Letters to the Editor | April 1, 2025

I am a parent of two school-age children in Philadelphia. I recently learned there are only three librarians in the entire district. If there is a library in a school, it’s run by volunteers. How is that even possible? How are kids being prepared for high school, let alone college, without a librarian who can help them find books and access resources for research? It’s no wonder our kids are so behind in reading. Where are they getting their books? Institute of Museum and Library Services funding possibly going away would jeopardize this even further. I can’t imagine that even what we do have — like PA Power Library, a free resource for any kid in the state to access databases and e-books — could go away because of the shortsighted decisions of the Trump administration. I hope Congress hears the many, many concerns and does something to protect it.

Lauren Popp, Philadelphia

On Wednesday, the city dedicated the 2000 block of North 59th Street to Will Smith, and everybody was celebrating. This past summer, the city honored the now-deceased Frankie Beverly with the 6000 block of North Norwood Street. This is fine, but where’s the dedication for the late and great Teddy Pendergrass? It would’ve been nice if he got that dedication on March 26, which would’ve been his 75th birthday.

Bhoke Lumumba, Media

A photo caption on Sunday’s Inquirer front page referred to a man who “lost his job during recent downsizing of the federal government.” That mild-mannered wording hides what’s really going on here. The so-called downsizing is actually a historically unprecedented tidal wave of indiscriminate, wholesale cuts unilaterally and unconstitutionally inflicted by a corrupt, lawbreaking president and his unaccountable, unelected billionaire sidekick. The Constitution does not give any kind of line-item veto power over spending to the president — especially not for spending decisions approved by a previous Congress and previous president.

Trump and his South African buddy are acting as if our federal government is a private corporation with a ruthless, amoral CEO who can dictate massive firings while ripping off customers and suppliers. In reality, we have a Constitution and laws that say how federal spending can be cut, but Trump and Elon Musk are shamelessly violating them. If the Republican-controlled Congress were doing its constitutional duty, Trump would be facing a third impeachment.

Matthew Zencey, West Chester

We now begin to understand how the Donald Trump version of America is going to work. We are going to beat inflation by making everything cost more, we are going to improve education by cutting its funding, and we are going to eliminate fraud by firing the inspectors general and the IRS auditors. We are going to improve our nation’s health by eliminating funding for research, and we are going to promote free speech by prosecuting those who dare to disagree with us. We are going to antagonize and alienate our allies and join with the most corrupt dictators in dividing up the world’s assets among the various stateless billionaires. And, while we wait for the greatness to ensue, we are going to inflict as much cruelty as possible against the least powerful among us, so that everybody else will be too afraid to complain.

Patrick J. Ream, Millville

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