Letters to the Editor | July 16, 2024
Inquirer readers on learning political lessons from the U.K., city workers' return to office push, and protecting the Constitution.
Across the pond
The liberal Labour Party in Britain was swept into office in a landslide victory recently. It’s no mystery why the U.K. is turning left, while America is turning right: The British have already experienced all the horrors of 14 years of right-wing government, and they don’t want any more of it. Right-wing leaders took them into Brexit, Prime Minister Liz Truss tanked the pound and caused panic in the financial markets, there have been shortages and economic privation as trade with European countries was made more difficult, and more than 120,000 people died in 2022 because of backlogs in the National Health Service. It turns out that investing in government and investing in people is critical to a thriving democratic nation. Who knew? Let’s get ahead of the curve and learn from Britain’s experience. We can reject right-wing leadership now, and save ourselves from what they went through.
Linda Falcao, North Wales
Enough sacrifice
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s request for Philadelphians to “make a sacrifice for our city” is a slap in the face to city workers. We are already making sacrifices with a stagnant minimum wage that’s ranked as the fourth-lowest “real minimum wage” in the country. We are already making sacrifices by dealing with a public transportation system that is either limited in where it goes or runs on an unreliable schedule that fails to meet our needs. We are already making sacrifices by living in a city that offers minimal housing that is truly affordable and accessible, and we’re surviving paycheck to paycheck instead of thriving.
Improvements on these issues have been promised by mayors long before Parker, but it appears the only promise she wants to keep is the one she made to property management owners. The impact of this decision will be felt, but not in the way being promoted by the mayor and her administration. The quality of services will decline as vacancies in city government rise. To Mayor Parker, I say that Philadelphia has sacrificed enough. She should end her return-to-office mandate. It’s time for us to thrive.
Kori Williams, Philadelphia
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