Letters to the Editor | Sept. 9, 2022

In Thursday’s editorial, “Just right,” an attempt is made to equate the Biden student loan forgiveness program with mortgage interest deduction. There is no relationship between the two. The loans were taken out in good faith with a pledge to be paid back. The interest deduction merely allows home buyers to retain some of their own income as an incentive to buy a house. No matter how you slice it, under the proposed plan, the loan payment is passed on to those who never took one out, or those who repaid theirs. — Stephen Hanover, Doylestown

Sen. Pat Toomey’s remarks about Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, as reported by The Inquirer, are so appalling as to require comment. Whether one supports Fetterman or not, his brief disfluencies (which may well be temporary) in speech do not make him “not able to communicate” or not “able to do the job.” As a result of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, we, as a nation, have learned to make all kinds of reasonable accommodations for those who are differently abled. It wouldn’t surprise us at all if, not so long ago, there were folks who didn’t think Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a double amputee, was “unable to serve.”

Toomey’s aspersions hit a new low, even for him. — Barbara Gold and Stephen Gold, Philadelphia

How unfortunate that talented rapper Bad Bunny chose to squander $50,000 on strippers and alcohol while visiting our city where so many are in need. What an impact that money would have made on a school, a shelter, a playground, or a food bank. Sad. — Holly Wright, Philadelphia

Former President Donald Trump’s anti-democratic bent was on full display at a recent political rally, as reported in last Sunday’s Inquirer (“Trump hits back at Biden in Pa. rally”). Rally attendees were treated to a long-winded rehash of various grievances Trump has been blustering about regularly for almost two years.

In the following Tuesday’s editorial, Inquirer readers were warned about the danger to democracy stirred by Trump’s reckless rhetoric. This admonition does not go far enough. Given Trump’s proclivity for demagoguery, the Inquirer’s Editorial Board should consider a Trump news moratorium when it comes to his overworked, vitriolic attacks against individuals and organizations he perceives as having done him wrong. — Patrick J. Hagan, Ardmore

I was very disappointed to see that ABC and CBS did not show the president’s Soul of the Nation address. Instead, they showed Young Sheldon and Press Your Luck.

I assume their executives deemed those silly shows to be more important in this current political climate than highlighting the leader of our nation, who focused on the importance of maintaining our democracy. In light of what is going on in our country and in the city of Philadelphia, these stations’ executives should have taken the half hour to broadcast President Joe Biden and his sincere efforts to preserve our freedoms. In addition, the address occurred at the birthplace of our country. Yet another opportunity missed by these stations to showcase the importance of our historical city as it relates to our constitutional government. Shame on them! — K. Pauza, Bucks County

The Sunday story pertaining to the rise in fatal opioid overdoses in Philadelphia, especially among Black residents, reflects the sad state of the way that Pennsylvania treats people with opioid use disorder. This trend will likely continue if addiction is treated as a crime and not a disease. People with opioid use disorder are not getting the medical help and community support that they need to survive. Laws that criminalize addiction, and a health-care system that makes prescriptions for opioids unaffordable, cause people to go to the streets for needles and drugs, which often leads to fatalities. Our legislators should support laws that decriminalize drug addiction and treat it as a disease so that people can get help. Putting our tax money into prosecutions and punishments for addiction does not help the problem. Providing safe supplies of opioids to people can save lives. — Laurie R. Jubelirer, Ambler

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