Letters to the Editor | April 3, 2024

Recently, I was able to join Shelley DePaul of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania and others who met at FDR Park to pay homage to the heritage tree treasures. The remaining heritage trees at FDR Park deserve to stay — to provide shade, connections with the past, hope for the future, habitat for birds and other creatures, and to nourish our souls. Our state was once a vast woodland; these trees are reminders of Pennsylvania’s heritage. With tree decline everywhere — through wind events, removal for developments, and disease — we need to protect the trees that remain.

Our entire community needs the trees for walking, gazing, reflection, and relaxation. In summer, the trees provide relief from the sun and heat. Throughout the year, trees provide habitat for birds and squirrels, katydids, and other insects. An earlier letter to the editor made the case that playing fields should be spread throughout the city, accessible to multiple neighborhoods. To add synthetic turf to our environment seems criminal. How foolish to add artificial turf that, in addition to containing forever chemicals, also needs to be replaced every eight to 10 years, with no safe disposal options.

Deb Foote Faulkner, Lansdale

Op-ed writer J.W. Haven makes excellent points about the illusory choice faced by persons with disabilities between working and risking the loss of benefits needed to survive (“Our safety net penalizes financial responsibility by people with disabilities. I know it firsthand.”). I can add another option to the tax-free savings account for people with disabilities she mentions: a special-needs trust. Such a document requires the assistance of counsel. However, persons with disabilities can get free assistance in creating one through local nonprofits such as the Legal Clinic for the Disabled or Philadelphia VIP.

Stanley Jaskiewicz, Lansdale

The display of solidarity among President Joe Biden and his predecessors at a fundraiser is certainly welcome. It would also be welcome to hear from former President George W. Bush. The GOP of his presidency is gone as he knew it. He should speak up about the bankruptcy of his party, as did several former GOP members of Congress. The upcoming election should not be about opposing parties; it’s about democracy vs. autocracy.

Susan Ward, Marlton

Donald Trump’s thirst for power isn’t restrained by the law or electoral losses. Recently, columnists Trudy Rubin and Jonathan Zimmerman addressed a more disturbing and significant weakness: the gutless and self-serving behavior of the GOP. Here lies a haunting comparison to the rise of an unqualified, unstable demagogue in 1930s Germany.

In a recent review of Timothy W. Ryback’s book, Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power, the New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik relays that “the Nazi leader didn’t seize power; he was given it.” The German right discounted, even laughed at, Adolf Hitler, but embraced him, sure they could control and exploit him. Aging President Paul von Hindenburg was persuaded to “box him in” — satisfy Hitler’s ambition and isolate him from his Nazi minority — by appointing him chancellor. Hitler then consolidated power by violence and the exploitation of everyday Germans’ worst instincts.

Chris Christie, Liz Cheney, and Nikki Haley demonstrate the political futility of opposing Trump. Ron DeSantis and Mike Johnson reveal that Trumpism without Trump is no threat. Last time, Trump’s staff, cabinet, and vice president blocked his scariest moves. Now, Mitch McConnell doesn’t just step out of Trump’s way but paves it. Win or lose, Trump will be trouble beginning on Nov. 6. Who can we count on then?

Joe Jones, Mount Holly

The Inquirer’s Sunday front-page article is most disturbing. Multimillionaires and billionaires are starting to write donation checks to Donald Trump’s campaign. They do not support Trump because they believe in his words and deeds as a former president and current candidate. No, they support him because they are concerned that a second Biden administration will raise taxes. I would ask these very wealthy people what is more important: the amount of wealth they have accumulated, or the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law? How much money do you need to have a wonderful life and provide for your posterity? If you think saving money on taxes is worth more than having a wannabe dictator in the White House, I think you are a very sad and selfish person.

L. Schwartz, Conshohocken

The recent crash of the ship Dali into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and the attendant loss of life, the destruction of the bridge, and the economic impact, reminded me of mariner concerns for the lurking dangers to ships entering and leaving ports. I served on 13 Navy ships that made many ports of call in the U.S. and foreign countries. As a conning officer and navigator, I remember being on total alert as we transited harbors through designated channels. We typically maintained enough speed at about 5 knots to provide headway for steering, and we always had two to four tugboats assisting our transits. The Dali was transiting at around 8 or 9 knots, which is too fast, and it did not utilize any tugboats. Its speed was excessive, but the absence of tugboats was the critical mistake. The tugs could have prevented the collision. All port authorities should review their ship transit policies and procedures and require all major sea-going vessels to utilize tugboats when entering and leaving ports.

Donald Moskowitz, Londonderry, N.H.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. By that definition, Philadelphia’s current administration, like many others before it, needs psychiatric help. Addiction is a disease of epidemic proportions and can only be effectively addressed with voluntary treatment. To view it as a crime to be punished, or with people forced into treatment, has proved to be — time after time, administration after administration — a view that has failed to produce the desired results. The efforts of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker are thus doomed to failure. It’s time for the state to step in, but to fund and create treatment opportunities, not to send in the National Guard — a Parker suggestion that Gov. Josh Shapiro wisely vetoed. If nothing changes in the approach to a problem, nothing will change in the results.

Judy Haas, Glenside

After reading about the GOP candidates’ shift on abortion (“GOP candidates in Pa. show signs of moderating on abortion”), the saying that came to mind was: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” I distinctly remember U.S. Supreme Court nominees Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett proclaiming that Roe v. Wade was precedent and settled law during their confirmation hearings. We all know how that turned out once they got on the bench. So I’m sorry that when Senate candidate Dave McCormick says Pennsylvania’s current abortion law is what the people want and he doesn’t “expect that to change,” I don’t believe him one bit. If the GOP is moderating on abortion, it is solely to dupe voters and get elected. Once they get in office, just watch as their tune changes and women’s reproductive rights get obliterated.

Stefan Keller, Huntingdon Valley

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