Letters: Thompson’s continued misrepresentations; Election losses

Thompson’s continued misrepresentations

In his recent email to constituents, Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson continues to stoke fear with inaccurate information.

He claims “the average price of a traditional Thanksgiving is the most expensive in history, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.” Those data aren’t about Thanksgiving. They’re about the consumer price index; we already know that there’s still some inflation — although it has declined dramatically. Searching through the data shows that price changes are much smaller than Thompson claims, with some foods actually declining in price.

Data from the American Farm Bureau (AFB) also show that Thompson has it wrong. A typical dinner for 10 will cost $58.08 this year, a 5% decrease from 2023. This is the second year in a row that Thanksgiving dinner prices have declined. Thompson’s specifics are also contradicted by the AFB. Prices are down this year for turkey (6%), and many other items in a Thanksgiving feast (vegetables, sweet potatoes); milk is down 14%. Separately, holiday travel costs also declined, with gas prices down about 25¢/gallon.

It’s shocking that the chair of the House Agriculture Committee doesn’t have the correct data. But then he uses the inaccurate information to ask constituents: “Has your Thanksgiving meal preparation been affected by increased prices?” What’s the point of asking a question he already answered — incorrectly, at that? To claim that his constituents are suffering?

If Thompson is really concerned about his constituents, he would provide accurate agricultural information and enact legislation to improve our lives.

Election losses

We could have had a President who is articulate, mentally sharp, experienced, knowledgeable, compassionate, honest, committed to the Constitution and the rule of law, dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans, not just the wealthy, and a reliable partner to our allies around the world.

Instead, we got Trump.

RIP democracy.

Quid pro quo investments?

Years ago, writer Salman Rushdie was awarded Penn State’s Humanitarian Award. During the question and answer period at Eisenhower Auditorium, I asked Rushdie if he were on the faculty, would he sign a required loyalty oath pledging not to criticize PSU policies either in his classes or research in order to have his contract renewed each summer. He replied that he would not sign a loyalty oath because it would compromise his freedom of thought and speech.

Penn State’s administration has chosen to accept the $8.3 million dollars in donations from real estate developer Sokolov and millions from Lubert, who are invested in the well documented addictive and criminal dangers of the gambling casino as a trade off at our community’s expense.

Student scholarships and a wellness center are the most laudatory of investments — exactly what PSU needs for our economically diverse population. However, Mr. Sokolov, a psychologist and attorney, must acknowledge that a gambling casino is counter intuitive. Their donations appear to me like quid pro quo. Colluding with coercive corporate capitalism at the expense of vulnerable young people, our PSU administration has lost its moral compass.

I join my neighbors and call on PSU administration and President Bendapudi to hear the voices of our citizens and reject a gambling casino in our community regardless of the financial donations that are instead self-serving quid pro quo investments of Mr. Lubert and Mr. Sokolov. If their motives are honorable, their donations should invest in the moral and intellectual character of our student population.