguson townships, do not have a unified voice in the Pennsylvania House, even though we live together, vote for our respective township and borough council members, etc. The state constitution dictates that voting districts be “compact and contiguous,” but this requirement has been ignored for the past 30 years.

There is hope: two bills (House Bill 22 and Senate Bill 222) called the Legislative and Congressional Redistricting Act (LACRA) are moving through the legislature now. LACRA will reform the redistricting process three ways: transparency (user-friendly website and written report on redistricting decisions, rationale and process), public input (statewide public hearings) and strict map-making criteria. Legislators will no longer be able to draw voting districts to directly aid their political future. If you think your vote is valuable and believe in fair representation, please contact your state House representative, as well a Sen. Jake Corman to voice your support for LACRA (HB22/SB222).