Letters to the Editor | March 26, 2024

The Inquirer notes that billionaire Jeffrey Yass has neither endorsed Donald Trump nor donated to his campaign. It appears, however, that he is about to do both, via his firm’s merger with Truth Social, Trump’s flailing social media site. The merger will supply Trump with the best kind of money: do-anything-you-want-with-it cash — launch your appeal, boost your campaign, keep it. While terms of the merger seemingly prevent either partner from immediately selling shares, there is another clause that permits divesting shares if approved by the company’s board. Trump has seen to it that the new board will be nothing but a rubber stamp for his whims. Yass is no fool, and investing in Truth Social, which has totally failed to produce financial results, surely isn’t justified by profitability. Once again, big money and slick dealing are perverting democracy — and we will all ultimately pay the price.

Stephen E. Phillips, St. Petersburg, Pa., sengelphillips@icloud.com

Raegan Farlow’s op-ed is a thoughtful reflection on how we have become desensitized to the suffering of our fellow human beings who are homeless and trapped in the throes of drug addiction and its brutal consequences. It should be required reading for people of all ages. When was the last time any of us — whether in our schools, places of worship, public libraries, or other locations where we gather for conversation — seriously discussed the critical issues this intelligent and compassionate young woman considers in her deeply felt writing? We have become apathetic about the horrific conditions in which so many people live. Solutions to our societal problems begin with asking ourselves and one another, as Farlow has so eloquently expressed, what is required of us to be fully human?

Peter Schmidt, Phillipsburg

How great is the redesign of Washington Avenue? Not very. The constant backup in the one lane from Fourth Street to Broad Street is never-ending. Waiting for three to five red lights, at each corner, is maddening at the very least. Drivers are speeding less because they can’t move. The number of drivers has declined because traffic is being diverted onto neighborhood streets. The stretch of the roadway between Broad Street and Grays Ferry Avenue is still four lanes, thanks to residents of Point Breeze who felt there had not been sufficient opportunity to comment on the changes. Double parking and sidewalk parking persist because Washington Avenue, which serves Center City and South Philadelphia, has been a commercial corridor for more than 100 years. It is important that Philadelphia continues to maintain this vital roadway as the commercial area it has always been.

Sunny L. Payne, Philadelphia, sunnypayne@aol.com

Shouldn’t Philadelphia be seeking a location for the new bus station that is near the SEPTA lines right at our glorious 30th Street Station for convenient connections to travel? The latest scheme seems to be that someone has a piece of open land far away from any logical link to our other transportation systems. I ask Mayor Cherelle L. Parker to please consult with professional city planners, a very smart bunch, to find the best solution to connect a new bus station with our existing transportation systems.

Gardner A. Cadwalader, Philadelphia, gacadwalader@gmail.com

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