Letters to the Editor | Oct. 29, 2025

Let’s not kid ourselves, while current annual inflation rates are listed at 3%, actual big-ticket household expense increases are much higher, e.g., my homeowners’ insurance rates increased 26% this year, and car insurance is up 25%. These rates are for a couple with excellent driving records, no claims, and who shop around for better rates routinely. Electric utility rates have increased between 30% and 35% for both generation and distribution for all levels of residential usage. Ironically, my electric utility, PSEG in South Jersey, congratulates me monthly for using 5.6%, 14.4%, and 8.6% less than last year for the months of June through August, respectively. But 25% increases are just unsustainable. Will any of us be getting a raise of that magnitude any time soon?

Richard Arter, Somerdale

The theft of priceless crown jewels from the Louvre Museum has been characterized by some in France as “an unbearable humiliation” on a national scale. Their humiliation should pale in comparison to that which we have experienced with the destruction of the East Wing of the White House.

The grotesque plans for the oversized (nearly twice the size of the current White House) ballroom to replace it are another example of national humiliations brought by the Trump administration. The construction of the gilded ballroom was preceded by the recent paving over of most of the Rose Garden. The ballroom construction is being carried out with contributions from the billionaires who curry favor with Trump, and without approval by relevant agencies or input from notable architects, preservationists, historians, and others. The original White House was attractive, and later additions such as the East and West Wings were perhaps necessary. But this?

Landis W. Doner, Jenkintown, islanderdon@gmail.com

Regarding the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, as someone who once worked in procurements, I have the following questions:

Based on various projects I’ve supported over the years, these are some of the most basic questions that are required in the planning of a sensitive, complicated project.

I believe the Trump administration owes the owners of the White House — the taxpayers of the United States — the answers to these essential questions.

Suzanne Rodgers, Newtown Square

We have been watching the systematic destruction of our democratic government since January. Bit by bit, experienced people have been fired and replaced by unqualified loyalists — if they’ve been replaced at all.

Now, one of the most beautiful and important historical symbols of our democracy, the White House, has been desecrated. The Rose Garden has been turned into cement. The East Wing has been demolished (despite assurances to the contrary) for an overblown gilded monument to excess.

Far from being a place to party, the new White House “ballroom” will remain a monument to greed, a symbol of democracy lost.

Margaret A. Zanoni, Edgewater Park

Persons who are legally residing in housing belonging to someone else may pick their own furniture and wall pictures, but they cannot tear down old walls and put up new walls without the owner’s consent, regardless of who is funding those actions. If the current White House resident is permitted to tear down the East Wing to put up a ballroom without the consent of Congress, the members of which are elected to represent the citizen-owners, then that resident can easily officially proclaim Independence Hall as the Presidential Gift Store selling Bibles, sneakers, coins, etc. Yellowstone National Park can be subdivided into 100-acre lots as big, beautiful All-American estates.

Anyone under the age of 12 does not remember a time when the United States was the world’s exceptional example of building a nation of liberty and justice for all. Instead, our nation’s young people have only experienced a period of masked police officers, rising militarism, retribution against opponents, political acquiescence by Congress to executive abuse of power, and the general descent into tyranny. If the rest of us wait until November 2026 to show youngsters the American Experiment in democracy is worth fighting for, then it may be too late to keep them from following the authoritarian rule that they know and understand.

Wayne Williams, Malvern

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s silence about President Donald Trump’s transgressions against our nation speaks volumes. Does Fitzpatrick have any thoughts about the destruction of the East Wing, a national historic structure?

How about the Trump-ordered extrajudicial killings by our military in the waters near Venezuela? Or the use of masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as a secret police force? What does Fitzpatrick think of how pardons have been used to reward cop beaters and insurrectionists, as well as freeing Trump’s felonious supporters?

Is Fitzpatrick proud of what Trump has done to the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice, where the congressman worked to fight, of all things, public corruption? In private, I am sure you have discussed how sickened you must feel to know how these great and respected agencies have devolved into shameful, autocratic arms of a growing fascist government.

And yet, Fitzpatrick remains silent. In 2026, that silence will be remembered by his constituents.

Milt Sacks, Newtown

When Republicans passed the “Big Beautiful Bill” in July, they made permanent the billionaire tax cuts Donald Trump and his Republican Congress gave themselves and their donors during his first term.

Recently, the U.S. national debt reached a historic milestone: it topped $38 trillion for the first time.

In the last two months, Trump added an additional $1 trillion to the national debt. Since Trump took office, the national debt has increased by $69,714 per second.

But those billionaire tax cuts are not enough. Our convicted felon president is shaking down taxpayers $230 million to cover his annoyance over being investigated for being a felon. Yep, Trump’s video was accurate: Never has an American president dumped so much dung on us.

Lynn Strauss, West Chester

Donald Trump’s efforts to encourage immigration to the U.S. by white South Africans appear to align with racists and bigots, an important part of his base.

During a recent visit to South Africa, I had the opportunity to tour 10 breweries. I met with home brewers and brewery professionals, and patrons. One of the most striking observations was that no one knew of a brewery owned by a Black African. In addition, I’d estimate that 95% of the patrons of these establishments were white. This is a country that is more than 80% Black and only 7% white.

This disparity only begins to illustrate the chasm between the haves and have-nots in South Africa.

Although apartheid is no longer an official policy in South Africa, it is still very much present in daily life.

Barney Heller, North Wales

How much more evidence do we need to confirm the hardcore racism promoted by the current resident of the “Golden Palace” (formerly known as the White House)? Although his administration has imposed a cap of 7,500 refugee admissions to the United States this year, President Donald Trump has decreed that 7,000 of them will be white Afrikaners. These are people who, by all independent accounts, hardly meet the criteria for consideration as refugees (whose very lives are truly at risk in their native countries), while denying entry to our country to so many others. I recognize there is no chance of reforming this distorted, self-centered, aspiring despot, but are there no decent humans in the executive branch who are brave enough to confront him and make an effort to check his dictatorial impulses? Shame on him, and shame on his enablers. I fear historians will look back on this era with horror and ask, “How did they let this happen?”

Toni Tomei, Philadelphia

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