Letters to the Editor | Oct. 12, 2026

We were stunned when we opened the Oct. 7 edition of our Inquirer to find no mention or even a hint of reference to the significance of this day as the third anniversary of the horrific and despicable Hamas attack on the state of Israel. The most significant and brutal expression of antisemitism since the Holocaust was apparently considered unworthy of mention. In its recent history, the United Nations General Assembly has adopted 173 resolutions against Israel and only 80 against all other countries combined. The media, including The Inquirer, often cite the large number of deaths in Gaza without mentioning the genocidal Hamas’ refusal to disarm there. Antisemitism in this country and abroad swells while the media ignores the struggle of Israelis to maintain the only democratic Jewish state in the world.

John Fisher and Susan Sommovilla, Elkins Park

When President Donald Trump was asked recently whether he regretted nominating U.S. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, he responded that he did. “What can I do? I put them in. They voted against me too often. I was very — I gave them the position of a lifetime, and they vote against me often.”

Nothing ever said or done by Trump — not his shameless vanity projects, not his pathetic opinions about crowd size, not his personal graft that has enriched him and his family — could better illustrate why so many Americans believe his presidency is “all about him.” How in the world could a person elected as president not grasp that court decisions in our country must be based on the pertinent facts and evidence as well as upon applicable legal principles? They must never be shaped in order to produce a ruling aimed at satisfying the personal or political whims of our president or anyone else. For our president to publicly assert that our Supreme Court — or any court — should so pervert the country’s legal system is pitiful and shocking beyond belief, and reflects a wretched combination of ignorance and unfitness for office.

Curtis Pontz, Philadelphia

Once again, letter writer Mark Fenstermaker comes to the defense of President Donald Trump with high praise for so-called accomplishments with neat little bullet points while he provides no facts to back them up. He criticized two of, in my opinion, your better columnists for criticizing Trump’s actions — even though their articles usually include facts to back up their beliefs. Where are your facts to back up your opinion? How many deported immigrants have criminal records compared with the total number of immigrants deported? How have we averted a nuclear threat from Iran while we are still entrenched in a war with them that has caused higher gas prices and global gas shortages? Where are my lower taxes and savings while prices continue to rise? Exactly how much has he invested in American companies while his tariffs cause prices to increase? Why does he continue to cause such division among Americans instead of trying to bring us together? Why does he constantly insult and ridicule anyone who does not praise him or agree with him? I could go on and on — but why?

Vincent McGinley, Haddon Heights

The Inquirer’s reporting on new Medicaid requirements exposes another threat to an already strained system. For affected adults, more frequent renewals and work-reporting requirements create opportunities to lose coverage through paperwork, even when they remain eligible.

But Pennsylvania’s home care crisis predates Washington’s latest changes. According to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, more than 112,500 home-care shifts go unfilled or are missed each month. Behind each missed shift is someone waiting for help bathing, getting out of bed, or receiving essential care, and often a family member scrambling to fill the gap.

Coverage on paper is no substitute for a caregiver at the door.

Harrisburg cannot rewrite federal law, but it can address underinvestment in caregiver recruitment and retention. Lawmakers should pair meaningful investment in personal assistance and private duty nursing with stronger oversight and accountability. Protecting taxpayer dollars and protecting access to care belong in the same agenda.

Pennsylvania has spent years helping people remain at home. Allowing that progress to unravel through inadequate funding and avoidable coverage losses is a policy choice.

Families should not be left to pay for it.

Rob Lattin, area director, Hearts for Home Care, who lives in Merion Station

I am writing in response to The Inquirer’s article headlined “Microplastic pollution found in 100% of Delaware River tributaries tested.” As the article states, a new PennEnvironment report on the Delaware River watershed found microplastics at all 22 locations tested across four states, including Pennsylvania.

Plastics do not disappear when we throw them away. They break into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming microplastics that contaminate our environment and are ingested by humans and wildlife. The National Institutes of Health estimates that the average American consumes up to 52,000 microplastic particles each year from water and food alone. Microplastics in waterways worry me because over 14 million people, including my family, rely on the Delaware River watershed for their daily water needs.

One place to start is with plastic pellets, microplastics that can spill from manufacturing facilities and transportation into our environment. The federal Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act would require the Environmental Protection Agency to stop the dumping of these pellets into our water.

Pennsylvania’s members of Congress should support this bill. We need to keep plastic pellets out of our waterways and stop this pollution at the source.

Moed Gerveni, Philadelphia

Just days before the results of the 2020 presidential election were certified, these infamous words were spoken: “Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break!” These were the words of Donald Trump, stated over the phone to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, after all necessary votes were counted. Many considered this to be a solicitation to commit a crime. I was reminded of this when I read The Inquirer’s reporting showing that just one day before the Philadelphia School District was required to submit to the state its current enrollment figures — which Harrisburg uses to determine state funding for the system — a similar sentiment was expressed by another powerful individual, but the same end was sought. The projected number was 4,246 students short of the expected number. Therefore, an email was sent to principals, ordering them to make up the shortfall by adding students, many of whom had moved out of state, out of the country, and, in many cases, students who had never attended classes. Parents must learn to scrutinize both the indoctrinator and the educator, regardless of their party registration. Both are solely focused on advancing their own interests, disregarding the voters and the children.

Leon Williams, Philadelphia

Christa Pike survived two attempts to put her to death by the state of Tennessee. The U.S. Constitution clearly forbids “cruel and unusual” punishment. It’s hard to see how, in that case and others, the circumstances are anything but cruel and unusual.

Many people are, in fact, innocent of the crime for which they were convicted. DNA technology and other methods have exonerated one in eight death row inmates.

It costs taxpayers up to five times as much to execute people as life in prison. It’s estimated that about half the inmates on death row have been diagnosed with mental illness.

Christians might justify capital punishment on religious grounds. But to do so ignores that Jesus stopped a public execution. It’s time for us to join the 70% of nations on earth that have ended it. Let’s march the death penalty to the gallows once and for all.

Steve Fermier, York, Pa.

According to a recent article by the Associated Press, “Christa Pike is walking with help and eating.” This statement leads to the question of who is really in charge of life-and-death matters. The death penalty needs to be abolished; it is not used equitably. Either all or none.

I find it extremely ironic that Ms. Pike’s first name is Christa, an important clue as to who is actually in charge of our lives.

Bill Domenico, Hammonton, N.J.

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.