Letters: More transparency needed from Corman; Casinos steal from the poor

More transparency needed from Corman

I want to thank Senator Corman for pushing for transparency with expenditures within the Senate. It only took him over 20 years of being in office to accomplish this feat. In that 20-plus years he’s wracked up a lot that he needs to be transparent about, such as his ties to an organization called Growth and Opportunity Fund Inc, operated by his campaign manager Ray Zaborney, who doubles as a lobbyist. He should fully disclose all of the support he gets from corporate PACs, including the fossil fuel companies and telecommunication companies in his pocket. He should share all of his campaign expenditures to highlight the thousands spent on “gifts.” He should be transparent with all of the gifts he has received as a member of the Corman Dynasty. If Corman is serious about transparency, he must disclose all of his financial involvements relating to politics, not just his expenditures. But he won’t do this.

Corporate PAC money and gifts need to be banned from our state to prevent politicians from being bought. There needs to be a freeze on legislators becoming lobbyists to eliminate industry favoritism. There needs to be actual substantive anti-corruption legislation in Harrisburg that prevents corporate cronyism, industry favoritism, and an unwillingness to commit to constituents and their interests. Corman can’t commit to what is needed to substantively drain the swamp because it favors him. To my knowledge, his seat is meant for the people, people like you and me, not for corporate cronyism.

Casinos steal from the poor

The proposal to build a casino at the Nittany Mall is a plan to steal from the poor and give to the rich.

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to walk through one of these mini-casinos, the slot machines are primarily populated by senior citizens. Some seem desperate to strike it rich with their meager social security checks. They never do.

Does Centre County want to be home to this kind of business?

This plan seems like a lame attempt to occupy space at a dying mall, by owners without the imagination to do something productive with the space.

I urge local governments to think twice before allowing this kind of destructive business in our community.

4 super-spreader events at Penn State?

Good Ole PSU plans to hold four Super Spreader Events at Beaver Stadium.

Super Spreader Event #1 Sept. 11, 2021

Super Spreader Event #2 Sept. 18, 2021

Super Spreader Event #3 Sept. 25, 2021

Super Spreader Event #4 Oct. 2, 2021

Fans may attend with no vaccination or mask and participate fully in Penn State’s upcoming Super Spreader Events.

Or come vaccinated and masked.

Certainly we have a choice of freedom to do whatever we want.

Or we can be responsible people that care about one another.

If Penn State Athletics believes that packing over 100,000 unmasked and unvaccinated people into seats that barely have elbow room is OK because it is outside ... I have a bridge to sell them.

This is all about football revenue.

Public health can go fly a kite.

I hope I am wrong and Penn State football does not create a series of major COVID-19 super spreader events.

For the health of our community and the health of all the fervent football fans that will soon flood Happy Valley, please - wear a mask - get vaccinated.

I hope our health care workers and hospital facilities are ready for the fallout from Penn State football ‘Rah Rah Rah.’