Letters to the Editor | May 12, 2025

As a Catholic, I am thrilled with the election of Pope Leo XIV, who has roots in North and South America, speaks five languages and reads two more, and emphasized in his opening speech that God loves everyone, and that the church must focus on the needs of the suffering. He has a doctorate in canon law, so he knows what he’s doing, and was the leader of his Augustinian order, so he has managerial experience. Most delightfully, he majored in math at Villanova, Class of 1977, and already, people in my Pennsylvania Facebook group are calling him our “Delco pope.” The election of this wonderful man, who one of the TV commentators who has had him to dinner at his house described as “the nicest person you’ll ever meet,” just may be an answer to prayer. Is it too much to hope that maybe he’s an Eagles fan?

Linda Falcao, North Wales

Are you 100% Native American? If, like me, you answered no, then each of us is either a recent immigrant, or a child, or a grandchild, etc., of immigrants. The U.S. only benefits from our multicultural heritage. Richness flows from the incredible diversity of cultures, foods, music, religions, races, points of view, and origins. If you have any doubts about whether this mixing pot is a good idea, look at just a few great achievements by immigrants.

Sergey Brin, born in Moscow, immigrated here as a minor, met Larry Page, and the two started Google, expanding information access to billions. Hamdi Ulukaya founded Chobani, the successful yogurt company, after immigrating from Turkey. Pierre Omidyar, born in Paris to Iranian parents, founded eBay, one of the most visited websites that has changed the way we buy and sell. Toni Ko immigrated from South Korea to California and founded NYX Cosmetics, which was carried by major retailers and bought by L’Oreal in 2014. When we welcome the world, we enrich America. In fact, 44.8% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.

Lynne Waymon, Newtown

When sworn in as president, Donald Trump took an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.” And yet, when recently asked whether he needs to uphold the supreme law of the United States, Trump responded, “I don’t know.” He either forgot, doesn’t understand, or refuses to abide by his oath of office. If he forgot that he took the oath, his mental capacities need to be examined. If he doesn’t understand the oath, he needs to be educated. If he refuses to abide by the oath, impeachment proceedings need to begin. It’s both dangerous and foolhardy for the nation to have a president who is not sure of where his duties, responsibilities, and loyalties lie. Our country deserves better.

D. Cerniglia, Voorhees

Where is the party of Abraham Lincoln? Dwight D. Eisenhower? Today’s Republicans have installed Donald Trump as president — a sexual predator, tax cheat, and author of the traitorous attack on Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. The U.S. Supreme Court has found that a sitting president can commit crimes without consequence if he says they are part of his duty as president, and Trump is taking full advantage of the opportunity. His proposals for the annexation of Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal, and control of Gaza are insane. They would be laughable if they didn’t have real consequences. The damage he is doing to America’s standing as a world leader is disastrous for us and for our allies. Our civic institutions and our economy are at risk because of this maniac’s fantasies. Trump must be impeached for his past crimes and his current illegal and unconstitutional attack on the U.S. government, and removed from office while we still have a constitutional democracy.

Tim Adams, Philadelphia

The Constitution requires a president to ensure that the laws be faithfully executed. Clearly, Donald Trump is not doing that. An impeachable offense? Likely. But Trump, and every member of the administration and Congress, swore to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Trump says he’s not sure he can do that. It’s rare for Trump to admit to a lie, but, in fact, he just admitted to lying when he took the oath of office. On national television! An impeachable offense? Most definitely. And since they all took the same oath, and should know what that oath means, the vote to impeach in the House should be 435-0 and the vote to convict in the Senate 100-0.

Barry Lurie, Philadelphia

The current president said he would be a dictator on Day One. He neglected to say it would be a permanent condition. The dictator can fling hateful, illegal, and democracy-killing edicts, as well as commerce-killing tariffs, right and left, day after day. No one is allowed to protest, or they may be arrested or deported. Complaints about food prices are ignored. People are taking out loans to buy food, not dolls. This is not the same country I have lived in for over 70 years. We learned the importance of civics, the three separate branches of government, and ethical behavior for elected officials. Now, unethical behavior seems mandatory. I’ll stick with the old-fashioned ideals of fairness and equal protection for all. Maybe my flag will fly upside down on the 4th of July as a signal of distress. No kings, no despots. Not now, not ever.

Margaret A. Zanoni, Edgewater Park

Columnist Will Bunch is right to sound the alarm about our nation’s growing literacy crisis and its threat to democracy. But this crisis isn’t just about college students — it’s about the near-death of effective reading instruction, starting in the earliest grades, that leaves far too many students behind. In Pennsylvania, 67% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading. These students are four times more likely to drop out of high school, which has far-ranging consequences. Nationwide, low literacy costs the economy $2.2 trillion a year.

But this is not inevitable. Estimates suggest that with effective instruction, more than 90% of students can learn to read — meaning roughly one million more children each year could enter fourth grade as skilled readers. To make this a reality, the General Assembly must prioritize a $100 million investment in evidence-based teacher training, instructional materials, and early intervention. Two bipartisan bills introduced in the legislature — Senate Bill 700, introduced by Sens. Devlin Robinson and Vincent Hughes, and House Bill 684, introduced by Reps. Jason Ortitay and Justin Fleming — would make this possible. These bills are grounded in the science of reading and deserve swift, united action from lawmakers.

New county-level fact sheets from the PA Literacy Coalition and Teach Plus show just how high the stakes are. If Pennsylvania were to close its literacy gap, the state would see an estimated $113 billion in increased lifetime earnings. This is a crisis — but also a generational opportunity.

Mississippi’s “miracle” offers a blueprint. By adopting comprehensive, structured literacy policies, the state soared from 49th to ninth in fourth-grade reading, with economically disadvantaged students ranking first in the nation. Other states like Tennessee, Colorado, and New York are following suit. Pennsylvania has the potential to lead the country in literacy reform, but if we don’t act now, we risk falling even further behind. If we want to give our democracy a fighting chance, we must start by ensuring that all children can read. Because when kids read, Pennsylvania — and our democracy — succeeds.

Rachael Garnick, coalition manager, Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition, Philadelphia

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