Letters to the Editor | March 21, 2025

Will the real John Fetterman please stand up? He ran as a populist Democrat against Trump-backed Mehmet Oz, giving Pennsylvanians the impression he would be a bulwark against far-right extremism. However, ever since his visit to see Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in January, Fetterman has, to the dismay of those who are not part of the MAGA cult, caucused with far-right Trump allies in the Senate. What a disappointment. Pennsylvanians deserve better than a senator who only represents the interests of the oligarchy at the expense of the working class. We need to send a clear message reflecting this in 2028 and elect someone who truly looks out for us.

Colleen Dunn, Bethlehem

Dear Major League Baseball, Philadelphia here. We know we’ve asked a few things from you over the years, but from the city that has the distinct honor of its home baseball team being America’s oldest still in continuous operation, we’re probably allowed a request or two. So here it is: Let Pete Rose into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Let him in because regardless of his conduct off the field, it’s time the all-time MLB leader in hits, singles, and plate appearances be given the honor he deserves. We know better than anyone Rose played baseball more like Zach Baun than Babe Ruth. It was a style of play that was perfect for the 1980 Phillies. We know Pete’s very nature was unapologetic — that he never owned up to gambling on the game he loved. We know that at times it even seemed like he doubled down on defending the indefensible.

Rose may have tarnished his reputation in the game he loved, but his violations didn’t diminish his distinguished records. In the end, the only life it very well may have truly affected was his own. This punishment has been long enough. Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Michael Thomas Leibrandt, Abington Township

A recent letter to the editor suggesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was anything but illegal, immoral, and unprovoked is, candidly, nonsense. James Baker’s promise to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 was effective at the time and perceived as necessary to accomplish the goal. The U.S. defense and intelligence network at the time was well-documented against such a position, understanding then, as well as now, that Russia should never be considered a peace-seeking neighbor in Europe.

NATO is a coalition of varied internal alliances, based on collective defense. No NATO member country has ever invaded Russia, and there have been no responsibly documented steps to do so. Russia was not, in any truthful reality, threatened militarily by Ukraine’s efforts toward NATO inclusion. Common sense dictates that any attempt at a military takeover of Russia by any country or coalition would be catastrophic for most of the world and, quite frankly, not worth the sacrifice. A Ukrainian defensive posture is decidedly different from an invasion supported by Russian lies. There is no better evidence of this than the war ending the moment Russia stops its invasion of Ukraine and the killing of citizens forced to defend themselves.

Glenn Hopey, Oreland

When I read Sarah Gantz and Aubrey Whelan’s Inquirer article on the continued drop in measles vaccination rates among kindergarteners in Philadelphia, it immediately took me back to 1962, when I contracted measles — just a year shy from the vaccine becoming available. Like many other kids during that time, my illness began with a severe headache and high fever, prompting a visit to my pediatrician, where I received my diagnosis and a gamma globulin shot. I still remember it as quite painful.

The next few days were not easy. I broke out with a rash, which required cornstarch baths to help with itching. My worst symptoms were headaches and sensitivity to light. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment, and I slept on a sofa bed in the living room. I had to have the shades down and the lights off because it was so painful. Fortunately, I did not experience any of the serious complications that can come from measles, such as encephalitis, pneumonia, deafness, and sometimes death. When the vaccine was introduced in 1963, there was little hesitancy from parents to have their children vaccinated.

Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about one in five unvaccinated people in the U.S. who get measles are hospitalized, and nearly one to three of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die. Please don’t let your child become part of those statistics. Consult your health-care provider and get your child vaccinated.

Jay S. Feldstein, president and CEO, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

The United States is no longer teetering on the brink of a constitutional crisis. For all intents and purposes, the Constitution has already collapsed. Establishing a framework for governance, the Constitution, at its core, was designed to prevent tyranny, but under the weight of relentless assaults on our freedoms by President Donald Trump — with the full backing of Republicans in Congress — that commitment to liberty has been rendered impotent. Trump’s long-standing disregard for the rule of law and disdain for the Constitution are a matter of record, with the most egregious example being the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Constitutional resilience notwithstanding, had it not been for the stabilizing counsel from the president’s first-term advisers, who have since been replaced with yes-men and ideologues, the republic may not have survived. With these guardians of democracy gone, an independent judiciary may be democracy’s only hope for sustainability.

Jim Paladino, Tampa, Fla.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and City Council have proposed removing the $100,000 exemption from the Business Income and Receipts Tax (BIRT) — and for good reason. While helping small businesses is a laudable goal, providing this tax exemption would require an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution. As it currently stands, the exemption violates the constitution’s uniformity clause.

Speaking to The Inquirer, former Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez suggests the city should defend the exemption, and points to the lack of legal challenges to the real estate tax’s $100,000 homestead exemption. Presumably, the implication is that if the homestead exemption is valid, so, too, is the BIRT exemption. However, as The Inquirer article notes, there is a critical distinction: The homestead exemption “is explicitly authorized by state law.”

We are writing to underscore the significance of that authorization, which came in the form of an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution — no small feat given amending requires passage in two successive legislative sessions plus approval by the voters. Thus, the state constitution’s specific authorization for the homestead exemption, but not the BIRT exemption, confirms the BIRT’s $100,000 exemption is barred by the uniformity clause. This is consistent with decades of Pennsylvania Supreme Court precedent, so the city is simply following the law by removing the exemption.

Michael I. Lurie, partner, Kenneth R. Levine, partner, Kyle O. Sollie, partner, and Jacqueline Noyes, associate, Reed Smith LLP, Philadelphia

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