Letters to the Editor | March 16, 2026

Recent letter writer Fred Hearn argues that President Donald Trump’s war against Iran is unconstitutional yet necessary. I halfway agree. The war is unconstitutional, but is clearly not necessary. Mr. Hearn says the reason Iran hates the U.S. is largely because of our support for Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians. While this may be a factor, it is instructive to look at the history between our nation and Iran. In 1953, the CIA orchestrated a coup against the democratically elected Iranian government and installed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose secret police jailed and murdered thousands of his political opponents.

In the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war, we gave assistance to Saddam Hussein and knowingly helped him use chemical weapons against the Iranian people.

In 2015, a coalition of our allies came up with the Iran nuclear deal, which, with its stringent monitoring, worked to keep Iran from developing “the bomb.” That is, until 2018 when Trump ripped up the agreement.

Mr. Hearn says Iran cannot be trusted to uphold an agreement, but the person who wrecked the very effective Iran nuclear deal was our own president. As far as having blood on its hands, Iran has committed extensive violence, but the number of people killed by its military pales compared with the death toll from our nation’s wars of choice in Iraq, which claimed the lives of more than 300,000 civilians as well as 4,500 of our soldiers.

This war is not only unnecessary, it is engulfing the Middle East in death, destruction, and regional war. It is also disrupting the world economy and risking another world war. We must end this disastrous war now.

Dave Posmontier, Elkins Park

In his recent letter to the editor, Fred Hearn puts his finger on why our nation has such deep divisions. Those who support Trump administration policies (whether they be bombings and wars, massive federal worker layoffs, tariffs, or mass deportation programs) want a strong man to just get it done. Those opposed to the president’s plans are outraged as much by the blatant illegality of his policies as by their perceived wrongheadedness. We can argue till the cows come home about differences over policy, but we are in big trouble if we start condoning illegal federal actions, which rip at the very basis of our government, and indeed of our society itself.

Those of us marching in rallies should try to understand our opponents’ impatience with Congress and the courts. They have good reasons to be frustrated with the “debates and delays” in Congress, and the painstaking review of evidence and law in the courts.

Yet, short-circuiting our Constitution’s mandates, including the requirements of due process, is not the answer. It fractures our country because the Constitution provides the foundation for the presidency and our country itself. If we want to remain a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people, we must choose the Constitution, not authoritarianism.

William Culleton, Philadelphia

A pair of recent articles about two local health systems are revealing and, in my opinion, distressing: Penn Medicine reported a $189 million profit for the first half of fiscal 2026; Main Line Health had a profit of $8.7 million.

What does either article have to do with improving the health of this community? Nothing much, of course. Will patients get better care because of these profits? Will they pay less for their care? Will there be sufficient numbers of nurses and will they be paid more? Will the physicians most needed by those with low incomes for the most basic care emerge from these profit centers? Not likely

But I bet that CEOs of these august institutions will be more than amply compensated. And many proponents of our profit-based healthcare system — also well paid — will continue to brag that we have the best healthcare in the world.

No, we don’t. We have the most expensive healthcare system in the industrial world with mediocre health outcomes to show for it. Sooner or later we will have to deal seriously with having comprehensive, universal healthcare in this country. Let’s make it sooner.

Masaru Edmund Nakawatase, Philadelphia

America says it honors veterans, but my experience with the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program tells a different story. I am a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and I have been homeless since March 3, 2025. I also served 25 years in emergency medical services and retired because of post-traumatic stress. When I sought housing assistance through the VASH program, which is run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, I was told that I made too much money because of my Veterans Affairs disability compensation. I was also told there were no case managers available.

What makes this worse is that HUD changed the VASH eligibility policy in 2024 to exclude VA service-connected disability benefits. The program is also supposed to pair rental assistance with case management and supportive services.

If that is the policy on paper, why are homeless disabled combat veterans still being told they make too much money to qualify, or that no one is available to help them?

Ryan Bowman, Lehighton

What’s the point in having a Constitution, or any law, if there’s no consequences when the president disobeys it — and intentionally does so? The people of Brazil — who convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro last year of trying to overturn the results of an election he lost — are showing us what we should have done with Donald Trump in 2021. They stood up for the rule of law and put Bolsonaro in jail; we reelected Trump.

Michael Miller Jr., Philadelphia

Thank you to the Inquirer for covering the lack of paid leave for Pennsylvania’s workers. Your recent article sheds light on the harsh reality that unless you are fortunate enough to work for the government or a large corporation, you are likely one of the 4 million Pennsylvania workers who does not have access to paid family and medical leave during life-changing times.

The article mentioned last year’s paid leave bill stalled in Harrisburg, but this year is a new opportunity. The bipartisan-led Family Care Act (also known as House Bill 200 and Senate Bill 906) has tremendous momentum in both the House and Senate and just needs leadership in both chambers to prioritize coming together to get it over the finish line. With over 81% of Pennsylvanians supporting the creation of a statewide paid family and medical leave program, the message voters are sending to lawmakers is clear: Pass a statewide paid leave program so working Pennsylvanians no longer have to decide between paying their bills and taking care of themselves or a loved one when they need it the most. It’s time to pass the Family Care Act.

Dan O’Brien, policy director, Family Economic Stability Children First, Philadelphia

Eighty-five years ago this December, a militarily expansionist government used negotiations with the United States as a distraction as it prepared — and then executed — a devastating surprise attack.

Our nation was outraged, and, in time, the surviving military perpetrators were punished for committing a succession of war crimes.

Historical analogies are rarely exact but always instructive.

Wag the dog.

Anthony Geyelin, Phoenixville

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