Letters to the Editor | May 27, 2024

On Memorial Day, we think of the brave men and women who fought to protect our country and keep us safe. Their acts of bravery were of a level we cannot often comprehend. Why did they fight so hard for us? They risked so much; they gave so much. My father earned a Bronze Star with four clusters. We honor our heroes with parades and picnics and trips to the beach. We fly the flag. Yes, we fly the flag to honor our heroes. But what about the flags flying over U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s home? His flag was flying upside down. This has always been a symbol of distress but has now become part of the MAGA insurrection, the plot to overthrow the government on Jan. 6, 2021. What did Alito have to say about this anti-government symbol? He said his wife did it. Some men are heroes, and some are cowards, and we can see which is which.

Sheryl Kalick, Philadelphia

It is not true that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism is so broad “that legitimate political viewpoints — such as opposing the concept of Zionism or even criticism of the state of Israel — could face government sanctions,” as stated by columnist Will Bunch. The IHRA definition specifies that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.” IHRA gives several examples of antisemitism, including the following: Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.

Anti-Zionists assert that Israel, a country recognized by the United Nations more than 75 years ago as a refuge of self-determination for the Jews after an actual genocide, is not legitimate. You may strongly disagree with the actions of a foreign government (as I and millions of other Jews feel about the Benjamin Netanyahu government), but no one would use this as an excuse to deny the existence of any other established nation. Because of this double standard, anti-Zionism is antisemitic, even if some well-meaning Jews deny it. Sometimes it is best not to overlegislate. But when antisemitism is epidemic, defining antisemitism may assist enforcement of hate crime legislation.

Michael Selzer, Wynnewood

Thursday’s editorial on school segregation and the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision came at a good time, as Gov. Josh Shapiro is about to decide the fate of Lifeline Scholarships. To quote an award-winning Black school leader, 60 years ago Black and brown students were fighting to get into public schools. Now they’re fighting to get out. Perhaps the way to bust up segregation is to give families the freedom to decide where to send their children and not have them relegated to a system that continues to underserve the students who need choice the most. A $10,000 lifeline is sitting on the governor’s desk. Let’s hope he is on the right side of history this time.

Janine Yass, chairman, The Yass Prize

As a family physician, and as a cancer survivor, I thank State Rep. Chris Rabb and State Sen. Katie Muth for the recent forum at our state Capitol on the unseen problem of radioactivity in fracking waste. I also appreciate The Inquirer’s reporting on this issue. By law, fracking waste is exempt from the health and safety regulations that govern nuclear waste but commonly has comparable levels of radioactivity. A fracking waste worker described laboring without protection and seeing fellow workers succumb to cancer. Fracking waste is stored near schools, spread on roads as road salt, and shuttered waste facilities are left unsecured.

As a medical educator, it’s challenging to keep up with the growing list of environmental hazards my residents must consider when seeing patients, but I must. We Pennsylvanians, who, as stated in our constitution, “have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values of the environment,” deserve better. We must urge our legislators to hold this industry accountable for the harm it has done all over our beautiful state and demand a moratorium on new gas projects.

Daniel Wolk, Penn Valley

The recent editorial on rising hospital “facility fees” noted that 74% of physicians as of 2021 (and I would think a higher percentage now) work for hospitals. It later posed the question as to why, if physicians were able to provide care and pay their light bills as independents, hospitals now have to charge more.

The obvious was missed. The reason physicians now work for hospitals is that they could not afford to pay the light bills, not to mention cover the cost of rent, heat, malpractice and facility insurance, equipment, disposables, staffing, third-party insurance billing, electronic medical records, etc. Neither can the hospitals, based on the same insurance reimbursement given to physicians as independents, especially if skewed toward Medicaid. Therefore, although it is a nice thought to save patients’ money — particularly for unanticipated bills — the logical answer is not to tie hospitals’ hands but to address the for-profit health-care system from the top down, starting with the entities that derive outsized profits at the expense of providers and patients.

Henry Scovern, Wyomissing

As someone who watches the financing of the causes and solutions to climate change, I was intrigued by The Inquirer story of Salim Ramji, the new CEO at the financial institution Vanguard. As someone who lives in Chester, a small city still dealing with polluting industries that Vanguard invests in, I yearn for a clear commitment from Vanguard to financing green infrastructure — which requires not only capital but long-term commitment. The news from Vanguard feels like possibility but we’ve seen possibility pulled away before — when Vanguard quit the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative in 2022. Does the naming of an outsider to the head position mean a real intention to finally commit real attention to the future on behalf of its investors? There can be little gained from continuing to invest in the fuels that are adding to the climate problems. Shortsighted investment is not in the best interests of clients. Here’s hoping Vanguard is seeing the light.

Joan Gunn Broadfield, Chester, broadfieldje@gmail.com

This is a critical time in our history. Our democracy is being challenged, and we need an educated citizenry capable of making informed decisions. We might all agree that teachers are the single most important factor in a student’s education, but that’s just talk. Where is the support of the public for funding a quality education for every child in every neighborhood? Where is the financing to address the problems that discourage capable people from majoring and working in education? Why should we expect the best and the brightest to spend their professional lives in underresourced communities and dangerous environments?

It’s astonishing more people throughout the United States aren’t demanding that attention be paid to the crisis in education today. We, members of the People’s Zoom Readers Theater, call this another Sputnik moment, a time when our country needs to wake up and respond aggressively to the needs of our children and the survival of our democracy. It could all start with a one-day teacher strike throughout the 50 states that promotes discussions in every city about the most effective and efficient responses to this crisis.

Alexis Gerard Finger, Bala Cynwyd

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