Letters: ‘Political air freshener’ needed in central PA; Consider Corman’s actions beyond PSU support

‘Political air freshener’ needed in central PA

Reading in the Centre Daily Times letters that Glenn Thompson, Jake Corman, and Kerry Benninghoff have been in office a combined 70 years brings to mind the Mark Twain quote: “Diapers and politicians should be changed frequently, and for the exact same reason.”

Corman is leaving (and, thank goodness, his prospects for the governor’s office are looking bleak, according to a recent straw poll). Thompson and Benninghoff should do us a favor and immediately do the same.

We’ve had enough of party-hack lifetime politicians who have no interest in fair elections and serving the people, don’t have the intellect to see through Trump’s lies, and don’t have the spine to call them out.

Mark Twain was right. A political air freshener is definitely needed in central Pennsylvania.

Consider Corman’s actions beyond PSU support

As a retired Penn State employee, I have always been appreciative of state Senator Jake Corman’s support for Penn State’s education mission. As a loyal PSU football fan, I credit Corman with his leadership in successfully suing the NCAA for imposing a $60 million fine that would be distributed outside of Pennsylvania for child abuse prevention. As a result, we have Corman to thank for helping to ensure the removal of those sanctions and the restoration of Coach Joe Paterno’s and his teams’ 409 victories.

Some loyal Penn State fans have promoted Corman for Governor due to his support of Penn State and the removal of sanctions. This is tantamount to single issue voting. Much as I love Penn State, I don’t think one can ignore the rest of Corman’s qualifications and performance as Senate majority leader and his stand on many issues facing us today.

Three areas of concern for me are election integrity, public health policy, and the elimination of gerrymandering in the current redistricting efforts. What would you add to the list? Where do Corman and the candidates stand for you?

Please join me in not succumbing to the emotional appeal that because Corman has done good for Penn State, he will do good as our governor. I will consider the above issues and many more when I decide which candidate to vote for. I hope you will do also.

Don’t fall for election lies

Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania have lied repeatedly about Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The Trump campaign filed dozens of lawsuits to overturn the will of the people in Pennsylvania, but those lawsuits failed to produce evidence of fraud. Consequently, the judges dismissed the cases.

While Republican lawmakers claim that Trump is a loser because of voter fraud, they accept the votes for Republicans who won the down-ballot races. If Democrats altered the votes for President, wouldn’t they alter the votes in other races? The simple truth is that many voters picked Biden for President and then voted for Republicans on the rest of their ballot.

The 2020 election was the most secure election ever. I have some knowledge of this because I volunteered to process ballots in Centre County. All election workers took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and then followed strict rules for processing the ballots. All ballot processing was done under the scrutiny of poll observers and ever-vigilant video cameras. Multiple recounts have verified the accuracy of the vote count.

There is nothing unusual or unlawful about the certification of Pennsylvania’s votes for Biden. What is unusual is the persistent lying by Republican lawmakers who claim that Trump is a loser because of voter fraud. They are being dishonest on a matter of critical importance, and frankly, you shouldn’t believe anything else they might say.