Letters to the Editor | April 1, 2024

Is there a legitimate, logical reason that a handwritten date must appear on mail-in ballots? A federal appeals court ruled to uphold enforcement of the required date on return envelopes, but the state knows when ballots were sent out and (through a postmark) when they were received. The voting date is obviously within that range. The only explanation must be to limit voting and to disenfranchise as many as possible.

Maxine Schwartz, Willow Grove

I don’t know who lit a fire under the Philadelphia Parking Authority, but it deserves a medal. As a handicapped vet living in Center City, I salute it. Parking on sidewalks and blocking handicapped access seems like a part of the delivery truck driver’s creed. To them, it is a God-given entitlement, and they operate with complete immunity. This phenomenon accelerated when restaurants were allowed to use parking spaces for outdoor eating, but it was never intended to be permanent. It would be helpful to return those parking and loading zone spaces back to their original use. Also, if the city’s intent is to change behavior, then it needs to make the fine painful. What’s the difference between parking in a designated handicapped parking space and intentionally blocking access for handicapped citizens? $76 is not painful — $301 is.

Thomas Barnes, Philadelphia

When I woke up to the coverage of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, my initial reaction beyond shock was sadness. I had to fight back tears concerned for those directly involved, Charm City, and Maryland. Countless Americans have fond memories of college life in that state, encompassing their first encounters with thick and relentless humidity, lacrosse games, frat parties, beginnings of lifelong friendships, sweltering summer evenings spent drinking beers on the edge of a dock at the Inner Harbor, funky festivals, and its overall unconventional appeal. So I was again taken aback and was aghast as I heard elected officials imply that DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) had something to do with a maritime incident. Baltimore’s Mayor Brandon Scott had to be distracted by blatant racism during a once-in-a-lifetime municipal emergency. Families who have lost their industrious relatives are experiencing devastating and unfounded challenges related to their status amid utter grief. Maybe all that cruel nonsense should not be amplified in the media in the first place.

Mary Kay Owen, Downingtown

Yes, racism thrives in Philadelphia. But most do not realize that racism and other menacing “isms” are rooted in unfinished emotional business from one’s young years — due to terror, rejection, abuse, rage, jealousy, and envy. These feelings are then displaced onto others and ingrained in families and institutions, where scapegoating takes on malignant life. You’ve got to be carefully taught, indeed. That said, the label of racism can be dangerously misused — a misuse I was involved in that haunts me to this day.

From 1991 through 2010, I received an extraordinary pro bono professional opportunity, one used to demonstrate that intervention in early criminal acts offers a far more effective approach to change than jail, as well as one that saves our city money. Carefully selected cases involving domestic violence were referred to me for intensive psychotherapy, in lieu of incarceration. One case involved a professional woman with several children who scapegoated one, beating her mercilessly in the very same way her mother (whom the child resembled) beat her. I worked as I was trained by the extraordinary multicultural, multiracial staff of the nonprofit Society to Protect Children, telling the mom that the city of Philadelphia cared deeply for the well-being of our children and would not tolerate her behavior.

Through developing a trusting relationship with each of the children, along with marital and family therapy, the dangers ceased. However, unknown to me, the mom reported me to the agency where the case was outsourced, labeling me a racist. Long story short, the family was removed from my care. I was given an opportunity to say goodbye to the children, and I do not know who wept more.

SaraKay Smullens, Philadelphia

According to The Inquirer, Philadelphia City Council members get paid more than council members in New York City. They also get paid a lot more than a first-year teacher or sanitation worker. As the people controlling the city budget, largely funded by taxpayers, seeing this disparity doesn’t inspire confidence. City Council needs to create a budget centered around working people and our community’s needs, not developers and their own pockets.

Jen Rock, Philadelphia

During the 1930s and World War II, several countries offered refuge to Jews trying to escape Europe. Sweden, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines offered them entry. Many individual Christians within Europe resisted the genocidal goals of the Nazis and — at great risk — hid and saved their Jewish neighbors. They became known as righteous gentiles. They have the eternal gratitude of the surviving families and memorials to them in Jerusalem. What saddens me is that I don’t see this trend in the war between Israel and Gaza. Not one Arab country has opened its doors to Gazans for even temporary sanctuary. I know the excuses: No one should force Palestinians to leave Gaza. But Gaza is a battlefield, and these families should have a choice. Sadly, the compassion and offer of refuge extended to the small number of Jews during the ‘30s and the Holocaust is severely lacking in this conflict.

Katryn Aslanian, Philadelphia

Too many in the GOP are still asking if the 2020 election was stolen. Donald Trump is a master of projection. Whatever he accuses people of are things he has done himself. There was interference in an American election. It was in 2016. Why doesn’t anyone talk about this? The GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee report released in 2020 documented extensive contacts between Trump campaign advisers and Russian intelligence in 2016. They reviewed more than a million documents. They interviewed hundreds of witnesses. They concluded that Russia conducted a sophisticated and aggressive campaign to influence the U.S. election to help Trump. They also concluded that Team Trump was more than happy to accept the help. Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign adviser, shared internal campaign information with Russian intelligence. These are all facts. The Trump campaign colluded with a hostile foreign government to cheat in an American election. Trump is now blocking aid to Ukraine to help this same hostile foreign power. Wake up, people. Trump is a traitor.

Eileen Hill, Mount Laurel

I recently took my daughter to the movies and planned to arrive on time for the 1:10 p.m. showing of Arthur the King at the Regal Warrington Crossing. I expected to catch a few trailers and leave the 1-hour, 48-minute showing of the movie in about two hours. However, the barrage of commercials continued for 20 more minutes, plus 10 minutes of trailers, causing the 1:10 p.m. showing to begin at 1:40 p.m. The added time caused me to be late for a post-movie appointment. I recognize the movie business took a big economic hit from the pandemic; however, by adding even more commercials and falsely advertising showtimes, theater owners are giving me no choice but to wait for films to show up on streaming services. Threats of lawsuits and legislation to cause films to start at their advertised time have failed, and it’s a shame. I’m appalled at the movie theater industry’s blatant disregard for people’s time, and if this continues, expect the theater industry to drown in its own greed.

Mark Pokedoff, Chalfont

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