Oren M. Spiegler – 4/16/07

This page was last updated on April 16, 2007.

Moving toward ‘1984’; Oren M. Spiegler; Beaver County Times; April 16, 2007.

Mr. Spiegler is such a prolific letter writer, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review gave him a little tribute back in 2003. Google “Oren M. Spiegler” and you’ll get more hits than you know what to do with. Unfortunately, prolific is not a synonym for competent. Mr. Spiegler claims to be a Republican.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“The latest indication that George Orwell's ‘1984’ has come to fruition occurred at the recent Downtown rally for the Pittsburgh Penguins at which Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato thanked ‘King’ Mario Lemieux for working to keep the team in Pittsburgh.

“What a guy, that Mario. He was ‘gracious’ enough to be willing to take the $450 million in public money that was showered upon him to support his violence-based sport, the ‘regional asset’ that trumps arts and culture.

“We are not able to get the General Assembly to come together for a plan to provide long-promised property tax reform/relief after decades of exhaustive study and debate, but let a professional sports team's presence in this state become endangered, and state, county and local governments will mobilize to ask the team owner how high they (and we, those who pay the freight) need to jump.

“I join Onorato in saying, ‘Thank you and bless you, King Mario, for gracing southwestern Pennsylvania with your presence for at least another 30 years and for taking our money.’ What would we do without you?”

[RWC] This is a case of misplaced anger. The folks Mr. Spiegler should be angry with are the politicians. Just as many other businessmen, the Penguins owners simply outlined their requirements for staying in Pittsburgh. The folks to blame are those knuckleheads who took my tax dollars and gave them to the Penguins (and the Pirates, Steelers, PNC Bank, Lazarus, Lord & Taylor, Westinghouse, US Airways, et cetera).