Letters: Penn State trustees should have objected to casino; Trump, Vance lack viable solutions

Penn State trustees should have objected to casino

Shame on Penn State trustees for relinquishing their moral obligation to reject a casino opening in our community. Students need to see how PSU defends their mental and physical health. A gambling casino encourages and breeds highly addictive behavior. Gambling culture is adversarial to higher education that is intended to inculcate responsible citizenship in a democracy. It is our legislators’ responsibility not to ignore the voice of the people.

Trump, Vance lack viable solutions

GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s suggestion that “postmenopausal women”should reduce the cost of child care by taking on caregiving responsibilities is divorced from reality. While it may sound appealing to political ideologues to foist child care onto grandmothers, it is not practical.

Many grandparents today are working well into their later years, thanks in part to government policies crafted by Republicans. According to Pew Research, nearly 19% of Americans aged 65 and older remain in the workforce, a figure that doubled since the late 1980s. Almost 43% of people between 55 and 64 lack retirement savings, making it financially impossible to devote their retirement lives to full-time child care. In any case, many grandparents would prefer a relaxing retirement, not one burdened with stressful child care duties.

Geographical distance often separates grandparents from their grandchildren. Modern families often live miles apart. Even for grandparents living near their grandkids, health concerns or personal limitations can prevent them from taking on such responsibilities.

Donald Trump’s proposals on managing child care make less sense than Vance’s. He has proposed raising tariffs on imports to generate revenue, which he claims would cover child care costs. However, many economists argue that would increase child care expenses and spark more inflation.

The cost of child care is rising dramatically, with 51% of families paying more than 20% of their income on child care. Instead of foisting responsibility for all child care problems on grandparents, politicians should focus on finding effective governmental child care policies to address the issue.

More misinformation, hypocrisy from Thompson

Once again, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson uses his newsletter to peddle misinformation about the current administration. He also manages to highlight his hypocrisy.

This time, he is blaming Biden and Harris for the recent deaths of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in October.

In his latest newsletter, Thompson claims that “The cowardly actions of the Biden-Harris administration has (sic) empowered terrorists and cast doubt in the minds of our allies.”

What “cowardly actions” is he talking about? What doubts?

President Biden and Vice President Harris have repeatedly reiterated their commitment to Israel and have worked steadfast and tirelessly for a cease-fire and the return of all hostages. They have maintained that support even as Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has complicated their task by changing his cease-fire terms.

In his singular criticism of Biden and Harris, Thompson also shows that he cares more about party than country. He fails to call out many of his own Republican colleagues who do not support Israel. In fact, Senator JD Vance, the Republican candidate for vice president, voted against a bill to provide foreign aid to Israel. What about Vance’s “cowardly actions?”

Constituents of Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District are fed up with a Representative who refuses to tell the truth — or hold all elected officials, regardless of party, to the same standard.

Thompson’s taxpayer-funded “newsletter” is not helpful. It’s not leadership. It’s petty, unproductive red meat and voters are fed up with it. We deserve better.

PA family hurt by bureaucratic rule

This past July, the U.S. State Department and U.S. Immigration Service tore my family apart. Denying our request for a hardship waiver, these two agencies ruled that my wife of six years must return to her native Vietnam for at least two years before applying for spouse residency status. Our well-documented request was initially submitted in April 2022. Yet we heard nothing until the bad news came on July 17, 2024. Her visa would expire on July 31, giving us just two weeks to prepare and say goodbye.

For nearly a year since earning her degree, my wife had been working at Centre Safe providing educational outreach for individuals in need around our local area. But her service was cut short due to a rigid — and in this case heartless — bureaucratic rule. It is painfully ironic to us that the government can be so flexible and welcoming to millions of persons crossing our southern border, yet so cruel to a family in Pennsylvania.