Trump unworthy of Boy Scouts | Readers respond

Trustworthy. Loyal. Helpful. Friendly. Courteous. Kind. Obedient. Cheerful. Thrifty. Brave. Clean. Reverent.
How many of these qualities sound like attributes of President Trump?

I trust that today's Boy Scouts of America will be able to discern the difference between the real deal and yet another self-aggrandizing performance ("Trump's Scout speech sparks a backlash," Wednesday).

— Janice Ciampa, Swarthmore, ciampaa@comcast.net

Columnist E.J. Dionne believes that voter fraud does not exist ("Voting panel lacks integrity," Tuesday). Here's another view.

As a teacher at Philadelphia's John Bartram High School, I know two colleagues who have encountered voter fraud. One teacher whose mother lived near the school would take her to the polls, where they both voted. Then, that teacher would drive home to New Jersey, go to the polls with her husband, and vote again. She did this until her mother passed.

Another teacher described his experience of voting after graduating from Penn State. He went to the polls and, when presented with the register to sign, found that someone had signed for him in the previous two elections, while he was away at college.

So much for "zero, zilch, nada" evidence of voter fraud.

— Philip J. Donohue, Republican candidate, Third District, N.J. Assembly, Alloway, phildonohue@comcast.net

Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean (D., Montgomery) urges a vote on her House Bill 1624, which would create a shale severance tax, to help balance the state budget ("Call a vote on shale severance tax," Tuesday). She is correct that reasonable taxes are not dirty words. They are, however, oxymorons in Harrisburg.

Dean also was correct in deriding House Speaker Mike Turzai's proposal to borrow from the tobacco settlement again, since borrowing merely shifts debt and raiding restricted accounts is taking money from Peter to pay Paul.

Bob Dick, a senior policy analyst with the Commonwealth Foundation, advocates getting out of the booze business as a short-term budget assist. He claims reforms on the table could raise $l million to more than $300 million, and full privatization could raise more. The tax on liquor profits from private stores, with state income tax from their employees, could create a permanent source of income benefiting schools and infrastructure.

In the meantime, Dean's call for a vote on her bill should be heeded. Her request is simple and sensible: "Negotiate a responsible revenue plan we can be proud of."

— Ralph D. Bloch, Rydal, ralphdbloch@yahoo.com

The commentary, "Pa. should resist entreaties to bail out nuclear industry" (Monday) is wrong about the role of government in economic development. If nuclear leaves the state, and natural gas fills the gap, Pennsylvania will lose 16,000 jobs. It would also make us highly dependent on one source of energy, where we now have a diverse mix.

The government can and must prevent this. When I was the head of the Governor's Action Team under Tom Ridge, I saw the lasting positive impact of collective approaches to economic development. The Navy Yard in Philadelphia was on its last leg in the late 1990s, but it was saved through a collaborative effort involving government and private enterprises. It now employs thousands.

The government should prevent the loss of nuclear power. Doing so will balance the needs of the job creators with the public interest.

— Steve Kohler, Washington

I read with shame the story about Devil's Pool in Wissahickon Valley Park ("'Attractive nuisance,'" July 4). I grew up in the park and must have walked every inch of Cresheim Creek.

Devil's Pool is not a nuisance, as characterized by Maura McCarthy, executive director of Friends of the Wissahickon, of which I am a member. I am ashamed of my former neighbors, who complained that the streets are being misused by people coming from outside the neighborhood.

My mother and I worked tirelessly to make West Mount Airy an inclusive neighborhood. In the late 1940s, my mother went door to door to encourage people to accept people from poor neighborhoods looking for better. I was president of the West Mount Airy Neighbors, whose mission was to make the neighborhood all-inclusive.

If my former neighbors don't like visitors parking on the street, let them lobby the city and the Philadelphia Parking Authority to provide parking. Let them lobby for trails into the park.

— Jerome R. Balka, Bala Cynwyd