Letters: Outdoor rec a must at Centre County jail; Competing visions
Outdoor rec a must at Centre County jail
For a community that prides itself on being enlightened, it continues to be very disappointing that access to outdoor space by people incarcerated in the Centre County prison is still under debate. We should keep in mind, some of the people who are in the prison will be found innocent and are being held pending trial, but even those who are guilty of a crime are entitled to have access to sunshine and outdoor space. Just like food, sunshine is a key ingredient of life, health and promoting a more positive mood. Who would believe that the jailhouse in Centre County has worse conditions for its inmates than many third world countries? This is something that we have been aware of since 2005 and yet has still not yet fixed.
Joel N. Myers, State College
Competing visions
I’ve voted in more presidential elections than I care to admit. Some of my preferred candidates won, some didn’t. But I never doubted that each candidate was qualified and had the best interests of our country at heart.
Until now.
The once proud Republican Party is hell-bent on nominating someone who pledges vindictiveness against his enemies and, in the process, destroy our democratic traditions. And his track-record indicates that, with the acquiescence of boot-licking GOP leaders, he is capable of doing just that.
The election this fall is about more than the contest between two men. An independent Justice Department, a fair tax code that doesn’t give outlandish benefits to billionaires, honest elections, our full participation in the Western alliance to counter despot aggression, women’s rights, a system of education that is unparalleled in the world, the advances we’ve made in providing a social safety net for all of us, a livable climate for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and more will really be on the ballot.
Your ballot choice in November will be Biden or Trump. But this election is about competing visions of America’s future.
Trump is about amassing his personal power to achieve dominion over his critics while stomping on our democratic norms. Biden is about preserving and enhancing a fair democracy to serve all Americans.
The choice for America couldn’t be clearer.
Harvey Gilbert, State College
Election deniers in our state legislature
The States United Democracy Center has identified 201 state legislators in battleground states who denied the validity of the 2020 presidential election. Of the seven states studied, Pennsylvania has the most election deniers: 64 in the House of Representatives and 22 in the State Senate (to say nothing of the seven election deniers who represent Pennsylvanians at the federal level, including our own Congressman Glenn Thompson).
The study reports that Pennsylvania’s election deniers “…make up more than 80% of the Senate Republican caucus and hold a majority of seats on several of the most important committees that handle election matters.”
Three lawmakers with Centre County constituencies were named in the report: State Senators Chris Dush and Wayne Langerholc and Representative Kerry Benninghoff.
“Because U.S. elections are administered at the state and local level, state legislators have broad power to shape election administration and voting procedures,” the report says. “Election Deniers in the state legislature, especially in leadership or on powerful committees, can push for barriers to voting, seek to hamper election administration, and erode trust in elections and the officials who keep them free, fair, and secure.”
The 2020 presidential election was fair. More than 60 court challenges affirmed that. The bedrock of democracy is the public’s faith in the integrity of elections. It is worrisome that so many of our state legislators have taken unwarranted actions to undermine that faith and remain in positions to do it again.
Ed Satalia, State College
