Rep. Kelly hopes you don’t know the truth

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly’s Sept. 16 Perspectives commentary (“McGinty Swings Far Left”) demonstrates that he believes your readers are completely ignorant of the facts. He uses the popular Republican lie that the money paid to Iran was a ransom. He knows this is not true, but he is hoping that you do not.

Iran paid $400 million to the United States to buy military equipment way back when the shah was still in power. After he was overthrown and radicals took power in 1979, the U.S. did not deliver the jets and other weapons, and froze the money. We have been holding that money ever since. Maybe Mr. Kelly was raised to believe that it is fine to take other people’s money and not give it back or give anything else in return. The international courts have determined that, of course, we need to pay it back, so we have, along with $1.3 billion in interest. That is not a ransom. And Mr. Kelly knows this.

He also asserts that Ms. McGinty supports having the middle class pay for trillion-dollar programs. He knows this too is a lie. Ms. McGinty supports Hillary Clinton’s tax plan that would have the richest Americans — who got preposterous tax breaks under Reagan and Bush 2 — pay for these programs by a modest increase in their taxes. The middle class does not suffer any tax increase. Mr. Kelly knows this, but he is hoping your readers do not.

The trillion-dollar programs include repairs to infrastructure, like bridges and roads. Sound like something we need? These are just two of the lies in Mr. Kelly’s commentary. You should think about whether you want to hear or read — or publish — anything else he has to say. DAVID BAKKILA Mt. Lebanon

We are in the process of changing the freest and most prosperous government in the history of the world. We are creating a ruling class by repeatedly returning privileged families to power.

It has been reported that Bernie Sanders purchased a vacation home for $600,000 — not a permanent residence and not his first. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are millionaires many times over. Mr. Trump’s wealth came from successes in the free market. Mr. Sanders and Ms. Clinton will brag about being servants of the public. Our politicians reward themselves with benefits and perks that we the public will never see.

We are losing freedoms every day as thousands of new regulations are imposed by unelected officials. Both major parties have contributed to the rapid growth of the federal government. Our founders knew the dangers of a powerful central government and wanted a balance of power to prevent a leader from becoming king.

The left is not hiding its desire to make America a socialist country. The government is in every aspect of our lives, from our bedrooms to our churches. We have recently seen how agencies like the FBI, IRS and Department of Justice are so political that there is no accountability by our public servants.

Our First and Second amendments are under attack. Our Supreme Court has failed the public by decisions unrelated to the Constitution the justices swore to uphold.

I do not know what a Donald Trump presidency would be like. I am certain that a Hillary Clinton presidency would continue us down a road to socialism and further destroy our founders’ dreams. ED BRENNAN

Economy

As the nephew of the painter Esther Phillips, I am writing to say that our family is quite appreciative of Marylynne Pitz’s wonderful story about my aunt’s paintings on display at the BE Galleries on Butler Street in Lawrenceville (“Out of Her Instability Came Art,” Sept. 21). JIMMY GOLDMAN

Oakland