Letters to the Editor | Jan. 28, 2024

Donald Trump has publicly stated that he hopes the stock market crashes this year before the election so he can blame President Joe Biden. He has publicly stated that he will again try to repeal the Affordable Care Act, while record numbers of Americans have signed on. Now he is leaning on his Republican allies in Congress to stop negotiating any solutions for immigration and the border so he can use it as a talking point in his campaign. Oh, and he has already tried to overturn an election in 2020 and deny America a peaceful transfer of power. Trump does not care about Americans; he only cares about himself and power. Wake up, people, this man is dangerous to the future of our country.

Bill Maginnis, North Wales

In her column against the widening of I-95, Inga Saffron comes up with some valuable observations. But she fails to see that all such discussions can best be resolved via compromises that stem from truly understanding the needs of all parties. Yes, focusing more on transit and less on highways is a great idea, and burying highways in urban areas is worthwhile. However, Saffron quotes University of Pennsylvania professor Erick Guerra, who may have some valuable insight, but has consistently shown a blind spot when it comes to understanding how the Philadelphia area is laid out and the needs of Philly’s thousands of commuters.

His statement that “any reasonable planner knows that adding lanes won’t reduce congestion” shows bias and ignorance. Studies show that overloaded lanes crawl and that even after adding a lane and having traffic build back to 85% of the previous load, they still flow better. Any commuter who has ever been stalled where I-476 or I-676 narrowed or crawled through the inadequate single lane leading from I-676 to the Schuylkill knows that adequate lanes and ramps help traffic flow. Better flow also reduces air pollution. PennDot’s plan may not be entirely off base and, whittled down to size, it might actually improve things.

John Baxter, Toano, Va.

I applaud columnist Jonathan Zimmerman for pointing out what Dartmouth has done to bring the stories of both Israelis and Palestinians to the community’s attention. I’m a University of Pennsylvania alum, and I regret the way the administration handled the protests about the war and the choice of speakers previously. The role of universities is to teach how two complex truths have validity, and how to process them with integrity. The only way out of the discord in our country is respectful dialogue. We may choose to disagree, but at least we would have all the facts and someone else’s lived reality. Jumping mindlessly from standing up for one side at the expense of the other may appear to solve the problem in the short term, but it will pop up again when the other side hasn’t been heard. Hatred of any kind does not belong on university campuses. Knowledge and respect, not inflammatory statements, have the potential to create an environment for learning.

Sandra Choukroun, Penn Valley

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