Letters to the Editor | Oct. 2, 2024

It’s time to do the right thing. Now that Pete Rose has died, it’s time for Major League Baseball to take a long look at his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. It is nothing short of grossly hypocritical that he should still be banned because he bet on his own team. You can’t watch a Phillies game on TV without the announcers giving you betting lines and commercials with beautiful girls telling you how great it is to gamble on everything from hits, runs scored, and hot dogs sold. Where is the consistency? True, Rose was a flawed human being who buckled under the pressure of telling the truth for so many years. However, his hitting prowess and sheer determination on the field are standards still to be equaled. When the league stops promoting gambling before and during baseball games, maybe I’ll change my view. As for now, I ask one question: What do Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, and every other player have in common? Answer: None of them had as many hits as Pete Rose. May he rest in peace.

Charlie Sacchetti, Cinnaminson, sacchettiman@gmail.com

The next time any Republican seeks to dispute the assertion that the GOP is attempting to suppress the vote, consider that the Republican National Committee has filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania that would preclude election officials from notifying anyone who submits a defective mail-in ballot that they have made an insignificant error or allowing them to correct it. Why is it so important to the GOP that a group of qualified voters be disenfranchised?

The answer is simple: It is traditionally Democrats who have elected to exert their right to vote by mail, so the number of ballots that would be thrown out if the Republicans have their way would be presumed to be mostly votes for the other side. In the pre-civil rights era, there were poll taxes and literacy tests designed to keep people of color from voting. The sinister modern-day Republican scheme is to take away the precious right to vote if someone fails to correctly date their ballot or to affix a signature. Democrats want to make it easier for qualified voters to cast their ballots. The GOP wants to do all that it can to ensure that voters who are opposed to it are voiceless.

Oren Spiegler, Peters Township

To respond to Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno’s comment that “it’s a little crazy” that suburban women over 50 care about abortion rights when they’re not going to need an abortion themselves anytime soon: Bernie, let me enlighten you. We care because we remember.

We remember what it was like to have to get an illegal back-alley abortion, and how devastating that was. This isn’t just some old, dusty history to us; we lived it. We remember what it was like when a woman’s uterus was the subject of men’s comments and instructions. I was a young lawyer when a partner in my department asked me what my plans were for starting a family. When I said I was pregnant, they immediately stopped giving me work. Later, when I was headed out on maternity leave, the firm’s managing partner told me I had to “make a choice between being a mother and being a lawyer.”

We remember what it was like to be denied a mortgage because we were pregnant, or required to disclose to the bank what our future reproductive plans were as a condition of obtaining a loan. We fight for a woman’s right to control her own body because we know what not having rights looks like, and we love our daughters and granddaughters too much to want them to go through what we went through. Younger women can tell you we’re not going back; older women can tell you why.

Linda Falcao, North Wales, lindafalcao@gmail.com

According to most polls, the principal issues for voters are the economy, immigration, and women’s reproductive rights. Apparently, protecting democracy is no longer a top-tier concern. In the 2022 midterm election, 70% of registered voters said the preservation of democracy was a priority. The willingness since then, by a majority of the electorate, to subordinate freedom to other matters is a profound mindset adjustment and most troubling. Donald Trump, with his history of undermining long-standing democratic institutions, especially the rule of law, continues to subvert the most fundamental right of democracy: voting. He is already claiming that if Kamala Harris wins in November, it could only be the result of a fraud-based tally. Since our nation’s founding, countless Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of democracy. Let’s not desecrate the graves of the fallen by reelecting a subversive who assaults the freedoms they died to protect.

Jim Paladino, Tampa, Fla.

In response to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s agreement with the 76ers, the taxpayers of Philadelphia deserve more clarification. Specifically, the 76ers will pay $6 million a year in lieu of property taxes? That figure seems low in comparison with what they would pay if they had the land assessed with regular increases like the rest of us. Who would make up any shortfall in taxes? Would it be Philadelphia taxpayers who are already overburdened? The Inquirer reports that a provision in the deal “could allow the 76ers to get taxpayer money in the future” if the city supports a competing arena project during the 30-year life of the deal. Again, we need clarification on exactly how this will affect and benefit the citizens of Philadelphia, because right now, this plan does not appear to have any positives for Center City, Chinatown, or taxpayers, but only would benefit those who have a financial stake in the plan.

Joanne L. Gotto, Philadelphia

Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance continues to push lies that harm his own constituents in Ohio. Contrary to his claims, Haitian immigrants are not only in Springfield legally but largely at the invitation of local officials, who saw an opportunity to revive their town while providing a haven for folks in need. In this time of growth, Vance could help guide a successful transition. Instead, he sows chaos, fear, and hate that has led to bomb threats and costly interruptions to daily life.

Donald Trump, who heads the GOP ticket, is doubling down on lies about Haitian immigrants in Charleroi, Pa. Local authorities and community leaders roundly reject his aspersions. The growing Haitian population, they correct, is bringing more resources to their town and contributing to their economy. There has been no spike in crime. The question is: Will we Pennsylvanians buy what Trump and Vance are selling? Will we let their lies turn us against our neighbors and rip our communities apart? Or will we look at the facts, see one another’s humanity, and come together to create the brighter future that all of us, regardless of where we’re from, want?

Tina Shelton, Havertown, and Jenn Hallam, Drexel Hill

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