Letters to the Editor | Oct. 2, 2023

Thanks to The Inquirer for putting the childcare crisis on the front page last week. However, the article only mentions large centers. Like hundreds of others in the Greater Philadelphia area, I run what’s known as family childcare: delivering quality childcare in my home. I teach babies to talk, walk, potty train, feed themselves, listen, and share. The children in my care enjoy a positive introduction to their educational journey of K-12 and beyond. For eight to 10 hours a day, I provide loving care right in their neighborhood, so parents can work full-time jobs.

I am also a trusted resource in my community, a block captain leading neighborhood cleanups and unity events. I will continue to invest in my program and provide the best quality care. But I am a part of the least compensated industry. Parents can’t afford to pay more, and government subsidies do not pay the true cost of care. In fact, we are paid poverty-level wages. We would never abandon our families by going on strike. But we depend on everyone in our society to support our important work, speak out on our behalf, and get us the compensation we deserve.

Timmi Kilgore, owner, Kilgore Family Childcare, Philadelphia

The vandalism and looting that occurred around the city of Philadelphia last week were completely predictable and preventable. After watching the noon news Tuesday and hearing about the protests that would happen later that day, I commented to my wife that people would use the occasion to trash the city. Why didn’t Mayor Jim Kenny and his administration realize this and post a squadron of police officers around the shopping district in Center City? Once again, the mayor was asleep at the wheel.

If Cherelle Parker becomes mayor, I hope she takes a more proactive approach to maintaining peace in our city, because the hoodlums are taking over. This is evident in the car meetups where drivers block Broad Street or the Parkway and do dangerous doughnuts, where ATVs roar illegally down city streets in packs of 50 or more, where dangerous carjackings occur more frequently, and where there are so many ruthless killings of innocent people. The city is becoming more and more lawless, and our leaders need to take definite steps to restore peace and order.

William Cooney, Philadelphia

What is missing from Jonathan Zimmerman’s column on free speech, and from related letters to the editor, is the question asking where the line is between perceived hate speech and incitement. On Jan. 6, 2021, we saw what incitement speech can do. Listening and attempting to judge for oneself is one thing, but acting on incitement is another. Concerning Penn law professor Amy Wax, who invited white nationalist Jared Taylor to her class (a person who claimed that Black people have a higher tendency toward “psychopathic personality”), it must be remembered that even law students can be somewhat intimidated by their professors, and may accept their views. As a former college professor, I believe the First Amendment is critical to a free society, but we also must be aware of what inciting speech can cause.

Marlyn Alkins, Warrington

I appreciate former Gov. Ed Rendell’s service to our city and our commonwealth throughout his career; he remains a well-respected voice in City Hall and in my office. However, he is absolutely missing the mark with his analysis of Bill No. 230410 in a recent letter to the editor. This bill codifies the necessity of community input. Every resident of every district that is named in this bill now has an opportunity to hear and give testimony in their neighborhoods if an injection site is proposed there. Not the other way around. There is one Council district that is not named in the bill, and it is the only area in the city where an injection site can be built without community input. That is the one he praised for having the right to consideration. I recommend his letter be amended with a note to clarify his misunderstanding of the bill.

Quetcy Lozada, Philadelphia City Council member, 7th District

Attitude is the difference between learning and not learning. When I went to school, my family and other families in my neighborhood were considered somewhere between poor and very low middle class. Today, the school we attended would be condemned. It had two separate classrooms. The upstairs room had one teacher who had to teach second grade through fourth grade. Every single student (approximately 50) passed and eventually graduated from high school. Junior high school, because of a lack of classroom space, had both morning and afternoon sessions. That cut back significantly on the hours of schooling for each student. Money, or a lack of it, did not play a part in our learning. Attitude was the deciding factor. Today, a lack of school funding seems mainly like a built-in excuse for poor performance.

Don Landry, Franconia

Some lawmakers are weighing a ban on TikTok for all Americans. Such a ban would impact millions of small businesses such as mine. The social media platform levels the playing field, giving a small business an equal footing with an industry giant. I opened Mrs. Robinson’s Tea Shop, a retail location in Kennett Square, in 2010. My business steadily grew as a special place where neighbors visit frequently, and out-of-towners quickly become friends. When the pandemic hit, my business was devastated.

With little online presence at the time, I was heavily reliant on foot traffic. Not only was the financial challenge real, but the loss of community was heartbreaking. But I was lucky. I found TikTok and with it a new global Main Street where I could share my passion for tea and keep my business afloat. I was able to transition my little shop into an online business, which allowed me to pay my bills and employees. Today, I have 100,000 followers, and my business has grown to four times what it was before.

With a simple phone and passion to tell my story, the magic of TikTok makes it feel like we’re all standing in my shop spilling tea. I don’t have to be slick or perfect, I just have to be authentic. Were TikTok banned, I would also feel a tremendous personal loss of community. America has always been a place where we celebrate entrepreneurs. TikTok has given a voice to local entrepreneurs like me in a way no other social media has done before, and to lose the chance to hear those voices would be heartbreaking.

Marlene Robinson, Kennett Square

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