Letters to the Editor | June 28, 2024

I’m excited to see progress on securing the critical transit funding that Pennsylvania needs, but until funding is secured, there is a lot at stake. Living car free in Philadelphia is a major perk for my family. We save about $10,000 annually and avoid the headaches of parking and driving during rush hour. And we’re not alone. Roughly 30% of Philadelphians choose or need to be car free, freeing up money for rent in our tough housing market.

But the funding gap isn’t just a Philly problem. Nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians rely on transit systems across all 67 counties. These smaller agencies are lifelines for seniors and people with disabilities and even serve rural areas. Without transit funding secured by this month’s deadline, service cuts will be a crushing blow for me and countless others. Additionally, failing to act now jeopardizes Philadelphia’s ability to shine in 2026 when we host the World Cup, America’s 250th birthday, and the MLB All-Star Game. I urge the governor to keep fighting for the $282 million needed to avert this crisis and not to accept a budget without it.

John Walker, Philadelphia

Driving is often terrible because of traffic. More cars mean more traffic. Fewer cars mean less traffic. I can wax poetic about the benefits of public transit — how it enables everyone to live better lives with more access and connection to their community — but I want to address the most salient point for folks who don’t like spending on transit: Better transit makes for better driving. In most of Philadelphia, praise be, we can’t increase the width of our streets. So, more cars that are on the road equates to more traffic. Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed a $282 million funding increase to improve transit service in all counties. Without it, service will likely be cut, and more people will have to get cars. Meaning more cars, more traffic, and worse driving. Make buses, subways, and trolleys better and more people will take the bus, subway, and trolley, fewer people will drive, and there will be less traffic. Let’s make driving less awful by making transit better.

Peter Durlacher, Philadelphia, peter@peterdurlacher.com

Investigations into cases of stolen wages, workplace injuries, child labor exploitation, and misclassification of workers are increasing at a startling rate in Pennsylvania, meaning the Department of Labor and Industry’s Bureau of Labor Law Compliance is busier than ever before. In 2023, the bureau’s 27 labor law investigators investigated over 5,200 complaints of alleged labor law violations — a 27% increase from 2022. This recent spike in alleged labor law violations is all the more concerning in Pennsylvania, where our investigators are responsible for 6.6 million workers — or about 244,296 workers each. In contrast, New Jersey, with a smaller workforce of 4.8 million, employs 80 investigators, averaging 60,300 workers per investigator. With 1.8 million fewer workers, New Jersey has invested three times more in its team of investigators than Pennsylvania. We must do more.

It’s imperative to protect our workers in the same way, which is why Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2024-25 budget would invest $1.2 million to hire 12 additional labor law investigators, bringing our total number of investigators to 39. The ask is simple: We need the General Assembly’s support to help protect more workers and level the playing field for law-abiding employers. This proposed increase will allow L&I to educate more employers on complying with their legal obligations. Many workers, particularly in high-risk and fluctuating job markets like construction, are unaware of their rights. L&I is dedicated to increasing outreach, and empowering workers to advocate for the benefits they deserve.

Investing in labor law investigators is a commitment to justice, equity, and the dignity of millions of Pennsylvanians. I urge the General Assembly to support the governor’s investment in our workforce.

Nancy A. Walker, secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry

Comparing Pennsylvania’s system for funding K-12 public education against other states reveals striking differences. With 14 cyber charter schools, Pennsylvania is regarded as the “cyber capital” of the country. Meanwhile, neighboring states, including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware, do not have a single cyber charter school. The 2022 Independent Fiscal Office review of Educational Tax Credit programs in Pennsylvania revealed a concerning trend. The state has one of the country’s largest private school tax credit voucher programs, with a staggering $2.6 billion invested since 2001. These programs also lack accountability, making it impossible to determine the impact of these funds or even which students received them.

Over the last 30 years, the Pa. Senate has failed to follow state law and the state constitution by continuing to shift the cost of funding public education from the required state-share level of 50% to the current state-share funding level of 37%, causing local property taxes to skyrocket past the national average. The solution: Our Senate legislators should support House Bill 2370, which would fund public schools fairly and equitably — per the 2023 Commonwealth Court ruling — and help mitigate future property tax increases.

Tracy Smith, Macungie

Have you noticed that America’s largest, consistently profitable corporations are doing very well while many Americans are complaining bitterly about inflation? After Donald Trump’s tax cuts went into effect in 2017, the tax rate of these corporations dropped from 22% to 12.8% according to the nonprofit Institution of Taxation and Economic Policy. As Warren Buffett reminded us, his secretary paid a higher percentage of tax than he did. It’s time Congress corrected the inequities of our tax system. Our politicians need to stop promising lower taxes for the wealthy and let our billionaires pay their fair share. Taxes pay for safe roads, schools, garbage collection, and the other services our local, state, and national governments fund. We need a fair tax code with high income citizens paying their fair share.

Gail Harp, Philadelphia

For 23 years, North Bergen and Hudson County in New Jersey have been out of compliance with environmental and educational regulations after North Bergen illegally situated its multi-trailer preschool in Hudson County’s Braddock Park in 2001. North Bergen is still using these trailers despite multiple promises from the township and multiple directives from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). North Bergen’s latest plan to achieve compliance was to remove most of the preschoolers from Braddock Park and place them in elementary schools, but the township claims it still needs the Braddock Park location for a few preschoolers who will not fit into elementary schools.

North Bergen is going to further undermine its plan by discontinuing its lease, at the end of June, for its Robert Fulton Elementary School. This means the township will not be able to house as many preschoolers as planned, further justifying the claim that it needs to have a school in Braddock Park. What is going on here is a disgrace. It is an environmental and educational injustice. NJDEP is not supposed to grant diversions of protected park lands when there are alternative locations available.

This is not the first time the township has undercut its plans to relocate its preschool outside Braddock Park. State officials should do their jobs and tell North Bergen that its 2018 Long Range Facilities Plan is doable and should be implemented. They should take the township to court if necessary. Otherwise, NJDEP and the Department of Education should be held accountable for assisting North Bergen/Hudson County’s violations of multiple state regulations.

Robert Walden, North Bergen

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