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Letters to the editor

Casey addresses the crisis

Julianna Cooper Lewisburg It is a sad fact that more than 4,700 Pennsylvanians have died of drug overdoses during 2023, per The Hospital Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It is a legal prescription drug, but is often manufactured in other countries and imported illegally into our country. Senator Bob Casey pushed for passage of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which will help crack down on the cartels and Chinese chemical ...

Sensible Proposals

Don Wilver, Jr. New Columbia I support Kamala Harris on most issues, but in particular her proposals for education and childcare. In a recent speech, she noted that for too long our nation has encouraged only one path to success, a four-year college degree. In her speech she stressed the value of other paths such as apprenticeships and technical education programs. She vowed to make those a major focus of her opportunity economy. She supports eliminating unnecessary college degree requirements for some federal jobs and partnering with industry and trade groups to provide ...

Housing

Jeanette Morton Renovo This is a real need for elderly persons, especially disabled ones. Apartments for the elderly have tubs which are hard to get in, having to lift the legs to enter —especially for persons with arthritis, hip replacements, back and knee surgeries, etc. Almost all rentals have tubs which are impossible and dangerous for a disabled person to enter to bathe. My husband and I have to move. We have been looking for a place to live for months. I have toured several houses that were possibilities, but we need a 2-3 bedroom; bathroom with walk-in shower, wheelchair ...

To my Catholic friends

Adriana Pena State College I understand that a lot of Catholics are reluctant to vote Democrat because of abortion. It seems a betrayal of their principles to do so. But I urge them to do it because of what is called the “possible good.” That voting Democrat will make it possible to do good there. It is a fact that under Democratic administrations there are a lot less abortions than under Republican ones. That is, that having Democrats in charge lessens the abortion rate. And this is good — in fact for any evil that is being fought in the world today, a decrease in the ...

Vote for the party that respects and honors women

Philip Riffe Cranberry Township I can sympathize with those who oppose abortion. I do not believe that any woman considers abortion lightly. But what happens when the government intervenes in a decision that should be between a woman and her doctor? We’ve seen it already, in states where abortion has been outlawed or severely restricted. Women whose fetus is not viable are forced to carry it to term. Doctors afraid of losing their license or even being imprisoned are forced to make a decision that could imperil the mother’s life. Girls who have been raped forced to go to ...

Asheville’s tragedy is a warning

Jami Murdoch West Milton The unprecedented devastation and loss of life in Asheville, N.C., caused by massive flooding from hurricane Helene, should be a wake-up call to all of us. Many in the Northeast believe that climate change is a problem for the South and West, where there have been dozens of massively destructive hurricanes, violent tornadoes and fires. You can watch them any night of the week on TV news. In central Pennsylvania, severe rain in the tributaries of the Susquehanna River can be disastrous for those in its reach. As climate change worsens, we’ll face more ...