Letters to the Editor | June 5, 2023

I am a Jewish individual old enough to have lived through the Great Depression and witnessed the Holocaust. I am also a firm believer that the death penalty has no place in civilized society. It is morally wrong because the government has no more right to commit murder than does an individual. It violates our Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and from a practical point of view, it is extremely expensive and does not deter crime. The U.S. is one of the few countries that allows it.

Now, the government is seeking to execute the deranged individual who brought carnage to the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. He is without a doubt guilty, but executing him doesn’t fit the crime. If carried out, he will have his injection site sterilized (which I don’t understand), and a painless lethal injection will put him peacefully to sleep. That’s restitution? He deserves to be placed in a maximum-security facility, preferably in isolation, which will give him many years to bemoan his fate. Sometimes there are things worse than death.

Ralph D. Bloch, Jenkintown, ralphdbloch@yahoo.com

House Bill 1239, the Veterans Entering the Sustainability Sector (VETSS) Program Act, recently introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by State Rep. Joe Webster, is a first-of-its-kind program that will help veterans make their occupational transition from the military to the civilian sector, as well as help some of the commonwealth’s ambitious environmental projects get across the finish line. With a slew of state and federal funding being distributed across Pennsylvania for the deployment of renewable energy systems, conservation efforts, energy efficiency retrofitting, etc., the need for qualified labor is only increasing. However, employers cite a lack of applicants with relevant experience.

Underemployment is a huge issue affecting veterans following the completion of their service, so the VETSS Program Act will provide veterans the opportunity to receive apprenticeship training in green energy and conservation jobs. It also establishes the VETSS Grant Fund, which employers in the sustainability sector can use by hiring veterans. HB 1239 is pro-environment, pro-veteran, and pro-Pennsylvania. Please contact your state representative and encourage them to support this legislation.

Tim Hayes, Dublin, timothy@conservationpa.org

Having watched my niece struggle with student debt and long hours of studying while juggling childcare and elder care to achieve her hard-earned degree, I was especially distressed at the report of nurses buying credentials. I am proud that my niece has served patients in the ICU before, throughout, and since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many other nurses have shared her struggle to obtain a nursing degree. The potential danger to patients of improperly trained nurses is one thing; there’s also the unfairness of a system where greed bypasses the ethical and moral implications of selling certifications.

Deborah Stone, North Wales

To my seventh-grade flag football team: I have never been prouder than watching you lose 16-60 this past weekend. You heard that right. When the opposing coach, up by more than 40 points, told his team to play “without restraint,” you played with it. Restraint is a noun. It means self-control. Control is one of the most important lessons games like flag can teach. Not exercising control leads to penalties in games and all sorts of bad things in life. As young men, you will be told that you should be aggressive, never show mercy, and kick others when they are down to assert your dominance. I disagree. When we are up big and bat the ball down rather than intercept it or try to run the clock out, it is because our opponents are human beings. We don’t need to humiliate them.

Another definition of restraint is “restriction of personal liberty.” Outdated ideas of manhood are examples of those kinds of restraints. Saying rude things to other kids so you can “get in their head” takes away your personal liberty to be the kind and thoughtful kids I know you are. The same is true when adults scream at bad plays, limiting your personal liberty to take risks and view mistakes as opportunities to learn. I don’t ever want you to play with those kinds of restraints.

Winning isn’t all that matters; it’s not even one of the most important things. Helping your teammate when he is struggling is important. Working hard through adversity is important. Showing respect and playing with class is important. Sports are just games we play. Play is a verb. It means to engage in an activity for enjoyment. There is nothing enjoyable about embarrassing other kids on the field. Now we just need all the adults to remember that.

Jeremy Knoll, Medford

Several retailers are unhappy with the fact that their customers are buying less or spending only on lower-cost items. These retailers and others are blaming it all on the “economy.” If stores would make their suppliers and themselves more accountable for prices, for everything from T-shirts to toilet paper and groceries, their bottom lines would not be so apparently dismal. For example, there are significantly higher prices for smaller bags of snacks or seven pairs of socks in a package for the same price as when there were 10. Company CEOs are reporting record earnings to the delight of their stockholders and their personal bonus structures, while American families leave items on the shelves. Unlike the prices of so many staples, workers did not experience their hourly wages triple. It’s simple cause and effect.

Mary Kay Owen, Downingtown

While I understand that the intention behind incorporating poetry is to provide readers with a diverse range of content (“Game over at Paine Plaza”), I believe it is important to critically evaluate its value within the realm of journalistic integrity. Poetry is an art form that embraces personal interpretation and emotional expression. However, when poetry finds its place within the pages of a newspaper, it runs the risk of diluting the objective reporting that readers rely on. Mixing poetry with news articles and editorials may blur the lines between fact and fiction, thereby undermining the credibility of the publication.

Poetry, while undoubtedly a beautiful means of self-expression, often falls short in terms of providing tangible knowledge or practical insights. In this case, it occupies space that could be dedicated to important news stories or in-depth investigative reporting that truly impact the lives of readers.

My intention is not to disparage poets or the art of poetry itself. Rather, it is to advocate for a clear demarcation between journalistic content and creative expressions, safeguarding the integrity and credibility of our newspaper. The Inquirer should reconsider the inclusion of poetry, and instead allocate the space to more pertinent news articles and feature stories. By doing so, we can uphold the core values of unbiased reporting and provide readers with the valuable information they seek.

Rich Coleman, Drexel Hill

The editorial on the debt ceiling deal (“A hollow victory”) mentions the national debt as being $31 trillion. One is reminded of the remark attributed to the late Sen. Everett McKinley Dirksen about federal spending getting out of control: “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” Of course, that was back in the 1960s, when a billion bucks really meant something. Today, politicians toss about the term trillions with a ho-hum attitude. So what does the total current national debt mean? Look at it this way: 31 trillion seconds equals almost a million years. A million years ago, the Great Lakes did not exist and the first form of what would later evolve into modern man had just separated from other primates like chimpanzees and bonobos. In Dirksen’s time there were just 13 billionaires in the U.S. (today there are 735). And today’s $31 trillion national debt is just the start.

Nick O’Dell, Phoenixville, nickodell16@yahoo.com

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