Letters to the Editor | Sept. 30, 2024

Last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro placed his signature on a lethal weapon of war at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in a show of support for the war in Ukraine. The plant is one of just two sites in the nation that manufactures the steel bodies for the 155 mm howitzer rounds that are being used in Ukraine’s war with Russia. While I fully support the U.S. supplying additional weapons to Ukraine, and while I share Gov. Shapiro’s pride in our Commonwealth of Pennsylvania playing a role, I do not believe autographing a lethal weapon of war is an appropriate act for any politician in which to engage. It was a mistake for our new great governor to do so.

Richard A. Lippin, Southampton, ricklippin@gmail.com

I am chilled to hear some politicians talking about women as if they have never met one, talked with one, or loved one.

At nearly 77, I have moved through all the phases of reproductive life, and as a psychologist, I’ve been privileged to accompany many women along their journeys.

What I know to be true is this:

Nothing goes to the core of identity like the issues and experiences surrounding reproduction. They are essential and inseparable to who we are.

Women do not need “protection” at the whim of leaders because we happen to live in female bodies. We simply need the same protection as men, freedom to make choices.

Our concerns about reproductive rights are linked with who we are, not how old we are. The significance of an individual woman’s reproductive history — no matter how it plays out — keeps our interest in the matter alive, regardless of age.

I doubt many women will be voting on Nov. 5 for those candidates who underestimate us and talk about us as if we are not in the room. We’re right here. Get to know us.

Emma Mellon, Wayne

In 2023, 1,209 people were killed in car accidents in Pennsylvania, and 169, or 14%, of those accidents were caused by speeding.

On Aug. 23, my sister Anne died in a tragic car accident while driving on County Line Road in Hatboro. While the investigation is continuing, information obtained by the Hatboro police shows that a Camaro was traveling west on County Line Road at a speed above the 45 mph limit. After the Camaro crossed a railroad grade, the vehicle became airborne and the driver lost control, causing it to cross into the eastbound lanes, striking my sister’s car.

Anne was a devoted teacher who impacted the lives of generations of students. She was a caring mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. Anne never said no to anything that would allow her to spend time with the ones she loved. She attended her grandchildren’s extracurricular events, spent time volunteering, and adored her beloved horses. Her life was cut much too short because of reckless speeding.

In a world where many things are out of our control, the very least we can do is to be mindful to drive safely so another beautiful and meaningful life isn’t lost.

Joseph T. Conahan, Glenside

No one can reasonably argue with AJ Ernst’s call to improve the physical condition of Philly’s neighborhood high schools. Every student deserves an up-to-date and well-maintained school.

But Ernst also wants to eliminate so-called special admissions schools, presumably so all students are assigned to neighborhood schools in the name of equity. If this were done, I believe it would result in current special admissions candidates attending private schools, or just moving out of the city to attend high-performing suburban schools.

Students whose parents could not afford either of these options would attend neighborhood schools where I suspect their performance would revert to the mean, thus achieving Ernst’s call for equity in a perverse way.

I’m sure I don’t have to remind Ernst that socioeconomic factors heavily affect academic performance. As long as there is rampant poverty in Philadelphia, academic achievement will suffer. The special admissions schools allow the school district to make the best of a bad situation.

Ron Fronduti, Media

In his rallies in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump brags about the great “Trump economy” and sells the illusion that the Republicans are better for the economy than the Democrats. Yet, 10 of the last 11 U.S. recessions began under a Republican president, and the following Democratic administrations were left to clean up the mess.

When Trump was elected, President Barack Obama had pulled the U.S. out of the 2008 recession, and the country was enjoying a growing economy. Trump, following the usual Republican playbook, pushed a tax cut that benefited the wealthy and corporations, rather than the workers, and contributed to the increase of the national deficit to the tune of $1 trillion a year.

Moreover, when the pandemic started, he handled it in the worst possible way. For months he ignored it, calling it a hoax, and suggesting cures based on horse ivermectin and ingestion of bleach. In the meantime, Americans were dying by the thousands every day, millions lost their jobs, and the economy came to a total halt, with people facing eviction and economic disaster.

But the rich did very well, and the number of billionaires more than doubled in the U.S., thanks to Trump’s tax cuts and pandemic profiting. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris inherited the disastrous Trump recession but managed to pull the country out of it.

Harris has now outlined a convincing plan to further grow the economy and address the remaining inflation. The economic plan Trump proposes is instead laughable. Rather than requiring the rich to pay their fair share of taxes, his latest bright idea is to produce revenue by imposing a tax on the goods Americans buy from abroad. This would cause trade wars, explode the deficit, and place a disproportionate burden on the middle class and on low-income Americans. A recipe for disaster.

Chiara Nappi, Princeton, crnappi@gmail.com

One of the accomplishments the Biden-Harris administration is taking credit for is a reduction in some drug prices. Not true.

I just received a renewal notice from AARP for my 2025 prescription plan, and the monthly cost is going up 65%, from $54.20 to $89.20, and I’ve never had a prescription filled. A friend’s is increasing 100%.

The Biden-Harris administration simply shifted the cost burden for those expensive drugs from the people using them to the “silent majority.”

Potential voters should consider what Kamala Harris means when she promises to give us a “new economy.” I’m afraid to find out. The cost of a dozen eggs has just doubled.

Remember that old TV commercial asking, “Where’s the beef?” I’m asking Joe Biden and Harris, “Where’s the savings?”

Carol Rhodes, Barnsboro

I had to chuckle when I read The Inquirer article about the Federal Reserve cutting its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point, indicating there will be “lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.”

Consumers, however, are being ripped off by many of the top credit card companies, as they are now charging interest rates approaching 30% annually, or even more, as they have located their credit card operations in states that have no usury laws or caps on how much interest credit card companies can charge.

At one time, individual taxpayers could deduct personal loan and credit card interest on their tax returns if they itemized, but the law was changed, eliminating that deduction. The credit card companies are putting the loan sharks out of business.

Paul Benedict, Broomall, paulcbenedict@gmail.com

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