Letters to the Editor | Aug. 13, 2026

Hurrah for Jonathan Zimmerman’s recent column on the settlement of an antisemitism lawsuit by Haverford College. As a Jew, a supporter of Israel, and a strong opponent of Benjamin Netanyahu’s domestic policy vis-à-vis the Palestinians, Zimmerman has given voice to many of us. When Palestinians say “From the river to the sea,” it sounds a lot like a sentiment expressed by Netanyahu’s supporters — but it has a different meaning. My personal support for a two-state solution does not make me antisemitic or anti-Zionist.

William Eisen, Philadelphia

I’m 67 years old, and these are the things I remember. I remember when gambling was considered a vice and a moral failing. Now I can gamble on pretty much anything. And I’m encouraged to do so by celebrities and athletes.

I remember when Congress would present legislation to the president, and he would sign it into law. Now we have a Congress that puts forward no new legislation and seems completely content to let the president govern through executive orders. That is not democracy; that is dictatorship.

I remember a Congress and Supreme Court that fulfilled their roles as powers equal to those commanded by the White House. I now see a Congress and Supreme Court more interested in appeasing the current president than in doing their jobs.

I remember a time when the president acted … well, presidential. We now have a president who lies constantly and denigrates and vilifies anyone who disagrees with him.

I miss those times.

Barry Muth, Willow Grove

Your editorial calling for a pause on new data centers has the problem right. Auditors blamed 38% of a recent energy price increase on data center demand. That was $6.3 billion, and it lands on my bill and yours without anyone asking.

But a pause treats the symptom. We are adding enormous demand to a grid we have stopped building.

Look at what else happened this year. The federal government paid about $4 billion to energy companies to cancel offshore wind projects, including $1.2 billion to RWE this month, with the money redirected into liquefied natural gas. We are spending public funds to keep power off the grid. Then we act surprised when power gets expensive.

China added more than seven times the solar capacity we did last year, and close to 15 times the wind. It now has twice as much wind and solar under construction as the rest of the world combined. Whatever you think of the AI boom, the country that can generate the electricity is going to host the industry.

So we have managed the worst of both worlds. We block the demand, and we cancel the supply. One of those is a local decision made by neighbors trying to protect each other. The other is a national decision made by people who do not pay our electric bills.

Barry Vernick, Philadelphia

Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.