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Letters to the Editor

Messing with Ben's legacy Walking along the street past the Christ Church Burial Ground the other day, I heard a strange noise. Curious, I searched around to find out where the sound was coming from. Finally, I traced it to Ben Franklin's grave. It then dawned on me that the sound obviously was from Ben turning in his grave after discovering what was happening to the postal system that he developed ("Poison pill for post offices," Thursday).

Messing with Ben's legacy

Walking along the street past the Christ Church Burial Ground the other day, I heard a strange noise. Curious, I searched around to find out where the sound was coming from. Finally, I traced it to Ben Franklin's grave. It then dawned on me that the sound obviously was from Ben turning in his grave after discovering what was happening to the postal system that he developed ("Poison pill for post offices," Thursday).

Thomas C. Duddy, Philadelphia

Cut mail delivery to thrice a week

Now that it will take an additional day for first-class mail to be delivered, would it really matter if postal delivery were cut to three days weekly, either Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday? This would be a way to cut the cost of local delivery and labor in half. The survival of our postal system with affordable postage rates is more important than the status quo.

Lawrence Redmond, Paoli

Tales of financial woe

I would be more sympathetic to the U.S. Postal Service's tales of financial woe if I hadn't just seen three different mail trucks making simultaneous deliveries within a one-mile stretch recently.

Elaine P. Sobczak, Wayne

What is Runyan's fair share?

U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan (R., N.J.) pays almost $62,000 yearly in property taxes on three acres. His other 20 acres net only about $123. And The Inquirer thinks he's getting an unfair break? What should he pay? If the tax on the first three acres holds for all 23 acres, his bill would be about $460,000 yearly. Is that his "fair share"?

Philip J. Donohue, Alloway

Access to insurance agents needed

The editorial "Healthy move by Corbett" (Nov. 29) applauded Gov. Corbett for moving to establish a state-run insurance exchange in Pennsylvania. But the exchange will not fulfill its potential to expand insurance coverage unless it guarantees individuals and small businesses access to licensed, professional insurance agents.

Many small businesses depend on agents to effectively run their health-benefits programs. The Congressional Budget Office reports that brokers "handle responsibilities that larger firms generally delegate to their human resource departments such as finding plans and negotiating premiums ... and processing enrollees."

Individual consumers also rely on brokers. A recent IBM survey revealed that 75 percent of those who have worked with agents were very satisfied. Fifty-four percent said that no amount of savings would cause them to drop their brokers.

Janet Trautwein, executive vice president and CEO, National Association of Health Underwriters, Washington

Hold school employees accountable

Any principal who cannot return a parent's calls for as long as a week should be disciplined ("This first grader left behind," Tuesday).

Any principal who did not initiate a call to a parent whose 6-year-old child was found wandering on the streets by a police officer because the school did not keep track of him should be disciplined.

Any principal who did not start an investigation immediately to find out how this happened should be disciplined.

This is truly three strikes, and you should be out. It is time for interim school CEO Leroy D. Nunnery to act. If he doesn't, the School Reform Commission should hold a hearing in order to deliver the message that it cares about the safety of students and that adults will be held responsible.

Michael Churchill, Philadelphia, mchurchill@pilcop.org

Magnificent photo

The photo by April Saul of the magnificent horse and rescuer accompanying the story "A passion to rescue" (Nov. 27), by Emilie Lounsberry, was nothing short of magnificent. The love between the two leap out at you. Dumb animal? I don't think so.

Roseann M. Rackie, Wallingford