Letters to the Editor | Feb. 23, 2024

Sometimes, it’s hard to let go. But in the case of that grand old vessel, the SS United States, that time has come. Magnificent in her day, she has languished for decades at a nondescript pier, rotting away, absent any of her past glory, and devoid of dignity. Some commendable efforts have been made to save and restore this icon of American greatness, but in reality, they were too little and too late. The staggering costs to restore and repurpose this rusting hulk, and the unlikeliness of a return on that investment, have scared off even the most deep-pocketed investors.

The ship’s caretakers have battled ardently, most recently with an appeal to President Joe Biden for federal intervention. That plea, given the current state of domestic and international turmoil, seems a very low priority. Not unlike an aging ballplayer who lingered a few seasons too long, it’s time to go. Why not devote fundraising efforts to creating a documentary memorializing the ship’s stunning accomplishments and grandiose history? Wouldn’t that be a more fitting legacy than court battles and faded glory?

J. Savage, Philadelphia

I am an independent voter who views Donald Trump as a dangerous demagogue. Given the looming Hobson’s choice facing us in November, I will hold my nose and vote for Joe Biden. But I think that columnist Will Bunch’s depiction of Feb. 8 as a day that will live in infamy is a bit over the top. Bunch dismisses the U.S. Supreme Court’s likely decision not to bar Trump from the ballot as partisan and/or cowardly. He may be right — if the decision comes down as 6-3. But if it is 9-0 or 8-1? I submit to you that two or three progressive justices will have shown a great deal of courage by suppressing their personal political ideology in arriving at their unbiased interpretation of the Constitution, the law, and the quaint old-fashioned idea that elections should be decided by the people.

Bunch also suggests that the media should downplay examples of Biden’s diminishing mental acuity. C’mon, man! Back in the day, the media were willing to help the government cover up the infirmities of Warren G. Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. That won’t fly in our cyber world. The news should be independent of editorial opinion. The ultimate question is not which 2024 presidential candidate voters will see as the lesser evil, but how did we get into this predicament, and how do we get out of it? Can we learn to talk to each other again? Or is it too late?

Jim Lundberg, Quakertown

Jonathan Zimmerman’s recent column on how academics are helping Donald Trump is spot on. Kudos! Higher education, including my college and university, has unfortunately migrated from liberal to illiberal teaching. Instead, teach students both sides and how to think objectively. Years ago, there was an article that defined the word pluralism as “a person who can honestly articulate multiple sides of an issue.” The more points made for each side indicate a highly intelligent person. Isn’t that what we want: smarter people?

Ken Kistler, Berwyn

I am delighted to see Democratic former U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi regain his House seat over a Republican challenger in a special election to replace fraudster George Santos, further narrowing the tenuous grip that the GOP possesses in that chamber. President Harry S. Truman successfully ran for election in 1948 referencing a “do-nothing Congress.” If he were alive today, perhaps he would call attention to a “do nothing but obstruct” Republican House, which is under the ironclad grip of Donald Trump and the extremists in its ranks.

These people believe that when you have policy differences with a cabinet member, or when a president of the opposing party whom you do not like is in office, you relentlessly try to impeach them, and that you only pay lip service to a desire for border security, allowing a calamity to continue to metastasize lest a political opponent be granted a win by passing the comprehensive legislation that you claimed you wanted. The Republicans refused to oust Santos for 10 months, accepting him and his lies because they needed his vote. They have gotten what they deserved, with an honorable man now having been elected as Santos’ replacement. Kudos to the voters of Suozzi’s district.

Oren Spiegler, Peters Township

The editorial “Implement redesign plan” missed a major concern. The new playing fields at FDR Park will be covered with artificial turf, which contains many chemicals that may leach into our water in this flood-prone area — including the forever chemical, PFAS, which is already banned in several states. Playing on artificial turf exposes players to these chemicals. Also, players have more injuries on artificial turf. Burn injuries take longer to heal. The air above artificial turf gets hotter than the air above grass. It contributes to microplastic pollution. Artificial turf, which needs to be replaced every eight to 10 years, can’t be recycled. FIFA does permit it in competition. Most NFL players don’t like it. Boston banned artificial turf in their parks. Then, there is the sacrifice of 48 healthy heritage trees to clear the area where the fields will be.

Emily Davis, Philadelphia, emilylambertdavis@gmail.com

The recent op-ed that explains how just 2% of Philadelphia’s pension fund could boost the local economy recognizes that local pension fund investment could result in important housing, infrastructure, and economic development activities. The pension management board, as part of its own annual review or upon request from the mayor, has the power to prioritize investment in these ways. For a mayor whose brand seems to be making better use of existing resources, this should be an easy call. Pension fund participants, however, will need assurance that this activity will not jeopardize future pension obligations.

Fortunately, local investing can be shown to be safe lending, often safer than investments routinely (and properly) made. Some lending can be done with federal or private guarantees or insurance. Some investments can yield savings elsewhere (such as energy outlays) that can be used to repay loans. New economic activity will yield new tax revenues that can be recaptured to further securitize loans. Borrowers accustomed to the high transaction fees associated with accessing capital markets will have lower costs, enabling more revenues to be used for loan repayment. In short, this is something Philadelphia can safely do, and we should do it.

Daniel Hoffman, Philadelphia, danhoffman338@gmail.com

On Friday, the Germantown Friends School launched a lecture series honoring Christopher Allen, an alum and journalist who was killed in South Sudan in 2017. The series, inaugurated by Reporters Without Borders’ director of campaigns Rebecca Vincent, will highlight a value Allen embodied until his last day: the courage to tell stories that matter.

The lecture series couldn’t be timelier. Threats to journalists have never been greater; Reporters Without Borders has already documented more than 100 journalists killed in Gaza alone since Oct. 7. Look around the world and you see wars, climate disasters, mass migration, growing inequalities, a rising authoritarianism — we’ve never needed courageous storytellers like Allen more urgently. From a young age, he was passionate about uncovering the stories no one else was telling. In 2014, when most of his Oxford classmates were probably spring breaking on Greek islands, Allen traveled to eastern Ukraine, interrogating the aftermath of the Maidan Revolution.

In 2017, he went to South Sudan to report on its undercovered war. While embedded with the People’s Liberation Army, he was targeted and killed by South Sudanese government forces. Since then, the government of South Sudan has subjected Allen’s family to insults and tarnished his legacy with slander. Sadly, the U.S. government, too, continues to fail Allen each day it fails to launch an investigation into his murder. Bravo to the Germantown Friends School for this lecture series that will help keep Allen’s story alive and, just as importantly, inspire a new generation to go out into the world and finish the work Allen started.

Clayton Weimers, executive director, Reporters Without Borders USA

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