Letters to the Editor | Sept. 10, 2024

As Kamala Harris steps onto the debate stage to face Donald Trump, we must ask ourselves: Are we better off now than four years ago? For Pennsylvanians, the answer lies in their daily struggles with rising prices and record inflation. The Biden-Harris administration’s economic policies have led to historic inflation, making it nearly impossible for many Americans to make ends meet. Grocery store trips, gas, and electric bills have become unaffordable, a daily reminder of the administration’s failed policies.

Skyrocketing prices are affecting everything, ranging from a cheeseburger to a ticket to a Phillies game. A Pitts-Burger and Cheese from Primanti Bros. has risen by over 37% since 2019, while beer at a Phillies game has increased by more than 28%. A Wawa six-inch hoagie is up nearly 73%. Harris will likely avoid addressing these real concerns that have created this historic inflation crisis, instead repeating tired talking points. Her economic plan, built on radical leftist ideologies, has contributed to the rising costs Pennsylvanians face daily. Her support for policies like price controls threatens the free market, which will worsen inflation and lead to shortages.

Pennsylvania families want to know why their grocery bills have doubled, and why their favorite local products are becoming unaffordable. We want leadership that will rein in inflation and support policies that promote job growth and lead to wage increases. Yet, we are unlikely to hear a plan from Harris that addresses these concerns, because if she had one, she would have implemented it already. Pennsylvania deserves leadership that puts hardworking families first. It’s time to fire Harris and bring back the Trump economic boom that prioritized job growth and economic stability for all Americans.

Kaelan Dorr, strategic communications adviser and special projects manager in the Trump administration, chief marketing officer for Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, and president of Make America Great Again Inc.

I heard a group of blue-collar workers say why they were voting for Donald Trump. They like how he “keeps it real.” How ironic is that statement, as reality is what is true. Was Trump keeping it real when he said the coronavirus was under control and was disappearing, or that Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of JFK? Was he keeping it real when he made more than 30,000 false claims during his four years in office? Actually, Trump keeps it unreal. He is a huckster who appeals to men who are mistaking his macho bravado for the truth. He doesn’t tell it like it is. He tells it like it isn’t. Yet, people are buying into it.

Tom Sexton, Philadelphia, tom_sexton@hotmail.com

A frequently asked question: Why do nearly all Republicans continue to support Donald Trump, despite all his lies, conspiracy theories, egregious acts, and felony convictions? Former Republican political analyst Matthew Dowd offers a plausible explanation with which I agree. He compared what’s happening with Republican acquiescence to Trump to someone in an abusive relationship who continues to allow themselves to be abused because they don’t see an alternative. If that analogy is apropos, and I think it is, then stalwart conservative Liz Cheney’s declaration on Wednesday in North Carolina that she will not only oppose Trump but plans to vote for Harris, followed on Friday by Dick Cheney’s statement that he, too, will vote for Harris, encouraging others to do so, might give Republicans a safe place to go. That then would afford them an opportunity to reclaim themselves, their identity, and their party.

Richard Cherwitz, Camas, Wash.

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