Letters to the Editor - 6/11/2009

Spouse's great fear frequently raised

Editor: I am the wife of a Pennsylvania state trooper. As I sit here thanking God that it was not my husband who was killed on June 7, I am overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, guilt, pride and a roller coaster of other emotions.

I am sad that Trooper Joshua Miller lost his life while doing a job he did every day - helping others.

I feel guilty for being relieved that my husband came home to me that fateful night while Trooper Miller did not go home to his wife and children. I feel proud that Trooper Miller represented the best of the best.

Day after day, I watch my husband put on his bulletproof vest and strap the numerous items of defense on his unbelievably heavy belt. We speak casually about what we will each be doing as we go our separate ways. Truth be told, he never really knows what he will encounter.

As he leaves, I kiss him and always tell him to be careful. When he pulls out of the driveway, he gives me the "I love you" sign. If he forgets, he backs up the car and signs it to me. I want to believe that this small gesture will keep him safe.

My husband is doing a job he loves. He is sometimes overworked and certainly underpaid. He has been shot at, spit on and attacked. His car has been rammed by a drunk driver and he has been in his fair share of frightening situations. I can see the fire in his eyes dimming over the last 19 years. He is growing tired of the madness.

We don't get to choose how we die. But I cannot think of a better way than trying to protect a child.

That is what Trooper Joshua Miller and Trooper Robert Lombardo were doing that night. They were upholding their "call of honor." They are both heroes.

I offer my deepest condolences to Mrs. Miller and her family. I cannot begin to know her loss. But I have imagined it over and over again, every time I hear of an officer down.

Grief is walking hand in hand with Pride.

DEBORAH FRET

Old Forge

Answering the call

Editor: On Sunday evening, 34-year-old Pennsylvania state Trooper Joshua D. Miller gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Troopers Joshua D. Miller's and Robert J. Lombardo's mental and physical skills were put to use when they sought justice, preserved the peace and helped save a child (all of which are an example of the Pennsylvania State Police core purpose).

However, in the end after a gun fight, despite the heroic efforts of so many, Trooper Miller's life could not be saved. Thousands of troopers and other law enforcement officers from all over Pennsylvania and across North America will come together as a brotherhood to honor Trooper Miller and his family at his funeral. They understand death is one of the risks in this unpredictable profession, yet they continue to honorably perform their duties.

Trooper Miller's life certainly was a model for the Pennsylvania State Police "Call To Honor." Especially in his last minutes:

"I am a Pennsylvania State Trooper, a soldier of the law.

"To me is entrusted the honor of the force.

"I must serve honestly, faithfully, and if need be, lay down my life as others have done before me, rather than swerve from the path of duty.

"It is my duty to obey the law and to enforce it without any consideration of class, color, creed or condition.

"It is also my duty to be of service to anyone who may be in danger or distress, and at all times so conduct myself that the honor of the force may be upheld."

Rest in peace, Trooper Joshua D. Miller. God be with your family.

DAVID D. DeHART

Scranton

Ease union access

Editor: Latino workers, who are substantially over-represented in low-wage jobs, made only 71.6 percent of what white workers made in recent years.

While the average CEO compensation nationwide is a whopping $10.4 million, so that means the average CEO now makes 350 times what an average worker makes. It just doesn't add up. Wealthy CEOs are rewarded even if they fail, but no matter how hard the rest of us work, it's a struggle just to make ends meet.

For we hard-working men and women who are struggling to buy groceries, this economy has gone from bad to worse. Even before this crisis hit, Latino workers were already far more likely to face poverty than white workers and something needs to be done. Coast to coast, working people everywhere should be turning out in force to support the Employee Free Choice Act legislation that will restore workers' freedom to form unions and bargain collectively for better wages, benefits and job security.

Latino union members' wages are 46 percent higher than Latino workers who are not part of a union. Not only does union membership give workers a voice to fight discrimination on the job, but also to raise living standards for everyone in the community. Joining a union is the surest ticket to the middle class for working people in this country.

It's time to get this bill on the president's desk, so we can get this economy back to work. Contact Sen. Arlen Specter and tell him to join with working-class people and support the Employee Free Choice Act.

WILLIAM A. SANCHEZ

Dickson City

Dazzling statistic

Editor: One has to give the Obama administration high marks in economic sleight of hand.

The June 9 Associated Press business page article, "Obama: Recovery on track," offers that, while the president is dissatisfied with economic progress to date, the administration is set to ramp up stimulus spending as we are "now in a position to really accelerate." The goal: "create or save 600,000 jobs by the end of summer."

We all understand what "creating" jobs means - on Day 1 there were 100 jobs and on Day 30 there are 150, so you "created" 50 jobs. But, how in the world does one measure "saving" jobs? My suspicion is that this is done by simply extrapolating based on the measurable number of jobs actually created. That is, if, by the end of summer, the economy has shed another 100,000 jobs, the administration says we "saved" 700,000, so we achieved our goal. This is sort of like the Carfax commercial where the used car dealer tries to cover up the objective data regarding the car he is selling by producing a note from a former owner that the car is in great shape.

Thankfully, the Associated Press authors of the article do point out that, based on objective data, the economy has shed 1.6 million jobs since the stimulus measure was signed and that the unemployment rate stands at 9.4 percent rather than the 8.0 percent forecasted by the administration when it was selling the stimulus package.

Let's not fall for some PR guy's ploy of goal-setting based on goals you cannot miss.

GEORGE KOPP

South Abington Twp.