Letters to the Editor | May 26, 2024

For many months, Nikki Haley has spoken the truth about Donald Trump and how unfit he is to be president. Many voters believed her and supported her in presidential primaries even after she suspended her campaign. That includes 16% of Pennsylvania Republicans. Now, Haley has hypocritically stated that no matter what, she will vote for Trump. Has it occurred to her that this is a complete betrayal of those who believed and supported her? And has it occurred to her that she is also betraying her own husband, who has served in the military defending this country, including in defense of the Constitution, a document Trump does not respect and would shred? Shame on Haley and the other Republicans who don’t have the courage to oppose a wannabe dictator. And kudos to brave people like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, conservatives who refuse to abandon their principles.

Joan Chinitz, Philadelphia, jjchin@comcast.net

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett are to be commended for their responses to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s attacks. Growing up in West Philly with an assertive mother who taught me to fight back prepared me to deal with mercurial clients and domineering managers during my long career in Manhattan marketing firms. Yet nothing prepared me for the sludge of working with toxic women in Washington for several years.

To be sure, toxic workplace behavior, by women and men alike, persists virtually unchecked in all industries. When I was earning my MBA at New York University 15 years ago, case histories lauding dictatorial male CEOs were still the rule. No wonder future “girl bosses” emulated them — until their bottom lines plummeted and their investors replaced them with more collaborative leaders. Washington has very few of those guardrails. Here’s hoping today’s kids will learn what my mom taught me: that going high or low in defending oneself against egregious attacks is a difficult choice. But it’s how one rises above the attacks that distinguishes transformational leaders — regardless of gender.

Liz DiMarco Weinmann, Woodland Park, N.J.

Philadelphia deserves a break from gas-powered leaf blowers. I flew in recently, and when I arrived at my destination at 7 a.m., I was immediately struck by the sound of gas-powered leaf blowers where I was staying. The noise went on for hours. What can be done about this? They’re also terribly polluting. We wouldn’t stand for engines idling around our houses for hours, yet that is exactly what gas-powered leaf blowers are. This can’t be good for anyone with asthma, pets, the elderly, or anyone working from home. Electric blowers are just as strong these days and much better for the environment, and especially for the people using the tools. Philadelphia, ring that bell! Take a step for livability and ban these things like many other cities and counties around the nation.

Albert Kaufman, Portland, Ore.

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