Letters: Blame shows lack of understanding; Text to find food programs

Blame shows lack of understanding

A disjointed letter in the June 9 edition of the Centre Daily Times, submitted by Coburn’s Mark Bauer, reveals the continuing lack of understanding of gas price inflation by many Americans.

First Mr. Bauer labels the supply-and-demand explanation of energy prices as “misinformation.” Just a few sentences later, he actually uses the theory of supply-and-demand to explain that prices will increase if supply is reduced while demand remains constant (or increases). That’s the same argument he earlier called “misinformation.”

Mr. Bauer sarcastically asks for an explanation from (Nobel Prize-winning) economist Paul Krugman. If he were to read Dr. Krugman’s March 18 article in the NYT, he’d find that several recent letters in the CDT (which he attributes to “myopic economist wannabes”) were fully consistent with Krugman’s analysis; they all traced gas price inflation to world market mechanisms, increased demand due to post-COVID travel, and the war in Ukraine.

Mr. Bauer blames Biden’s “energy policy” for higher gasoline prices, without explaining what that policy actually is. Bauer could enhance his understanding of this important issue by researching Krugman’s articles on the subject, as well as the opinion of leading industry experts, who all agree that the president gets wrongly blamed for most of the price increases.

When blaming a governmental policy for an undesirable result, it’s good scholarship to show the cause-and-effect connection between the two. To merely assert that the problem is due to such policy, without providing any connection, reveals a political bias on the part of the accuser.

Text to find food programs

Summer is right around the corner, and for kids it’s often the most joyful time of the year. But many parents and caregivers may be worrying about how they’ll stretch their budget to replace the meals their kids usually eat at school.

During the school year, kids can rely on school programs like breakfast, lunch and after-school meals. But when school is out, many of those critical meals disappear, making summer a hungry time for many children.

Luckily, summer meal programs run by local schools and community groups can help fill that gap by providing healthy meals at no cost to kids and teens at familiar places like parks, pools, libraries and rec centers.

No Kid Hungry’s summer meals texting service makes it quick and easy for families to find their nearest summer meal site. Parents, grandparents and caregivers can simply text “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 304-304 to find free summer meals in their community.

All Pennsylvania kids deserve to enjoy a happy, hunger-free summer so they can return to school in the fall fueled and ready to learn.

Battle of ‘carpetbaggers’

The battle is over for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania. Carpetbagger Mehmet Oz from New Jersey defeated carpetbagger David McCormick from Connecticut.

Neither had legitimate reason to run for office from Pennsylvania. Oz is so clueless about our state that he even misspelled the name of his supposed Pennsylvania “hometown” on his nomination papers.

Pennsylvania Republican voters should have rejected both McCormick and Oz — and told them to just go home because our Senate seat is not for sale to out-of-state millionaires.

Republicans say we need election integrity. Instead they give us Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, poster child for Pennsylvania’s Carpetbagger of the Year.