Letters to the Editor | Dec. 17, 2025

In the aftermath of the shocking killing of Rob Reiner and his wife, it’s clear that only person in this horrible scenario who has Trump Derangement Syndrome is Donald Trump himself. The president’s unhinged rant after the couple’s death, blaming this terrible family tragedy (their son, who has a history of drug addiction, has been arrested) on alleged “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (his made-up term for alleged “obsession” with Donald Trump) should be the final proof that the president needs to be removed from office under the 25th Amendment. His incredible personal insults (calling female reporters “piggy,” “stupid,” a “terrible person” etc.), his rambling and incoherent comments on “affordability” at the Mount Airy Casino last week, his tearing down part of the White House to build a party room — these actions are proof of his inability to perform the functions of the job.

This is the man who has his finger on the nuclear button. For the love of God, somebody please invoke the 25th Amendment already. While we still can.

Linda Falcao, Esq., Baltimore

The Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection, the powerful but little-known operator of our region’s electric grid, is currently tasked with managing the increased energy demand from data centers. Just last month, PJM’s own watchdog filed a complaint saying it will not be able to manage all of the proposed data centers without restrictions.

Later this month, PJM’s board will vote to decide how and whether to accept these electricity-hungry data centers into our grid, and what (if any) restrictions will be put in place. One option is that the Big Tech companies behind many of these sites could be asked to dial back their power use for a few dozen hours a year.

This would mean that at the rare moments when our grid is peaking, data centers could slow down, preventing blackouts for everyday ratepayers. It would also save Pennsylvanians on our energy bills if fewer of these expensive “peaker” plants had to be built. Finally, this proposal would be better for our lungs and the planet, as the energy sources that data centers bring online are usually gas plants. PJM should prioritize people over data centers and decide on some restrictions before it welcomes them to our grid.

Jake Schwartz, Philadelphia

Donald Trump came to Pennsylvania last week to tout the performance of the economy on his watch, for which in a recent television interview he gave himself an A+++++.

But let’s look at the facts:

The September 2025 unemployment rate was 4.4%. A year prior in September 2024, it stood at 4.1%. The inflation rate for this September was 3.0%, while exactly a year earlier it was 2.4%. Although Trump likes to claim that gas prices are down, they are in fact little changed from a year ago. On the other hand, healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and the Republicans in Congress are deliberately making the problem worse. The stock market indexes are doing well this year, but they rose by a greater percentage in both 2023 and 2024.

If Trump really believes that he deserves an A+++++ for the economy, then he should add a few more pluses for Joe Biden.

Bill Fanshel, Bryn Mawr

For every tragic shooting, a profit has been made, on both the gun and the bullet. When a person’s life is taken, whether a targeted individual or a bystander, a profit was made. When a child is shot, a law enforcement officer is gunned down, an individual is slain in a domestic violence related incident, or a mass shooting occurs at a school, college, or religious gathering, at some point, a profit was made on the sale of the gun and the sale of the ammunition.

The issue is not about Second Amendment rights or gun rights, but about profits. There is too much money to be made to stop the traumas, the disabling injuries, and the killings. The National Rifle Association, gun and ammunition manufacturers, and retailers lobby lawmakers to keep the cash flowing. Legislators must put public safety above profits and pass gun safety legislation for assault weapons, require background checks for all gun purchases and more. We need to do whatever we can to stop this needless slaughter.

Gerald Koren, Exton

I would like to express my enthusiastic appreciation for the powerful opinion piece by Rabbi Linda Holtzman, which I found both deeply moving and thought-provoking. It strikes a perfect balance between principled passion and rational, fact-based arguments.

The issues need to be brought out into the open, as Rabbi Holtzman does masterfully.

Our family members are longtime subscribers who greatly appreciate your commitment to the highest quality journalism.

Helene Pollock, Philadelphia

For 75 years, the idea of safety for the Israeli people has been tried in one way and has not succeeded. Rabbi Linda Holtzman recognizes this and argues that the world desperately needs another model. We need to hear more nonviolent proposals for how this sacred land can be a home for all of the people who live there — a home defined by safety and peace. And it requires us all to support that process and not allow violence and hatred from either side to prevail.

Joan Gunn Broadfield, Chester, broadfieldje@gmail.com

The School District of Philadelphia recently approved a resolution authorizing its superintendent to negotiate the transfer of up to 20 vacant school buildings to the City of Philadelphia, potentially at no cost. Philadelphia has a reputation for property thefts in which law enforcement threatens severe penalties. However, it is essential to note that neither private nor public properties can be sold by individuals who do not hold ownership. Ultimately, the people retain ownership of the schools, which are funded through the capital budget using taxpayer monies. The public allows the board to lease those buildings, and when they are finished with them, they should be required to return them.

Leon Williams, Philadelphia

Congressional Republicans are having trouble coming up with a coherent proposal as an alternative to the Affordable Care Act. One reason for their difficulty is that the act itself is modeled after the Republican plan that was enacted in Massachusetts after the Universal Care Act of 1993 was defeated by a coalition of conservatives in Congress and lobbyists for the healthcare and insurance industries. As costs continue to spiral out of control and national health metrics decline, there is now, more than ever, a need for comprehensive universal healthcare in this country. Nations with such plans have lower costs and better healthcare outcomes, compared to the United States. There is no nation in the world other than ours in which hundreds of thousands of people are bankrupted by the cost of their medical treatments. Increasingly, many Americans simply choose to decline medical care because they can’t afford it. It is time for our elected representatives to act for the benefit of the people, for a change.

Patrick J. Ream, Millville

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