Letters to the Editor, September 15 to 21

Proud union history

Posted 9/13/22

Residents of Pennsylvania should be proud of their history in the building of the American labor movement.Our ancestors fought for better wages, reasonable hours, safer working conditions, an end to child labor. The movement gave health benefits and provided aid to workers who were injured or retired.

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Letters to the Editor, September 15 to 21

Proud union history

Posted

Residents of Pennsylvania should be proud of their history in the building of the American labor movement.Our ancestors fought for better wages, reasonable hours, safer working conditions, an end to child labor. The movement gave health benefits and provided aid to workers who were injured or retired. 

The Mechanics Union of Trade Association of Philadelphia advocated for a 10-hour work day and workers’ education. The Molly Maguires of Pennsylvania started a nationwide call to action. The steelworkers’ strike in McKees Rock, PA, put an end to the company store. The 1919 Great Steel Strike improved working conditions nationwide. 

They fought hard to build this great commonwealth. 

We need to protect our right to organize and bargain collectively. I am a proud union member and support Tarah Probst (PA House 189). Tarah is working hard to promote union jobs and organized labor. 

Erica Broussard 
Bushkill, PA

Tarred with the same brush

Tom Bose (“Hochul’s comments were disgraceful,” September 1-7) wants to put the New York State governor on a bus to nowhere, apparently for her comments suggesting that candidates Zeldin and Molinaro should join their leader in Florida. 

Because of the ambiguity of Bose’s letter, it is unclear whether he is in agreement with  these politicians’ support of the ostensibly criminal former president, or in disagreement with the recommendation that they relocate to a destination where racism, sexism, etc. is more acceptable. 

Bose provides no reason to vote for Zeldin, whose career has been unremarkable (although completing a B.A. and J.D. in five years suggests he is a smart guy) and who is lacking in the courage to reject endorsement from someone who, minimally, is a domestic terrorist. 

Molinaro, curiously, self-identifies as a “communitarian” (sort of a “Happy Face” commie), which—in more normal times—would disqualify him from GOP politics, where rugged individualism is favored over the values of collectivism. 

Maybe that is the future: one of the few conservatives I can read, David Brooks, has been writing about community values a lot, after Trump destroyed his political home in the Republican Party.

John A. MacKinnon
Lackawaxen, PA

Friendly guns? The ultimate oxymoron

On September 1, Sullivan County residents literally dodged a bullet when an outspoken group of protesters was able to thwart a proposed resolution declaring (branding?) Sullivan County as a “gun-friendly” county. In this latest act of legislative arrogance, and in an all-too-familiar clandestine fashion, chairman Robert Doherty and his five-man junta contrived to ram through this resolution, removed as far as possible from public input, comment and awareness. Fortunately, this latest attempt of government-by-fiat failed, as wiser heads prevailed.  

In these wild and too often violent times, it would be the height of reckless irresponsibility to encourage people to bring their guns to Sullivan County. Flaunting a “gun-friendly” message creates a permissive environment that will lead to escalating incidents of mass shootings as we have seen across the country. Passed as written, all this declaration would have done would be to roil up an already volatile subculture to higher fits of anger and swaggering demonstration of “My firepower is bigger than yours.”

You can’t make assault weapons warm and fuzzy. When having and using a gun goes from a hobby to a cult obsession, whether the shooter is legally licensed or not, we have a problem. Guns in the hands of people who are riled up beyond all reason do kill people in more and more frequent displays of irrational rage. We do not need to flaunt our gun culture, or throw gasoline on an already raging fire. We need to listen to reason, not ranting. Reason and calm will keep us all safe and alive.  

Star Hesse
Narrowsburg, NY

letters to the editor, hochul, union, gun control

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