2 weeks Ago
Increase tax for companies that offshore workSince some U.S. companies employ workers overseas directly or indirectly for various services such as call centers, computer services, accounting services, that all take away jobs in America, why not require them to pay a 3% Social Security tax? They are saving tons of money at the expense of American workers.
Would it be unfair to have them contribute to the welfare of American workers and pay into Social Security?Stephen AronsonAllentownDOGE cuts harm citizens who need helpAs a life-long advocate of a positive workplace culture, I know that the chief ingredients for fostering employee engagement are respect for employees working to fulfill the company’s mission, along with the trust and support they need to do their work. I also know the pain that occurs in a transition when an outsider makes changes without taking the time to listen, learn and understand the workplace, its people and culture.We’re witness to this in the public sector by the current administration’s giving ill-qualified Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team a mandate to slash and burn federal agencies.
The result is a massive culling that leaves a shell of an organization in its wake with few, if any, overwhelmed and demoralized employees to do important work. With President Trump’s full support, DOGE’s callous downsizing is devastating to thousands of government workers who are dedicated to serving the public. It’s just as devastating to millions of citizens who need the services these workers provideWhat DOGE is doing is a prime example of how to create an unhealthy workplace — with no respect, trust and support for employees.
Trump and Musk obviously don’t care what damage they’re causing to federal agencies and the people who rely on them.Sybil F. Stershic Lower Macungie TownshipMackenzie town hall didn’t answer vital questionsI listened to the telephone town hall that U.
S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie conducted to see if it was an effective substitute for one held in-person.
Mackenzie answered questions from seven callers, but there was no way of knowing the number of questions that he did not get to — you cannot see a line on the phone. Some questions should have been difficult, but Mackenzie responded with generalities rather than substance. Mackenzie stressed that his vote for the continuing resolution, which includes cutting $880 billion in spending from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, was not a vote to cut the funding of health services, but ignored the simple arithmetic that reaching this goal is impossible without cuts to Medicare/Medicaid.
Mackenzie acknowledged that Russia started its war with Ukraine and expressed support for Ukraine but was mum on President Trump’s willingness to withhold the support mandated by Congress. There were no questions on plans to shut down the Department of Education, shutting down Social Security offices, or the Department of Government Efficiencies’ numerous “oops we got that wrong” actions. In-person town halls put our elected representatives in the lion’s den; the lion created by Trump’s chaos was kept out of Mackenzie’s telephone town hall.
Clark J. ChandlerUpper Saucon TownshipMackenzie’s town hall poorly organizedI attended U.S.
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s recent telephone town hall but was frustrated by its organization. The call dropped, making it difficult to reconnect, and only seven questions were addressed.
Despite using the designated options to engage, I had no opportunity to interact. This town hall seemed roughly put together and a response to the open-seat People’s Town Hall that was taking place at the same time and was scheduled first.Policy-wise, I am particularly concerned about comments on Medicaid and Social Security.
I have a family member who has a mental illness and relies on Medicaid while working as a musician. The claim that enrollees are able-bodied and unemployed is misleading — data from the assistant secretary for planning and evaluation’s office in the federal Department of Health and Human Services shows that millions of Medicaid recipients work full time.Furthermore, I worry about the broader political landscape, including Project 2025 and policies that seem to shift wealth to the elite while undermining democratic institutions.
I urge Mackenzie to engage meaningfully with constituents and base policy decisions on facts rather than partisan agendas.Dennis R. BrownPalmer TownshipAid to Ukraine benefits America and EuropeThe United States has sent aid to the Ukrainian government to the tune of some $128 billion.
The cold, calculating and inhumane way of looking at this aid is to state that the $128 billion should be returned to the U.S. taxpayers.
Never mind that, for the most part, these funds have already been put back into the pockets of U.S. businesses and workers through weapons purchases.
The Ukrainian “payback” would be accomplished through a colonial-era agreement exploiting the country’s mineral resources.The human perspective on all of this is to realize that the Ukrainians have sacrificed their lives as a front line of defense against Russian aggression, thereby protecting the U.S.
and Europe, and saving us from spilling the precious blood of our own soldiers. Is the blood of our soldiers so inconsequential as to be reduced to the status of a rebate from Amazon? Are we going to act as human beings, or the cold, calculating sociopaths it appears we are becoming?Jack W. PaulBethlehemWhale sharks need help to survive as a speciesWhale sharks, the gentle giants of the ocean, are threatened by plastic pollution, by-catch, habitat destruction and vessel strikes.
The species is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and largely depleted as of 2021.Whale sharks are vital for ocean health, transporting nutrients and providing shelter. The species is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, but fishing remains.
Ocean conservation nongovernmental organizations, such as Whale Shark Mexico, need to be supported. Beach cleanups reduce microplastics in the ocean, which greatly harm filter feeders. We have to protect the species of whale sharks.
Taryn JohnsonBethlehemThe Morning Call publishes letters from readers online and in print several times a week. Submit a letter to the editor at [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author(s), and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication..
