Letters: Casino is nothing to fear; Return civility to politics
Casino is nothing to fear
You know, I am getting perturbed by all the letters against the proposed casino. The detractors seem to know it all, can predict the future and have all the answers and I doubt if they ever were in a casino. My wife and I are in our 70s. We don’t smoke, we don’t drink, we don’t go on expensive vacations, and we are not social butterflies. We do like occasionally like to visit casinos and spend a couple of hours for entertainment. We have been to Las Vegas to visit our sons in the past but don’t go anymore. We do go to a couple of casinos in PA but we like the casino in Maryland, and try to go a couple times a year with another couple. We stop in Maryland for lunch, go to the casino for a couple of hours, have dinner there and head home. I would prefer to spend my money at a local casino in PA and not travel to Harrisburg or Philly. The casino will provide many good paying jobs, local tax money and workers looking for housing. Don’t make me spend my money somewhere else. I believe I can speak for a lot of no-letter writers who support the casino.
Return civility to politics
On Dec. 18, 2020 I received a death threat letter from an anonymous political zealot. The threat was in response to a letter to the editor that I sent to central PA newspapers. My letter was polite but direct — first two sentences:
“PA Congresspersons Mike Kelly, Scott Perry, Fred Keller, and Glenn Thompson: I join the majority of the 8.6 million registered Pennsylvania voters in strongly objecting to your endorsement of the Texas lawsuit to defraud Pennsylvania voters of their legal choice of Biden-Harris in the 2020 election. The facts of the issue are beyond dispute, as has been tested in dozens of recent lawsuits.”
Since December 2020 we have experienced the Jan. 6 assault on Congress, amplification of the dangerous “Big Lie” (i.e., that the 2020 presidential election was stolen), threats to election workers, political violence (such as use of Federal Protective Service mercenaries to suppress demonstrators using violent, unlawful methods), racism and erosion of civil rights and voters rights legislation, and many other troubling trends, many of which are supported by former President Trump.
It’s time for America to return to a more civilized ethos. Please consider adopting these criteria for political candidates for next few election cycles:
- Not endorsed by Donald Trump
- Believes that the 2020 Presidential election was fair
- Supports voters rights and civil rights.
- No negative, attack, untruthful or deceptive ads. Candidate addresses issues in campaign.
- Understands the difference between a social democracy and socialist government.
Nursing home reforms are a positive step
As an advocate for residents of long-term care, I applaud the Biden administration’s wide-ranging nursing home reforms. These reforms address staffing, oversight, quality and pandemic preparedness. We know the devastating impacts COVID-19 and inadequate staffing have had on our older neighbors, and these changes are our best opportunity to dramatically improve the quality of care available to older people.
Additionally, these reforms include transparency measures that will help us know who owns nursing homes so that we can hold those people and corporations accountable. I know that staff are caring professionals committed to their residents’ well-being. The problem is often owners who prioritize profit over people. Researchers at the Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago have shown that private equity ownership of nursing homes is associated with higher costs and decreasing quality of care.
The Biden administration’s proposed changes will help us hold owners and operators accountable to ensure our tax dollars are being used to care for our most vulnerable neighbors. Now is the time to improve care for current residents, and to work to ensure us younger folks will have access to quality care when we need it.