Letters to the Editor

Gov. Corbett and our state legislators must think Pennsylvania voters have a combined IQ of zero ("Must head off election debacle," Sunday). Were we expected to buy the assurance that only a very small percentage of voters would be affected by the voter-ID law? Did the lawmakers think voters would not notice the quote from House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) that the Corbett voter-ID law "is going to allow Governor Romney to win" the state?

It is a frightening feeling to see the ugly head of the long-dead poll tax resurrected. What a blow to democracy!

I'm wondering if the writer of the editorial "Must head off election debacle" read Bob Warner's July 7 article "Civic groups urge delay in Pa. voter-ID law," which lists the number of ways a voter can use photo ID in November other than a driver's license: •Nondriver photo ID issued by PennDot (at no cost) •U.S. passport •Photo ID from an accredited Pennsylvania college •U.S. military ID •ID from a Pennsylvania care facility •Photo issued to government employees

The law does require voters to make the effort to get the free photo ID offered by PennDot, which doesn't seem an insurmountable problem if they are also able to get to the polls to vote.

If this law would help make the election free of fraud, it seems worthwhile, and wouldn't exclude anyone who really wants to vote.

The letter "Why not show ID to vote?" (Wednesday) makes a good point that "one illegal vote is one too many." But until the state can document that every single eligible voter who wants to vote has received a no-cost photo ID, implementation of the law must be postponed. After all, one eligible voter prevented from voting is one too many.

Has it occurred to anyone in the controversy over the difference between the numbers of registered voters and the numbers of licensed drivers that the number of registered voters may be too high? It's very difficult to keep any list of people up to date. They move, they die, they change their names because of marriage, divorce, or choice, and neither they nor their heirs have any obligation to notify the election authorities of the change. In fact, in some jurisdictions it is rumored to be countercultural to notify the authorities of a change to voter rolls. Before this matter becomes a federal case, let's first verify the voter rolls.

The Pennsylvania voter-ID law is one of the most pernicious things to come out of Harrisburg in a long time. It threatens to disenfranchise about 750,000 Pennsylvanians as a solution to a problem that essentially does not exist.

It is no coincidence that this bill, passed by a Republican House and Senate, and signed by a Republican governor, mainly affects the poor and minorities, the groups represented by the Democratic Party. The smoking gun was gift-wrapped by Mike Turzai, GOP House majority leader, when he essentially said the purpose of the bill was to flip Pennsylvania to Mitt Romney in November. Romney possibly winning the presidency this way would be tantamount to grand larceny.

We know that political parties fight for any edge they can get, but the history of the Jim Crow laws and the modern tradition of erasing hurdles to voting should be realized by all parties. This should be a wake-up call to anyone who takes our democracy for granted.

Let's hope that the courts do the right thing, and that they see that the elephant in the room is GOP dirty tricks.

As an immigrant, I can assure you that voting in free elections is a privilege and not a right. There are requirements that should come with such a privilege. Educating oneself on issues and candidates is one. Getting a picture ID to prevent fraudulent voting is another. I would like to believe that our citizens understand the tremendous responsibility that comes with voting and take efforts to obtain a photo ID if they don't have one. A true democracy demands a voting system with integrity.

The call for a statewide moratorium on gas drilling and fracking is typical of BANANA (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone) environmentalists ("Fracking ban about our water," Wednesday). Eliminate tens of thousands jobs? Halt development of resources that promise energy self-sufficiency for decades?

Where are all of the horrific environmental incidents? For all of the drilling and fracking taking place nationwide, there seem to be very few instances of anything approaching significant environmental harm.

Certainly, hydraulic fracking presents problems, but the technology and environmental safeguards are improving. Better regulations and oversight are needed. But surrender to perceived, but not realized, harm is a quisling's solution.

New York state has recently partially lifted a ban on fracking by permitting liquefied propane fracking. This process is not only more economical (much-improved recovery and extended life of fracking wells), but much more environmentally sensitive. With it, the caravans of trucks delivering and hauling away water virtually disappear. With the improved recovery, fewer fracks will be needed. When released in a well to start a frack, the liquid propane vaporizes and is recovered as a gas, along with the natural gas, thus eliminating water-disposal problems.

We need solutions, not surrender.

Can it be surprising that Republican governors would rather sabotage the Affordable Care Act than take care of their constituents ("GOP is refusing good medicine," Monday)? Republican voters, your elected officials would rather see you bankrupted by medical bills while trying to make the president of the United States look like a fool than take care of your children and elderly relatives. Is this what the majority of registered Republicans really want?

I agree that Abington Memorial Hospital should continue to offer full medical services to women, but the comment that Holy Redeemer is an "inferior hospital" is baseless and totally unwarranted ("Outrage at Abington Memorial," Tuesday). Many Abington physicians are part of Holy Redeemer's outstanding staff and I am sure that their skills do not diminish when they travel three miles to the east. The nursing service and other personnel at Holy Redeemer are also outstanding and patient satisfaction is extremely high. Whatever the outcome of this merger, nothing will be accomplished by trashing one of the involved institutions.