Letters to the Editor | Sept. 13, 2023

Monday’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column made me glad, and sad. Glad for the beautiful artwork reminding drivers to watch for schoolchildren crossing between the speed cushions. Sad that it took decades of effort and PennDot traffic studies that required 85% of drivers to be 10 mph above the limit before these cushions were installed at all. What’s the point of speed limits if people ignore them? Drivers will go as fast as they comfortably can, and when our streets are designed to be car — not people — friendly, this is dangerously fast. It should not be this difficult to make safe streets: raised crosswalks, speed tables, narrowed lanes, continuous sidewalks — yet our cities cave to the needs of cars. Countries such as the Netherlands incorporate these calming measures without a second thought. We must do more to protect ourselves and our children.

Ethan Frank, Merion Station

Donald Trump has worked in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interests, and other Republicans have supported him. Trump wants to abandon Ukraine and get out of NATO, effectively jeopardizing Western Europe’s security. Some Republicans have accused the U.S. military of being woke and weak and wished that our personnel were more like the Russians (who are doing poorly against the Ukrainians). Sen. Tommy Tuberville is another Putin pal because he is directly threatening U.S. military readiness.

The Alabama Republican is withholding promotions and nominations of all senior U.S. military officers, causing chaos with assignments and postings, over a misguided antiabortion stance. Over in the House, some GOP members should be representatives for Moscow, because they want to shut down the government and make Americans suffer if they do not get their way on impeaching President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Jordan on the House Judiciary Committee aims to protect Trump at all costs and tear down the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department in the process. No doubt Putin is smiling and applauding all these efforts, because if the art of war is to destroy one’s enemy without firing a shot, so far he is winning.

George Magakis Jr., Norristown

I would like to remind a recent letter writer that diversity, equity, and inclusion (which he decries that school boards have “caved to”) are much more in keeping with what Christ taught than what many self-proclaimed Christians espouse today. As I recall from my Catholic upbringing, Christ taught that we should love our neighbor as ourselves and be kind to the stranger. Unlike many who now claim to follow Christ, he didn’t divide people based on their ethnicity or their beliefs. And the Bible says nothing at all about homosexuality. The purpose of DEI is to make all feel welcome, and nothing could be more Christian than that. Additionally, like so many others, the letter writer totally ignores the fact that not all people follow what they believe. We are a diverse country, and the current effort to force any form of Christianity on students who rightfully have their own beliefs is both un-Christian and un-American.

Jean A. Kozel, Eagleville

There has been a lot written about whether funding in Pennsylvania’s school districts is adequate to educate students well. A dive into the 2022 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) performance by students brings into very clear focus the fact that money doesn’t seem to be related to performance at all. The state’s complete failure to bring its students to proficiency in English language, math, and science is breathtaking. Almost half of all eighth-grade students rank as “below proficient” in all three key areas of education (except for math, where 77% are “below proficient”). How much longer will Pennsylvania’s parents tolerate this disgrace? The PSSA measures how well students have achieved in reading, mathematics, science, and writing according to Pennsylvania’s world-class academic standards. By using these standards, educators, parents, and administrators can evaluate their students’ strengths and weaknesses to increase students’ achievement scores.

Ed Collins, Wilmington

As the media reflect on the events of 9/11, they remind us of the profound tragedy of the people desperate to escape the doomed towers, and the astonishing courage of the first responders who rushed into the buildings, determined to save as many people as they could. So many lives lost; so many acts of courage that inspired our nation. As we look ahead to the 2024 presidential election, the contrast could not be clearer between the bravery shown that day and the Republican candidates who shrink in fear that they might upset former President Donald Trump. They praise him, despite his moral, ethical, and leadership failures, because they fear he may turn on them and drown them with his vulgar insults. They demonstrate an utter lack of courage and integrity — two traits critical to successful leadership. If they quiver so publicly at the thought of upsetting Trump, what level of courage would they bring to the world stage, where dictators and miscreants want nothing more than the destruction of our country?

Suzanne Bush, Gwynedd Valley

The state Senate recently approved a budget bill that will divert $150 million from the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC). This includes funding from hunting licenses purchased by hunters and utilized for wildlife and habitat management. PGC is an independent agency that doesn’t receive any taxpayer money and raises funds through hunting license sales, fees, and extraction revenue from lands paid for by hunters. In addition to the $150 million that would be diverted away from PGC, the state would also become ineligible to receive $30 million-$40 million each year from the federal government through the Pittman-Robertson Act Fund. This would be devastating for wildlife conservation in our state.

As state chairman of Ducks Unlimited in Pennsylvania, representing nearly 20,000 members, I am appalled that hunter dollars, used to conserve all wildlife species, could be taken away from us and used for other purposes. This goes against the core principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. We cannot allow this to happen. If you are one of the nearly one million Pennsylvanians who buy a hunting license every year, call or email your state representative and state senator today, and tell them to keep their hands off hunter dollars.

Chad Hohenwarter, Pennsylvania state chairman, Ducks Unlimited

As The Inquirer’s Joseph N. DiStefano pointed out in his article “Why some Vanguard investors miss the old days,” Vanguard has changed — and not in a good way. Yes, ever-increasing fees, reduced customer service, and lack of ease for individuals making account adjustments are exasperating, but I’m much more worried about another “good” that’s missing from Vanguard that affects not only our financial futures but our very existence.

Thanks to the work of the Earth Quaker Action Team, I learned Vanguard is now the largest investor in fossil fuels in the world. We’re talking $101 billion in coal alone, plus billions more in oil and gas, and an additional $104 billion in future fossil fuel development. Vanguard’s answer? Its first duty is fiduciary, not moral. It invests in products yielding the highest returns for its clients, period. But how does investing in more fossil fuel development meet fiduciary responsibilities, let alone moral obligations? As world leaders increasingly support the development of renewable energy, won’t fossil fuels become stranded assets? If Vanguard does not change for the good, its customers will — by investing in our future by divesting from Vanguard’s funds.

Eleanor Harty, Jenkintown

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