OPM data breach a repeat

ISSUE | DATA BREACH

Burned before

As one of the 21.5 million people affected by the Office of Personnel Management data breach, I am far from comforted by the government's response.

First, this is not the only time the OPM has adversely affected my life. Due to its temporary loss of my security clearance paperwork, I was let go from a government assignment after only three weeks. Second, I have grave doubts about the firm that the OPM retained to provide credit monitoring, since it seems to be passing the actual work on to an even less experienced firm. Neither firm had notified me as of recently of the security breach or the steps that will be taken to correct the damage.

|Douglas C. McVarish, Collingswood, douglasmcvarish@gmail.com

ISSUE | BILL COSBY

Good works stand

Take away a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bill Cosby? Absolutely not ("Obama: No way to take back medal from Cosby," July 16).

I do not condone what has now come to light, but we must look at all the good Cosby accomplished that warranted the award. Let the many who benefited from his good works come forward and speak up on his behalf. To those who suggest that the honor be taken away, I say look at the background of other recipients, most recently Bill Clinton and the shame he brought to the presidency. Enough said.

|Mary Anne Fry, Ambler, gdndusty@aol.com

ISSUE | WALDRON MERCY

Ridiculous argument

Regarding columnist Mike Newall's ad hominem attack on Archbishop Charles J. Chaput ("Deciphering his message of exclusion," July 15): To argue that the Catholic Church was wrong in the way it handled the molestation of children (obviously) and that, therefore, any representative of the church is wrong about every other issue is ridiculous. Chaput is merely following church doctrine. Don't blame the man.

If you want change, encourage dialogue. Dialogue should not begin with accusations.

|Kevin Livesey, Bryn Mawr

Openness punished

The former Waldron Mercy Academy director of religious eduction, Margie Winters, could have taken the route of keeping her marriage and sexual orientation a secret ("Deciphering his message of exclusion," July 15). This way, she would still have her job.

Instead, she was honest, open, and transparent. These are the values I admire and respect. I do not see the firing of a talented and devoted teacher as common sense.

|Loretta Dugan, Erdenheim

ISSUE | IMMIGRATION

GOP mayoral nominee wrong on sanctuary

As organizers of a group called United Voices for Philadelphia, we strongly oppose Republican mayoral nominee Melissa Murray Bailey's stance on ending Philadelphia's status as a sanctuary city and urge that she reconsider. Highlighting a few incidents in which an undocumented person has committed a crime suggests immigrants are more likely to be criminals. Yet numerous studies have shown that immigrants as a whole commit crimes at far lower rates than citizens.

Additionally, sanctuary cities help documented immigrants and citizens who look like immigrants from being locked up until their status can be reviewed by immigration officials. We seek leaders who bring us together to celebrate our strength in diversity, and we urge that Bailey separate herself from divisive and racist rhetoric that only serves to dehumanize.

|Rev. Adan Mairena, Andy Toy, Numa St. Louis, and Marwan Kreidie, Philadelphia

ISSUE | TAX CREDIT

Helping to secure families' financial footing

Gov. Christie's recent signing of legislation to increase the earned income tax credit from 20 percent to 30 percent is a critical step toward improving financial stability. At United Way, we ensure that community members have the assets they need to be financially stable, including advocating for preserving and increasing access to tax credits.

But IRS statistics show that some 20 percent of eligible taxpayers do not claim the credit. Through our volunteer income tax assistance program, trained volunteers prepare tax returns at no cost for qualifying individuals while also ensuring that those eligible take advantage of credits. By investing in the financial stability of our region, we hope to improve it for everyone.

|Jim Cawley, president and chief executive officer, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, Philadelphia

ISSUE | LEADERSHIP

Here and abroad, a better outlook

The past several months have shown us how vital it is to have a wise leader. From the validation of the Affordable Care Act, to the groundbreaking decision to sanction gay marriage, to the hard-fought achievement of the recent nuclear agreement with Iran, to the opening of relations with Cuba, President Obama's leadership has proven that good programs and ideas can be achieved, even in a time of political polarization.

When Supreme Court majorities upheld the president's position in recent rulings, and John Kerry, Obama's emissary to the Iran talks, succeeded in that prickly bit of diplomacy, Americans could see that their president has always wanted the best for this country and has worked tirelessly toward that goal, despite daunting opposition. We are a better nation because of him.

|Judy Hughes, Blue Bell

ISSUE | TRAFFIC

Thank Christie for slow ride to the Big Apple

Not mentioned in recent coverage of traffic problems in North Jersey was that Gov. Christie shortsightedly stopped work on a new rail tunnel ("N.J.-N.Y. gridlock gets worse," June 29). It made no difference to him that thousands of commuters wanted the tunnel.

|Barbara Adam, Ocean City