Letters: Big Franklin salary for ‘drab’ record; Hospital strain should concern all

Big Franklin salary for ‘drab’ record

Recent developments concerning Mr. Franklin and his pending windfall raise questions and do little to repair the image of a football factory nestled in the woods. Football nuts focus on data — Franklin’s Big Ten success in conference, fifth in total victories among the Big Ten, his record versus top 10 teams, 2-13, and when having a top 10 team, 1 and 11 — a vanilla bowl record of 3-3.

Those numbers are “drab,” yet Franklin could be skyrocketing in the conference compensation standings. How does this happen? We have a “lame duck” president willing to saddle his successor with an expensive and low performing asset? We have officials in the athletic department, under fire for continuing their checkered work habits from previous jobs? Where are the board of trustees? Where is the confirmation vote for this record salary and long-time horizon? And, those trustees here or having second homes here, where are they?

Other PSU coaches are battling costs, expenses, and difficulties in second-tier sports, especially those without large crowds. Filled with hard work and long hours, and doing jobs they never dreamed of, helped by an aide, an assistant, or equipment manager, where do they stand? How much could they be helped?

Finally, students facing pressure to pay room, board, and tuition could benefit from additional support — now is the time to go forward and dull the damage from years back. We will all see!

Hospital strain should concern all

As someone who needed to use the emergency room for a life-saving intervention earlier this fall, I do not take lightly the news that Mount Nittany Health Center was so overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients that it had to shut down its emergency room temporarily. The hospital reported that of the 59 COVID patients it was treating, nearly 70 percent were unvaccinated.

Data published in this newspaper reveals that the highest number of new cases comes from the Bellefonte/Pleasant Gap area and outnumbers the Centre Region. I assume that many are unvaccinated. What is this? Revenge for State College stealing the hospital from Bellefonte 50 years ago?

I also wonder why our politicians are silent. Could it be because they are Republicans and COVID is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Republican Party? According to national reports, COVID cases are dominant in those areas that voted Republican in the last national election. You would think Republicans would not want to kill off their base.

I guess we know how Republicans locally and nationally will deal with this national health issue. They’ll fight it with silence.

I can’t be silent. I want my hospital to be fully operational. For me — and many others­ — it could be life or death.

What is Corman restoring?

That deafening groan you hear? That’s the reaction from Pennsylvanians of all ages and all political parties to Jake Corman’s announcement that he’s running for governor to “protect our freedoms.”

This is the same Jake Corman who has talked out of both sides of his mouth about citizen-led efforts to end gerrymandered districts in PA.

This is the same Jake Corman who thinks we don’t have enough guns in Pennsylvania, and anyone should be allowed to carry firearms anytime and anyplace.

This is the same Jake Corman, with zero scientific or medical expertise, who has fought against mask mandates that would have saved lives during the height of the pandemic.

This is the same Jake Corman who says he wants open government and an end to lobbyist money, yet skulks off to Arizona to rake it in.

This is the same Jake Corman who continues to claim we must restore election integrity when the only integrity that needs restoring is his own.

This is the same Jake Corman who conveniently claims any attempt at protecting our democracy and providing for the safety of our citizens is somehow an attack on our freedoms.

Now Jake is running for governor to restore the freedoms that Republican governors and legislatures have taken from voters nationwide.

What we really need to help end this plague of political partisanship and moral dishonesty is protection from people like Jake Corman. By his own record, Jake Corman should not be allowed anywhere near the Governor’s office.