Liberty Ignited show was a treat

The Liberty Ignited show July 3 at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown was a great success in celebrating America’s 250th Independence Day. The drone show was amazing — a first for everyone in our group — and the fireworks were tremendous, showering the park with bright colors and pounding mortar booms that reverberated off the stands. My only misgiving was that they launched so quickly there was no time in between for the oohs and ahhs of a hand-launched show. We rightly celebrated multigenerational representatives of our police, fire, EMS and military public servants while veterans unfurled a huge flag on field, and then thousands in attendance sang patriotic songs together.

But the highlight of the event for me was the full, in-character reading of the Declaration of Independence by the Bachman Players, presenting the words to an audience who seldom if ever hears them today just as they would have been heard and readily understood 250 years ago in Philadelphia, Easton and Trenton. The one disappointment and only political overtone of the evening was the off-program Lenape “land acknowledgement” and presentation, which lost the plot of the celebration of the birth of our nation and the codification of American culture, available to all, in the Declaration.

— Richard Stuby, Lynn Township

Wealth tax sign of things to come

Despite The Morning Call’s occasional left-leaning missteps, this June 16 blockbuster op-ed makes clear why we must support our local newspaper: ” ‘Wealth tax’ is poorly thought out for Lehigh County,” an understatement of colossal magnitude!

Kudos to Messrs. Ron Beitler, Phillips Armstrong and Antonio Pineda for their careful and thorough critique of the so-called “wealth tax” proposed by Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel and Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, two consistently opportunistic politicians. Not that anyone who follows Mr. Siegel should have been surprised, given his campaign and postelection pronouncements aimed at increasing the cost of Lehigh County government; tax increases are as sure to follow as the sun rising in the east.

Adjacent to Seigel is Pinsley, another career politician closely aligned with Mr. Seigel’s views. Pinsley is using his position in Lehigh County as a springboard for a different office, exactly what Seigel did when he campaigned for Lehigh County executive.

Their many campaigns produced strong name recognition for Messrs. Seigel and Pinsley. Watch what you are likely to get if you elect them: larger more intrusive government, higher taxes and public sector government unions constantly demanding — and getting — more of your tax dollars.

— James Largay, Upper Saucon Township

U.S. founded on ideas that unite us

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, each of us should take just a moment to reflect on the historic actions of the Second Continental Congress in drafting and approving the Declaration of Independence. Those courageous decisions changed the course of history and gave birth to a nation founded on the principles of liberty and self-government.

From what I have learned, our Founding Fathers were proud, determined, and strong-minded individuals. While they often disagreed, they shared one common purpose: to unite in creating a document that declared the American colonies to be free.

My hope for this Fourth of July is simple:

• That our elected leaders take the time to read — not only the Declaration of Independence — but also the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

• That they come together and do what they were elected to do: serve the citizens of the United States of America.

The United States of America is greater than any one individual. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights remind us that our nation was founded on principles that unite us and place the people above any single person.

Happy 250th Anniversary, America.

— Robert Cichonski, Upper Macungie Township

America’s future in doubt

Maybe it is because I am older now, but when I look toward America’s 250th birthday, I have a sense of disappointment. We have achieved the unbelievable in our brief history. Yes, we have some major lapses and have a way to go before we fulfill the promise of our Declaration of Independence.

Presently, we find ourselves in a time of upheaval and confusion. Our moral compass has been broken and all too many of us have thrown caution to the wind in the hopes of promoting positive change. Perhaps this is why so many of my fellow citizens decided that character and integrity were no longer a prerequisite for electing a president for the country? We have become so jaded for what passes as governance that we are willing to roll the dice on our future.

The people have lost hope in their institutions and rightly so as they no longer serve the people but exist to further personal ambition and parties over the people. My hope for the future is that we come to our senses and demand the necessary reforms to our broken system. I fear that if we do not, a 300th anniversary will be hard to envision.

— Martin F. Stockman III
Development raises water supply questions

It seems every few months the Lehigh County Authority puts out statements to residential customers that we need to conserve water and cut back on usage 10%-15% each month. If water is already in short supply, how does the authority plan on supporting all the new customers (residential and commercial) considering the Lehigh Valley is being overdeveloped so quickly? How does the LCA plan on supporting data centers? Maybe it’s time to put a pause on filling every empty piece of land with apartments and high demand commercial sites.

— Craig Loch, Upper Macungie Township

The Morning Call publishes letters from readers online and in print several times a week. Submit a letter to the editor at letters@mcall.com. 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.