Letters to the Editor | Oct. 17, 2022

Working together, the Kenney administration, the pension board, unions, City Council members, and legislators made important changes to the city’s pension system, improving the fund’s health and leading to a Government Finance Officers Association Excellence Award.

Ensuring the fund’s solvency required long-term solutions, including: amending benefits to include both defined contribution and capped defined benefit portions; increasing contributions from the city and union members, providing hundreds of millions of dollars above state-required amounts; and changing the way the board invests to lower costs, reduce risks, and increase returns relative to peer funds. In 2018, a Pew analysis helped policymakers evaluate how the plan would weather various conditions, finding that Philadelphia was better positioned than peer funds, writing the “reforms demonstrate that improved funding of a municipal pension system is attainable.”

An outside actuary projects a fully funded system within a decade, a remarkable turnaround.

Rob Dubow, finance director, city of Philadelphia

The recent thefts, ransacking, and attacks at Philadelphia Wawa stores are indefensible. Nevertheless, Wawa’s decision to close certain stores because of “continued safety and security challenges” is wrong. Wawa has tied its corporate image, branding, and profits to the Philadelphia area. It did so because over many years, Philadelphia has embraced Wawa, and Wawa has embraced it back. Rather than cut and run now, Wawa should double down, recommit to its “home city,” figure out how to keep its stores open, and loudly and proudly pronounce that it stands with us. These are troubled times, with all sorts of “external safety challenges” locally, nationally, and globally. They demand leadership and resources, and for corporations to be partners with governments. That partnership shouldn’t be limited to just feel-good parties like the Wawa Welcome America Festival. A partner stands with you in challenging times, too. Wawa, please reconsider how you treat the city that loves you back.

Ralph Luongo, Philadelphia

The distilled spirits industry plays an essential role in Pennsylvania’s economy, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and generating billions in state economic activity each year. A new report from the Distilled Spirits Council has found that consumers increasingly prefer spirits-based ready-to-drink beverages to malt- or wine-based alternatives, and consumers want greater access to these products, including in grocery and convenience stores.

Unfortunately, in Pennsylvania, access to spirits-based ready-to-drinks has been restricted by outdated laws that prohibit sales of these products outside of state-run stores, even if those beverages have the same or lower alcohol-by-volume than similar malt- and wine-based ready-to-drinks that are widely available.

Providing retailers the ability to sell spirits-based ready-to-drinks alongside similar products in Pennsylvania would support local craft distillers, bolster the state’s hospitality industry, and generate additional excise tax revenue for the state. Pennsylvania lawmakers should take note and modernize outdated laws that unfairly penalize consumers and small businesses.

Andy Deloney, vice president of state public policy, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.

There is a needless problem with mail-in ballots that has an easy solution. The problem surrounds the ambiguity regarding whether votes in undated outer envelopes should be counted. The solution is simple: Stop requiring that the voter date the envelope. The only date that matters, in the end, is the date and time by which the mail-in ballot must be received in order to be counted. If we think the date is important, just look at the postmark. Right now, we don’t know if the date the voter uses is the actual date anyway. If a voter thinks he or she is nearing the deadline to submit the vote, he or she can put down an earlier date. The date on the outside is meaningless.

John A. D’Angelo, Fort Washington, dange100@aol.com

The front-page story in Thursday’s paper was “Man dies in gun battle; three officers wounded,” and in the Sports section on Page C3 was an advertisement for Guntoberfest being held over the weekend at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. For just a $13 admission, you can buy “Guns. Ammo. Militaria. Knives.”

On a daily basis, we read about the horror that is going on in our city in your newspaper and what can be done about it. By accepting this kind of advertising, you are helping to promote the very issue you supposedly condemn. This is not only poor judgment but the height of hypocrisy.

Dot Yablin, Philadelphia

In our troubled and divided country, with democracy under siege, the most important mission a college can honor is to inspire its students to be ethical human beings and, to the best of its ability, protect them from danger. Especially danger from within the institution. Sadly, Penn State’s leadership is courting danger from within by protecting their campus conservative club’s Oct. 24 speaking invitation to Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, who consistently inspires violence with his expressions of prejudice in hate-laced rhetoric. Students pushing back on this invite warn that McInnes’ presence, one that may bring large numbers of his followers to campus, poses an enormous threat.

According to Penn State leadership, however, the organization issuing the invite, Uncensored America, a recognized student organization, has an “undeniable constitutional right” to carry on with its planned evening. Why doesn’t leadership value the “undeniable constitutional right” of students to protect themselves and their academic home from the highly disturbed vitriol of the likes of Gavin McInnes and his followers?

SaraKay Smullens, Philadelphia

It is true that the First Amendment allows people to say whatever they want to say. However, when the health and reputation of others are impacted, there is a price to pay. This is true of Alex Jones, who is to pay close to $1 billion to the families of Sandy Hook victims. It is also true of Dominion Voting Systems, which is suing Fox News for defamation over the legitimacy of the 2020 election. It is times like this where democracy is the overarching protector of our collective welfare.

Bill Pelle, Haverford, bill.to.write@gmail.com

The party of law and order recognizes that the greatest percentage of major crimes are committed with firearms and that roughly 70% of murders are committed with firearms. This country has been seeing an alarming escalation in gun violence. Which party has lobbied for commonsense gun laws — background checks, raising the minimum age to purchase guns, safe storage, and banning high-capacity weapons — all efforts the majority of citizens favor? Which party has thwarted these efforts at every turn? Without a doubt, the Democratic Party is the party of law and order.

Joanne Stiteler, Springfield

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