Letters: Kennedy’s statements ‘horrific,’ hurtful; House, Senate members must stop Trump

Editor’s note: The Centre Daily Times welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the May 20 primary election and will accept letters that are received by May 6. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid attacks on other candidates.

Kennedy’s statements ‘horrific,’ hurtful

The horrific statements made by Robert Kennedy Jr. that children with autism will “never pay taxes, hold a job, or go on a date” create a narrative that assumes their life is of lesser value. These statements are to create shame for those whose minds and bodies function differently than what our societal constructs have determined to be “normal.” To brazenly state that these individuals are a burden to their families completely disregards all the hardships, efforts and victories that people go through to create a safe and humanizing world for our special needs community.

I write this for all the parents of special needs children, especially those who are scared or who do not feel they have a voice. I praise the teachers and school district staff, behavioral specialists, service coordinators, case managers, and paraprofessionals who work tirelessly to support children; helping them be part of society that demands assimilation and high levels of productivity.

Autism does not discriminate by political affiliation, socio-economic status, race or gender. Adults and children with autism have always existed within our families and communities. Without appropriate services and supports, they were removed from mainstream society or closely guarded and sheltered by their parents; resulting in them having few to no life skills. For those on the higher functioning end of the spectrum, they learned to mask their true self for the sake of fitting in; a survival tool that ultimately yields negative impacts to ones’ physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being.

House, Senate members must stop Trump

Above all else, the responsibility of every member of the U.S. House and Senate is to support and defend the Constitution. They took an oath to do just that. Why, then, the inaction as Donald Trump leads the dissolution of our right to free speech and freedom to peacefully assemble in protest, the separation church and state and of powers in the branches of government, and, in general, the rule of law in the United States?

The President is free to lie to us, which he does regularly. He is even free to insult and dismiss our long and true allies and replace them with countries led by authoritarian dictators — Russia under Vladimir Putin’s dictatorial rule, Hungary with anti-democratic Viktor Orbán, and now, El Salvador, whose president Nayib Bukele describes himself as “the world’s coolest dictator.” He can do so because the President has the Constitutional right to preside over foreign policy, however irresponsibly he does so. But trampling on the Constitution is out of bounds and needs to be stopped. No one is above the law.

Trump has flagrantly disregarded federal courts, up to and including the Supreme Court. He has determined that search, seizure and imprisonment without due process is acceptable. He has usurped Congress’s responsibility to determine how our government spends our tax dollars. Our representatives must be true to their oath of office, step up, and stop him. Or they should be replaced in 2026 ... if we still have the right to vote in 2026.

Answer is clear for BOT election

Once again, we are met with a decision. Is a trustee on Penn State’s board a person charged with responsible, fiduciary oversight, or just a PSU popularity contest winner? The answer’s clear. We need to write in Barry Fenchak ‘84 for this year’s alumni trustee election (PennStateVotes.com).

Three years ago, we voted for Barry to go to work. We wanted him to work for more accountability and transparency. Since then, he’s represented the best interests of the university and students, worked to rein in tuition costs, and unapologetically scrutinized finances.

We expect trustees to challenge the administration, not blindly vote along with PowerPoint presentations that recommend hundreds of millions of dollars in spending, even if trustees agree with the recommendations! (Re: Beaver Stadium upgrade). Trustees should get all the particulars about plans/contracts/decisions, then ask detailed questions, then vote. It’s the job. It can’t be delegated.

Last year, Barry had to sue the board to get specific information that he’s entitled to as a trustee. Why was it denied? Cui bono (who benefits)? Why the opaque approach with a trustee, never mind public taxpayer disclosure? A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help Barry with legal fees so that the facts could be shared.

Now, the board has implemented a dubious screening process for alumni trustee candidates, blocking Barry from the ballot. We need to write in our vote for Barry Fenchak ‘84. Let’s show the PSU board that alumni understand accountability. Let’s continue the mission.