Letters to the Editor

How to give hope to those at risk

Philadelphia is once again grappling with the highest per-capita murder rate among the nation's 10 largest cities. In his inauguration speech, Mayor Nutter did not flinch from this disturbing truth. Neither should we.

"Some of these young people terrorizing neighborhoods are themselves just frightened kids," he said. "They're not all bad kids. They weren't born like this. These are kids who lack opportunity. Who believe that they have no future, that there is no door open to them. . . . We have to show them all that they do have a future."

Each and every one of us can help these children create a better future and, in turn, a more vibrant city. It is a proven fact that evidenced-based mentoring helps kids stay in school, stay off drugs, and improve their sense of the future.

Helping young people reach their potential is an economic imperative. Philadelphia spends one-third of its tax dollars each year on the criminal justice system - money that might otherwise be used to pay for amenities that would provide a better quality of life for all. By investing in proven programs and volunteering, we can have more children heading to a job or college and fewer going to court or jail.

Poverty and violence threaten the fabric of our city, all of it, not just those troubled neighborhoods that some of us never see. So why not add "mentoring a child" to your New Year's resolution? The stakes could not be higher, and the reward could not be greater.

Marlene L. Olshan, chief executive officer, Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania, molshan@bbbssepa.org

Not all charter proposals are sound

James Osborne's article about the charter school application process in New Jersey ("In New Jersey, nonprofit at center of education conflict," Tuesday) creates confusion around a straightforward set of facts. Last year, before the Department of Education brought in our association to evaluate charter school proposals, the department used a high number of local evaluators and approved a high number of new schools, some of which weren't really ready to open.

This year, the department retained our organization to manage the evaluation process. We brought in more national experts to evaluate proposals and, because of our high standards and focus on quality, we recommended fewer proposals - only those that were ready. That's a win for everybody.

Greg Richmond, President and CEO, National Association of Charter School Authorizers, Chicago

Another area where Philly was first

The "City of Firsts" article (Sunday) did not list the University of Science, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy as the first college of pharmacy in the country. It was founded in 1821 and lists amongst its graduates the founders of the following pharmaceutical companies: Eli Lilly, Wyeth, Rorer, Warner-Lambert, Burrough-Wellcome, and the McNeil company. This school is something that should add to the uniqueness of the city.

David Bergman, Philadelphia

Murder coverage raises questions

The front page of Monday's Inquirer featured the tragic story of the 23-year-old man beaten to death in Old City ("Life full of promise and charisma cut short," Monday). I grieve for this man's death and the pain felt by his family and friends. But I am also deeply troubled by a familiar and disturbing pattern in The Inquirer.

Frequently in the case of a homicide involving a white person, particularly a young, handsome professional, the story is front-page news. Typically, we get a detailed report of the killing itself, followed the next day by a lengthy portrait of the victim, usually with a photo. Subsequent weeks will carry reports on the investigation and perhaps arrest of suspects. The trial itself will get extensive, possibly front-page coverage.

In the case of a killing in a poor, mostly African American neighborhood, the account is usually relegated to a short paragraph under "News Briefs" in the B section. Sometimes the victim is never even named, and the story disappears from public view or public concern.

This journalistic double standard sends a pernicious message: that some persons' deaths - and lives - are of more concern and importance than are others'. I am white, but I nonetheless feel anger at this persistent devaluing of my African American neighbors and friends.

William O'Brien, Philadelphia

Gated lives hide economic inequality

For decades we have ignored the gap in the distribution of wealth in our country. As tax cuts for the wealthy continue, this gap has increased, and the very existence of a middle class becomes more imperiled.

Economic segregation, so pervasive in this country, allows us to escape reality by hiding from it in our metaphorically gated communities. Though many of us feel burdened by our tax obligations, we often seem blinded to how fortunate we are compared with those who could never even dream of the lifestyle we enjoy. If we even think about it, somehow we convince ourselves that we must be more deserving or just naturally more entitled.

Yes, we are and have for many decades been living with class warfare. Economic segregation has effectively sheltered and prevented us from acknowledging that fact.

Carol Malik Kirsch, Millburn

Tackle root cause of social pathology

Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream for young black men will remain elusive as long as the root cause of the problem is ignored. While mentoring programs have merit, the seminal reason for the social pathology afflicting urban youth is the unacceptably high non-marital birth rate for blacks in the inner city. Without a stable, in-home, male role model, youth are more likely to fall victim to the toxic culture of the streets.

Michael J. Santella, West Chester

A treasonous type of opposition?

The most telling comment in Sunday's article on Arlen Specter's memoir ("Settling scores") was his recollection that the GOP junior senator and tea-party leader from South Carolina, Jim DeMint, pledged to "break" Obama when "the ink wasn't dry on the president's oath of office."

People like DeMint howl at the moon about taking back America, yet don't understand that America, in all its land-of-the-free glory, spoke loudly and clearly in November of 2008. Fifty-six million Americans, exercising their constitutional rights (I thought tea-partyers loved that), wanted Barack Obama to be their president. If the shoe was on the other foot, DeMint would rail that a statement like his from a U.S. senator was anti-American, subversive, and probably treasonous.

Kenneth M. Foti, Malvern

Food stamp rule punishes the poor

I applaud The Inquirer Editorial Board and reporter Alfred Lubrano for highlighting Pennsylvania's new asset test for food stamps. Just because some of our most vulnerable citizens have a modest sum of money in the bank does not mean they are financially secure.

Fraud, waste, and abuse must be addressed, but that's not what we are talking about. We're talking about people with very little savings getting the support they need to get out of poverty. Food stamps help people build assets so they can do just that.

As Lubrano pointed out, business and community leaders, from both sides of the aisle, in Philadelphia and across the state, are against this plan. Let's focus on policies that encourage people to manage their money wisely. We can't discourage people from doing one of the key things we know will get them to financial stability - saving!

Jill M. Michal, President and CEO, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, jmichal@uwsepa.org