Published: November 21, 2008 01:22 pm         

READERS' FORUM 11/22 | Price wars will bring country back in line

Everyone wants a bailout from the federal government. Where is this money going to come from? The people of the United States.

All the billion-dollar bailouts are being asked for because these companies gave their CEOs large retirement packages, outrageous salaries, perks and anything else they needed to keep up their god-like lifestyles.

Companies are merging and getting so big no one knows what to do when they’re in the red. Now the same people who bought their products or services are expected to pay for their greed.

Many people can’t pay their mortgages on their homes, so the banks take their homes away from them and yet ask for more.

You can’t stop greed; it’s going to get a lot worse. What we need are price wars to bring down the cost of living. Small businesses cannot compete with larger ones.

I would like to see the local gas stations, the ones where you can get gas and your car fixed at a fair price, make a comeback.

I also would like to see candy that costs a penny. The mom-and-pop types of businesses would be fine for everybody.

And above all, put a stop to all the needless government spending and all the perks and ripoffs.

Ken Sendlosky

Johnstown



Should anything in politics surprise us?

I admit I was wrong in stating that Sen. John McCain would be our next president.

Will those who voted for McCain support the Barack Obama administration in any of its efforts in the next four years?

Should they support it?

Will the hard-core leftists stop their idiotic, mendacious blatherings about America being “an evil racist country” now that Obama is the president-elect?

Isn’t it amazing how Pennsylvania legislators who took the “middle-of-the-night pay grab” several years ago won re-election this year? Should it be amazing?

Will any of Obama’s nominees to the Supreme Court be subjected to the same type of character assassination by conservative Republicans that Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas faced from liberal Democrats?

Will the majority of Americans finally realize that the federal government always takes more than it ever returns?

Shouldn’t politicians who believe in a “woman’s right to choose” also believe in parents’ right to choose their child’s school through a voucher system? Why do so many politicians and pundits who are against school vouchers send their children to private schools? Do the words “hypocritical elitists” ring a bell?

Gregory M. Gyauch

Johnstown



Life seems to be better on Mars

On Nov. 17, on the Discovery Channel, I saw the most amazing two-hour show, “Mars Rover Expedition.”

On June 10, 2003, and again on July 7, 2003, two amazing little remote-control cars traveled about 35 million miles from Earth and landed on the mysterious red planet to look for signs of life millions of years ago.

As I watched, I saw scientists, both men and women, driving these two little multi-million-dollar remote-controlled cars around a planet that hundreds of science-fiction movies have been made about.

This rocket traveled through space for a year before it landed, and now, almost five years later, it is still bringing awe to its creators and citizens all over the world.

I thought, all these amazing things are going on with these two tiny cars millions of miles away, yet here we are, back on Earth, still trying to figure out how to stop a $700 billion bailout and if the U.S. Congress will even admit to playing a part in this current collapse.

I, for one, would rather be strapped to the rocket that left for Mars and take my chances in the vastness of outer space than sit beside those phonies in Harrisburg or Washington, D.C.

As the tag line on a bumper sticker reads, “Beam me up, Scotty. There is no intelligent life down here.”

Ronald J. Esposito

Moxham



Hospital’s ‘donations’ passed on to patients

I have a problem with our local hospital donating $500,000 to the city of Johnstown in lieu of property taxes on properties that are not taxable.

The hospital is a not-for-profit corporation owned by the community and by law is exempt from paying taxes on property that is used for patient care.

We complain about the high cost of health care, yet we allow our leaders to incur an unnecessary expense by giving money away that they don’t have to.

This cost is passed on to the consumer in the form of increased health insurance or direct payments to the hospital.

Richard Mezyk

Upper Yoder Township



Stop hatred; give Obama a chance

I am responding to two letters in the Readers’ Forum of Nov. 17 (“Where were bishops before election?” and “God does not tolerate wrongdoing”).

How many abortions did the Bush administration stop with a Republican Supreme Court and Republican Congress for six years? Zero. John McCain voted more than 90 percent of the time with Bush, which means the number of abortions stopped would have been zero.

Are the bishops who stopped serving Communion to parishioners who voted for Barack Obama also stopping the same parishioners from putting money in the collection baskets? I doubt it.

Abortion is not advocated by Obama or the Democrats. We just don’t think the government should intercede with what is between our maker and ourselves. One letter writer said, “The horse is out of the barn; it will take at least four years to get it back.” What does he mean?

The other writer claimed that American families now are being attacked because of liberals. Were there no gays or lesbians when Republicans were in office? Quit harpooning the newly elected president.

Give him a chance and unite together instead of the usual divide caused by Bush.

Red versus blue, Republican versus Democrat, liberals versus conservatives. End the hatred and help unite America.

If the Democrats would say abortion is fine and we’ll take your guns, the Republicans wouldn’t have anything to run on every four years.

On Nov. 4, America learned that neither was true.

Joseph G. Alaimo

Westmont Borough



Proud to be among Bush’s supporters

The media claim that President Bush has only a 30 percent approval rating.

While nobody has ever asked me, I am proud to say that I would be in that 30 percent category.

I want to thank him for guiding the nation through those horrible days after 9/11, and keeping us safe from further terrorist attacks.

Thank you for not caring about your approval rating while doing what you felt in your heart was right by ridding the world of a monstrous dictator in Iraq.

Thank you for the tax cut to try to keep the economy out of a recession.

I believe that the president did the very best he could in troublesome times.

We as Americans should quit whining and appreciate this beautiful free country in which we live.

In January, we will have a new president, and even though I didn’t vote for him, I will pray every night that God will guide him to do the very best job possible.

Denise Mezyk

Upper Yoder Township

     

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.