Letters to the Editor | June 27, 2024

A recent Inquirer article illustrates the hard work and planning that goes into keeping SEPTA stations clean. Contrast that cleanliness with PATCO’s 12/13th & Locust Street Station, where commuters must make their way through the overpowering smell of urine, and a colony of people who have found a home inside the station. It’s been so long since the station was cleaned that the concrete steps are starting to crumble. When we contacted PATCO about the smell and poor conditions, they said to contact the City of Philadelphia. PATCO said they won’t clean the station because it is in Philadelphia. Since SEPTA has its hands full with cleaning its own stations, it appears that the 12/13th & Locust Street Station will perpetually fall through the cracks and rarely be cleaned. The station offers a terrible commuting experience. It needs to be part of the citywide cleanup project, no matter who’s responsible.

Jack Heath, Bellmawr

Take a moment and look at the faces of your wife, or mother, or sister, or daughter, or granddaughter. Now think about how former President Donald Trump proudly talked about abusing women, was found liable for sexual assault, and hailed the decision anchored by the three ultra conservative judges he put on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, which for half a century had guaranteed women across the country a measure of reproductive freedom. Lack of access to safe and legal abortions resulting from this decision will inevitably have an impact on women’s mortality. Now, Trump’s MAGA acolytes are champing at the bit to restrict birth control and in vitro fertilization. That is almost inevitable if Trump gets four more years to pack the Supreme Court with additional judges. Look again at those faces of the women in your life. Then look at yourself in the mirror and ask, can I in good conscience vote for this man?

Martin J. Raffel, Langhorne

Here’s a prediction: Donald Trump will lose the election fair and square. His MAGA base will, of course, condemn the results because they live in an echo chamber and can’t grasp that they don’t have the votes to win the day. So, come 2025, there will be a continuation of all the same objections. The GOP may pull the plug and go with another candidate or not. One thing I do know is that not one of them is devoted to public service. This is the key point in our system and a businessman can’t do this job. It’s impossible. If the electorate would evaluate the presidential race on this one clear point, the win goes to Joe Biden.

As much as one can dislike the president, he is a public servant in every way. I’m not a Biden fan per se — his advanced age counts against him — but every bone in his body tries to do the right thing, thoughtfully. Right or wrong, this is the type of candidate you want. One who speaks in detail, works with everyone as best as they can, and hopes for a consensus to help the American public. You need people like Biden in the system the same way you need business types in capitalism. They can be heroes in other ways. They just don’t belong in public service.

Brian Boland, Media

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