— As a reporter, I’m used to politicians exaggerating.

But state Republican Chairman Robert Gleason Jr. has been misrepresenting a recent study of voter irregularities in Philadelphia.

He did it again on July 29 in an op-ed piece in The Tribune Democrat.

Gleason wrote that the report released two weeks ago found hundreds of voting irregularities in Philadelphia that impact elections “by canceling out someone else’s legally cast ballot.”

“Thanks to these irregularities in Philadelphia, your vote in Ebensburg, Johnstown, Portage or anywhere else in Cambria County might not be counted,”  Gleason wrote.

There’s just a little problem here. The information Gleason cites to support his claim is nowhere in the report, done by City Commissioner Al Schmidt.

Gleason says the report found that “between 200 and 1,000 voting irregularities were uncovered in fewer than 1 percent of Philadelphia’s voting precincts during the 2012 primary.”

That’s just flat wrong. The problems cited in the sample of 14 Philadelphia precincts amount to a tiny handful of votes, virtually none of which would have been affected by requiring identification at polling places.

The larger number of “irregularities” the report cites, 744, occurred in a citywide review of all polling places and are likely clerical errors that occurred well after the election, affecting no votes at all.

You can find a link to the full report  and get a more complete explanation on my blog at Newsworks.org.

I respect everyone’s passion on the voter ID issue. But to help readers make sound judgments, we should stick to the facts.

Dave Davies

WHYY radio, Philadelphia



Nanty Glo truck traffic affects quality of life

Residents of Nanty Glo living on Second Shoemaker Street, or Route 271 – the main street through the borough – are being overrun by truck traffic from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. It is a steady convoy of  up to seven trucks at a time.

The noise is unbearable with the sounds of braking and gear-shifting, not to mention the dirt and effects on our health and environment. You cannot use the front of your property or open a window.

This also reduces our property values. No one wants to put up with this.

We taxpayers should not have to live with this nuisance. How much longer will the main bridge hold up to all these heavy trucks? An alternative can be used. A road to Chickaree is close by, a back road used by only a few.

People of Nanty Glo, wake up and get involved. This is our town, not truck city.

Go to the next council meeting, in September, and demand answers. It is time to take our streets back and tell the truckers to take a hike on another road.

To some, trucks on the main street may seem like a small annoyance, but to the families living there, it is a major quality-of-life issue.

Joni Phillips

Nanty Glo Borough



Author wasted 20 years on research

(Regarding “Logical explanation of Jesus’ life,” July 27:)

We all have choices. I choose to believe the Bible is the word of God. You either believe that or you don’t. It’s all or nothing.

God’s word tells me who Jesus is and how he got here: God became man. A living sacrifice to atone for our sins. Conceived by the Holy Spirit. His blood divine. Sinless.

I don’t need 20 years of research to come to that conclusion. I need only to open my Bible and read.

If Jesus was the result of rape by a Roman soldier, as author Paul Verhoeven would like you to believe, then we no longer would have salvation, because Jesus would be a mere mortal.

The fact that it would take Verhoeven nearly 20 years to come up with an unsuitable explanation is telling in itself.

The only thing I am “giddy with excitement” about is how and where I will be spending my eternity. How about you?

Malany Wilson

Johnstown



Penn State teams, Paterno scapegoats

I don’t agree with the NCAA’s sanctions on the Penn State football team. The team had nothing to do with the rapes – not sex scandal.

The teams have played hard for their school. The players and coaches are proud of their wins and accomplishments. Jerry Sandusky is the problem, not the teams.

I also don’t agree with taking those games from Joe Paterno’s personal records. Those games had nothing to do with the rape scandal. These were his accomplishments as a football coach. He’s the scapegoat again.

Sandusky is still getting a pension. I think it should have been forfeited once he was under investigation and from the date of the first known victim of his heinous rape. I think the forfeited pensions should pay the fine to the victims.

His wife is still standing by him, even though he allegedly raped their son – doesn’t matter that he was adopted. Kind of makes you wonder.

Sounds to me like a lot of people are jealous of Paterno and the teams.

Mary Ann Hicks

Parkhill

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