Letters to the Editor | Jan. 1, 2025

Can we pause in honor of Jimmy Carter and take a day to acknowledge the value of basic human decency? Carter reminds us that you can live a life of such exemplary service and dedication that when you die, the most amazing thing about your life is not that you were president of the United States or won a Nobel Prize, rather it’s that you helped wipe out a disease that affected 3.5 million Africans that causes blindness, built homes for the homeless, and worked to bring free and fair elections to the rest of the world.

At a time when other former presidents were devoting themselves to painting, producing movies, jumping out of airplanes, coauthoring novels, and selling Bibles branded with their own name, Carter took up a hammer and nails to build housing for people who needed it, bring health care to millions, and promote democracy around the globe. Please, let’s take a day and ask ourselves: What would Jimmy Carter do? And then go out and do that. The world will be a better place for it.

Linda Falcao, North Wales

The U.S. House of Representatives says goodbye to Rep. Barbara Jean Lee (D., Calif.) after 26 years of service. Along with her constituent work, Lee has been one of Congress’s strongest voices for social justice, and often the only voice for peace. After 9/11, the congresswoman was the only member of Congress to oppose the authorization for use of military force, as she believed the authorization would become a blank check for endless war. She is currently working to repeal that blank check, which has been used more than 30 times to engage in military action without congressional oversight. In keeping with her strong commitment to peace, the congresswoman was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq War. The Granny Peace Brigade recently paid tribute to Lee for her “ongoing opposition to war, her staunch advocacy for peace, justice, the rights of women, the LGBT community, and people of color.” We look forward to what comes next for Lee.

Jean Haskell, Philadelphia

On Nov. 5, the people of Pennsylvania spoke loudly, electing their national leader: Donald Trump. But when it came to our state’s GOP leader, Republicans were denied a voice — their leader was not elected but selected. With GOP Chairman Lawrence Tabas not seeking reelection, two candidates entered the race, at which point one was instantly propped up and endorsed by party elites as the anointed one. After the media shouted it far and wide, the next thing you know, one of the candidates withdrew. So wrong! What happened? Where are the people in this process?

How many people knew Ted Christian entered the race? Christian is a longtime Trump adviser, a MAGA man; the endorsed Greg Rothman backed Ron DeSantis. Speaking to Harrisburg 100, one state committee member was quoted as saying, “I thought we were a party from the ground up, not the top down.” That has stuck with me. What’s more, now another MAGA candidate, Bill Bachenberg, may run. Bachenberg — like Christian — is receiving little press. Why’s that? I’m starting to believe the media establishment represents only the party establishment. The people should reach out to their state committee members. Heck, reach out to President Trump if you can. Pennsylvania’s on the line.

Caroline Machiraju, Camp Hill, Pa.

Jeffrey Millstein recently wrote a wonderful article in The Inquirer explaining different types of visits to a primary care doctor, and a reminder for those eligible to schedule their annual visit. Nearly 20% of Philadelphians do not have a primary care doctor, and more than a third of adults nationally (38%) revealed they delayed medical care because of cost in a recent Gallup poll. Delayed medical care hits communities of color the hardest, with people who identify as Black or Hispanic more likely to forgo medical care than white Philadelphians.

A bright spot, though, is community health centers like the city health centers and local clinics like Puentes de Salud that offer reduced or potentially free visits for people with and without insurance. Philadelphia is also a diverse city with many academic hospitals that are trying various approaches to address this gap. For example, Thomas Jefferson University’s JeffHOPE clinic is the largest student-run free clinic nationally. Another approach is academic-community partnerships like what the University of Pennsylvania has with preexisting community-based clinics such as Puentes de Salud. Given how delaying medical care can lead to serious complications or even death, we should continue working toward making health care more easily accessible and affordable to all.

Noor Shaik, resident, department of neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Well, I finally broke down and did it. I created an account on Donald Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social. The reason why I went against my better judgment and joined was because Sen. John Fetterman joined recently and his first (and only) post was reported in The Inquirer. Apparently, my Democratic senator equated Trump’s criminal conviction for falsifying business records as part of a cover-up scheme with Hunter Biden’s own legal troubles. He then suggested pardons were appropriate.

First, President Joe Biden cannot pardon Trump for the “hush-money” case. That was a state prosecution and not a federal one. Second, pardoning Hunter Biden had nothing to do with the crimes he was convicted of, but rather to shield him from future prosecutions by Trump’s U.S. Justice Department. Fetterman calls both prosecutions an expletive. Is he saying that if it was anyone other than Hunter Biden and Trump, they wouldn’t have been prosecuted? I don’t believe it.

Don’t get me wrong. Fetterman has the right to express his opinion like everyone else. However, why did he post his opinion about these prosecutions solely on Truth Social and not on other social media? Likely because he just wanted confirmation and not criticism — and MAGA nation didn’t disappoint. Every comment I read contained a meme of some kind declaring war on the Democrats. One reply even asked if Fetterman was now MAGA.

So now I am on Truth Social. I’m going to read posts there I won’t read anywhere else. I am now following Fetterman, Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, Robert Kennedy Jr., and most of the MAGA political crowd. I’m hoping to gain insight into their thinking that I might not be able to glean anywhere else. I might even push back on their posts ... Nah, my blood pressure can’t handle it.

Lawrence Goldman, York, Pa.

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