Letters to the Editor | April 2, 2025

Love him or hate him, Elon Musk is making a mess of our democracy, and is the most glaring example of why the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding campaign finances (Citizens United v. FEC) needs to be revisited and reversed. As the richest person in the world, Musk spent more than $250 million to influence the 2024 presidential race (and has bought his way into a position with huge influence within our government). He is currently spending millions more to influence the outcome of a state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin and has millions more to spend elsewhere.

Corporations, industries, and other billionaires are making similar “investments.” We are becoming an oligarchy where those with the deepest pockets are making and changing the rules for the rest of us. SCOTUS should have the responsibility to not just theorize about what may happen if they vote in some way in a particular case but should look at the actual consequences of prior rulings and decide whether to revise their rulings. Do we really want billionaires to rule our country, or do we want to be a democracy?

Kent Kingan, Malvern

My dad was a career naval aviator who fought in the Pacific in World War II. My brother followed in his footsteps — flying jets, rather than prop planes — off aircraft carriers. Being a Navy fighter pilot is always a dangerous job. An accessible, unclassified discussion (via text messages) of military plans to bomb Houthi targets in two hours (exact times specified) has been broadly criticized. But the lives of all military personnel involved in carrying out the orders were not important enough to hold anyone accountable for this carelessness and horrific error of judgment. From the president and his cabinet, the matter has generally been characterized as “no big deal.” I read the transcript of the texts. It was a chilling narrative. What finally led me to understand the state of mind of the folks on the chat were the emojis. A sure way to lighten and trivialize the content of the chat.

Maria McNichol, Wynnewood

A recent op-ed by Christopher E. Kelly describes my bill aimed at tackling the fentanyl crisis as an effort to repeat “the failed history of the drug war.” As the author notes, there is a fentanyl demand problem, and I’ll be working as a senator to support programs that reduce addiction and increase treatment. However, his suggestion that this is just a demand problem is wrongheaded and disingenuous. Kelly ignores two key facts.

First, many overdose deaths result from taking counterfeit pills that are unknowingly laced with fentanyl. Second, the Chinese government is using this crisis as a weapon — supplying raw materials and using Mexican cartels as manufacturers and distributors — to poison Americans. Make no mistake: This is an addiction epidemic, but it’s also a national security crisis.

My legislation would ensure federal agencies are properly coordinating their efforts to combat the trafficking of fentanyl into our communities. We know from history that when missions are siloed, it can be catastrophic. Almost 3,000 Americans died on 9/11 in large part because federal agencies weren’t properly communicating. About 4,000 Pennsylvanians and 100,000 Americans died of fentanyl in 2024. Getting agencies on the same page, from a national security perspective, is critical to saving lives.

I also cosponsored the HALT Fentanyl Act, which empowers law enforcement to go after cartel-manufactured “copycat” fentanyl, and ensures medical research into these deadly substances can continue. My bill targets deadly cartels that are partnering with our adversaries to kill Americans and undermine our national security, an issue that — just as combating addiction — is a worthwhile endeavor by Congress. Suggesting otherwise is false.

Dave McCormick, junior senator for Pennsylvania

They are doing it again. Whenever the Trump administration gets in trouble, they create a story that is totally ridiculous but still seems to captivate the attention of the press. The purpose of this ruse, obviously, is to distract attention. The serious story in this case is the Signal chat group scandal. The distraction is the Vances’ trip to Greenland and the idea that Greenland could become a U.S. territory, an idea which neither Greenland nor Denmark takes seriously. Is the U.S. going to invade Greenland with troops as Germany invaded Poland in 1939? I doubt even Donald Trump would dare to be so outrageous. Even more ridiculous is the idea that Canada could become the 51st state. Why does the press continue to pursue these outlandish stories? We would be much better served if they focused on the real, disturbing stories and ignored the distractions.

Carol Sundeen, Lower Makefield Township

Everyone agrees Philadelphia’s schoolchildren would benefit from improved after-school sports programs, but the school district is financially strapped. The four largest Philadelphia sports franchises have a combined payroll of more than $750 million. If those teams were to allocate an amount equal to 0.5% of their payrolls, the school district would have almost $4 million to improve playing fields, buy sports equipment, and give children a healthy outlet for their energies.

Paul L. Newman, Merion Station

Across the country, people speaking up for Palestinian freedom are being harassed, surveilled, detained, and threatened. From students on college campuses to immigrants targeted for deportation, we are witnessing a coordinated campaign to silence dissent, and we need to call it what it is: political repression. If you can’t say “Free Palestine” without fearing for your job, your education, your platform, your immigration status, or your safety — then you’re not free, either.

What we’re seeing is not new. The U.S. has a long history of crushing movements that challenge its violence — whether it’s against Black liberation organizers, U.S. Supreme Court activists, Indigenous water protectors, or anyone who dares to stand against the empire. And make no mistake: This is about empire. The same government that funds the bombs falling on Gaza is now trying to muzzle the voices demanding an end to genocide. That’s what U.S. imperialism looks like: endless war abroad, and repression at home. But the people being targeted — especially young people, students, immigrants, and people of color — are showing us something powerful. They’re reminding us that the fight for Palestinian freedom is part of a larger struggle for collective liberation. Our struggles are not separate. We are bound together. And when one of us is punished for demanding justice, it’s a warning to all of us.

That’s why we must be louder. Bolder. Braver. Now is not the time to retreat or be quiet. Now is the time to show up. For each other, for the people of Gaza, for every person who has faced violence for simply daring to speak the truth. We can’t let fear win. We can’t let them convince us that silence is safety. Silence is complicity — and we were made for more than that. We were made for solidarity.

Sandy Bove’, North Wildwood

Join the conversation: Send letters to [email protected]. Limit length to 200 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.