Letters to the Editor | Feb. 24, 2025

I am a retired Social Security employee. When a Social Security beneficiary dies, the Social Security Administration gets information about the death in one of two ways: a relative/friend reports the death (I did this by phone when my mother and father died, on the day they died), and through monthly information sharing from the states when death certificates are filed. Instances of such failure to report are few and far between, and while some of these involve fraud, that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are alleging there are millions and millions of people over 100 years old collecting Social Security is both reckless and stupid. If, as they allege, there is someone who is 360 years old receiving payments, that would mean they were 272 years old when Social Security was established in 1937. Am I to believe someone that old filed for benefits then and is continuing to receive them in 2025? We really need to be paying attention, because who’s really doing the swindling is Trump and DOGE.

Jim Siegel, Philadelphia

Philly traffic is a nightmare. Why doesn’t the city experiment with drones to take pictures of vehicles parked illegally (on sidewalks, crosswalks, etc.) and send the owner a ticket just like the red-light and speed cameras? The Philadelphia Parking Authority can continue to write tickets for overdue or unpaid parking. They don’t seem to bother these other illegal parkers. One double-parked vehicle causes backups on streets like Walnut and Chestnut for blocks. The fines would pay for the drones.

Vaughn Cook, Philadelphia

We are watching a coup in real time with a president who has declared the laws of our country don’t apply to him. Where are the voices of our past leaders? Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden all swore an oath to defend the U.S. and our Constitution. They must speak up now and lead the fight to do just that — defend the nation, the Constitution, and our democracy before it is completely shredded.

Susan L. DeJarnatt, Philadelphia

I read the op-ed by former Mayor Michael Nutter with both interest and dismay. I appreciate his concern for low-income people and rising energy costs, but I have questions. With home insurance costs rising sharply from hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, how about the enormous cost burden to low-income families from climate change-driven disasters? Since methane puts around half as much carbon into the sky as coal, per unit of generated energy, can we mention that methane is, in fact, a fossil fuel?

The emission reductions claimed by Nutter are entirely due to the history of methane replacing coal. The Inflation Reduction Act contains many provisions for giving low-income families access to energy-efficient appliances and HVAC systems. The Trump administration is intent on repealing those provisions, and intent on halting the clean energy projects needed to power our East Coast electrical grid. Nutter seems to think climate change is a future problem to be ignored, and energy costs are a today problem that requires giving fossil fuels more money. This viewpoint dooms our grandchildren to a tough life. There’s no real “middle ground.”

Chris Wiegard, Chester, Va., valibn656@gmail.com

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