Letters to the Editor | Nov. 13, 2023

Mayor Jim Kenney signed into law a bill that will equip buses with technology that will photograph vehicles parked in bus lanes in Center City and automatically ticket the owners. Another wrongheaded move by the city, which will only force companies receiving tickets (such as delivery services or other providers) to pass the cost along to businesses in Center City, who will ultimately pass the cost along to their customers. As for the folks whose Center City patronage costs them a parking violation, this will only discourage them from shopping downtown, hurting Philadelphia’s much-needed tax revenue. Between rampant crime as a result of a progressive district attorney who refuses to enforce the law, and Democratic policies that perpetuate crushing poverty, this is just another nail in the coffin of a once great metropolis.

Fred Hearn, Turnersville

If the GOP still has a soul to search, it should ask itself: What it is about its strategy of race-based voter suppression and shaking down of the middle class that would appeal to most Philadelphia voters? If, as Sam Katz said, the two-party system is gone, could that be because one of the parties was self-defeating in its campaign strategy? Could it be because if a political party relies on distorted data, out-of-context video, and shady rhetoric to frighten suburbanites, it will not gain the support of the people who are actually living in a place that it is deliberately mischaracterizing? Is it possible that voters who live in the city are aware of how the GOP tries to appeal to suburbanites? Would sneering at Black Lives Matter and wokeness turn off voters who believe that Black lives matter? Is candidate Jim Hasher surprised he was defeated because “progressives generated more energy and stronger turnout”? He thinks the party must appeal to younger voters. Right. Good luck with that.

Louis Greenstein, Pleasantville

Regarding the censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib by the U.S. House of Representatives, a meticulously documented 2021 Human Rights Watch report entitled, “A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution,” explains the nature of Israeli control of the Jewish Israelis and Palestinians who live between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The report documents that in some areas under Israeli control, the systematic discrimination and repression of the Palestinians has crossed the threshold into the legally defined crimes of apartheid and persecution. The report further states that “a number of Israeli officials have stated clearly their intent to maintain this control in perpetuity and backed it up through their actions, including continued settlement expansion over the course of the decades-long ‘peace process.’” Yet at no point has the House, Senate, or administration officials called out these Israeli officials who aspire to exert Israeli control “from the river to the sea.”

Paul Mack, Philadelphia

With so many students receiving special education services across the commonwealth, special education is becoming less and less special. In fact, it is becoming the new norm for education in Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, of the 1,680,038 students in public schools throughout the state during the 2022-23 school year, 324,720 of them were enrolled in special education. That means that 19.3%, or nearly one out of every five students, are receiving special education. This number has been steadily rising since the 2007-08 school year, when just 15% of students were enrolled in special education.

As this number continues to rise, standards and expectations for all our students continue to lessen, which is leaving students greatly unprepared for postsecondary life. Without any change to special education programs, Pennsylvania is on track to have 25% of its public school students receiving special education services by the year 2043. I have seen special education do many wonderful things, and I believe it is an integral part of our education system; however, if it is not kept in check, the issues we are seeing now will continue to progress until we are at a breaking point.

Owen Long, Horsham

Regarding The Inquirer article about the GOP trying to find a way to deal with the fact that its position on abortion access is a losing one, it must be pointed out to the Republican political consultant quoted, as well as to others, that Democrats’ position is not a wanton advocacy for everyone to have an abortion. This is a medical procedure, it’s not ice cream. The central point in this matter is that every woman who may consider abortion has a specific, personal situation that led her to that point.

Data show that the great majority of women who have abortions are married and have other children. Sometimes it is an agonizing but necessary procedure to save the mother’s life. Most voters believe that such intensely personal decisions must be made by the pregnant woman and whoever she wishes to consult — her partner, her doctor, her God — to make the right decision for her specific circumstance. Elected officials cannot presume to know the myriad reasons for an abortion. Their role is simply to make sure that, if the woman has an abortion, it is legal and safe.

Phyllis Rubin, Wynnewood

Fran Drescher, known for her television role on The Nanny, should now be praised for her way more important role as a tough, successful union president, with her performance worthy of an Oscar or an Emmy, not unlike the late baseball union president Marvin Miller, honored by induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Dresher and Miller represent(ed) leisure industries dedicated to consumers of their respective forms of entertainment. But the greater union movement — energized under the Democratic Biden administration — represents employees of most industries employing less celebrated workers (i.e., most of us), and has an essential role as a potent force enhancing the living standards of dues-paying members. Even nonunion workers reap collateral benefits when union members receive enhanced compensation, forcing their employers to compete for workers within the marketplace. It boggles the mind why so many blue- and white-collar workers still intend to vote for anti-union Republicans opposing their personal financial interests.

Lawrence Uniglicht, Galloway, lrunig@gmail.com

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services again finalized cuts to physician reimbursements, which significantly impacted medical practices such as mine to cover expenses like equipment, rent, and staff salaries. Put plainly, our ability to care for our patients is threatened, putting patients at risk of more hospitalization for untreated illnesses. As a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, I’ve observed a declining number of dermatology practices that can sustainably serve Medicare patients due to decreasing reimbursement rates. Many practices are compelled to limit their participation to higher-paying insurance plans, while those still accepting Medicare face increased demand, making it challenging to maintain adequate patient access. Since 2001, the cost of operating a medical practice has increased by 47%. At the same time, Medicare physician reimbursement declined 26% when adjusted for inflation, while hospital payments increased 70%, according to the Medicare trustees reports. I ask our local representatives to cosponsor the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act, which would provide for an annual inflation update equal to the Medicare economic index for Medicare physician payments.

Carrie Kovarik, Philadelphia

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