Letters: Romney may be right for Trump

I recall all the negative and derogatory things that Mitt Romney said about President-elect Donald Trump last winter, and I totally agree with Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway's sentiment that Romney deliberately tried to hurt Trump's chances of winning the Republican presidential nomination ("Trump aide steps up bid to block possible Romney nomination," Nov. 27).

It doesn't make sense for Trump to select Romney for a position such as secretary of state.

However, during the campaign Trump seemed to do and say a lot of things that would have buried any other candidate but had little or no effect on him. I guess what I'm saying is that to an outsider looking in, a decision may seem irrational. But to the person who took into consideration all the objective reasoning that goes into making a decision, it makes absolute perfect sense.

Therefore, I say we withhold critical judgment of Trump's cabinet picks, particularly those that might seem irrational, like bringing Romney on board. Trump was right on just about everything during this campaign. I say we keep trusting his judgment. I'm certain it all makes perfect sense to him.

|Eugene R. Dunn, Medford, N.Y.

Get used to Trump's tweets

We have all noticed that Donald Trump has not held press conferences since his election. Since it appears that his idea of having press conferences is to make comments via Twitter, perhaps there should be a daily recap each morning of Trump's and his team's tweets from the previous day.

|Jill Polakoff Connolly, Plymouth Meeting

Weapon makes a difference

I think there is a huge lesson for our lawmakers to learn from the recent violence on the Ohio State University campus ("11 injured by car, knife," Nov. 28). No one was killed. Had the perpetrator used guns, rifles, or automatic weapons, could you imagine the massacre? Those National Rifle Association puppets always claim that it's not the guns; that someone out to kill can use knives, hatchets, etc., which is true. But now we have a valid example of violence without guns. Terrible, but no fatalities. Now is the time to move forward on realistic gun control.

|Barbara Vetri, Philadelphia

Cohen defends legislative record

Ah, the glory of serving in elective office. In the libertarian-light world of columnist John Baer, all that counts is the spending of money; there is never any cost-benefit analysis as to whether the public benefits from what was spent. Two days before my final legislative day, Baer unloaded his venom on me ("For perk king, one door closing," Nov. 28). My years in Harrisburg have helped produce the nation's first subsidized senior citizens prescription system (PACE); first Children's Health Insurance program (CHIP); an early comprehensive organ transplant program; the strongest medical marijuana legislation passed by a Republican-majority legislature; path-breaking right-to-know legislation; pioneering legislation redefining rape and allowing DNA evidence; criminal sentencing guidelines; and national leadership to raise the minimum wage.

But all Baer wants to write about as I leave office after 42.5 years is my legislative expense account, which costs the average Pennsylvanian, coupled with my salary, one penny per year. Philadelphia's paper of record should report what actually happens before publishing propagandistic critiques.

|Mark B. Cohen, Democratic chairman, House State Government Committee, Philadelphia

Adopted children need not fear

As the mother of a son adopted from abroad, I was confused by Alfred Lubrano's Nov. 23 commentary, "For working-class voters, it's about getting stuff done," in which he said his 12-year-old daughter, adopted from Guatemala, feared after Donald Trump's election that she would be deported.

I hope that Lubrano, and all parents who have recently adopted children internationally, are familiar with the Child Citizen Act of 2000. This act confers automatic citizenship to legally adopted children under 18 who were born abroad, once their adoption is finalized. When we adopted our son, this act did not yet exist; it took more than a year to make him a citizen. We never once feared he would be deported.

Today's political climate has changed, with talk of deporting criminals. However, as far as I am aware, not a single "terrible-two" toddler, no matter how challenging, has been convicted of a felony. Lubrano's daughter, and all legally adopted children, should feel completely safe.

|Rosemary C. McDonough, chair emerita, National Council For Adoption, Narberth