Letters to the Editor | Sept. 24, 2025

I am outraged that Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are assigning blame for autism to the use of Tylenol. First, if they knew this 20 years ago, as Trump claimed this afternoon, why did they wait so long to publicize it? Second, where is the data to support this claim? Our daughter took no drugs while she was pregnant, and yet gave birth to a son on the autism spectrum (whom we love to death). This is just another example of misinformation that is foisted upon the public, which seems more than ready to accept the claims of an administration gone wild.

C. Conahan, Philadelphia

After Erika Kirk delivered her emotional eulogy for her slain husband, our president did the verbal equivalent of slapping her in the face, as thousands in the audience laughed. Mrs. Kirk spoke of values she shared with her husband, values of forgiveness and Christian love, which include loving and praying for your enemy. Donald Trump followed by saying he cannot and does not love his enemies. In fact, he stated he hates his enemies. To say such a thing in front of a woman who poured her heart out to honor her husband, Mr. Trump showed he has no respect for Mrs. Kirk. He mocked Christian values, which many in attendance claim to share, and yet they laughed.

Peter Mrozinski, Landenberg

While speaking at last weekend’s memorial service for Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump noted that Kirk “did not hate his opponents” and “wanted the best for them.” By contrast, Trump unabashedly asserted, “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.” According to recent polling, Trump’s second-term agenda is opposed by a majority of Americans, with some poll results registering disapproval ratings approaching 60%. This represents a sizable voting bloc that arguably would qualify as the opposition at whom Trump directed his ire. All who are opposed to Trump, for any reason, should rightfully be alarmed by the menace of his unhinged rant, and vote accordingly on Election Day 2026, when ongoing control of Congress by Trump’s acolytes will be on the ballot.

Patrick J. Hagan, Ardmore

Regarding the Rev. Tom Heron’s recent letter in which he suggested Jimmy Kimmel “celebrate[d] the assassination of another human being [Charlie Kirk],” I suggest the Rev. Heron read the exact words Kimmel spoke that resulted in his suspension:

“We had some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Kimmel did not celebrate Kirk’s death or disparage him in any way. His comments were aimed at the early accusations Donald Trump and his followers made about who they thought had killed Kirk, that killer being anyone other than a MAGA believer. And for those of us who have followed the news for the past week, it is clear that Trump’s true followers, some members of his cabinet, a number of elected Republicans, and some “religious” leaders have, indeed, used Kirk’s killing as a rallying point to stand against those who find Kirk’s words and beliefs to be abhorrently non-Christian.

Kimmel is not the villain here. Trump and those who perpetuate his lies are.

Thomas Dwyer, Hollywood, Pa.

Allow me to respond to the Rev. Tom Heron’s letter regarding Charlie Kirk and Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel did not celebrate Kirk’s death; he showed a clip of Donald Trump crowing about his “golden ballroom” after being asked about his “grief.” Kimmel rankled the ego of a sociopath whose minions then shut the show down. Get your facts straight, Reverend, and maybe reread the New Testament.

The Jesus I learned about only preached love and inclusion. “Love your enemy, be good to those who hate you,” and “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.” White nationalist “Christians” are crucifying him daily, preaching hate against anyone who isn’t white or male, and rejoicing in policies that are cruel, illegal, and cause suffering. If they use God as cover for their abject ignorance and bigotry, they will answer for that. The Rev. Heron should recall that Jesus loved outcasts, immigrants, criminals, prostitutes, the lost, and marginalized — the very humans Kirk openly hated and disparaged. How dare one chastise a comedian exercising his right to free speech — which is gone, by the way — while plying their pious tropes and hiding their ugliness under the banner of Jesus.

Phyllis Coletta, Somers Point

A recent letter writer decried the “celebration” of Charlie Kirk’s murder that Jimmy Kimmel allegedly displayed.

Can someone please tell me what part of Kimmel’s monologue “celebrated” Kirk’s murder? All he said about the horrific murder was that MAGA-ites worked feverishly, even before the alleged killer was identified, to convince everyone that Kirk’s killer was a “leftist terrorist” or something similar.

Kimmel insulted the current defiler of the White House by factually pointing out that the defiler did not respond to a question about how he was holding up after the murder of a “good friend,” but instead veered right into the construction project to further defile the White House with a gold ballroom. That’s it, that’s all. There was no “celebration” of Kirk’s murder.

Virtually no one celebrated the horrific murder of Kirk. Certainly fewer than the number of people who joked about the brutal attack on Paul Pelosi, and certainly more “leftists” (whatever that means) condemned the murder of Melissa Hortman, her husband, and her dog, or the attempted murder of John and Yvette Hoffman, four Democrats in Minnesota’s legislature, than MAGA did. There was no congressional resolution honoring the Hortmans, no call for flags to be put at half-mast — virtually nothing.

The fact is that Kimmel’s removal from his show was a clear violation of the First Amendment. The United States government, via the Federal Communications Commission and at the direction of the dictator, punished him for his speech, solely because it hurt the feelings of the obscenity defiling the White House. There was no “celebration” in his words — not even a joke about the killing — and only the truthful statement about the president’s response to a heartfelt question about how he was bearing up under the horrific loss of a “good friend.”

Liz Bligan, Wayne

Recently, four city pension board union representatives responded to an Inquirer op-ed regarding private equity investments. While their reply shows genuine concern about retiree members, I’m a retiree relying on a city pension, and I’m concerned about other issues raised in the op-ed.

First, private equity is a weird way to fund a pension for city workers. An American Federation of Teachers report explains how little it benefits pension funds. Private equity buys up a company, cuts staff, wrings every dime out of the workers, borrows more than the company is worth, gives it all to shareholders, and then goes bankrupt. The fate of Hahnemann University Hospital is a classic example: 2,500 jobs lost. Private equity is also behind the steep rise in housing costs. Private equity investors buy apartments, then rent them out at prices unaffordable for most city workers.

Most pension fund improvement came from three changes: increases in employee contributions, dedicated sales tax revenue, and a big increase in city contributions to make up for past underfunding. The fund’s 10-year unimpressive growth rate of 7.6% is almost 1% lower than its benchmark. While private equity is only 8.8%, it’s also a component of the fund’s 21.8% “alternative investments.” In 2019, the city controller recommended better disclosure of private equity fees and performance.

City workers and taxpayers invest heavily in the fund. We deserve transparency about how our money is managed with investments that don’t undermine the very people the pension serves. Why not invest in nonprofit local housing instead?

Constance Billé, Philadelphia

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