Letters to the Editor | June 3, 2024

The conviction of Donald Trump on Thursday not only has implications for the nation but also for every person who is the parent of a minor. The message all parents should tell their children is that nobody, no matter who, is above the law. Even if you are (or were) a Trump supporter, if you convey to your children that somehow his conviction was a mistake, it will give them the message that our legal system is corrupt.

The truth is the system worked exactly the way it was intended: impartially and fairly. If you disagree, you’re saying that some people shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions. The question, then, is how would you then deal with your children if they break the law? Would you believe there shouldn’t be any consequences for them, or that they are somehow different? If so, you’re failing them as a parent, and you’re setting them up on a terrible path as they move toward adulthood, responsible citizenship, and doing the right thing. Such messaging and its consequences would reflect an abdication of your role as a responsible parent and a tragedy for your children.

Bill Dingfelder, Philadelphia

Since Donald J. Trump has been convicted of the lowest class of felonies, Class E, and because he has not previously been convicted of anything other than assault and fraud, I recommend Judge Juan Merchan sentence him to one month in jail … one month for each of his 34 felonies.

Jack Seydow, Oaks

A jury of his peers, in a unanimous verdict, found that Donald Trump is guilty in his hush-money trial. A jury determined that beyond a reasonable doubt, Trump is guilty on all 34 counts. Whether one is a Trump fan or a fervent critic, we can all take heart that the legal system worked. It held and it validated that no one, not even a former president, is above the law. The democratic process Trump has incessantly and vociferously tried to undermine gave him a fair hearing and came to a unanimous conclusion. Trump is now, and forever, a convicted felon — just let that sink in.

The vital question now is, will it matter? In a highly reputable poll of six battleground states in October, around 7% of Trump’s supporters said they’d switch to President Joe Biden if Trump were found guilty. The pollster said, “This may not seem like a huge number, but anything like it would be decisive in our era of close elections.” So, will Trump’s conviction matter in the court of public opinion? Well, the real judgment day is rapidly approaching, and Election Day will answer all of our questions as to whether or not Trump’s guilty verdict really matters to the American people.

Ken Derow, Swarthmore

The recent editorial on cyber charter schools is another example of the media running cover for those who oppose school choice for tens of thousands of students and families across Pennsylvania. How many members of The Inquirer Editorial Board have visited a public cyber charter school and spoken with the families of the children enrolled? My guess is zero. The board surely doesn’t skip a beat when it comes to maligning the public schools that are making a difference in the lives of 60,000 Pennsylvania children, whose parents are also taxpayers.

Commonwealth Charter Academy families are engaged in their children’s education and are pleased with the quality of CCA’s educational programs and curriculum, which is why 94% return each year. Cyber schools don’t receive the same amount of funding as traditional public schools. A rudimentary analysis shows that cyber students receive approximately 30% less than students in traditional schools.

Cyber schools have adjusted their operations to accommodate the nearly 60% increase in enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic. It would stand to reason to see a proportionate increase in their footprint and fiscal affairs. The growth of cyber schools is not by accident. Families are shifting to online learning because they want their children educated, not bullied, ignored, and indoctrinated. Let’s applaud families for being involved in their children’s education, not continually criticize and denigrate their public schools of choice.

Timothy A. Eller, senior vice president, outreach and government relations, Commonwealth Charter Academy, Harrisburg

The Commonwealth Court decision on how long students with disabilities may remain in school is an argument more than 30 years old but isn’t about a school problem at all. It’s about the lack of services after school age, something the Pennsylvania legislature refuses to grapple with. Waiting lists for adult services have never been addressed, so parents are always terrified about what to do next. If all those parents began calling their state representatives and senators two or three years before the end of their child’s education and asked them, “What do you have planned for my child?” this issue might be addressed. Hand-wringing and complaining to the schools isn’t the solution. I faced this issue more than 30 years ago with my child — same arguments, same kicking the can down the road. Only the legislature can end waiting lists for services, and it does nothing except watch the waiting lists grow.

Arlene Jarett, Bryn Mawr

Once again, I take great issue and displeasure with Jennifer Stefano’s column, this time referencing “Trump’s masterful tax policy.” President Joe Biden has stated repeatedly and unequivocally that he will not raise taxes on incomes below $400,000. Donald Trump’s tax cuts benefited the very wealthy, who should not have received them at all. Large companies and corporations used these benefits to buy more stocks for the wealth of their companies and CEOs, but not to increase the low wages for many of their employees. In addition, with any tax cut for the average citizen came the elimination of many deductions we previously were entitled to, thereby wiping out the cut. Stefano’s columns are consistently filled with misrepresentations of facts, hyperbole, and misinformation. She belongs on Fox News.

Nikki Katz, Huntingdon Valley

. . .

In her most recent column, Jennifer Stefano states that President Joe Biden is making an “odd” case against his reelection by allowing Donald Trump’s “masterful tax policy” to expire. In 2017, the GOP tax reform bill locked in permanent cuts for corporations, dropping the tax rate from 35% to 21%. It created new exemptions in the estate tax and for pass-through corporations that benefited a select few, including Trump. Stefano makes the claim that the largest beneficiaries in Pennsylvania were working men and women earning between $25,000 and $50,000 a year, who received a tax cut of 24%. Yes, individual tax breaks kicked in for most of us, but they are only temporary. By 2027, the richest 1% will see over 82% of the benefits. Meanwhile, making the rich even richer adds $1.5 trillion to the deficit, which opens the door for discussions of cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Those kinds of talks would really “crush working people already suffering” the trickle-down effects causing inflation due to corporate greed.

Paul Mercurio, Lafayette Hill

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