LETTERS - Jan. 28

ISSUE | LENDING

Legacy disappointed some city borrowers

In 2001, as a manager at a mortgage company that made home improvement loans in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, I was affected by Philadelphia's new predatory-lending law, which retiring City Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco considers part of her legacy ("Tasco looks back on a long Council career," Jan. 19).

Because this law required that low rates be charged to all borrowers regardless of credit qualifications, many less-qualified borrowers in the city no longer qualified for the loans that they needed to fix leaking roofs or broken heaters.

While predatory-lending laws are necessary to protect people from unscrupulous lenders, the city's law was poorly crafted and took a source of financing away from people who needed it most.

|David Pallies, Sewell

ISSUE | VACCINATIONS

Health consequences of the science-averse

Republicans like former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota need to be held responsible for the current measles outbreak across six states, with more than 70 cases.

The antiscientific fearmongering that she and others have engaged in to pander to their paranoid antigovernment base has resulted in many children not getting needed vaccinations.

Scientific study after scientific study has shown that immunizations do not cause autism and are safe, but that doesn't stop people like Bachmann from putting children at risk.

|George Magakis, Jr. Norristown

ISSUE | AGING

Going gray for real

takes more than dye

As a boomer who is rocking the gray, I was disappointed that Elizabeth Wellington's article dealt with young women dying their hair gray ("Premeditated gray hair," Jan. 25). How about us middle-aged women who want to age gracefully and accept ourselves with gray hair?

It would be great to see an article that would offer tips for growing out dyed hair and accepting oneself with gray hair.

|Joanne L. Gotto, Philadelphia

ISSUE | LIBRARIES

In a digital world, preserve hands-on research

I disagree with Inga Saffron's assessment of plans for the new Temple University library ("Library will make a campus come together," Jan. 23). The design's central flaw is its relegation of print collections to a robot-controlled vault. While students and scholars may indeed gain open floor space, they stand to lose much more.

Accessible, open stacks are crucial to a major academic library, and they should not be locked away. The discovery process of browsing through aisles of books and journals simply cannot be duplicated via a computer terminal. Saffron notes the similarity of the design to an Amazon warehouse - not a flattering comparison for a building aspiring to the architects' "humanist sensibilty."

I urge patrons to contact Temple's dean of libraries, Joe Lucia, and ask that the heart of the library not be gutted in the name of innovation.

|Ben Webster, Philadelphia

Library location sends the right message

Building Temple's library in the heart of the campus rather than on Broad Street is the right move because it says to one and all that the university is committed to teaching, learning, and scholarship. Temple alums are not trained, but educated. How unfortunate, then, that Temple's slogan - "Temple Made" - sends a different message. A Temple education is and should be about more than preparation for a job.

|William W. Cutler III, Jenkintown

ISSUE | GUN VIOLENCE

Cities right to act in their public health role

Each shooting highlighted by the media is a profound tragedy for the individuals involved and the communities ("Cities under fire," Jan. 23). Equally tragic are the untold numbers of children and adults affected by gun violence whose stories do not make the paper. For many, they just become another statistic, yet for us - doctors and students who have stayed at their bedsides through these tragedies - they touch our lives as individuals. Accidental and intentional shootings are the leading cause of death among Philadelphians ages 15 to 19, and more than 80 percent of homicides in 2013 involved guns.

Our communities are made safer by requirements to report lost or stolen guns and to keep guns out of our city parks. But even these basic rules are vulnerable under a new law that enables gun advocacy groups to sue cities even if they cannot show evidence of being harmed. This privilege, which does not exist on any other issue, will lead to costly court battles.

As members of the National Physicians Alliance, we view gun violence as a public health issue and commend Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Lancaster officials for remaining resolute in their decisions to defend these important safety measures.

|Mudit Gilotra, M.D., Jeff Hom, M.D., and Diana Huang, Philadelphia

A matter of complying with the law

Cities like Philadelphia flagrantly violate civil rights protections such as the state firearm preemption law ("Cities under fire," Jan. 23). Regardless of the reason, there is no excuse for going rogue. Unfortunately, having a law on the books hasn't proven sufficient to stop officials from acting as if they're above the law, so the state legislature stepped up the game by allowing citizens and groups like the National Rifle Association to hold such officials accountable.

|Jay Levine, Yardley