Johnson right to stop immigration bill
Joseph Sabino Mistick is wrong to blame House Speaker Mike Johnson for putting the brakes on the immigration and border security bill that is tied to Ukraine funding (“Mike Johnson won’t be remembered as one of the greats,” Feb. 17, TribLive). Since taking office in January 2021, President Biden has looked the other way while over 10 million illegal immigrants, large caches of deadly fentanyl and possible unscreened terrorists have come into the United States unrestrained. Border patrols had their hands tied. During these three years, Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Alejandro Mayorkas and others have done nothing to stop it.
Why now is there such a rush to repair the entire broken immigration system with a quickly assembled bipartisan bill tied to funding for Ukraine? The reason is voters in recent Iowa and New Hampshire primaries identified illegal immigration as their No. 1 issue. Biden never envisioned immigrants ending up in sanctuary cities, straining city budgets and resources and making illegal immigration a highly visible national problem. Now he and his party are badly underwater on a major issue in an election year, and he needs help to show or give the illusion that he is doing something about it.
Polls show that U.S. citizens overwhelmingly support legal immigration. A comprehensive remake of the immigration system deserves major study, debate and overhaul, not a quick-fix proposal that reeks of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” politics. Ukraine funding is important, but its case should be won or lost separate from immigration.
Johnson is right to be skeptical and to withhold his support.
Scott Brown
Greensburg
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Minority rules in U.S.
In a democracy, the majority is supposed to rule. But, in Congress, a small minority under Trump-supported Speaker Mike Johnson is determining the fate of a nation by refusing to put Ukraine aid up for a vote even though large majorities in Congress support it. A handful of MAGA, Putin-loving Republicans, a tyrannical minority, are willing to see Ukraine defeated, America humiliated and Vladimir Putin rewarded.
Majorities are supposed to matter. Yet, with a majority of Americans wanting our border policy fixed, minority MAGA Republicans, on Trump’s order, killed the bill. A majority of Americans want strict gun legislation, but the same minority prevents it from happening.
In two recent elections, 2000 and 2016, the majority’s choice lost out because of an archaic electoral system allowing the minority to choose the president, leading to a Supreme Court whose rulings hardly reflect the majority.
And now, the consequences of a minority’s cruel obstruction sees Ukraine losing for lack of ammunition, with Putin and his MAGA sycophant Republicans salivating over the demise of a free people. How has America come to this?
When such misguided and un-American minorities are allowed to dictate a country’s direction, democracy ceases to exist and the tyranny of the minority becomes reality. And this, sadly, is what we face.
Ron Slabe
Oakmont
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Biden and border
On Jan. 20, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed a multitude of executive orders reversing some of the accomplishments of President Donald J. Trump. One of the most destructive orders, in my opinion, opened our borders to the world.
Now Biden has announced he may sign an executive order to close the southern border, essentially reinstating Trump’s border policies. Of course, he and Democrats are blaming Trump and Republicans for the border issues he (Biden) created the day he took office. Gotta love self-serving career politicians.
Jeanne Shields
North Huntingdon
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Let the babies grow up and make their own abortion decisions
I would like to respond to the letter “Backward steps on abortion” (Feb. 19, TribLive): I think we could all agree on this issue if we would allow the unwanted babies to reach the age of 18 and then let them decide if they want to be aborted or not. That would be real pro-choice.
William Dietrich
Unity
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Biden playing ‘king’ with student loan debt move
In January 2021 President Joe Biden swore an oath of office to protect our Constitution. The Constitution clearly states our Congress controls coinage and the power of the purse. Biden is now playing “king.” The Supreme Court told him he did not have the authority to forgive student loan debt. So now he is wrangling another way to have all taxpayers pay for people in the educated class.
He says he is helping people — but only those who are educated. By his behavior, he is demonstrating power over both the Legislature and judicial branches — contrary to his oath to equal branches of government.
He has been examining the digital dollar transformation through Projects Lithium and Hamilton. Remember, Congress controls coinage and the purse (U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8). Biden seems to be ignoring our Constitution to do what he wants regardless of our foundational documents. Stay tuned.
Terry Feitknecht
Tarentum
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Trump, fear and intolerance
As the most depressing presidential election in my lifetime nears, I have a few thoughts I’d like to share.
Never have I seen a candidate not only not try to unite America, but actually tell his base that anyone who is not MAGA is an “enemy of the state.” If you don’t worship at the altar of Donald Trump, if you even slightly disagree with him, you are considered unpatriotic and obviously part of the “deep state.” Really?
Republicans finally got the border deal they wanted, but I guess Trump wants to campaign on it, so that went away. I see letters saying President Biden could shut the border down — may I ask why in Trump’s four years as president, he didn’t just shut it down?
Why does he need presidential immunity when no other president has ever needed it? So many of his former cabinet members, military advisers and aides keep warning us he is unfit and dangerous for the highest office. You don’t want to even consider what they are saying?
Does anyone else find his “God sent Trump” video beyond blasphemous?
Finally, what is this “retribution” you are clamoring for? Round up anyone who doesn’t agree with Trump and … what? I see posts on different conservative sites that say civil war in the country will happen. Who is killing whom? Did anyone think that through? You’re good with this? Round up your neighbors for the gulag?
We have become so fearful and intolerant of one another, such a shame.
Karla Thomas
Hempfield
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Politicians work for us
Have the politicians forgotten who they work for?
Time and time again, I have taken the time to contact my government representatives via phone, email or regular mail with concerns or issues. These representatives are from local, state and federal governments. I have found, 99% of the time, my concerns go unanswered or ignored. It’s a slap in the face that, after taking the time to sit down and contact these people, they do not have the respect for their constituents to acknowledge your concern.
Our government has become so arrogant and comfortable in their positions that they feel they have the right to sit back and not respond to the people who have elected them. With the devastation of our country happening more each day and all the concerns we have, we the people have the right to fix this problem and have all of those in government who do not follow the oath that they “all” took when elected, to uphold the Constitution, thrown out of office. They are not serving us; they are serving themselves.
Shelia Hanlon
West Deer