Letters to the Editor

One generation to talk about

With the barrage of coverage regarding the horrible time that so-called millennials have been experiencing in the job market due to the recession, and then the glut of stories on the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination - giving millennials' parents, the baby boomers, even more media time - one would think there was no other generation.

But those of us in our 30s, labeled Generation X - perhaps you've heard of us? - aren't having it any easier. We didn't have it made in our 20s, are still struggling, can't find work, and can't go back to school (due to the shortage of financial aid), and yet I don't see the media jumping up and down to interview us. Unlike millennials, we weren't told that if we had a college degree, we could walk right into $100,000-a-year jobs and the like. For the most part, the most recent generation to come of age doesn't seem to have been taught that one has to pay dues in the world. That could be the reason they keep crashing so hard.

Other generations had it rough, including my seemingly invisible Gen X. Millenials shouldn't be treated as if they're the only ones.

Donna Di Giacomo, Philadelphia

Mandela leaves lesson for U.S.

Although we often disagree about foreign policy, I am happy to concur in Trudy Rubin's admiration and appreciation of Nelson Mandela ("A huge spirit so unlike Africa's typical 'big man,' " Dec. 6.) Let those who would abuse power in our own country to pursue parochial goals or party supremacy take inspiration from this giant of reconciliation and genuine national commitment.

Ben Burrows, Elkins Park

Mandela's spirit lives on

Nelson Mandela has passed away, but he left behind an incredible legacy that has been a blessing to humanity. Very few people have lived the kind of extraordinary life that he lived, with a record of accomplishment to be celebrated by the entire planet. Mandela joins great people in history like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, who not only freed the oppressed but created a standard worldwide that all people have an equal right to lives of freedom and dignity. Mandela is an inspiration and a role model for everyone on the planet, and his spirit lives on in the soul of humanity.

Marc Perkel, Gilroy, Calif., marc@perkel.com

In praise of Owls football

Congratulations to Temple University on its horrible football season. That's right, I commend my alma mater on its 2-10 record. Temple has proven that it is not a football factory like Pennylvania State University, and that it is most interested in turning out what we need: teachers, entrepreneurs, and professionals. More football stars are the last thing society needs. Temple, keep up the good work.

Gerald T. Lambert, Andalusia

Price of governor's resistance

Were Michael Smerconish to reside in a state led by a governor, rather than a Kewpie doll, he probably would have a workable and useful health-care website ("Nightmare on health site," Dec. 1). In case it has been forgotten, the Affordable Care Act was designed to be executed on a state level through state-run exchanges backed up by the federal website. But Gov. Corbett refused to set up a Pennsylvania exchange.

Dave Kalkstein, Philadelphia, davek50@yahoo.com

Engineer right climate response

It is encouraging to see coverage of climate change from a purely civil-engineering perspective ("Rising tide of safeguards for area's water supply," Nov. 29). A water utility cannot afford to look at the issue through an ideological lens, which means it must plan for the likelihood of rising sea levels, increasing storm intensity, and more frequent droughts in coming decades. This translates into infrastructure hardening that is extremely expensive, a factor increasingly reflected in utility bills. But as noted in the article, we are already paying for climate change whether we believe it is happening or not. Add the enormous health and mortality costs associated with climate change, and a renewable-energy future looks more and more like a grand bargain to be ardently pursued.

Alan Windle, Philadelphia, awindle94@yahoo.com

Senior-facility sale well-grounded

In her recent commentary, Upper Providence Township Supervisor Lisa Mossie questions the transparency of the planned sale of Parkhouse, the county's senior-care center ("Questions on sale of senior facility," Dec. 2). Yet since the county first began exploring a new structure for Parkhouse in February, there have been more than 20 public meeting opportunities for comment. As to other claims: As part of this sale, the county is trying to preserve nearly one-third of the property as open space; a committee did review the financial health of the prospective buyer, Mid-Atlantic Healthcare, and determined that it specializes in working with the most vulnerable of our society - a fact that weighed heavily in its selection - and our desire to complete the transaction by the end of the year is mainly an effort to ease accounting for the county, and to make the transition easier for employees in terms of benefits and tax decisions.

Bruce L. Castor Jr., commissioner, Montgomery County