Letters to the Editor | March 29, 2026
Inquirer readers on Mayor Parker's rideshare taxation plan and a belated honor for the police officers who responded to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
An honor overdue
On March 7, after a considerable delay by the president and House Republicans, the Trump administration installed a plaque honoring the police officers who risked their lives to protect our government from the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. The plaque was installed at 4 a.m. when most of us were probably asleep. There were no testimonies or expressions of gratitude for these brave public servants. Further, the plaque excluded many officers’ names, such as Jeffrey Smith, whose severe blows to the head left him in so much pain that he took his own life nine days later.
The indignity of the plaque being set up with no formal ceremony is nothing compared to the insult to justice that was President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon 1,500 of the seditious rioters who were arrested and found guilty of their atrocities on Jan. 6. In Trump’s mind, they are “patriots.” In reality, those people took part in one of the worst ever assaults on the men and women in blue. Where is the national outcry from police unions and police officers, and from the people who post signs saying “Blue Lives Matter”?
Barbara Ferman, Wynnewood
Clear as mud
The mayor’s office and City Council regularly meet behind closed doors while entertaining business interests. This was true when City Council was negotiating with the 76ers, and when City Council’s Housing Committee was considering the Safe Healthy Homes Act in June. That first time around, only one of the three bills that make up the legislative package (the right to relocation) made it through committee, but just a few weeks ago, the other two bills that make up the package (the right to repairs and the right to safety) were pushed through committee, and were expected to be voted on by City Council on March 19. However, independent landlords sued Council to halt the legislation on Wednesday, alleging lawmakers violated the state’s Sunshine Act, which is supposed to prevent legislative bodies from meeting behind closed doors. Personally, I am in favor of more transparency at City Hall, but I don’t think that is what these independent landlords are trying to do. Instead, they are just throwing a wrench into the democratic process because the legislative package threatens to hold them accountable for the conditions in their buildings.
Jeff Wasch, Philadelphia
Make bold
A recent article in the Inquirer described Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s plan to raise approximately $50 million annually for the school district. The proposal makes sense; a strong education system is key to a prosperous city.
Meanwhile, although hiring is up 21% and spending also up 88% over the past decade, district enrollment has declined by 20,000 students during that time. The system is expected to lose another 10,000 students by 2035, and educational outcomes remain unsatisfactory. It’s obvious we need to raise taxes and fully fund the school district.
Kudos to Mayor Parker for the bold plan.
Send them home — for good
The government is still shut down after over 40 days with no end in sight. Now we are coming up on Easter. And there is talk of Congress going home for two weeks. This can’t be allowed to happen. Our representatives need to do their job and work this out. Like other government employees, Congress should not be paid until this is over.
If Congress goes home without resolving this, every single one of them should be voted out of office.
Joe Palma, Swedesboro
Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.