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Letters to the Editor

UPMC must do more to protect workers

I have never worked in health care, but I have deep respect for those who do. Many of my friends and family members serve others through health care, law enforcement and fire service. The recent tragedies, including the York hospital shooting and the assault in Altoona, have shed light on a troubling issue: the lack of adequate protection for those who dedicate their lives to saving others. The response from UPMC has been disappointing. No corporation should allow executives to earn tens of millions of dollars while failing to reinvest in the safety and security of its ...

Christian nationalism is not Christian

For some, Christian Nationalism simply means loving your country and using Christian beliefs to guide voting decisions. But there is a form of Christian Nationalism gaining traction in our country that is not really Christian at all. And this ideology is being stressed in some of our churches and in the political sphere. Christian Nationalism is based on several fallacies: 1. Our founding fathers intended our nation to be a Christian nation. In fact, our founding fathers believed in the separation of church and state and religious freedom for all. Under the constitution, all ...

Gov’t shutdown is about Epstein

The House of Representatives has been out of session for 136 days. They have not been in session since Sept. 19. Speaker Johnson says he will open the House once the shutdown ends. Saying of course that Democrats are the cause of the shutdown. But let’s be honest. Speaker Johnson can call the House back in session anytime. There is work to do. But he is not for only one reason: Jeffery Epstein. This is an Epstein shutdown. It has nothing to do with Medicaid or ACA subsidies. As we know, the Senate has the power to fund the government without a single Democrat’s vote. They just ...

GOP has forgotten nation’s roots

In a recent Mirror ad by the Republican County Committee, it touted that “It’s a great time to be a Republican.” Such a statement is far from true or accurate. As a registered Republican, I am mortified and embarrassed to be associated with such a party. The present party has been captured and controlled by despicable uncaring members led by that lying dictator Trump. He and his GOP cronies have worked to control the media and do everything to support the wealthy. The party has abandoned the average person by slashing programs and positions that work for the benefit of ...

Solar appreciated for power savings

After reading a Nov. 5 letter expressing concerns about the Prince Gallitzin solar array, I reviewed the Altoona Mirror articles from both Oct. 21, 2025, and Aug. 30, 2024, regarding the installation. Neither article mentioned batteries being part of the system, which leads me to believe there are no batteries involved. This is typical of grid-tied solar installations, which feed (sell) excess power directly to the utility grid and draw from it when needed. That means that the expense to dispose of imaginary batteries at the end of their supposed end of life will be exactly ...

Prince Gallitzin solar array questioned

The Oct. 21 Mirror article on the solar array installed at Prince Gallitzin raises way more questions than it answers. The article states that electric costs have dropped $90,000 while the array produced 827.8 MW since it was installed last year. The article further states that the array has a very short life span of only 20-years. How much did it cost to install? The article implies it will pay for itself, but I find that highly unlikely considering its 20-year life span. How many toxic batteries are installed to store the electricity when demand is low and there is no ...