Letters to the Editor | Dec. 22, 2023

Living in Center City, I see empty boxes in the neighborhood all the time, the remnants of porch pirates. We are a victim of it as much as we take steps to tell the carrier not to leave the package on our steps. Pennsylvania has increased the penalties for mail theft, but instead of more stringent laws against the thieves, makes more laws for the delivery companies. Why not make UPS, FedEx, and Amazon require a signature when delivering a package? Are harsher penalties going to lessen package theft? I doubt it. Delivery companies should have to take time to get a signature. It’s their business, yet they are putting the customers and law enforcement under undue stress for their bad service.

Andrew Freedman, Philadelphia

In response to the holding of the Colorado Supreme Court that the plain reading of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment requires the disqualification of Donald Trump from reelection, the eminent former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, stated that the issue should be decided by the voters, not the courts. John Adams famously stated that the hallmark of a republic is a “government of laws, not men.” If we are not a government of laws, we are nothing. Under Christie’s logic, a 14-year-old Russian citizen could be elected president of the United States if the voters so decided, despite the express language of Section 1 of Article 2 to the contrary. As a member of the New Jersey bar, Christie took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States. Come on, Christie, you can do better than that.

Harry Bryans, Kennett Square

Having spent more than two decades in higher education administration prior to joining the ADL has provided me with insights into the delicate balance required to uphold free speech principles on campus and protect student safety and well-being. It has also underscored for me the difficulties involved in achieving it. As the Editorial Board notes, the recent upheaval at the University of Pennsylvania, culminating in president Liz Magill’s resignation, reflects broader tensions within our society, particularly the struggle to uphold free speech principles while preventing speech from devolving into harassment or creating a hostile environment on campus.

We must strive for common ground rather than extreme rhetoric. For example, I firmly believe in peace, prosperity, and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians and in the importance of eliminating the Hamas terrorist threat. It’s crucial to understand that supporting the rights and self-determination of one group does not necessitate denying the same to the other. Academic inquiry should be a tool for exploring these complexities, promoting understanding, and working toward equity for all involved.

The line between facilitating free speech and inadvertently allowing harassment must be navigated with care and responsibility. While universities should be bastions of free thought and discussion, administrators are also responsible for ensuring that this freedom does not extend to endorsing or facilitating hate speech. For example, a call for genocide against Jews or any other group of people is just that — a call for identity-based mass violence. Such rhetoric is not just harmful, it is a direct threat to students and their safety. Universities must ensure that all students can access educational opportunities free from harassment and discrimination. Failing to address such harassment risks violating federal civil rights laws. While we must protect the right to free expression, we also must guard against its misuse.

Andrew Goretsky, regional director, Anti-Defamation League, Philadelphia

I feel betrayed by U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, yet urge him to reconsider his stance regarding the ongoing killing of innocent Palestinians in Gaza. The thousands of people killed in Israeli air strikes are just as real as the people memorialized by the tattoos on his arms. That Hamas is alleged to be hiding under buildings is not a valid reason for Israel to slaughter babies to try and destroy tunnels. Let Israel instead approach the problem as it would if Hamas were beneath a hospital in Tel Aviv.

Our tax dollars are helping enable Israel to abuse and slaughter the Palestinian people, in both Gaza and the West Bank. Some of their blood is thus on our hands, but I do not call for the U.S. to abandon Israel. Israel has the same right to exist as any other country in that region of the globe that was established by Western occupiers, and none of them are volunteering to dissolve themselves. I instead call on Sen. Fetterman and the rest of our government to demand that Israel end the slaughter in Gaza via an immediate cease-fire and work meaningfully toward a two-state solution.

G. Kurt Reimer, Philadelphia

I have been a registered Republican since 1982. My three brothers and I served in the military, including combat tours in the Middle East. I understand the importance of supporting democracy and fighting tyranny, which is exactly why I am so frustrated with the GOP’s inaction on the issue of Ukraine. This fight is not just about Ukraine, it is about the core ideas of America and freedom. Geopolitically, it is the best investment we’ve made. With just 5% of our annual defense budget and no American troops, we’ve helped to destroy over half of Russia’s forces.

The Republican Party that I joined as a young soldier was the party of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. It was a party that believed America was the shining city on the hill. Unfortunately, there are factions now in the Republican Party that don’t know American history. I would ask them to reread America’s history during the Cold War. I would ask them to realize that not just in Eastern Europe, but beyond, people look to America to take the lead. A retreat from the world will only lead to American deaths in the future. I urge Republicans to support Ukraine.

Andrew Passyn, Plymouth Meeting, apassyn@hotmail.com

A letter writer blamed inflation on Bidenomics and government spending, but there are several other factors conveniently omitted. Inflation reared its ugly head when, due to the pandemic, the global supply chains were disrupted. It was a worldwide phenomenon, affecting the U.S. much less than many other industrialized countries, where inflation remains higher. Yes, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, attacking corporate greed is a tricky business in the world of free enterprise, where ethical price-setting is not taught in business schools. In a hypercapitalist society, greed was, is, and always will be good.

The writer complains about the federal debt. It started rising with Ronald Reagan’s tax cuts in 1981, then kept going up with tax cuts under George W. Bush and Donald Trump, triggering boom/bust cycles. It resulted in deeper income inequality, wealth redistribution to the top 2%, and very little “trickle-down.” The tax cuts certainly did not pay for themselves at the fiscal level, as predicted by advocates. The deficits ballooned.

America never prospered more than in the post-World War II period, when corporate and high-income tax rates were much higher. Today’s conservatives in Congress want to still lower taxes and defund the IRS, allowing the rich to evade taxes by the billions at the expense of the average American. The Biden administration and the Federal Reserve have done a remarkable job in reducing inflation without causing a recession. The programs Sen. Casey voted for are not the problem, the problem is the bloated defense budget nobody wants to challenge and the rich and corporations not paying their fair share.

Martin Schmid, Glenside

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