Letters to the Editor | Oct. 31, 2022

In their debate, John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz gave ringing endorsements of fracking. Neither acknowledged the multiple public health studies showing a direct correlation between proximity to fracking wells and low birth weight babies, childhood leukemia, asthma hospitalizations, or the cluster of rare Ewing sarcoma cases in Southwestern Pennsylvania. In 2020, the attorney general’s grand jury report gave a scathing rebuke to the lack of regulation of the fracking industry.

In April 2022, the 8th edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas and Oil Infrastructure listed over 2,000 citations that explore the health consequences of fracking. Fracking is not safe for those who live near wells, and it is the wrong direction for a warming planet that needs to stop burning fossil fuels.

Walter Tsou, M.D., Philadelphia

Thursday’s article blaming Lisa Deeley, the city elections chief, for possibly delaying delivery of mail-in ballots misses a key point: Why should the City Council allow members to resign two to three months before an election, when it should be obvious that this would potentially plunge the process into chaos? We are now living with the consequences.

Despite the last-minute workload dumped on the Philadelphia County Board of Elections, in my experience they have done an excellent job. In the last two elections, I received my mail-in ballots close to a month before the election and received an email confirming receipt two days after I mailed them in.

Let’s make their work easier, not blame them for the irresponsibility of Council President Darrell L. Clarke and City Council.

William Kavesh, Philadelphia

As part of UNITE HERE Local 274′s political canvassing campaign for the midterms, Workers to the Front, we are relieved to see that voters across our state are still able to correct errors on their mail-in ballots (Pa. counties can help voters fix mail ballot errors after state Supreme Court deadlocks on the issue. Oct. 21). However, we have found that direct conversations with voters make the difference in whether or not people vote. That’s why we have knocked on 500,000 doors and counting across the Philadelphia area. We provided voters with mail-in ballot applications ahead of the deadline, and have been reminding people of how to properly fill out mail-in ballots, with the date included, for months. We inspire and inform to make sure every vote is counted and every voter counts.

Rosslyn Wuchinich, president, UNITE HERE Local 274, and Frederick Hollis, UNITE HERE member and lead canvasser, Philadelphia

Since 2019, the number of people facing hunger has almost tripled, from 135 million to 345 million. Food prices have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine only made matters worse. These factors, coupled with a historic drought, have pushed millions of people to the brink of famine in Somalia, where a child is hospitalized for acute malnutrition every minute.

The U.S. has stepped up to provide emergency food relief, including specific resources for the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya). But, as a whole, this urgent crisis has not received the international response it merits. We can, and must, do more.

That includes passing the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022. Since it was passed a few years ago, this bipartisan legislation has played a key role in addressing the root causes of food insecurity and, through the Feed the Future program, has helped lift millions of families out of hunger. But the bill is about to expire, putting those vital resources and programs at risk. The House of Representatives has already passed a bill to reauthorize GFSA. Now, it’s the Senate’s turn.

Sen. Bob Casey has shown compassion and leadership by introducing S. 4649, the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act. Sen. Pat Toomey, you can show Pennsylvania’s united support of the fight against hunger by becoming a cosponsor. We have the tools to help lessen the severity of this crisis and, with millions knocking at famine’s door, we cannot afford to wait.

Pastor Matt Staniz, Devon

As a medical scientist and educator of future physicians, I have been teaching about substance abuse disorders and their extremely serious attendant problems for decades. I found it very objectionable that Mike Sielski used drug addiction to describe Philadelphia sports fans. In his Oct. 27 column on the Eagles’ chances of going 20-0, he wrote, “Around here, winning is a drug. Once fans taste it, they crave more of it immediately.” A substance abuse disorder creates havoc for both the user and family. It is not fun. It is not entertaining. It is often fatal. He must stop using this analogy.

Fredrick J. Goldstein, Meadowbrook

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