Trump is not the bad guy in Ukraine-Russia war

In 1994, the U.S., U.K., Ukraine and Russia signed a nonproliferation treaty. Nuclear weapons were removed from Ukraine and sent to Russia. Why did President Clinton let Russia have the weapons?

In 2014, Russia invaded Crimea. President Obama and his foreign policy expert Joe Biden threatened consequences, but did nothing. Vladimir Putin kicked sand in Obama’s face and kept Crimea, and started a proxy war in the Donbas.

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Biden called it a “minor incursion.” He issued sanctions restricting some exports to Russia, freezing Russian assets in the U.S. and limiting some transactions with Russian banks. Later he began supplying weapons to Ukraine. However, these were older, less sophisticated weapons with limits on where Ukraine could use them. This has extended the death and destruction within the Ukraine, making things worse in the long run.

Today President Trump is attempting to end the war. No one will to go to war with Russia, which is the only way to get Putin to give back what he has gained. Media outlets, politicians, celebrities and letters to the editor say Trump is the bad guy. Why is he the bad guy? He had no part in creating and/or dragging on this war. He is spearheading a solution. It may not end the way everyone wants, but it will end.

Tom Cerra

Latrobe

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Republican double standards

I have to wonder where the writer of the letter “Time to find common ground with Trump” (March 15, TribLive) has been these past 20 years or so. The writer paints the Democrats as mean-spirited by pointing out Rep. Al Green’s vocal and disruptive opposition to President Trump’s recent speech. Where was he when Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert were mocking and disrupting President Joe Biden’s address?

Then he points out the unprecedented refusal to escort the president into the room for his address. Where was he when the Republicans refused to even have hearings on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee for almost a full year by using the hyperbole excuse that a judge should not be seated during a presidential election? Only to turn around four years later and confirm Trump’s nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, 30 days after she was nominated and a week before the 2020 presidential election.

Was the writer just being sarcastic when he pointed out that Trump showed support for police officers who died in the line of duty? I guess the police officers who got beat up and run over by the Jan. 6 Republicans who stormed the Capitol don’t count? Because in the past, Trump actually praised these attackers as patriots and then went one step further and pardoned them. Don’t follow his this con man’s words, follows his actions.

After losing the 2020 election and attacking the Capitol like the MAGAs did, now the letter-writer thinks it’s time to find common ground. Give me a break!

Don Norris

Middlesex

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Fauci deserves thanks, not demonization

The writer of the letter “No one elected Fauci, either” (March 12, TribLive) seems to contradict herself. She acknowledges (correctly) that Dr. Anthony Fauci “knew better than anyone else.” She also acknowledges correctly that over a million Americans died. But then she complains about the restrictions Fauci recommended, many of which, fortunately, became law, despite the ignorant stubbornness of so many people like her.

Hard to believe there were so many Americans, deluded by President Trump’s cavalier attitude toward the very serious situation, who found it too much of a burden to vaccinate, wear a mask and socially distance. Many businesses had to be locked down for the public welfare. Meanwhile Trump was discouraging mask use and suggesting phony cures, even proposing injecting poison and deadly UV light.

I sincerely hope there is no similar emergency in the next four years (hopefully it will be only four!), because Trump has installed someone I believe is totally unqualified, a vaccine-denying non-doctor, into the position of authority over Health and Human Services. We will be completely unprepared.

According to Wikipedia, we were 17th from the top in fatalities per capita, with 221 countries who did better. If we’d been smarter we could have done better, too.

Her statement that Fauci “destroyed our country” is asinine. Quite the opposite — he saved a lot of lives, possibly even including hers. Fauci studied infectious diseases for his whole career, making significant strides against AIDS. He knows what he’s doing. Hard to believe people would demonize someone who is trying to save their lives.

Fred Durig

Delmont

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Penn State’s priorities

I was always under the impression the main role of a university was to educate our young people. I am not so sure that is the case at Penn State.

Case in point: Head football Coach James Franklin is paid $8.5 million per season. The defensive coordinator is paid $3 million. They pay players to not transfer out. They spend millions for renovating Beaver Stadium. Athletic Director Pat Kraft says you have to pay to get the best staff but we can afford it.

The irony of all this is at the same time Kraft is bragging about all this spending on football, Penn State is considering closing several branch campuses. You have to wonder if their priorities are right.

John Kristof

Lower Burrell

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Steelers have Rudolph, don’t need Rodgers

Very few teams reach the Super Bowl by hoping an older “has been” player might have one more spark left. Most teams rely on putting in the work and developing some continuity. If the Steelers sign a clearly washed up, well past his prime Aaron Rodgers, I’ll be through, finished, finito, done with a relationship I started in about 1962 when I was 10 years old. Believe it or not, their best QB is already on the roster, and his name is Mason Rudolph, while they take their time in developing whatever rookie they draft.

Harold Stone

Pomona, Calif.

The writer is a Pittsburgh native.

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Transit cuts should extend to management, wages

Regarding the article “Struggling Pittsburgh Regional Transit proposes fare hike, ‘brutal’ service cuts” (March 20, TribLive): I have not used this service, as I haven’t needed public transportation into the city. I know there are extenuating circumstances requiring cuts in public transit. I think that with an almost 40% cut in service that management should also assume the same level of reduction of services to their number of management and wage compensation. Maybe also consider reducing or eliminating the Oakland extension expansion.

Tim Waibel

McCandless

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Medicaid cuts would have disastrous effects

Among the many recent proposals in Washington is a movement to significantly decrease federal funding for Medicaid, which would be required if the recently proposed budget cuts are enacted. This would be a shortsighted move that would send a cascade of negative effects through our society.

Medicaid enrollees are our friends and relatives. Over 72 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid. Medicaid covers almost 40% of children, pays for 35% of births in Pennsylvania and covers most nursing home residents. Over a third of Medicaid enrollees are children, but they account for only a little over 10% of spending since as those of us in pediatric health care know, children’s health care tends to be much less expensive than that of adults.

Taking Medicaid coverage away from large numbers of kids would have tragic effects on their health but would “save” a relatively small amount of money for the government.

Medicaid cuts could have disastrous effects on nursing homes, hospitals and doctors’ offices. If the federal government slashes Medicaid funding, it could force states to choose to either drastically cut Medicaid services or enrollment or to try to fund Medicaid by cutting other essential services like education.

Many of us believe that there is certainly wasteful government spending that takes place in America. Trying to remedy that by drastically cutting Medicaid funding would be misguided and likely have disastrous effects on society’s health and stability.

Dr. Thomas J. Maroon

Greensburg

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