Letters to the Editor | May 30, 2024

On Saturday, President Joe Biden gave the commencement address to the U.S. Military Academy Class of 2024 in West Point, N.Y. Afterward, he spent over an hour saluting and shaking hands with each of the 1,036 graduates. Here’s what he didn’t do: He didn’t stand at Arlington National Cemetery and ask aloud, “What was in it for them?” He didn’t call them “suckers” and “losers.” He didn’t order that visibly disabled soldiers be kept from public view. He didn’t cancel a visit to a World War I cemetery because he didn’t want to get his hair wet. He didn’t insult Gold Star parents mourning fallen sons and daughters. He didn’t equate his draft-exempt sexual escapades with combat in Vietnam. Donald Trump has said and done all these things. As a veteran, I cannot understand how anyone who cares about honor and decency can even begin to think about voting for someone who has so often shown such contempt for those who serve their country. But here we are.

Isaac Segal, Cherry Hill

Sometimes what should be front-page news never makes the cut. A recent education rally in Harrisburg on public school funding was one such event. It featured speakers from across the state who urged our elected officials to vote in favor of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed $1.8 billion increase for public schools. Attendees included students, teachers, administrators, and concerned citizens. In addition to the rally, participants visited legislators and shared information with them concerning why this money is so crucial now. Some legislators were supportive, but others resisted adequate court-ordered funding for Pennsylvania’s children. Everyone should know which legislators are trying to improve all public schools, and which legislators are willing to throw public schools under the bus. This year, more than ever, such information is needed. After all, it’s an election year, and the people we elect will determine the future of our schools and our precious children.

Mardys Leeper, Villanova

Some members of Congress have increased in age but have not grown up yet. They are acting like children in elementary school. At a time when there are significant issues that need to be addressed in Congress, such as figuring out how to support the aging population of this country with Social Security and Medicare, they are more interested in the color of someone’s hair or the makeup someone wears. What they don’t seem to care about is supporting Social Security by increasing the dedicated payroll tax from the current limit to an amount that more accurately reflects current incomes, and supporting Medicare by more accurately reflecting the current cost of medical care. It’s a shame Congress members only think about their reelection, not the people who are doing the reelecting and have to live in the world they are creating. Fortunately, I am of an age when these things won’t matter to me in a few years. But it is important to think of the young people — the ones who will be living in the country Congress has changed.

Carolyn de Jonge, Hatboro

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