Letters to the Editor | March 5, 2023

Outrageous! When I was hired to teach by a local school district in 1972, my starting salary was $9,000. More than 50 years later, the current statutory minimum for Pennsylvania teachers is $18,500. May I suggest that members of the Department of Education get out of their offices, spread out across the state, shadow teachers for a week, and see all they do? That includes time outside the classroom preparing classes, reading papers and exams, shopping for classroom supplies with their own money, meeting with parents, attending faculty development programs, and attending conferences. I suspect they won’t last five days.

Marie Conn, Hatboro

I read with interest Osagie O. Imasogie’s eloquent and excellent op-ed on why he quit the Union League. While I applaud his stance, he gives the mistaken impression that the vast majority of league members opposed the award presentation to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and that the league welcomes diversity. You can trick yourself into seeing that diversity, but don’t be fooled. The DeSantis episode has shown the league’s true colors. The “diversity” is a sham that allows it to “check the box.” I’m sure there are many members who support a more inclusive and welcoming league. But a majority, according to press accounts, enthusiastically supported honoring DeSantis. The message that sends about where the league stands on inclusiveness and diversity could not be clearer.

Barry Lurie, Philadelphia

Another high-profile killing brings more predictable hand-wringing and the usual clichés from community “leaders,” though no one will discuss the root cause of societal decline. Studies have shown that most children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes. Children raised in single-parent homes are more likely to commit violent crime, die by suicide, and live in poverty. In 1960, just 9% of American homes were headed by a single parent. Today, it is 26%. The spike in violence through the decades is not a coincidence. What was once frowned upon is now “celebrated” by culture and financially rewarded by the government. Until our society begins to promote and incentivize marriage and family, objectively the best way to raise productive citizens, and major newspapers become brave enough to discuss the hard truths, the trend of violence will continue. People protesting and politicians bloviating solves nothing.

Stephen J. Labroli, Whitpain, slabroli@hotmail.com

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