Letters to the Editor | July 3, 2023

We have spent nearly $75 billion providing Ukraine weapons and aid for a war that is not our war. If the conflict ends, and Ukraine retains all or part of its country, much of what’s left is demolished or damaged. Every candidate for office now should be required to answer this question: Will you vote to spend our tax dollars to rebuild Ukraine, and if yes, how much would you approve that we spend? As we have thousands of homeless veterans living on the streets currently, I am anxious to hear everyone’s answer.

David F. Lipton, Toms River

The greatest threat to America and its allies is a frustrated and desperate Russia using tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. As the West continues to increase weapon supplies to Kyiv, it may become obvious to Moscow that it cannot win this war by conventional means. Russia and its leadership must be made to realize that a nuclear attack against Ukraine or the West may lead to annihilation. The nuclear powers of the world each possess more than enough weapons to destroy the Earth many times over. This deterrent capability must be brought home to the Russian population at every level since it appears these people are deprived of any free speech and free press. Certainly, the cost of efforts in this direction pales in comparison to the cost of doing nothing and awaiting inevitable escalation.

Bill Smith, West Chester, w2smith@aol.com

The I-95 collapse created tremendous challenges for our transportation network. Yet despite limited resources, SEPTA answered the call with extra service to make sure residents could get wherever they needed to go. This is what SEPTA does. However, this may be the last time we can marshal this kind of emergency response. Recently, the SEPTA Board approved the final annual budget before we hit a so-called fiscal cliff. Next year, without additional state operating subsidies, we’ll be facing a quarter-billion-dollar deficit as federal COVID-19 subsidies run out.

The main options SEPTA has for filling budget gaps are service reductions and fare increases. That means our customers will pay more for services that are significantly diminished — referred to as the transit death spiral. Once SEPTA starts circling that drain, we don’t know if we will be able to provide reliable day-to-day services, let alone extra trains when there is an emergency or to support big events.

Like most transit agencies, SEPTA has struggled to rebuild ridership post-pandemic. The federal COVID relief funds were a lifeline to keep services running. We not only did that, but we also prepared for public transportation’s new normal by moving forward with plans to revitalize our bus network, maintained critical core transit services, and began looking at new ways to utilize Regional Rail. We also tightened our belt with an employee-driven efficiency and accountability program that has saved $38 million in its first year, have successfully launched a transformational institutional pass program, and added resources to ensure the system is safe and secure for riders. SEPTA is doing its part. We now need our partners in Harrisburg to step up.

Pasquale T. Deon Sr., chairman, SEPTA Board

Black and brown students have benefited from affirmative action. It allowed the student body to diversify and gave education opportunities that have improved the wealth disparity. If all students are measured by the same admission standards despite where they go to school, be it in the inner cities, suburban or private institutions, or having to overcome hardships, how are they being weighed the same?

A 2018 survey showed that 42% of admission officers at private schools acknowledged that legacy was a factor in the admission decision. Public schools were at 6%. This is a great way to keep multigenerational loyalty and wealth. Harvard University is estimated to have 25% to 35% of students who have legacy status. As universities across the country start to dismantle their affirmative admission practices, will they also dismantle legacy admissions? Or will public, private, and elite schools keep fighting to keep them?

Jose Uribe, Ambler, jjcriuribe@verizon.net

Every year, the day the kids got out of school, Mom would pack them up and head to West Wildwood to our two-bedroom house that had no TV, air-conditioning, washer or dryer (certainly no dishwasher), not even a phone. Yet these summers were the most memorable growing up. Fun was chasing the mosquito truck down the street, spewing out the kerosene fog to control mosquitoes (no EPA approval, yet we lived).

The ice cream store on Glenwood Avenue was a must-visit while Mom or Dad went to Dot’s Spot, a local watering hole. On the beach in North Wildwood, we’d wait for the melodious voice of the Fudgy Wudgy Man or the kids selling the Daily News, The Inquirer, or the Philadelphia Bulletin for the bargain price of 5 cents or 10 cents. Nights on the boardwalk were actually affordable then. A night out for the parents was seeing Cozy Morley repeat the same jokes year after year. Lots of pleasant memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Jim McElderry, Ocean City, N.J.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is proposing a new rule to reduce air pollution from gas pipelines. Philadelphia Gas Works should follow its lead. The rule is updating a standard from the 1970s that was only concerned with preventing gas explosions rather than improving air quality. Now we know that methane gas is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and the proposal takes this in mind, requiring more inspections, repairs, and, critically, better equipment to detect gas leaks.

PGW’s existing methane emissions reduction program discusses important efforts like pipeline replacement and pressure control technology upgrades, but the utility is missing a massive opportunity to train its staff on the use of optical gas imaging (OGI) cameras that can be used to detect gas before the risk of an explosion. PGW currently assigns pipeline repairs and upgrades based on the age and material of pipelines for good reason, but adding an OGI survey component, where PGW proactively canvasses the city looking for methane pollution, would be a massive step toward reducing the city’s contribution to climate change while reducing the risk of an explosion.

Russell Zerbo, Philadelphia

A recent Spotlight PA article reported state Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman’s claim that the court ruling on school funding “didn’t distinguish between public and private education, it distinguished educational opportunities.” This is simply not true. The court directed lawmakers to ensure that the state’s public schools have sufficient funding to provide all students with access to a quality public education — including low-wealth school districts whose students have not been afforded this opportunity. Any claim that the court’s mandate can be met by funding private schools runs totally contrary to the ruling and to our state’s constitution.

To quote Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer, the constitution “requires that every student receive a meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically, which requires that all students have access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary system of public education.” Funding private schools will not move Pennsylvania a single dollar closer to this constitutional mandate. The ruling demands that our state’s low-wealth school districts be provided with the critical resources they are now lacking. The commonwealth has a great opportunity here. To inject false arguments into the narrative does a disservice to all.

Joan C. Mazzotti, Haverford

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